Back in the day, Takebe was a tough-as-nails delinquent who could throw hands with anyone. But right when she finally decides to leave her old ways behind, Takebe has a surprise reunion with her old rival, the “Bloody Cardigan” Soramori. After all these years, she still wants a piece of Takebe—but not in the way anyone expected! Her proposal: If Soramori can beat Takebe in a fight, they have to start dating?!
who at yen press renamed this sapphic series from "accept my fist of love" to "catch these hands"? like you lost all of the original context AND you appropriated aave. absolute clowns 🤡 besides that, annoying tropes and antics plague what could've been a cute and cozy story.
In an attempt to shed her delinquent lifestyle post-high school, Takebe heads out to find some new clothing. She ends up bumping into her old nemesis, Soramori, but two old habits apparently die hard: Takebe’s delinquency and, as it turns out, Soramori’s high school crush…
Well, this is awkward. This is a pretty good tale of two people who can’t seem to grow up, though that’s a definite negative in the case of Takebe, who is a job-drifter living in the shadow of the life she created for herself in her school days.
It’s interesting that Takebe considers ‘you never change’ to be a negative about herself (even as she kind of resents change in others), while Soramori sees that as a positive. The latter is absolutely useless when it comes to helping Takebe break out of her mould.
The whole thing is pretty funny, dealing with growing old, yet not necessarily growing up (I can relate), and how to date when you win your crush by kicking her butt in a fight. Soramori’s reasons for liking Takebe are pretty darn valid too. There’s also a pretty hilarious chapter devoted to a series of screeds against Instagram and the culture it can create.
We even get some reasonably nuanced tackling of the problems of being an adult lesbian in Japan, which I appreciate. Not only is Takebe just being left behind, but she is quick to declare that she intends to marry and be a mother, even if she doesn’t give any indication that she wants to do anything of the sort. It’s appropriately awkward.
And so our two strange bedfellows start to spend more time together; Takebe trying to half-heartedly get out of her arrangement with Soramori via various useless plans (Takebe’s schemes are roughly as nuanced as a cheese sandwich) and Soramori, having finally caught her tail, not knowing what to do with it.
This has all the elements of a stellar book and it just feels… okay. I’m not sure if that’s because Takebe can be pretty extra at the start or because her whole thing seems to be just being angry at the world a whole lot, but there’s a missing something here that would propel this higher in my estimation.
It’s a good start and I’ll definitely keep going with it, don’t get me wrong, and I love gags that comment on the creation of cover images as well, so bonus points there. I just wanted this to ‘wow’ me, not ‘okay’ me.
3 stars - I liked this and it did a lot right, but, as I just said, it’s missing that little extra something that would really make it stand out amongst many other yuri. A comedic story with adults is rare, but there are better comedies and better adult tales being told within the genre.
Grim-faced twentysomething Ayako Takebe is a bit of a clueless sad sack. Struggling through life as a part-time job surfer who hasn't married and had kids like all her friends, she takes a notion that softening her street tough image with a new feminine wardrobe might turn around her job and relationship prospects. But the first store she visits, she runs into Kirara Soramori, her main street-fighting rival from high school, and walks out with a fierce leather jacket and a challenge for a rematch.
But it turns out Soramori is more interested in lip-locking than butt-kicking, and through a perfect storm of the ostensibly-straight Takebe's pride, stubbornness, competitiveness and obtuseness, they find themselves in a relationship limbo somewhere between friendship and dating.
It's cute and weird, but I was mostly won over by Takebe's RBF and how it pays off hilariously in a dressing room montage.
In lieu of a standard review, allow me to give a timeline from start to finish reading this manga:
-started reading it around 2:00 pm -read the first two chapters -stopped reading and took a 2 hour nap -read another chapter -stopped reading and started listening to a podcast while playing a video game -stopped to have dinner -read another chapter -stopped reading and played more video games -stopped playing video games cuz I needed to charge console -FINALLY FINISHED THIS MANGA AT 8 pm
It took me 6 HOURS to read ONE MANGA that should have taken MAYBE a half hour tops, it was THAT BORING. I have no earthly clue how you can write a romance between two former delinquents and have it be THIS BORING. Neither of the main leads are interesting, the story itself isn't interesting, and the dialogue is barely average. The art is nice, but doesn't play up the absurdity of the situation and is just...there.
I have the second volume so I'm gonna give that a read, but I'm not holding my breath with this one. If you still wanna give it a try, go for it, but this was boring as hell to me.
The artwork is nice and I like the fact that this is summer more of a slow burn yuri I like the fact that our main character Takebe is trying to put aside her tough as nails delinquents say that she had in school but is struggling with until she meets her old rival from another school who just happens to be in love with her this is pretty good though it started off I think kind of slow and I think they kind of knocked it down a little bit for me but if you’re looking for a good yuri that doesn’t have Fan service this will be right up your alley
Me los leí hace 1 día y ya no recuerdo casi nada para reseñarlos individualmente 🧍♀️y no es que tenga mala memoria, es que fueron muy irrelevantes para mí.
No odié la historia, pero me da completamente igual la vida de la protagonista (Takabe, la de cabello oscuro). El estilo de dibujo en las portadas me gusta, pero no soy muy fan en la obra en sí, ya que se ven muy incómodas por algunas escenas en las que creo que faltó "movimiento", y aunque los personajes no se vean exageradamente jóvenes, me causa un poco de conflicto sus rostros tan infantiles, por decirlo asi.
Posibles spoilers generales:
▪︎el 80% de todo lo que pasa son mini citas que tienen, y aunque pudieron haber aprovechado cada una de ellas para contarnos muchísimas cosas, siento que se desperdiciaron en su mayoría, no nos contaban basicamente nada sobre sus vidas, dejaron muchas historias sueltas que pudieron rellenar momentos, y sobre todo, no sentí un avance romántico hacia Sasamori (la otra chica en la portada) de ninguna forma, y esto quizá porque se supone que Takabe es arromántica (aunque la descripción que dió coincidía más con ser asexual), pero no sentí ningún progreso o dudas importantes mientras se descubria, y al final se reducieron a unas vagas líneas con las que no identificabas qué era en realidad (arro. o ace) , siento sinceramente que todo ese problema es por la poca cantidad de expresiones faciales que tienen, podrian estar muriendose y no lo parecería; al final, siento que su relación es solo un tipo de dependencia, tal como la prota dice en un momento: se acostumbró tanto a estar con Sasa por las citas y sus charlas por chat cada día, agregando además que su vida es muy aburrida y no tiene nadie más con quien salir, que no tiene nada mejor que hacer, su día a día gira en torno a ella.
▪︎otras cosas que me gustaria haber visto en profundidad son:
1. Más interacción de Takabe con sus "amigas" que aparecieron 2 veces de fondo. (Para averiguar si en algun momento podian hablar sin que la prota las esté insultando en 'broma' o gritando como loca 👍) 2. Más cosas sobre sus vidas individuales (en qué trabajaba Takabe mientras transcurria la historia, y cómo se comportaba ahí), y sus familias (sobre todo de Sasa) 3. De la prima de Takabe que andaba flechada por ella (medio turbio) 4. Y de la otra pareja de chicas y su antigua pandilla.
En fin, es algo corto que vi y leí, no está mal para distraerse pero preferiría leer algo con mas trama, o que explique bien lo que tenga al menos.
As some other reviewers already have said, the story is pretty boring. Very slice-of-life and slow-paced. I also don't like it much when characters make a competition of literally everything... But since I can relate to Takebe (although she's like an extreme version of me), I do find it amusing at times. And I like her direct/honest nature. It's pretty obvious how this will end, and I'm sure it won't get very exciting in the other volumes, but I guess I'll continue anyway.
One thing I didn't like was the instagram (or onestagramm) chapter. It was emphasized earlier on, that both of them like being an individual and taking pride in who they are. Jumping on trends, just because a co-worker asked what their profile name is, is like the opposite of taking pride in being different... nothing wrong with wanting to try things out, but don't do it only because you wanna fit in.
Awww, I like the dynamic between these two! “Catch These Hands” is a slice-of-life manga that’s sweet and just a little silly but also has girls who like to throw punches, so it was fun to read.
Ok little comedic Yuri. Nothing too enjoyable yet for me though, as it's still in the "forced together but I don't love her" phase for one of the leads, kinda like a lot of those fake relationship stories. I guess I just want a little more progress. And the comedy itself is not that funny yet.
They are delinquents which is the over the top part of the story for comedy. Almost everything is settled with a battle, even their visit to an amusement park and their taking Instagram photos.
I just get the feeling volume 2 isn't gonna move the plot forward very much and it's gonna take until the finale to get this romance truly going (about the only thing we have so far is the "protective" and "kind" natures shining through for the main delinquent girl denying her love). I got volume 2 and 3 sitting here though, so I'll give them a go.
My quest to find a variety of manga that I enjoy has hit an obvious snag.
A coworker purchased this book for our store because he liked the concept: two rival bullies have grown up and when they encounter each other as adults, one is infatuated with the other and offers a rematch of their high school-era fight, and if she wins, they have to date.
This sounded Awful to me. Something a fifteen year old might write for wank material. But with the right writer and character development, you can really make almost any story interesting.
Murata chose not to.
This is the typical teen manga where a mismatched couple spend each chapter in a situation where they just don't get along. There's no character development, you barely see any other characters, and the two of them constantly say the same things to each other over and over, even their thought balloons expressing the same ideas every few pages.
You could have told me this was written by an AI and I'd believe you.
Our store is unlikely to carry any other volumes, unless someone comes in and requests it.
Decent little read. It has a fun premise but the art has very little personality. I don't know, I think if you're writing a story about former delinquent girls the art should look more rough and tumble, have a little more energy to it. Instead it just looks like generic anime screencaps.
a perfect fluffy yuri. the characters are super cute and the plot doesn't feel contrived. it strays from most yuri tropes while still being a good romantic comedy. there's also multiple wlw in it which is refreshing! highly recommend.
The premise: high school girl gang rivals meet up randomly when one decides to go straight (haha) and end up fighting again. If Kirare wins then Takebe has to date her and fortunately for us Takebe gets her clock cleaned so we get to enjoy this slice of life manga about two clueless lesbian former high school delinquents.
I’m not the biggest Manga reader, but I’m trying to branch out a bit more this year.
The series is a bit slow moving, but it’s cute and silly enough. It didn’t feel like there was a ton of chemistry between the leads, but according to other folks’ reviews they’re meant to be ace/aro? It didn’t even occur to me! I’ll try to keep that in mind going into the next volume.
I can't get enough of these two women! One thought they were enemies, and the other just wanted to get closer to her. Their reunion was lovely, and I couldn't get enough of this one, and I am eagerly awaiting the next volume!
Cute concept but the main couple kinda have more bestie vibes than romantic vibes. I think I’ll try one more volume of this before I decide to quit or not.
August 2023. Girls Love Manga: Former delinquent challenges her ex rival and crush to a fight, and if she wins they have to date. It’s super silly and had me laughing out loud. Definitely recommend this cute light read and I can’t wait to get the later volumes from the library! I could see buying this series to pick up and reread.
It’s super light and silly and cute. The grumpy one is convinced the dating thing is some sort of trick that is going to come to light, and the sweet one is just head over heels but has no idea how to date. There’s some classic manga date locations like an amusement park but it’s definitely their special twist on how it goes down.
It's...cute, but I wish there was a little more going on. It feels really bad romance wise when 60% of these prompts seem like they're just struggling to find something in common or a thing to do together. I don't think it ever really drastically changes after the first few chapters besides the cute standoff romance, and I need something more. I can see some people finding it cute but you can do better.
I really enjoyed this manga, both the art style and the story!
I found the characters quite relatable, and the story easy to follow, with enough funny moments to make it very enjoyable.
Takebe, a 20-something girl, wakes up one day and realises all her friends are getting married/having children, in a sense "leaving her behind." In an effort to not become even more lonely in the future, she decides to "leave her delinquent past behind" and revamp herself into a respectable woman, who will marry and have a family like everyone else. Shopping for clothes, she stumbles upon Soramori, her ex rival back in high school, working as a clerk in the shop. Convinced she is just making fun of her in lieu of their shared past, they end up confronting each other: turns out all Soramori has been thinking about all those years was that she wanted to date Takebe, and becoming a fighing rival was her way to get close. Deciding to bet on whether Takebe accepts to date her or not, they fight one last time but Soramori defeats her.
I felt for Takebe: I remember being in middle school and wanting to change my clothes style in the hope I'd become more similar to my classmates and "friends," in a wasted effort to not be seen as different and be less lonely (and bullied). I, too, decided that dressing more feminine would transform me into someone I was meant to be. I remember being jealous when my friends would hang out together but without me, and not understanding what I was doing wrong
I also felt for Soramori, and her inability to be honest with the people you admire and love. Also, and that was sooo relatable, her not understanding how social media works. Her attempt to become popular on "onestagram" reminded me a lot of my efforts of creating a myspace worthy of appreciations by strangers on the internet back in the 2000s.
I think, if you like silly slice of life mangas and very autistic main characters you might enjoy this story a lot!
SUPER cute concept but literally the most dull execution. I REALLY wanted to like this, but it was so mediocre.
Also fuck Yen Press for weirdly “translating” the original Japanese title from 「私の拳をうけとめて!」(Accept My Fist of Love!), which fits the concept so much better (it’s almost like the mangaka intended for their title to fit the content they created…) to “Catch These Hands!”. Another reviewer commented that this phrase appropriates AAVE, and I have to agree. It’s a small trivial matter but it irks me. Not only are they appropriating AAVE for literally no reason, they’re also ignoring authorial intent. It sits super weirdly to me on top of being a really mid, localized title to begin with.
Nevertheless, as a lover of sapphic manga, this was super boring. I’m kind of annoyed I spent a fat 13 dollars on this volume (Yen Press I love you a lot of the time and your quality is great but….lord your prices suck) so I’ll likely be selling this on eBay or just giving it away. Hit me up if you want it I guess…?
And, I have to say, it was a delight! A low-stakes romance. Never was there a BIG blow-up or misunderstanding, to cause extra drama. That just wouldn't fit into the personalities of Takebe and Soramori. Part of the point of this series is that they're kind of...boring. And them coming to terms and embracing BEING kind of boring. It's refreshing to see a romance where no one is running after a departing plane or wailing in the rain. They're adults.
The ending is quite satisfying. It's not a grand happily-ever-after, but you're sure, as a reader, that these two are set for life. They'll slip into a life together, not because they have to make sudden decisions, but because, say, one of their apartment leases is up, and wouldn't it be easier to just move in together? And that is just...really calming.