Recommended by a friend, Last Game by Shinobu Amano is the first manga I’ve ever read to completion. Released way back in 2011, this popular shoujo manga (shoujo is a genre of manga aimed primarily at a young female audience) had a four year run before publishing its final chapter in June of 2016. Though I’m about 12 years too late to join all the buzz that this manga garnered back then, after reading it, I can say I understand why the manga is so beloved.

The premise of the story is quite simple, but also very pure and sweet. It follows the cocky son of a wealthy family (Naoto Yanagi) as he falls in love with a plain but hardworking girl, Mikoto Koju. The problem? Koju is completely oblivious to love. So as we watch Yanagi pursue an unrequited love for the next ten years of his life, we get to watch the characters learn about friendship, growing up, and finding one’s passion. Though there are quite a few themes brought up in Last Game, I especially loved its focus on first loves and relationships.

When my friend suggested Last Game to me, all you need to know is that I specifically asked for something that is romantic and cute. And did the manga deliver on that end? Oh yeah, it definitely did. If you’re someone like me that loves reading romance stories filled with comedy, sweet moments, and a lovable male protagonist (or female, whatever you prefer), then this is an easygoing read you might want to pick up. Considering I finished this entire series in 4 hours, I’d say it’s definitely a light read you can continue whenever you have some free time.

For me, when I’m reading simple love stories like Last Game, the plot isn’t really the main focus – it’s the characters. Can I relate with them? Are they likeable? Do I care about their story? These are just some of the questions that I need to tick off. In this particular manga, the male lead, Yanagi, definitely checked off all those boxes. He’s exactly the kind of character I want as a male lead in a rom-com style manga, so that was enough to keep me interested in the story.

Unfortunately on the other end, the female lead was a bit meh for me. While she wasn’t totally dislikable, I felt that she lacked her own personality and it felt as if her whole identity was that she was stubborn and oblivious to everything around her. A little bit of obliviousness is fine, but too much can be unbearable. Her character development felt a little too slow, which to me, caused the manga to feel too drawn out. To be completely frank, it was frustrating reading her point of view at times.

But although I struggled to like Koju as a character on her own, I did like the two together, and I was invested in the story because I wanted to see how they would turn out. In my opinion, that’s the biggest draw to Last Game. The story is playful enough that you want to know what happens in the end. Do they end up together or don’t they? With the addition of some lovable side characters, such as Kei Soma and Shiori Fujimoto, as a whole, it’s a pretty solid lighthearted read.

And lastly, you’re probably curious about whether the ending was a satisfying conclusion. Spoiler Alert: when Koju finally came to her senses and grasped her feelings, I did feel rewarded as a reader. The confession scene at the airport was definitely the highlight for me, and after four hours of straight reading, I did feel like it was a satisfying and adorable end to their 10 year love story. I was rooting for Yanagi the whole time, so yes, I’m glad things worked out for him. Although my one complaint is that I wish they didn’t do such an abrupt time jump at the end – how did they go from their first date to marriage all in the same chapter?!

Filled with plenty of tender moments and young love, Last Game by Shinobu Amano is definitely worth a read if you love the shoujo genre or if you’re just looking to dabble in manga for the first time like I was. Though it does have its flaws, such as an overly drawn out story and a bland female protagnist, the first word that comes to mind when I think about Last Game is that it’s cute. It’s not a bad way to kill 4 hours! With all that said, I’ve decided to give Last Game a solid 8/10. For my first manga, I was pleasantly surprised and look forward to the next!