Take a shoujo manga. Now eliminate every annoying tendency they tend to have, and that´s this manga.

Let me give a brief explanation about it since I don´t think the description says much. This is about a late bloomer or perhaps someone who simply didn´t put the effort, or didn´t believe it was possible. A slightly over weight chubby girl that´s very likable.

This manga shows how similar shonen and shoujo manga protaganist are, and how we want to see people raise to their potential. These appear to be very regular people. Not super whatevers that excel at everything.

Not much happens but not much has to happen, and it´s very enjoyable. Like eating a nice meal, or that one nice day where you enjoy the sun´s warmth.

... Last updated on October 6th, 2009, 9:17am

This manga was SO CLOSE to perfect. I adore the art style, and the plot is anything but cliche, and it's all just really enjoyable.

BUT the ending was somewhat confusing and quite unsatisfying. I would have liked it to be a chapter or two longer, or something, to give more clarity and closure.

Though the chapters are relatively short and simple, there's still a lot of room left to wonder about the characters. I like how Ikuemi Ryo handles the character-driven plot. Things just happen rather naturally and realistically rather than seeming forced, and characters are just so likeable. (That's always a plus) Bon-chan is adorable and Shiro's antics always make me chuckle.

Cousin is one of those mangas that are sometimes overlooked in place of the more dark and gritty stories. Of course the characters in Cousin may have their share of underlying problems and conflicts: Bon-chan has her complexes; Shiro and his girlfriend have theirs; Nasukawa has his; and while these problems may be serious, it's more of a feel-good story overall.

If you need a remedy for a heavy heart after trudging through so much depressing manga, pick this one up.

... Last updated on October 5th, 2009, 4:26pm

The realism of this slice-of-life manga was refreshing, particularly in respect to the protagonist's see-sawing weight (and the fact that she wasn't suddenly 'drop-dead gorgeous', but was very cute in general, especially as the reader gets to witness her struggles and empathise with them), and also the frank way in which the character's acted towards one another.

I did find that the subtlty of the ending felt a little odd for such a solid, full story, and it did catch me completely unaware at first. I'm still trying to decide if I actually liked that part or not, but it certainly was an interesting and original ending (and Shiro is adorably dorky)~

I do wish there would be a sequel of some sort though. I would have loved to know how things worked out with Bon-chan and which of the men she may have eventually found happiness with.

I really liked this manga, until I got to the last chapter.
I suppose you could say that the ending is supposed to be... subtle (maybe)? But it just left me with a strong desire for proper closure. The story just kinda stops.

This character really reminds me of myself and I find it really realistic even some parts I find a little harsh in some scenarios. Otherwise, Bon- Chan seems like a very interesting character; not those basic shojo girls all being skiny and somewhat depressingly annoying

This is a gem of a gem of a gem.
The cream of the crop!
THE BEST OF THE BEST!

I love it so much.
This manga has a realistic, deep, and understanding feel to it.
It's amazingly cute, but also so....not cheesy.
There's nothing cheesy about this manga, it's not exagerated either.
it's so real.

And it's SUPER ENJOYABLE TIME FOR BULLET POINTS YAY OMG:
Art- AMAZING. Just gorgeous.
Characters - RAVISHING. I can't believe I like every character there is (they all are so cool and deep even if some of them are weird xD)
Plot - AWESOME. This seems like if it were a normal cheesy "Im in LOVE" shoujo manga, it's be just like any other manga. But...idk it's just so real. There's no flowers blooming in the background unneccisarily in romantic parts, but you still can feel the romance. It's JUST SO GOOD.

I don't even know what to say,
besides:

IT NEEDS TO HAVE MORE SCANLATIONS RIGHT NOW.
OMG.
PLEASE.

JUST READ THIS NOW.
This is legitementy the first 10 I've given to a manga that I truly mean it. There isn't ONE thing I have found to my disliking when it comes to this manga.

Finally there is a shoujo manga without those melodramatic moments. Its a really realistic manga because the girl is like a person you can relate to. She is inexperienced in many things but is trying to change and mature. She is not like those other shoujo characters that just cry and do nothing about it. I give this a 9/10 and i hope this manga gets picked up again.

I love this manga. Ikuemi Ryou is one of the best mangakas, in my opinion. Her characters have depth, she has a gift for conveying emotion in her art, her plotlines are plausible, she's a genius. Sadly, unless J-Sis starts up again (they've become inactive) or another scanlator picks this series up, we won't know if Tsubomi and Shiro realize they like each other.

I liked the plot, loved the characters, and enjoyed the artwork. I just don't like how the story ended