Sekine's tears are my tears.

This guy cries so much and it makes me so sad! Really a melancholy but sympathetic read all the way through. Sekine is the kind of character you really want to be happy because he really truly needs it. He is so delicate and fragile because life has broken him too many times without allowing him to heal. But at the same time he is so appealing as a character because all he wants is something genuine and personal to him. His passivity is his most crippling flaw and I'm sure we can all see a little bit of that in ourselves (especially introverts), without the extremes.

Overall, the story is very sweet in a bashful, fluffy kitten kind of way and funny in its endearing quirkiness. And what I appreciated as an extra was its emphasis that there are more important things than the idealized goals we set for ourselves and the shortcomings we possess. Our important people make us important and give us meaning, and perhaps it is a goal to find those important people in our lives when we struggle to give meaning to ourselves.

... Last updated on November 11th, 2015, 1:17am

Firstly, I want to start off with a warning to potential readers. The manga contains rape, sexual harassment, and child sexual abuse (csa).

Now then, onto the synopsis: Sekine is a handsome and aloof office man who finds his life lacking. He doesn't have any hobbies, all of his relationships end prematurely, and he has, like, a single friend that regularly checks up on him. Deciding to do something about it, he stumbles onto an arts and crafts shop where the shop owner offers him lessons on magic tricks. He agrees to take the overpriced lessons, but finds himself stranded when the owner leaves the shop to his granddaughter to go on a "journey of self-discovery." The granddaughter, named Sara, then gives Sekine lessons in knitting and, without something to occupy his hands and his mind during the mind-numbing free time after work, he immediately goes for it. The manga covers the relationship between Sekine and Sara, and how Sekine tries to overcome the dullness of his life.

What makes this manga different from a lot of other shoujo manga is how the protagonist deals with his past. These experiences are so traumatizing that he has lost his ability to cope with his emotions and represses these horrible memories, which results in his aloof personality and confusion over basic human emotions. The manga does a really wonderful job of unpacking Sekine's trauma as he tries to find his own bit of happiness with Sara. And, thankfully, the manga makes it very clear that all of these past experiences left Sekine heavily traumatized and pretty much never sympathizes with his abusers.

Overall, it's a very refreshing manga that handles heavy, emotional topics with the gravitas and care they deserve. All of the characters were wonderfully written (and yes, that includes the asshole that tried to make Sekine jealous) and I adore Sekine's awkwardness and childlike nature. The pacing/paneling of the manga was also a joy to read and it really works with the art style. The art itself is quirky, if I had to guess I would classify this manga more along the lines of josei because of its story and art style. The mangaka also pays a lot of attention to hands, and seeing all of the knitted items is a real treat to be sure.

He sure is popular, but that bugs him more than anything and he doesn't boast about it. Whenever his colleagues want to organize a goukon, they know that if they invite him, cute girls will attend for sure. Regrettably for him, they will only have eyes for him and superficial interests of course!!!

We do catch a glimpse in every chapter or so, of why he acts the way he does, nonchalant, apathetic and indolent, through flashbacks he has about his adolescence.
He doesn't seem to be able to say "no" when his friends or acquaintances ask for favors or help, and so people tend to take advantage of the situation.

He goes to the haberdashery/notions store and ends up learning to play card with the man who owns the place. When he comes back one day, he learns by the granddaughter of the man that the latter is now abroad, and so one thing leading to another he starts to learn knitting at the store with the girl in question.

They say events in your childhood can influence the way you grow and evolve/develop and that's quite true.

... Last updated on January 28th, 2012, 9:50pm

to the user that said that Sara isnt really that different than the women he "dated" before, I hope you read this manga again. Yeah, we all know Sekine is gorgeous. He's tall, dresses well, is pure visual. Why wouldn't she be attracted to him? But what sets Sara apart from the other women in his life, is that she isn't a parasite like the others. She does not try to advantage of him, or force him to do things against his wishes, and she actually asks him for his thoughts and opinions. Does it matter? Yes, a whole lot. Because he was a victim of sexual abuse by multiple people, forced into situations where he felt powerless and had no say or control over whatsoever. This is what makes Sara's character so important, and why seemingly mundane things (to us) like scenes of Sekine searching online for date spots is actually more profound than we think.

...and believe me, I know.

On the other hand, it's irritating when the guy can't or won't pursue love that he clearly wants and is clearly available. After a lifetime of being chased by women, he must know he's handsome, and know that he has little to fear if he makes the first move.

But I guess that's the point. Depression can be just that crippling. In addition, depression is DEPRESSING to read about. If the creator of this story had not made the main character attractive to the other characters, and by extension to the reader, it would probably be so hard to endure reading that few people would finish it.

I've read quite a lot of shojo mangas and very few of them left some good or at least strong impression. This genre is made specifically for a woman auditory. It consists of beautiful princes and good-natured girls becoming a princesses in one way or another. Why did I read them? Coz of a hope. The hope of finding something worthy.
And here it is. Worthy shojo manga. Well, not quite shojo, more mature, but anyway written and drawn by a woman. It has a quite psychological-based plot and characters behaving like normal humans.
Main character is a man. He is very sensible neurotic person suffering from quite serious life problems - he cannot find a meaning, he cannot find emotions, he cannot find himself. He is a completely lost sheep. But he has his good traits, he is handsome(well, this IS woman manga), good-natured and devoted.
This is a story of his struggle to overcome the emptiness in his life. How?
With love, of course, it's a woman manga.
Interesting story, good-natured characters(except some evil bastard).
I find only one minus. Males in this manga behave and think like females. You can feel it strongly as you read that author don't have even slightest understanding how testosterone works.
But still, it's good story.

With all the girl-centered mangas I've been reading, I missed this. This being manga with an attractive male-lead. And by attractive I'm talking about his personality. In short, he's just so cute. Sekine is awesomely weird and at first really indifferent, but I suspect him to be one damn Tsundere. It's sad he does not find anything really getting him going with motivation and all, but I feel he's more afraid to feel than indifferent. He just lets things happen because it's comfy, but still hates it.

I want to plunge deeper in his head, I want to read more of this manga !

Wow, I cannot express how happy I was while reading this. Spotless! By that I mean this has NO cliche. I'll do a quick review of the leads:

The male protagonist isn't a bastion of self inflicted/ confidence related chastity nor is he one of the stock types A, B, C where authors choose one from the sporty/rough/suave/intelligent/shota lead category. He's a salaryman with a somewhat difficult past, but he deals with it in his own way.

The female lead: She comes off as a genuinely average girl minding her own business coming to normal conclusions that doesn't sound like idealistic bullshit that no normal person with a grey conscience can honestly believe. Personal opinion here but it's probably because it's a female josei author that we are treated neither to a busty ditz/ loli in frills/ some over the top pure yamato nadeshiko as the girl to heal senki's heart. If you have read this much I think you can be certain how bored I am of "made-for-manga" type of characters and seriously I am sick of frills! it's so tacky.

So all in all it's Masterpiece! It's a masterpiece I tell you. I give it a 10. 10++++++

... Last updated on April 2nd, 2014, 11:56pm

Love this manga!!! I recently bought the latest volume in Japanese just to see what happens next. It's awesome. I love and pity Sekine so f***ing much.
Highly recommended. It's one of the best manga I've read in a very long time. It's great to see an interesting male lead with a compelling personal history. It's really hard to come by a manga this good nowadays.
I hope the mangaka can keep up the good work. I love the delicate balance between sad and funny she keeps throughout the story.
Sekine's my new addiction. Please please please read this manga.

This is currently my favorite manga. This is the reason I check mangaupdates weekly just to see if there's any new release from Stiletto Heels. Really, this work is a unique and rare gem (very very precious) and I hope Kawachi Haruka-sensei doesn't finish it yet so I can read more about Sekine. This manga is very introspective and character-centered that it would not work at all if the characters are not as likable as they are. Thank the heavens, that Sekine is such a uniquely presented male character who aside from being attractive is really someone you can sympathize with.