Andou-sensei is one of my favourite mangaka's, she really has a knack for drawing one-shots, producing masterpiece after masterpiece. Toumei Ningen no Koi is one of them.
Although awfully short, The Restaurant of Many Orders, is nevertheless sweet, in addition, it also had a surprising twist in the end! Some might not like the male lead's attitude to the MC, but I think that's just his way of showing his love, like he only wants her to enjoy his food to its full potential.
Matryoshka is beautiful, I love how the mangaka transitions into flashbacks with each nesting doll layer, making the execution completely fluid and visually appealing (it reminds me of how Okazaki Mari- sensei places her panels!), not to mention a very good tie-in with the one-shot's namesake. I was a little irritated by the MC's complete denseness in the beginning, but at least he found out the truth by himself at the end. 😀
Drops. could be a little confusing, but after a few rereads, I found it was the most satisfying- maybe because the ending is resolved unlike the former 2 (of which the endings are suggested). It's challenging to decipher, but at the same time it's not impossible (Andou-sensei leaves so many "subtle" hints, maybe a bit too much!).
For those who are confused with the story:
Basically, the manga follows the same couple throughout different times of their life, all of which revolves around the theme of rainy days.
The black haired girl in the beginning (Megumi) is the same girl as the one who with the tutor, she "accidently" switched (did she? maybe) her polka dotted umbrella with the boy's plaid one.
The boy with the plaid umbrella (Yuuta) is actually the guy who gives her his judo uniform (Madonna suggests that he take up some kind of sport to boost his confidence, which he did in middle school and high school).
The two co-workers seeking refuge in the shop are actually the same two people (the girl probably dyed her hair), from their talk, we find out that:
They both went to the same cram school (Ox school)
Yuuta joined the judo club when he entered middle school (Megumi might have remembered he was the guy who lent her his judo uniform)
They both had their hearts broken on a rainy day. The rainy day when they both broke up with their partners- Yuuta with presumably Madona (she had a hair ribbon, albeit black), and Megumi with her then "smart" boyfriend.
Megumi's first love was her tutor, and she likes smart guys but her relationships always end badly, Yuuta asserts that he is quite smart so he's Megumi's type (Madonna and everyone in his class agrees too!).
If you look at the last few pages, you'd see Yuuta's judo uniform among the clothes hanging outside, the polka dotted and plaid umbrellas together in the corner, an older Megumi still wears the hooped earrings from when she was 20 and Shizuka's ring lollipop.
I look forward to the rest of the one-shots to be translated. This collection is totally recommended! I'd also suggest readers to check out Andou-sensei's other works too.