Cover Image: Sakura's Dedication 1

Sakura's Dedication 1

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Member Reviews

Slice of life and romance sound amazing, so I was excited for this first volume. After having broken up with her cheating boyfriend, Sawa gets asked out by her classmate Sakura, but she rejects him. He's a bit timid, focused and honest, and does not give up on Sawa, so he continues to confess to her until she says yes.

From the synopsis it seemed like Sawa will get to know and warm up to Sakura but apparently it only takes a couple times of him saying he likes her for her to cave in. That's not a spoiler, that's how the story starts. I'm up for shoujo mangas getting the main couple together, and I've read other titles with a similar premise, and it makes for an interesting dynamic, but it was way too soon and sudden for my liking, it did not feel natural or even cute, and that's my main issue with this first volume, Sawa goes from saying Sakura is not her type at all to blushing about every single thing he says. I can understand that to a point, being told how cute and amazing you are can feel nice but it does not feel organic, it just feels like she immediately likes him back just because he compliments her and insists on his love and that's not progress.

If you can get past that, it's a nice high school romance with beautiful art. It will be nice to see how their relationship progresses. If you just ignore how they started dating, their interactions and scenes feel more interesting and look cuter.

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Fuyu Yukimiya is new to me I the world of manga. However, I thought this read had a bit fluff but I was lukewarm with the read. I did like both characters in a role reversal ...popular girl and unpopular boy,

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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*3.5 stars*

Like other reviews have said- the art for this manga is beautiful but the plot is very similar to many other manga already out there. Popular pretty girl, nerdy guy. She's not interested but he's determined and she starts falling for him because he's a good guy. The first chapter alone had a lot going on that would probably benefit from being spread out more. Her falling for him just within a few pages after turning him down twice feels too quick for a slice of life romance manga.

Overall the story is cute and the male lead is a really sweet character. I can see this doing well if it gets a slightly stronger plot!

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I don't like it but also don't hate it. This manga is just the same with any other romance mangas. What is different is that this book is about a popular female main character x nerd male main character. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

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This is a very fluffy, refreshingly sweet shoujo manga.

The cover immediately caught my eye, and the inside was no exception. The drawings are good and both the images and the text are easy to follow. If you're looking for a slow-burn romance, this may not be the manga for you. However, if you're into honest confession of feelings, and no miscommunication, you'll like it.

It progresses quickly, but the relationship remains very innocent and sweet. Since it progressed so quickly and since there's not any drama either, I'm not entirely sure where this series will go. That alone makes me curious and interested in the next one.

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After breaking up with her cheating boyfriend, Sawa is not looking to date again any time soon. This changes when Sakura, one of her classmates, confesses. Sakura is the "nerdy" classmate and definitely not Sawa's type, but his honest manner and determination to keep confessing prompts Sawa to accept. The plot revolves around their relationship as they start dating and getting to know each other, and how Sawa struggles with Sakura being so different from the type of guy (who sound awful) she's used to dating. She finds herself more emotionally invested with Sakura, and it's cute to see how she grapples with this. The plot is pretty episodic, each chapter is fairly self-contained. There's a lot of shoujo tropes involved, but done well and the art is very good. Anyone looking for a new shoujo series should check this one out.

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It’s just your typical cutesy highschool romance manga, the art is nice but plot is just the same as any other shoujo highschool stuff…

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansa comics for the volume 1!

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(First of all, thank you so much NetGalley, publisher, and author, for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

Synopsis: Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But then, her classmate Sakura confesses. She rejects him because he's not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What's a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?

As always, this book caught my eye first of all because of the cover. It has beautiful drawings, and it's easy to read. I love Sakura being a nerd and getting through Sawa's heart. Also, it has some funny scenes I enjoyed so much. However, I can't give it 4 or 5 stars because, in my opinion, everything happened too fast. But I still recommend it, and I will try the next one.

*WARNING: SPOILER BELOW*

I meant that the relationship happened too fast. At first, Sawa was not interested, but she told him she liked him too in the blink of an eye. I would enjoy it much if it was a slow-burn romance and after that, they became boyfriend and girlfriend.

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Sakura's Dedication is the first manga in a series and tells the story of Sawa, a high school student who just broke up with her boyfriend. When she reveals this to her friend, Sakura, another student who's known as the clever type in the class, confesses his feelings and asks her to be his girlfriend. First taken aback by such honesty, Sawa comes to realise that Sakura is deeply in love with her, and him demonstrating his affection and love with such honesty makes Sakura falls in love too. But, if her previous boyfriends weren't the kind to openly show affection, Sakura is, and Sawa struggles with it.

I was confused with my emotions while reading this manga. The first chapter left me quite indifferent, and even embarrassed at certain times, but the following happened to be better and I could relate very much to Sawa. While she appears very confident at first, she is then growing shyer in the presence of Sakura. As her friend says at the beginning, Sakura is really not her type but, who knows, sometimes people find their opposite that eventually completes them and becomes the best match for them. I liked that mentality, this reflection about where and in who we can find love.

If taken with a distance, the trope isn't that common in shojo: the girl accepting going out with a guy without feelings first. I think this is something that we ought to see more, since it also allows readers, young women and men, to understand that, sometimes, love finds you with the most improbable people.

Now, concerning the story by itself, I thought it was too fast, way too fast for me to like some characters. Like Sakura, for instance, I didn't feel particularly attached to him. I thought he was lacking some charisma. But there were still some cute moments between the two protagonists which I'm sure a lot of people will love!

So, it was an enjoyable manga, maybe not enough to continue for my part, but still. The drawings remain absolutely gorgeous and so enjoyable to read. The style is not messy for the eye, perfect for shojo lovers in my opinion!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to review Sakura's Dedication! It was a pleasure, as always!

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OMG! I can’t! They are so cute! Sakura is such a great character, he is so open with his feelings and wants Hanzaki to know how much he cares about her, but he never goes over the line.

Hanzaki is so cute trying to keep up with Sakura’s constant confessions.

The artwork was gorgeous! All of the characters looked amazing! This was adorable and I really can’t wait for more!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Oh my goodness! This title is so refreshing! I love that we get a very straightforward and blunt male love interest in Sakura. I’m hoping we can see more variety in the female lead and she doesn’t turn into a complete tsundere. I think she has some lovely attributes that I hope they explore. I like that she stepped up a little and tried to be more forthcoming with her feelings. I hope she does that more often in the future!

And the art style on this one is incredible. All of the blushing scenes are so endearing. I can’t wait to read more!

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