ARC Copy...I was mixed on this one cause...yes the art school premise was fun and Nico has alot of mad artist energy and friends to support/encourage her but also the social management of the art school is outrageous + unrealistic as...a professor who bullies/abuses their student will get in trouble for such behavior and highly dubious if a professor can even let go of failing student like what happened in the narrative.

A Nico-Colored Canvas is a manga about art and it seems art-themed stories are quite popular now if you consider Blue Period or Blank Canvas for example. This is great, since there aren't that many art manga series out there. This one is only two books long though, but at least the first part worked really well. Nico Sorano is from an island and has always wanted to study art. She ends up in an art university, but there a strict professor kicks her and another boy out and now Nico wants to prove the teacher she can make it. She has new friends to help her and they decide to make an exhibition for it. I do like the setting, but perhaps Nico is too naive and childish for my liking. She seems like a stereotypical female and everyone thinks she's dumb. Of course she's something like genius in the end, but all this felt like a cliche.

The art looks nice and lively, slightly "1990s" though. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps doesn't make the series stand out. It's awesome that this is josei and short series are needed, so I'm glad we have more options available when it comes to art series. I do hope we get more manga about art and culture and this is a great one to start with. A Nico-Colored Canvas is light and cute, but still for older readers, so there's depth to it too.

I LOVE THIS! It's funny chaos is about art and creativity what more not to love?? The MC is just a pot of joy and good vibes. that art teacher is such an ******* that omg i am so happy she is out of there!! there is still a lot to discover because some people may not have good intentions and others some secrets is a win read!! I will continue with this manga for sure!

This one was cute. A country bumpkin makes it into art school. When it starts to not go the way she wanted, a beautiful stranger changes things up. She spreads her charm and optimism to others who failed an elite seminar by hosting her own exhibition.
It's cute! If it sounds interesting, I would pick it up.

A Nico-Colored Canvas is an adorable, fun, and endlessly positive story. The story revolves around Nico, who is from a little-known island and now attending an art university. On her first day, she shows up late, but unknowingly becomes a star thanks to her eccentricity and optimism. Along with a weird cast of characters, it's up to Nico to make the best of her first year at an art university.

I loved getting introduced to Nico and her optimism is enticing. She makes friends easily and inspires them to do their best. She’s the perfect heroine for a sweet summer read. While there is an underlying plot line, this story is lighthearted and simple in the best possible way. The art is cute and I love the exaggerated drama of everyone’s expressions when the time calls for it. Will for sure be following this story! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-arc!

This was a really cute and quick read, Nico's determination and spunk really sets her out from other characters. The story is fast paced mainly leading around rejection, she's definitely the type to take lemons and somehow create something bizarre, lemonade would be too easy. I really like how she holds her own voice in events where I would crumble, very inspiring! Her interactions are quite funny and its a good balance between art + life. I would love to see colour panels in volume 2!! check it out!

A lively cute story about over coming failures. I absolutely love the art style and te message in this story. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
Clean read.
It ends on a cliffhanger.

Being in an MFA program, it's kinda hard to read about art school as portrayed in manga and popular culture. While I love Nico's energy, her goal to become the next Manet makes me cringe. The continued emphasis on impressionism, abstract expressionism, etc. in these sorts of works is incredibly outdated. It was hard for me to enjoy it because of that.

If you want a manga where the young heroine is giving it all she has and has no other emotion other than positivity with the rest of the characters being pulled along in her wake, then this is for you.

A Nico-Colored Canvas was the first Manga that I have read and I had very high expectations for this book. I found the art style was cute and concise and I always give credit to artists who a can replicate the same characters flawlessly without glaring differences between drawings. In the drawing department, Nao Shikita shines. However, I felt the story lacked sustenance and believability. The story line follows Nico on her first days at her art institute. We received no background information on the school or the process to get into the school. We are told there is a strict and demeaning teacher who refers to Nico as a monkey which is quite disturbing. The book is structured in scenes that do not really connect to each other. It seems that Nico goes around completing different tasks that feel like they should be significant but lack heart. Considering this is the first installment of this series, I'm sure the writing and story structure will or has improved since the original publication in 2019. I may read the second installment to see if there were any improvements in the second installment.

this was such a fun read! thank you so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for granting me access to this volume!

i loved how fast paced it was and the characters have great dynamics between them. it was cute and fun to read, and the art was just gorgeous!! it was a good introduction to the series overall in my opinion!
i think i just didn't click with it because of my own preferences, but it was enjoyable and would still recommend to others who i know would enjoy it!

Nico Sorano is chaotic fun, and this was very entertaining to read. It reminded me of manga I read in the early 2000s.

Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Nico Sorano has a dream : to join the art university and become a renowned artist. But nothing happens as expected : expelled from the class of Kageiwa-sensei, she decides to create an exposition showing the art of the rejected students.

I really enjoyed this first book of the series. Nico is a sweet, over optimistic character that we can only love. Her view about the art world and life is highly refreshing and I cannot wait to read more about her adventures. Nothing seems impossible for Nico !

A Nico-Colored Canvas is a relaxing and happy read, perfect to alter your train of thought. The bubbly and extravagant heroine will make you smile.

the manga is really very interesting, being the first volume introduces the story and the various characters well. I will definitely continue to read the next volumes, it intrigued me a lot!

A Nico-Colored Canvas is the first manga in a series of shojo by Nao Shikita. It follows the life of young Nico, a girl who's left her island to get into an Art school, where the most prestigious students and professors are. There, she lives her best life, not worrying about some serious professors and her fellow art students. After being expulsed from the class of Kageiwa-sensei, she is determined to make her marks and create a group with the help of Soichiro Togo.

I really liked this first manga! I thought Nico very enthusiastic and different from all those shy female protagonists who fall in love at first sight—or fight. She had a fresh temperament, and her interactions with the other characters were super funny. I'm kind of excited to know more about her relationship with Nisshimo. He is cute, and I like his character! I think the balance between both, the free-spirited Nico and the introverted Nisshimo would be perfect! The rhythm of the manga was very nice and enjoyable, I didn't feel annoyed.

I think I would totally recommend this manga to art lovers! It presented various characters with different personalities, enough to relate to at least one of them.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to review A Nico-Colored Canvas T1. It was a real pleasure!

This graphic novel was too cute! I really enjoyed the story it gave me k-drama vibes with such beautiful artwork. Nico was a loveable main character with a sweet personality who wanted to show her skills and talents.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately, "A Nico-Colored Canvas" was a complete miss for me. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. Nico was just a bit too ditzy for me and her entire demeanor was mildly annoying. Her backstory is an incredibly common trope for this type of story, which annoyed me more. Togo I had an instant dislike of from his very first appearance. His pompous attitude was aggravating instead of charming, he's also written to feel like a manipulator who doesn't care about other people. I know that's probably the point, but the entire thing of him very obviously manipulating "stupid" Nico wasn't charming, it was annoying. Nisshimo is a little bit interesting, even if his character is fairly stereotypical. The way things are being set up, it's fairly obvious that Nisshimo and Togo will get into a love triangle with both of them having romantic feelings for Nico. Who will most likely not notice or pretend to not notice? I do not know why Kageiwa-sensei is mentioned in the plot blurb for this manga, he only shows up a few times, and all of those scenes are brief. Mitsuki is the generic "classmate who cheers the female lead on" type of character. The plot felt flat and generic and even just a bit rushed. The art style is fine for the most part, but some of the panels looked like they were rushed sketches instead of the final art. I'm unsure if the mangaka just has a "scribbly" art style in general, but the jumps and falls in quality are very noticeable. Even with the cliffhanger at the end of the volume, I won't be looking for the next one.

A Nico-Colored Canvas is an adorable, fun, and endlessly positive story. Nico is a fun loving art student who refuses to let set backs get her down. She’s determined to show a snobby art professor that anyone can become a great artist by holding her very own exhibition for failures!

I loved getting introduced to Nico and her optimism is enticing. She makes friends easily and inspires them to do their best. She’s the perfect heroine for a sweet summer read. While there is an underlying plot line, this story is lighthearted and simple in the best possible way. The art is cute and I love the exaggerated drama of everyone’s expressions when the time calls for it. Will for sure be following this story!

This is quite a over the top manga where we see our FL Nico, a arts student striving to become a successful artists with the help of her friends and of course, herself. The story seems to pick up but I found it to be a bit muddled enough to show what everyone’s intentions are throughout volume 1. Art seems alright enough, it’s easy on the eyes. Yeah this may seem a nice enough art manga but it really needs to calm down in terms of explaining what’s really happening…

Thanks anyways Netgalley and Publisher for volume 1!

I'll give it three stars because the over all plat was good and I could see the potential HOWEVER I am reluctant to recommend to those who want clean content. There is nothing sexual but the use of S*@$! was a total left field it wasn't need even by secular standards. And then there is the Adam and Eve theme which I was skeptical about but the idea that it was mean tot be seen as free experience was a subtle hint toward Gnosticism and once again I don't' understand why that was the case. Why bring God into this at all if you are just going to comment against Him when this is a Manga that is meant to be about a girl conquering art school?

As for the plot I think it was seriously rushed, I wish there was more attention with school aspect, like at least two more classes with our scary teacher for the yen exhibition and I also don't understand why Nico stood up to the professor in the first place, it was unrealistic to her character. Although we know little about her character what we do know is that she is unorganized and knows she is in a Class-A school which is tough to get into. it reminded me of the main character from food wars who is always speaking up and testing his limits (mixed in with a bit of narcissism) but that is evident from the start where as here ... it just wasn't. We needed mor time to get to know the characters.

As this was also an art manga it saddens me that the one piece that started all of this is never actually shown, not even as extra content in the back which I think was not only a missed opportunity but also a bit of a stab to the plot, since Art is a part of who Nico is, the readers should have been able to see it and all we saw were 'cute memories' that were meant to hug on a heart strings and then a recreation of a piece she made when she was a child on a bigger canvas which didn't look like something that would get her into a top art school.

The running theme was that it was all rushed. Although it was enjoyable to read, it is one of those books that you won't recommend to people in my opinion and maybe a few will remember but unless the plot is slowed down a bit and there is more character development, this Manga isn't going to be a series that grabs a lot of readers.

Nico is such a breath of fresh air, I love her positivity and her ability to control a situation where it goes well for her. The professor on the other hand can be a little too intense sometimes, especially when he grabs her. I like the idea of going to art school since it reminds me of blue period. Overall, a cute read for a lazy day!