Cover Image: Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1

Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1

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Member Reviews

I love all of Suu Morishita's works and this is no different. I had read this once a loooong time ago on an unofficial app and I am so happy that this series is being officially translated into English. The artwork is beautiful and the story is so sweet. I cannot wait to read more!

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Surien is considered the prettiest and cutest girl on campus. This is tough for her and so she eventually gave up talking and showing emotion because everyone would gush. Except in high school, Surien wants to find words so she can talk to her crush: Kawasumi. Will she find her words or continue to be a distant mountain flower as everyone calls her? Will she defeat her rival? In this slow burn romance, readers will have to read on to find out what happens next.

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This was a cute little slice-of-life romance-y confection with gorgeous art. Suiren has become quiet and shy after being pursued by both boys and girls at every school she's attended because of her beauty. High school is proving to be no different, until she encounters Taichi Kawasumi, a boy who seems as quiet and shy as her, and who is the only boy who doesn't act as if she's an unattainable goddess beyond the reach of mortals (so of course she's intrigued by him). In this opening volume, we get to watch as these two become more aware of each other, with a bit of help from their friends.
Now, as a potential reader, you should know that this is a super slow burn; I'm fine with the pace, I enjoy the tease of a slow-paced story, but if you're looking for action, I don't know if you'll find what you want here. Things heat up a bit when Suiren finds out she has a rival when Koharu sets her sights on Kawasumi also, but things don't get out of hand. So far, this first volume has me interested - the main and supporting characters are likeable and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better, and as I said before, the art is just lovely! On to volume 2!

#LikeaButterflyVol1 #NetGalley

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Feels like a by the numbers romance manga, but the art is nice and I like that the main character is so pretty that she never talks to anyone out of fear of them falling for her. Funny touch in an otherwise straightforward story..

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Compared to Suu Morishita's other works, this is targeted at a younger audience. Due to the main characters being very shy this volume has an overall slower pace.

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I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review

I thought this was a really cute first volume.

This is about a girl, Suiren, who is shy and quiet because people constantly say she is adorable. So, instead of talking and drawing even more attention to herself, she barely says anything even to her best friend.

One day, a boy, Kawasumi, who also does not talk much, saves her from an uncomfortable situation. That is where their story begins. Suiren begins to want to be around Kawasumi more, but she does not understand why. Kawasumi does not feel comfortable talking to girls or even being around them for the most part. However, something is different about Suiren.

I thought the story was a cute start. Both characters have different reasons why they are quiet and yet seem to be drawn toward each other. Suiren's best friend is funny and balances out the interactions with Suiren by being outgoing. Kawasumi's best friend is similar to Suiren's best friend as well, balancing out the introvert with being an extrovert.

The story even has a bit of tension that forces Suiren out of her shell naturally. I will be interested to read the next volume to see how this relationship blossoms.

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If you are looking for a suu Morishita to read, go pick up Shortcake Cake or Sign of Affection before taking a chance on this series. While I think Like A Butterfly has appeal for a younger audience, it wasn't really my cup of tea. Morishita has a big habit of writing floaty, empty characters and I really don't care for it. It makes me suspect everyone's motivations. However, if you are just getting into shojo and you want something very light hearted and sweet, this might be the series for you. Be warned if, you dislike the miscommunication trope, avoid this one.

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I really didn't enjoy this one. The pacing was so slow and tedious. I understand that the characters are shy and quiet, but it really made the story boring and difficult to keep reading. The art is the only thing that kept me reading. The art is beautiful!

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This was the perfect manga for a brief escape from reality! The illustrations were delightful. The plot was charming. The characters were a little cringy, but in a good way.

Suiren is tired of always being the pretty, gorgeous girl. Everyone hangs on her literal words. She transfer to an all girls' middle school, but it's the same there. She's always in the spotlight and always the unattainable mysterious flower. She learned to not talk, not smile and not show emotion in an effort to not draw attention to herself. But she finds herself being drawn to another shy and introverted upperclassman at her school. Will they work up the courage to talk to each other? Is it more than just a passing crush?

Read on to find out more. I absolutely LOVE the inclusion of all the butterflies. And the beach field trip was my favorite part!

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This was a very sweet and gentle contemporary high school slow burn romance, with two very shy due to being very attractive and getting too much attention students.

Nothing felt rushed and I want to see how the rest of the story plays out. You can slowly see the character development in the MC H and h and it is incredibly sweet to see.

4, one I recommend if you don't want too much stress in your shojo romances and want to look at pretty pictures, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

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This is a pretty sweet romance from the creator of A Sign of Affection. The prettiest girl in the whole school, referred to as the Beautiful Flower, seems unobtainable and aloof, but really, she’s rather shy and nice. When she’s rescued from unwanted attention, she finds herself attracted to her hero, but the feeling might not be mutual. She must overcome her shyness and open up to the confident Taichi if she is to ever have a shot at having her feelings returned. The illustrations are very soft, and the whole story has a lot of tenets of shojo manga: hardly any background features unless its necessary: lots of open-mouth stares, hair blowing in the wind, characters talking for pages about the way the other makes them feel. This would be great for fans of Ao Haru Ride.

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Although this title is not for me, I can see many of our younger audiences reading and enjoying this title.

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Like a Butterfly was originally a one-shot that then got turned into a series. Despite this the pace is pretty leisurely.

Suiren has always been admired by her peers. In elementary she started building up defenses to try and get them to leave her alone. She stopped talking to most people. She stopped showing any emotion. In middle school she asked to go to an all girl's school thinking it would be better among her gender. It was not. So for high school she decides to go co.ed.

People still stare and gasp at her in awe. The boys bring to call her Flower, short for Mysterious Flower. They treat her a bit like a prize possession or animal. No one thinks to actually ask her if she's okay with the pet name, boys and girls constantly staring at her...just because she's beautiful. Everyone but Kawasumi, who basically tries to ignore her. That is, until some upperclassmen take it too far and Kawasumi steps in to defend Suiren.

Without understanding it, Suiren beings to develop a crush on him. She even feels jealousy when another classmate makes it her mission to get Kawasumi to date her. Suiren steps in to try and help Kawasumi and is asked if she is content to just be a flower waiting for love, or a butterfly who will fly towards love. Suiren decides she wants to try and become a butterfly. But Kawasumi is hiding his own insecurities and all but refuses to talk to her.

What did I think?

First off, this volume is a bit slow. So if you like a romance, high school slice of life that sets off at a good clip, this one may not be for you. It's a slow burn I guess. The author has to convey a lot of feeling through facial expressions, since Suiren barely ever talks and Kawasumi gets all awkward in the presence of girls. As a result the facial art, particularly for Suiren, is gorgeous. The dialog is mostly carried out by their friends and rivals.

Sure the plot is rather slow, but ultimately I think that is more realistic of a high school first love romance. I don't know too many people who barged up to their high school crush and just laid out the facts for them (and successfully convinced them to date them). Most of first teen romances is glances in the hall, talking to friends about it, awkward conversations, etc. This definitely happened in this book and it's cute!

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a slow burn teen romance.

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Suiren Shibazeki is our shy main character. She doesn't smile and never really talks to anyone. That is until her schoo lmate, Taichi Kawasumi, saves her from another student that is harassing her. She soon develops feelings for him and slowly starts to talk to him so that she can get to know him.

This is a really cute very, very slow romance manga that I think any fans of the genre would really enjoy. I'm off to read the second volume right now!

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This was such a joy to read! Whenever Suiren does talk to someone, I found myself cackling at her word choice. Out of all the things she could have told her rival, she just stuck with "I hate you".

I'm a big fan of suu Morishita after reading "A Sign of Affection," and this did not disappoint. I love the awkwardness of the main pair and the emphasis on their facial expressions since they don't speak as much. I'm really looking forward to where the story goes and I hope it continues to be good.

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Everyone thinks Suiren Shibazeki is always the most beautiful girl in the school, so beautiful that her fellow students unintentionally make her life miserable. (When I say fellow students, I mean ALL of them. It's very silly in an annoyingly ridiculous way.) She's selectively mute and has no facial expressions to try and be as unassuming as possible. Which, turns out, doesn't work too well and makes her seem like a mysterious, unreachable flower instead. (This analogy annoyed me greatly as it was repeated endlessly.) Taichi Kawasumi seems to be unaffected by her beauty and even rescues her from an uncomfortable situation. Shibazeki ends up falling in love with him and she spends her time trying to come up with the courage to break her general silence and convey her feelings to him.

There are a few author notes within this volume that say that this was a one shot manga that got turned into a series. With the way it is written, I feel it would have been better to keep it a one shot. I did not connect with the story and I am not interested in picking up the next volume.

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Like a Butterfly, (or "Hibi Chouchou" as it is known in Japan) Volume 1 is a shoujo manga about Suiren who is incredibly beautiful, making her the center of attention among her classmates. She is intensely shy and has difficulty talking to others. While attending the first few days of high school, she meets Taichi who appears to be the first boy to not fall in love with her instantly, thus she develops an attraction to him.

I remember reading this when it was first released in Japan in 2012 and enjoying it to a certain degree, but now that I am older, I see the flaws in the story. Suiren feels very flat as a character and maybe she becomes more fleshed out as the series goes on, but in this volume, she has very little agency. Most of the time, she silently goes about her day as people worship her, simply because she is beautiful. It is almost painful how shallow this manga appears on the surface.

The art itself is attractive, with nice linework and backgrounds when needed to set the scene. Text bubbles are rather sparse on each page as both main characters do not have much dialogue.

I think this manga aged rather poorly since the decade it was written and while teen girls may still find value in it now, the surface-level relationship development and character work that has been done is hard to hide.

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"Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1" by suu Morishita is a captivating Manga that beautifully captures the essence of romance. The book's expressive art and heartfelt narrative create a compelling and endearing love story. suu Morishita's skillful storytelling and character development make "Like a Butterfly" a delightful read for fans of the genre. The manga's ability to convey emotions and relationships through its visuals and dialogue is truly remarkable. "Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a tender and charming romance depicted through the artistry of manga.

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I was super excited for this one! I'm reading "A Sign of Affection" by the same author, so I jumped at the chance to read their other work when I heard it was getting picked up by Viz. With just one volume in, it's a bit early to say, but I really like the story so far! Suiren is just adorably awkward and shy, and her whole "lack of emotion" thing is a unique twist for an MC. Can't wait to pick the next volumes.

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Cute heart warming introverts love story-the drawings I really enjoyed. It is a slow story but it is enjoyable to follow the heroine and hero growth throughout the book! Worth a read but was a bit slow paced for my liking!

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