When they were 9 years old, Haru and Shio met during the summer. They spent happy days bug hunting and hanging out, swimming, all normal summer things. Haru fell for Shio, and considered him her first love. When they parted, they promised to write to one another, which they did. Years passed and Haru was preparing for high school, she gets a postcard from Shio saying that he’ll be going to the same school!

Imagine Haru’s surprise when she sees Shio again for the first time in 6 years. Shio’s short hair is now long, straight and black. And his chest is decidedly un-boyish. Surprised, Haru asks when Shio became a girl?!? Shio says she always was…….

At which point, the entire love interest issue is dropped, except when it’s brought up in the beginning of every chapter as a recap. In every other way, the story stops being about Haru and Shio and becomes about Shio and the rest of the class.

Shio, it turns out, is not good with people. It’s surprising even to her that she became friends with Haru, as she’s a crybaby and can’t remember people’s names. One of the girls in the class is snarky to Shio, which bothers her less than the boy who makes fun of her big chest.

Towards the end of the book, Haru and Shio have a fight, over something. A misunderstanding, a difference of human interaction styles, whatever. They make up, obviously. And the book ends. And, um…that’s it. This is Volume 1, so there’ll probably be a volume 2.

Ratings:

Art – 6, Haru and her father did this weird lip-pursing thing, which was supposed to be funny, but was really just weird
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 6

Issho ni Kaero  (一緒にかえろう) is a 4-koma manga with an amusing premise that is reintroduced every chapter, then set aside for other, less amusing things.