In Volume 1, Konatsu moves to a small seaside town where she meets Koyuki, a sempai who is a member of the aquarium club. Konatsu wants to be friends with Koyuki, but she’s have a surprisingly difficult time communicating with the other girl.

In Makoto Hagino’s  A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 2, (The Japanese volume of which I reviewed back in summer 2018) the communication gap is widening. Not because Koyuki doesn’t like Konatsu….it’s because she does and she’s got crippling social and emotional anxiety that will strangle their relationship if someone doesn’t do something. We know – as people who have read thousands of stories just like this, that this kind of “can’t say what has to be said” is a common basis for romance literature. But, to be honest, that doesn’t make it less frustrating for me as a reader. ^_^  Nonetheless, Konatsu isn’t shy, or socially awkward and when she finally has the chance, she’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind, which is why this series moves forward at all, when it does.

Top mark’s for Viz’s edition of this extremely slow-burn relationship. John Werry’s translation here is solid – and straightforward, as the development is in the silences and pauses as much as any of the words. Special shout out to Eve Grandt’s touch-up and lettering as a lot of the sound fx are large visual inserts. If you barely notice this kind of thing, the touch-up was done well.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 1 on principle only, there really isn’t any
Yuri – 7

Overall – 8

I like Koyuki, although her inability to so much as send a text makes me worry about her. Konatsu will be very good for her, if she can get the other girl to let her in at all.

I’m 4 volumes in to this series in Japanese, and I still don’t think it will do anything notable, but that’s fine. It can be a slow walk nowhere. Volume 5 is on the to-buy pile.