In Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 6, Shimura Takako has done something I’ve not seen before in a manga and I think I like it. ^_^

The main plot revolves around three people, all of whom seem to be very average. They aren’t perfect, but they are basically decent, flawed human beings. At this point in the story, they are also mostly, but not completely, disentangled from one another. A family discussion about the whole situation at a family restaurant includes Eri, merely because she knows what’s going on. Ayano is living with her parents. Akari is living with her family, having decided to not contact Ayano any more and Wataru has begun to think about life as a bachelor. As with all their decisions in this series, these choices are only partially successful.

The ongoing drama of Ayano’s students continues to make Ayano question her own choices. Akari wakes up in the bed of a woman she met the night before, Yukako. Yukako mischievously encourages Akari to wait for Ayano outside school, forcing them to still think about what they feel about each other. And Wataru considers dating someone new…which throws him back into accepting how his life has changed.

Each scene in this volume comes with a specific visual style. Conversation with another person forces one of our main characters to think about who and what they are and what they want. This internal monologue becomes page after page of sparse white text on black panels as they become lost in their own thoughts. As visual indicator of internal monologue I found it appealing. It does not feel as if Shimura-sensei is wasting that space at all.

Narratively, Ayano and Akari continue to fail to not meet up and finally give up and have a real conversation. Ayano re-introduces herself with her unmarried name. Will they have a new beginning? My bet is on “maybe.”

This series fascinates me, because I actually do want everyone in it to be happy. No one is a terrible person, not even when they make choices that may seem morally, or socially, questionable. It also feels like a real story, with real people who might actually exist in the world in a way that no other manga I’ve read has been. Lastly, I found the visual language of internal monologue so minimalist that it just…worked.

I’m still of the belief that this is Shimura-sensei’s best work to date and I just hope she has a clear ending in mind – whether it’s the ending I want, or not. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri / Queer – 8

Overall – 8

Frankly, Yukako seems like a great girlfriend for Akari, but I’m fairly sure we’re not heading there.

Drop back in on Friday when I take a look at the English-language edition of Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 4!