Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I love happy cafe, although when I first discovered it I was skeptical over how much I would enjoy it. (the art was not exactly my favorite.) But it won me over with it's own unique brand of shoujo-slapstick comedy.
I'm not exaggerating when I say the expressions of the characters and comedic timing in Happy Cafe is genius. It's honestly had me in stitches in at some point in EVERY volume I've read so far.
As I said, the art is not exactly Vampire knight, but it has it's own merits which are incomparable that improve upon closer acquaintance. ;) And the art improves as the story progresses.
I like mangas like Love*com, Karakuri odette, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Fruits basket, Dengeki Daisy, Skip beat, honey and clover, tsubasa reservoir chronicle, Usagi Yojimbo (which is actually a comic NOT a manga *semantics*) just to name a few of the series I collect. And I only buy manga *or books* that I would read twice, so most of the books I buy are things I've read before. I love reading.. what can I say?
I'm not going to bother explaining the main characters, there are plenty of other reviews on the other volumes that do that, just go to the previous volumes pages if that's what you're looking for, there are tons of great reviews with those descriptions out there.
But I will say that this particular volume has the chapter where Shindou, Uru and Ichirou met as toddlers. SQUEE it is so adorable!!
If you are already a fan of this series, unsure of the translation, let me say I think this is one of the best translations I've ever seen from Tokyopop. EVER. It's done reallyy reaaally well. I'm talking lightyears away from the last volume of fruits basket kind of translation. If you've read a lot of manga you'll know what I'm talking about. XD
The puns are still funny, and IF they have been changed from the original context, I haven't noticed. From what I can tell, it's very true to the original format, and is NOT stale in the least.
The Japanese names for things like sweets are said with the Japanese pronunciations, with little translator notes on the same page explaining what that means exactly. For example;
Sakura Mochi would be said as "sakura mochi". Translator note would explain in veerrry tiiiny script on the same page under that panel that "sakura mochi is sweet rice with red bean paste wrapped in cherry blossom leaves"
So yeah.. That's that.
Happy cafe is NOT an epic, story driven manga. If you're looking for something with a fast paced action story or an epic romance, go somewhere else. But if you're into some sweet and non-tragic slice of life, you're looking in the right place.
The characters DO grow, albeit very slowly through the course of the manga. (there are 15 volumes total) And this manga is not a three card deck, rather the cast keeps growing. This particular volume includes the first appearance of a mysterious character that's been alluded to since the first volume. . . . hehe. I won't be spoiling that, but for those in the know, it's a certain glasses-wearing joint-pain-afflicted character. ;D
It's the kind of series I could lend to a twelve year old without worrying about inappropriate content, or offending their parents, so yes, if you're a parent looking this up for content, the worst thing about happy cafe is the slapstick violence, which never does anyone more than two panels-worth of harm to a character. XD
If you were looking at this series unsure of whether it was worth a try, or just another typical shoujo manga, let me assure you, it's worth a look, and definitely not typical. If you like Love*com, or Yotsuba&!, you won't regret taking a step into Happy Cafe. ;)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Happy Cafe, Vol. 5
Romance and happiness blossom at the Happy Cafe! Ichiro and Sou Abekawa switch places, forcing Sou to confront his feelings for Uru. An old acquaintance of Shindo's shows up and reveals Shindo hasn't changed very much. The manager of Bonheur finally returns, but decides to test Uru before revealing himself. Plus, a bonus chapter reveals how Shindo discovered he enjoyed baking.
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