Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shungiku Nakamura
Translation/Adaptation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say
Tired of accusations that family connections got him his current position, Ritsu Onodera quits his job as an editor at his father’s company and transfers to Marukawa Publishing. Once there, he is assigned to the shojo manga editorial department—something he has no interest in and no experience with! Having sworn he’d never fall in love again, the last thing he wants to do is work on love stories. To make matters worse, it turns out that his overbearing boss, Masamune Takano, is actually his first love from high school!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Poor Ritsu Onodera, no matter what he does it seems like universe is out to get him. His first love was a real bust, his first job was tainted by nepotism, and his second one… Well, it’s just not what he had hoped. Ritsu claims from page one to be warped and, let’s face it, his view of the world is a little skewed.
At first, I gave Ritsu the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his first love really was amazing. Maybe it really was devastating for him to lose it. Maybe he never could be the same. Or… maybe he’s just an emotionally stunted young man who, while being an exceptional agent with an astounding work ethic and a love for literature that would claim any bookworm’s heart, never grew out of the pubescent pride and insecurity fueled temperamental outbursts that cost him his first (short-lived) relationship.
Despite that, The World’s Greatest First Love is a lot of fun. Ritsu’s flaky, intense, often irrational emotions are well offset by Masamune Takano, Ritsu’s new boss and first love. Unlike Ritsu, whose emotions are generally worn on his sleeve, Masamune is cool, calm, and collected. He’s downright stoic. He not only knows when he wants something, but he knows how to get it.
My favorite thing about Masamune, though, might just be his ability to become completely unrecognizable with a simple change of his name! After high school, Masamune’s parents divorced and his last name changed, and since Ritsu has forgotten the face of his one-time lover, he never even suffers a glimmer of recognition upon their reunion. As a matter of fact, it’s Masamune that figures it out, and even he is a little bit slow on the uptake —which is uncommon for him.
Okay, if we were going for realism, we kind of wavered a little there, but, really, it’s one of only two glaring weak point in the story. Glaring weak point number two? After both lovers are aware of each other, and after Masamune confidently declares that he will claim Ritsu’s heart again, Masamune decides to take matters into his own hands. Literally.
When Ritsu doesn’t immediately give in to his employer’s cool charm, Masamune forces himself on his subordinate, dropping a line that insinuates that Ritsu body reacting to the unwanted stimulation means he still loves him. This was a real smack in the face during an otherwise romantic and endearing story, and I’m happy to report that it wasn’t repeated anywhere else in the first installment.
So there are a few ups and downs in the first volume, but it is set in the hectic, amusing environment of a manga publishing division that releases monthly anthologies, and the writer’s inside knowledge of the roller coaster ride that is serial manga publishing comes in both humorous and enlightening doses. Seeing Masamune, Ritsu, their colleagues, and the mangaka all hard at work, and getting an explanation of industry terms, adds a fun touch to the story.
I have to say that I was rather in love with the art of the manga as well. With the exception of a few panels where it took me a minute to distinguish between Masamune and his good friend (maybe with benefits? Watch out Ritsu, there’s competition at Murakawa Publishing) Yokozawa, and a couple of kissing scenes I wasn’t too fond of the angles on, I enjoyed the simplicity of the Art and the proportions of the characters almost as much as I enjoyed the full color, glossy insert just inside the front cover.
In Summary
The World’s Greatest First Love is all at once amusing, sweet, steamy, informative, and, at times, a bit shocking in not always the best ways. It manages to be simultaneously fresh and cliché, merging the two seamlessly into an, overall, fun and engaging read.
I will definitely continue to follow the countdown to the day Ritsu Onodera falls in love.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A+
Age Rating: Mature
Released By: SuBLime Manga
Release Date: February 10th, 2015
MSRP: 12.99
