Fourteen volumes for Mugi to tell Yuu he loves her, was it worth the wait? It depends on how she reacts.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Toshihiko Kobayashi
Translation/Adaptation: David Ury
What They Say
It’s summer break, and Mugi and the gang are spending it at the beach. Mugi has made up his mind to finally tell Yuu how he feels about her, but it’s not an easy task. Luckily (or maybe unluckily), Mugi’s best pal, Kazuki, is there for support. Kazuki enters Mugi and Yuu in the Best Couple Contest in hopes of putting them in the mood. But Mugi and Yuu end up with more than they bargained for!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Hinako fans rejoice, cause she’s baaack! I can’t deny the fact that she is cute in her clumsy mannerisms and she was Mugi’s first girlfriend, so they will always have a strong connection. However, I am not a fan of the games she is playing to get Mugi back. She claims her return visit is to tour the local colleges because she wants to leave Tokyo when she finishes high school. Whether she is telling the truth or not remains to be seen, but what she is doing is everything she can to take advantage of Mugi’s caring personality.
Whether it is fainting when something isn’t going well, or flat out confronting Yuu, Hinako is playing for keeps this time. Yuu seems to completely disconnect during all of Hinako’s antics. I can’t decide if it is because Yuu thinks Mugi still likes Hinako or if she likes Mugi so much that she thinks he would be happier with Hinako. Either way, it doesn’t take long before Mugi is always talking about Yuu in front of Hinako. He even realizes that Yuu is acting differently around him and he quickly begins to miss her as Hinako has been capitalizing all of his time.
Seeing Mugi’s concern for Yuu and his lack of focus on her own antics, Hinako decides to pull out all the stops. During the night and while Yuu is staying with Manami, Hinako confronts Mugi wearing nothing but a nightshirt. She confesses her love for Mugi and begins to undress. Now Mugi is a young man with plenty of pent up desire, so will he fall for Hinako’s advances or stay strong for his love for Yuu? I know plenty of guys that would try to have both!
In Summary:
‘Pastel’ is a slowly developing love story and with this volume, three years have passed for the characters since they met. This story may be too slow for some out there, but I love it and I think fans of ‘Oh My Goddess!’ could also fall in love with the ‘Pastel’ story. The characters are all very likable and it is easy to cheer them on. Furthermore, Koybayashi’s cheesecake-like one-page illustrations perfectly fit the easy-going style of the story.
It seems like a really long time coming, but after fourteen volumes Mugi finally confronts Yuu with his love confession. Initially, things don’t go as well as I would have hoped, but that is the greatness to Kobayashi’s storytelling. Things are allowed to simmer a little longer, but not too long because the final reward is all the more sweeter. Not only do things seem to work out the way I had hoped, but the ride has constantly reminded me what it was like being a teenager and the pains and joys of my first love. The story really does an excellent job at mixing teenage comedic hijinks with the angst and expectations of a first love.
Overall a highly recommended story that appears to have much more awaiting the American audience with the Japanese release currently at twenty-two volumes. I can’t wait for more!
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: August 25th, 2009
MSRP: $10.95
