Recap
If you haven't read our review of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten volume 1, you can check it out by clicking this link.
Author(s): Saekisan (original story), Wan Shibata (mangaka), Suzu Yuki (storyboard), Hanekoto (original illustrations)
Translator: Nova Skipper
Letterer: Kaitlyn Wiley
Editor: Edward Hong
I received this volume as an ARC from Square Enix Manga & Books in exchange for an honest review!
Note: This review will contain some spoilers
Review
This volume starts off with Mahiru making a deal with Amane: If he pays for half the food costs, she'll cook meals for him. Amane eagerly accepts since he can't cook to save his life. This begins Mahiru cooking for him while also tossing barbs at him for not knowing how to cook for himself.
Something I noticed is that the manga adds more humor than the anime had. You see an example of this when Mahiru is saying that Amane's pots and pans are crying to be used. The panel goes on to show his pans with tears rolling down its face, sobbing at being neglected. The anime plays the scene straight so the joke is only from Mahiru's comment.
During dinner, the two discuss whether or not it's acceptable to compare your romantic interest's cooking to your mother's, when Amane says that Mahiru's cooking is better than his mother's. Mahiru thought it's impolite to do, while Amane dismisses the assumption, saying that it's true so it doesn't matter.
Word of advice: Don't do it. Just don't.
From the start, you begin to see how the two are slowing becoming closer, developing romantic feelings for one another. It starts over the dinner they share. As Amane continues to complement the food, both parties begin to see another side of each other.
I like that we're seeing Amane discover how much work Mahiru puts in to be "the angel". Unlike what her classmates think, her talents don't come naturally. She puts in the work to make sure that she's perfect. Only Amane, someone who does not idolize "the angel", actually sees this. When he hears the backhanded praise from his classmates when Mahiru scores top of the class, he gets annoyed because they are diminishing her hard work.
Volume 2 gives focus on some of the supporting cast, namely Chitose and Itsuki, Amane's friends. In this one, you see how Amane interacts with the two at school. To me, Chitose and Itsuki remind me of Carla and Turk from the show Scrubs. They were the couple who would give JD (the lead character) dating and relationship advice.
Volume 2 also introduces Amane's mother. Unlike Amane's reserved personality, his mother's is outgoing, energetic, and very nosy! If anything, she reminds me of his friend Chitose. I enjoyed seeing her disarm Mahiru and Amane. She made Amane look embarrassed and Mahiru couldn't even talk her way out of things. It was hilarious.
Meeting Amane's mother revealed there is some tension between Mahiru and her parents. While we don't learn the cause, we do know it has impacted her and her way of life.
It felt like this volume had less of the "tell-not-show" compared to volume 1. This was my main issue with the first volume where you could tell that it was a manga adaptation of a light novel because of how exposition-heavy the first volume was. This volume had the art generally speak for itself.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it's a good volume that further develops the two leads by having them discovering what makes them tick. I would say this volume is better than the first because it develops the side cast and reduces the "tell-not-show" issue I had.
Verdict: Buy It
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten volume 2 from Square Enix Manga & Books is available at all retailers.
Comments