I must say I'm a huge fan of this manga's best bits. I've been a massive fan of the anime for nearly a decade now, it's been something that I held close to my heart but I was always scared of reading the manga cus yk, it gets kooky in the end. Was feeling like rewatching the anime recently but decided I'll go for the manga, curiosity got the better of me.

I'd say this manga is best divided into 3 parts, the first being where the anime started and ended, about Rin growing up. The second being Rin in her middle/high school days and the final one about the uh... weirdness.

First part continues till volume 4 and volume 5 onwards is part 2. I don't remember exactly when part 3 is and I don't really intend to reread those parts much.

I must say, the first part is a masterpiece if there ever was one. Unreal how good it is. There's nothing I would change about it. Absolutely perfect from start to end. The mangaka is able to deftly craft an interesting premise, amazing characters and some beautiful panels. Sometimes it feels like the panels themselves are far better looking than the cover illustrations and such when it usually feels the opposite way.

However there are enough threads left that you wonder : "How does it get better? What happens to these people?". Well it does not get better, but it does not get as much worse as some might have you believe. The problem is expectations, not the audience's fault, the mangaka made such a masterful piece of work in the beginning the audience desired either more of that or something just as good as that, we get neither. So the disappointment is understandable.

Part 2 tackles different themes which feel a little off, not because the themes are bad but because they were handled a bit more poorly than the first part, additionally, it all felt quite loose as well. Things seemed to repeat or seemed to go on and on, could've been a bit shorter or handled with more depth. Volume 10 is vital for part 2, it helps put so much into perspective. Wish volume 10 was actually part of the whole manga instead of a random collection at the end, it'd have helped things a lot more.

Not exactly a horrendous read till now, the quality is a lot more diminished but the characters are still the ones we liked. Therefore I liked the story a lot more than I would've if it were a random story. I was more engaged with the characters even though the story took a dive in quality. Some things just seem to happen, randomly, and it just doesn't feel right.

Kouki being treated like a joke, the kiss that Rin shared with Kouki (what the heck was this?), Kouki being rejected, Daikichi being rejected. It all felt okay because you kind of understood the characters.

But with part 3 it feels like part 2's annoyances were made just to make part 3 feasible. It's a shorter affair but feels longer because it's a lot more painful. Even weirder things happen and everyone seems to just be okay with it. Kouki's mom rejecting Daikichi but marrying again, Rin liking Daikichi, Kouki just telling it to him, them being kinda ok with it somehow, then Rin's mom saying that she's not gramp's daughter, and then Rin getting married after 2 years just randomly, no buildup no nothing just a time skip and done? What???

It felt awful but since you liked the characters and it's still somewhat understandable, you still dont hate the story as much as expected. I just wish it were all fleshed out more. I think the topics presented are quite cool, and if given the same time and care the first part was given, this could've been an absolute triumph. But it feels rushed and it seems as if the author just wanted things to happen/to finish things. With the weirdness in mind, whilst reading the manga, I did see some shoujo vibes here and there with Daikichi/Rin art, even at the beginning, you can kind of see that the author kind of did want to do this all along. It's just that after such an expertly crafted story, getting such things without much depth leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and then it all being about such a weird topic makes it even more bitter.

I wish we had a redo with better endings for everyone or a more thoroughly crafted second half because this was just not it. I don't hate it as much as some others but I can totally understand them. It's just a damn shame it had come to this. I'd still recommend this to anyone, despite all its flaws, it's still an amazing read if you vibed with the characters as much as I did. However without properly set up expectations (of disappointment), you're going to be lost, you're going to be furious and disgusted. So it's a difficult recommendation for most.

I'd give part 1 a 10/10, part 2 an 8/10, it was still nice to see more of my fav characters, and part 3 a 6/10. If part 2 and part 3 were in isolation, without the connection I made with the characters, I'd have given them 6.5/10 and 4.5/10 respectively, the characters propped up the story, A LOT.

I really loved the art, 9/10 at least with 10/10 art sometimes, absolutely stunning! The characters are the main highlight, if you don't fall in love with them you surely must be a robot!

If you want something cute, yet still somewhat mature, something wholesome yet still somewhat sad and something that just makes you appreciate life and family in general, the first part is it. An absolutely marvelous piece of work that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and also manages to make you laugh whilst also battling some dark tones and harsh realities. Something this nice is a rare gem nowadays, everything feels a little too dark and brooding, too "deep", sometimes a bit of simplicity and wholesomeness is nice. And this manga in the child arc delivers that in spades.

An all time fav that I'll keep coming back to. First 4 volumes and the first 3 chapters of volume 10 are as good as you'd expect a piece of media to get, at least that's what I think. Maybe even Part 2 has some niceness that I'll reread sometimes, a shame that it all just gets worse and worse the longer it goes on. Oh how I wish I could've given it a 10/10. Sometimes I truly feels like it deserves it but realistically speaking even an 8/10 is too high.