Pink & Habanero Volume 1 Review

September saw Yen Press begin publishing two new shojo series: Spring Storm and Monster, which I reviewed recently, and Pink & Habanero from mangaka Mika Satonaka. This is their English debut and with this series being ten volumes and ongoing, its popularity certainly sets my expectations high. Will it deliver? Let’s find out!

The story follows high-school student Mugi who dreams of having a boyfriend to fit in with her peers and make friends. Mugi is used to fending off boys asking for her best friend Lili’s number, but unfortunately, the two go to different schools and here she’s all on her own with no friends or prospective love interests in sight!

That is until she meets her classmate Kei. He makes a terrible first impression as he bluntly tells the girls flocking around him that he has no interest in them. Mugi has no patience for his rude and abrasive attitude, but she soon realises not to judge a book by its cover when she runs into Kei working part-time at a cosplay café (Kei says it isn’t one but all of the waiters are dressed up). There he treats the female guests with kindness, the complete opposite of his attitude at school.

Part-time jobs are forbidden at their high school so now Mugi has discovered Kei’s secret, the two begin to interact more. Mugi swears not to share it and while Kei believes her, he also can’t help wanting to keep an eye on her. Slowly but surely he recognises the difficulties Mugi is having in making friends in class and begins to help behind the scenes to ensure she gains the high school life she dreams of.

Much like Spring Storm and Monster, this is an ‘opposites attract’ romance but the cast is instantly more likeable. Kei might be harsh when he speaks his mind (frankly he comes off as cranky rather than actively mean), but he has no intention of hurting Mugi as he slowly grows attached to her over the course of the volume. Meanwhile, Mugi is a heroine who reminds me of Uka Ishimori from Honey Lemon Soda, not just because she’s in a similar situation of hoping to make friends in school but also because she actively works to make that happen. Even if Kei is helping her occasionally, Mugi is still reaching out and participating herself.

There’s some interesting soul-searching within this first volume as well, particularly as Mugi begins to realise that maybe love won’t solve all her problems and she’s just jealous of those in love with their happy lives. This is the self-awareness a shojo heroine doesn’t always show, especially this early on, and gives her a remarkable amount of depth. Although there’s chemistry between her and Kei, perhaps this series will take its time in moving them into a relationship and instead focus on developing them as individuals first.

And this is all brought to life wonderfully by Mika Satonaka’s cute and vibrant artwork. There’s quite a lot of detail packed into each panel and both Mugi and Kei have a wide range of expressions. At times the story is sad or dramatic, others funny, but it’s consistently entertaining. Although this is Satonaka’s English debut, they do have quite a few series under their belt in Japanese and their experience shows here. From what I’ve seen so far I’m not at all surprised that this has run for ten volumes already; it clearly has the story and characters to carry it through.

As previously mentioned, Pink & Habanero Volume 1 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press. This release has been translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley with lettering by Dietrich Premier. The release reads well with no issues. No extras to note except for a next volume preview at the end.

In Japan Pink & Habanero has been ongoing since 2021 with ten volumes currently available. Here in English Volume 2 is scheduled for a release in January with nothing further currently in the schedule, but I’m sure we won’t be waiting too long to enjoy more of this one.

Overall, Pink & Habanero Volume 1 introduces us to an interesting romance between the class loner and the pretty boy with a prickly attitude. With a surprising amount of heart and a likeable cast, this proves an intriguing title that’s well worth picking up.

Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press.