Spring Storm and Monster Volume 1
If you’re a fan of shojo manga then you’ll no doubt have come across Mitsubachi Miyuki’s name in recent years. They’re the creator behind the long-running series Cheeky Brat, as well as Stray Cat & Wolf (both available through Yen Press) and today I’m here to check out the first volume of their current series: Spring Storm and Monster. Will it impress? Let’s find out!
Our story follows high-school student Ranko Haruno, who spends her days keeping to herself at school and playing video games at home in the company of her pet pig, Magosuke. One day her life changes drastically when her mother announces she’s remarrying and that Ranko will be getting a step-brother! While Ranko hopes for a quiet boy she can get along with, her hopes are dashed when she’s introduced to Kaya Amamine a delinquent she once caught in a fistfight on the way home from school.
Of course, having caught him in a fight has left a terrible impression on Ranko, but even meeting afresh here, she quickly grows weary of the boy as he threatens to eat Magosuke and acts hostile toward her. She’s so worried about her pet that she decides to move out and sleep in the shed! However, she doesn’t want Kaya’s attitude to ruin her mother’s newfound happiness so she attempts to get Kaya to behave himself and at least not sneak out at night or get himself into fights…
Both of these characters have been hurt leading to their current attitude toward life. While Ranko is comfortable being alone, Kaya channels his feelings into lashing out at anyone who might want to get closer to him. He’s quite violent and unpredictable, perhaps befitting of a child who has been abandoned and passed around the family, never finding a place to settle down. We learn as the story goes on that while Kaya is related to the man who married Ranko’s mother, they aren’t father and son and Kaya fully expects to be tossed out just like every other time.
So, Ranko is the first person who has put this much time and effort into trying to get to know Kaya despite how hard he pushes her away. While it started because of Ranko’s desire to hold the new family together, she’s slowly starting to care for and relate to Kaya’s situation and wishes to make him happy. It’s here that romance between the two begins to bloom and that’s ultimately where I have a lot of issues.
Kaya as a character is borderline abusive at points in this first volume (and, as stated, very violent toward other characters) and Ranko is sadly a woman who thinks she can tame this bad boy. This wouldn’t be so bad if she could put up a fight against him herself, but she often finds herself giving in to his intimidation and that is uncomfortable to watch. Especially when we see she feels like she’s not even safe in her own home and living out in the shed!
As the book went on, I feel Kaya calmed down somewhat, which leads me to hope their relationship is more balanced in the books to come. Spring Storm and Monster has proven popular in Japan, regularly ranking highly in the Next Manga Awards since the series debuted in 2022 so I’m willing to believe there is something here that’s attracted readers’ attention.
Still, Miyuki is an experienced mangaka and that also helps alleviate some of my fears. Especially as this sort of character dynamic is familiar ground judging by their other series. And credit to Miyuki here, both of the main characters get ample development and I think it was smart to dive into Kaya’s backstory to offer something for us to latch onto and see the good in him. Even if I’m not a fan of Kaya’s actions, it’s hard to deny that they’re backed up by his history.
Where the artwork is concerned, if you’re familiar with Miyuki’s other work then you’ll recognise her style right away here. Pages are usually quite busy, often with a lot of text within small panels, but Miyuki is good at depicting the emotion and reactions of the cast in a given scene which gives it charm. I wouldn’t say the character designs are particularly cute or pretty, which is perhaps what makes Kaya more dislikeable as he certainly looks as sour and intimidating as his actions imply. It would be nice if the art wasn’t so cramped going forward, but otherwise, it certainly does the job Miyuki sets out to do.
As mentioned earlier, Spring Storm and Monster Volume 1 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press. It has been translated by Emma Schumacker with lettering by Chiho Christie who together provide a localization that reads well with no problems. This release includes colour pages at the beginning, which are a real treat as Miyuki’s art is quite suited to the full-page vibrant style.
The series is ongoing in Japan with five volumes currently available. Here in English, Yen Press have Volume 2 scheduled for a release in January with nothing further currently pencilled in, so as with a few of their newer series, I suspect we’re in for a gap before we see more.
Overall, Spring Storm and Monster Volume 1 gets off to a rough start. While I’m willing to give it another volume to see why it’s so popular in Japan, I suspect many won’t due to Kaya’s actions. There’s a time and place for a heroine who believes she can fix the bad boy and this isn’t it, especially when she and the (adorable) pet pig have been driven out of their home.
Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press.
