Overall, this is a wholesome full-color yuri manga! Nao and Haruka, as well as the side characters, had distinct personalities, and most of them were decently fleshed out. This manga is a lot more fast-paced (relationship-wise) than Yasaka-sensei’s recent works, but those gestures honestly felt natural for them. My conflict with this manga arose when Haruka’s backstory didn’t hit as hard within the narrative. Her reasoning behind quitting acting felt ridiculous and petty, and it dragged the plot on much longer than it should have. Being overshadowed or overshadowing someone because of your hard-earned talent is a normal part of the theater industry, and Haruka shouldn’thave felt guilty about it. I find it uncharacteristic of her to have a change of heart, especially since her reason for acting was to “inspire the dreams of others,” not necessarily to inspire her senpai’s drive to act. Readers would begin to doubt Haruka’s love for acting overall, which defeats the message of the story. The ending didn’t do the couple much justice, but I’m glad it somehow worked out for them, that’s all.

This doesn’t downplay the couple’s dynamic or chemistry, they’re really cute, and I wish they had more lovey-dovey time after the climax. Their interactions with friends bring meaning to the story, and the art is beautiful and consistent. You rarely ever see full-color manga these days! It’s just frustrating that their values weren’t executed properly and the ending felt like a rushed mess.