Jan 02, 2026
Up until this point, I was thinking that my main grip with this story is that both leads are kind of "too good". The first chapter was pretty interesting, but once the setting/time changes, it almost feels like a bait and switch.
Aika has been alright for the most part, but she feels like nice girl + trauma and that's pretty much it. Liking cats feels like the most "this character is kind" trope in anime so it's basically white noise to me. Her trauma responses are refreshingly realistic. I do like that she's abrasive without being hostile, but as a reader I can tell that it's 100% a defense mechanism rather than a pErSoNaLiTy QuIrK or whatever. Her preemptively setting herself up for disappointment and unknowingly self-sabotaging hits hard. Quite honestly I hadn't heard of giving cats crumbs, but I'll chalk that up to anime magic. I'd assume giving them protein-based leftovers would probably yield better results, but alas.
The big BIG issue is that Caleb is way too good at everything. I get the appeal of the character and I get that this is common in this kind of genre, but usually authors add SOME spice you know. He's good at singing, good-looking, fit, likes animals and animals like him, kind, empathetic... like come on. No joke, it almost feels like God deployed him specifically to cure Aika's trauma and be the perfect malewife bf. Maybe he's... shy? Or a pushover...? But come ON. Try switching the genders around and see if you see what I mean.