A Certain Writer

I just finished reading ひとりぼっちがたまらなかったら (The Boy and the Dragon: When You Can’t Stand Being Alone) by idonaka and wow do I really want to talk about it. I’m not a very emotional person. I rarely cry when sad things happen to me and can’t remember the last time I cried while watching a movie or reading a book. This manga, though, actually moved me to tears. It’s an equally gut-wrenching and heartwarming tale that caught me completely by surprise.

For some context, ひとりぼっちがたまらなかったら started as a web-comic in 2018. The comics, along with an additional chapter, were compiled into a single volume manga and published by Pie International in 2023. The web-comic was popular on Twitter, but I don’t recall seeing any fan-translations as it was being published. As of today, the one-shot has not received an official English translation. I hope this review will shed some light on the manga for those interested in it.

That being said, please avoid reading the rest of this review if you have any intentions of reading the manga for yourself. If you can, please support the artist, pick up a copy, and go in completely blind. If you have a copy, avoid the temptation to peek at suspicious looking pages (this will make sense when you see the manga) and start reading from the very beginning. Trust me when I say that this manga is worth your time and that you’ll have a better experience with it if you go in with no context.

In addition to my usual spoiler disclaimer, I have a content warning disclaimer this time as well. There are certain things that happen to certain characters in this manga that may potentially evoke negative emotional reactions. My review will touch on this so please proceed with caution.

Story Overview

ひとりぼっちがたまらなかったら begins with a boy named Shitaro waking up in a shine with a missing eye and no memory of how he got there. As he’s trying to piece his situation together, a dragon suddenly appears. The dragon proclaims that Shitaro is their bride and confesses their undying love to him. When the dragon refuses to let him leave, Shitaro convinces the dragon that he needs to get his parent’s approval before they marry. Upon hearing this, the dragon immediately whisks Shitaro away and they take off towards his home.

As the dragon, who Shitaro decides to call Yamabuki, flies around his neighborhood, Shitaro realizes that he can’t remember where he lives. His house is missing and where he thought it would be is a school instead. Luckily, he ends up meeting some students at the school who are connected to Yamabuki’s shrine and are willing to help him figure out what's going on.

The rest of the story unfolds as Shitaro tries to regain his missing memories and come to terms with Yamabuki’s affection.

My Thoughts

I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought this manga. To be honest, I only became interested in it because of the dragon on the cover and if you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that anything that even mentions a dragon is an instant purchase for me. From the synopsis, I was assuming it would be a rom-com or a slice-of-life sort of thing. I was not expecting to feel the emotions this manga made me feel.

I’ll start off with the lighthearted aspects.

Yamabuki is adorable. The way they talk, the way they act... Everything about them is just so cute! The scene where Yamabuki is together with Shitaro during the lightning storm made me melt. It was so sweet. I usually find animal-like characters to be drawn with little emotion but the mangaka put a lot of care into making Yamabuki very expressive. Their body language ranges from over-the-top silly faces to serious gestures that conveyed their loneliness. No two panels are drawn exactly alike and it was always funny (or sad) to see how they reacted to certain things.

The art in this manga is just amazing in general. Yamabuki aside, all of the characters are very expressive and beautifully drawn. The printed edition comes with several full-color pages that are just stunning to look at. The version I got (Rakuten) also came with a bookmark featuring an illustration of Shitaro and Yamabuki but I’m not sure if that’s included with every volume.

And now for the darker, more spoilery aspects...

I was not expecting this story to go the places that it did. Even though Shitaro’s situation was hinted at very early on (his missing eye, his bruises, the stab wound), I convinced myself that I was probably thinking about the story too hard. Not only did the story double down on the themes of abuse and neglect, but it outright showed them in very, very explicit detail. Shitaro’s story brought back some memories I would have rather forgotten. I thought I had become numb to this sort of thing but seeing it illustrated the way it was absolutely broke me.

The ending was very bittersweet and I’m happy with the conclusion. While the story had a lot of gut-wrenching moments, it ended on an optimistic note. I especially liked the bonus chapter which took place a little while after the ending and tied up the remaining loose ends of the story.

ひとりぼっちがたまらなかったら is a single volume manga which makes me feel conflicted. On one hand, the pacing was just right and it never felt too rushed or too slow. Every character felt impactful and was given a moment to shine. No element of the manga overstayed its welcome which made for a succinct and satisfying read. However...

I really wish I could have spent more time with Shitaro and Yamabuki. Maybe it’s because I went in thinking this would be a slice of life manga but I really wish there were more scenes of them in everyday situations. The inner cover of the manga is decorated with some 4-koma featuring the duo but it just isn’t enough. I want more.

The Japanese version seems to be available to purchase digitally on most international platforms. Some words of caution if you decide to read this as a Japanese learner: Outside of the character’s names, the manga does not have furigana. Additionally, Yamabuki speaks in a kind of “old-fashioned” formal way which may make them a bit difficult to understand. It’s far from the most difficult manga I’ve read, but these aspects may make it harder to read for someone learning Japanese. I hope it receives an official English translation one day so more people can enjoy it.

I loved ひとりぼっちがたまらなかったら and can’t recommend it enough. I went in expecting a cute dragon doing cute things and while Yamabuki certainly is cute, there’s so much more to it than that. It’s a single volume manga so it was a quick read but the story was very impactful. I think this manga will stick with me for a very long time.

I recently finished the first two volumes of ひねくれ騎士とふわふわ姫様 古城暮らしと小さなおうち (Hinekure Kishi to Fuwafuwa Himesama: Kojougurashi to Chiisana Ouchi or The Cynical Knight and Gentle Princess: Building Fairy Homes and a Life Together) by Aoi Umetarou. Despite being semi-popular in Japan and getting an official translation, I couldn’t find much information about this manga in English. I thought I’d share some quick thoughts about it for others that were drawn in by its cute art style and were curious about the story.

As a side note, I haven’t read the official English translation and don’t plan to. My review is based on the original Japanese version of the manga that’s currently being serialized in Shounen Gangan.

My review doesn’t include major spoilers, but I’ll go a little more in-depth than the official summary. It’s probably best to avoid this review if you want to read the series completely blind!

Story Overview

ひねくれ騎士とふわふわ姫様 古城暮らしと小さなおうち (Hinekure Kishi to Fuwafuwa Himesama: Kojougurashi to Chiisana Ouchi) is a slice-of-life fantasy manga by Aoi Umetarou. It tells the story of Lux, a knight who was suddenly ordered by his king to marry Princess Cronya. Despite being a high-ranking knight, Lux secretly hates nobility and dreads the idea of being engaged to a noble. He reluctantly goes to meet the princess expecting a power-hungry spoiled brat, but is instead greeted by a socially awkward artist living by herself in a rundown castle.

While in the company of Princess Cronya, Lux accidently talks to fairies. In the world the manga takes place in, people that can see fairies are ostracized, so Lux thinks that the princess will dismiss him and rescind his status as a knight. Instead, Cronya is overjoyed to finally meet someone who can see fairies like she can.

Princess Cronya’s hobby is making miniature houses, and her dream is to make houses for fairies. Because she can’t understand fairy language, Cronya doesn’t know how to let the fairies know about her hobby, or how to take their requests correctly when they do come to her. Luckily, Lux knows how to translate and they spend an afternoon together building the perfect house for a picky fairy.

After working together, Lux realizes that he has been charmed by Cronya. Although he doesn’t agree to marry her, Lux decides to stay at the castle and support Cronya as a knight.

Volume 1 focus on the daily life of Lux and Cronya as they fix up their rundown castle and continue building homes for fairies. It’s very slow and feels very lighthearted. While keeping with a similar mood, the second volume picks up the pace a bit. The volume opens with a conflict involving Cronya’s sister and the relationship between Lux and Cronya becomes a more prevalent theme. Another major character is introduced who seems to compliment the protagonists well. There is less of a focus on building houses in the second volume and it makes me wonder what direction the third volume will take…

My Thoughts

Princesses, knights, handicrafts… this manga checks all the boxes of the things I love most in fantasy! I originally rented the first volume just to check it out but ended up buying it because I liked it so much. In addition to buying the manga, I’ve been following along with the Shounen Gangan releases just to stay up to date with the series. I only subscribe to shoujo magazines like Lala so this manga is literally the only reason I’m reading Shounen Gangan.

I’ve seen some English sources categorize the series as a shoujo manga, but it’s actually a shounen manga. Although the story is told through the eyes of a male protagonist, it has a female mangaka and I don’t feel like it’s overtly aimed at a male demographic. The tone is very lighthearted and fluffy, without any gross fanservice or offensive stereotypes. I find that I can’t connect with many shounen series nowadays, but I really enjoyed my time with this manga.

While I like both of the protagonists, it’s important to note the age gap between them. Cronya is only 15 years old and Lux is implied to be at least five to ten years older than her. Although an engagement like the one in the manga would have been normal during the time period it takes place in, I still found myself feeling a little uncomfortable by the arrangement. Luckily, even after the developments in the second volume, I would describe Lux and Cronya’s relationship to be more like close friends rather than a romantic couple. I hope it stays this way for the rest of the series.

The art style of this manga is very lovely. The colors used on the covers and the introduction pages are very muted and calming. When talking about the art for this series, it’s hard not to mention the crafting scenes. Every time Cronya works on a miniature house, the manga becomes a sort of instruction manual. The tools and pieces the princess uses are carefully noted and given in-depth descriptions. Each step of Cronya’s workflow is adorned with directions detailing her process. The completed houses are showcased from various angles and presented in such a beautiful way that makes me wish I could live in them. The handicraft scenes are easily my favorite parts of the manga!

… Which makes me a little worried about the future of the series. As mentioned above, the second volume is slightly faster paced the first volume. While handicraft scenes were the focus of the first four chapters, Cronya’s hobby takes a backseat in the second volume. I’m personally not a fan of romance manga with an age gap and, to be honest, I find the engagement framing of Lux and Cronya’s relationship to be worrisome. Overall, while I really like this series, I hope the romance remains light and that the handicraft scenes from the earlier part of the manga return with greater focus in subsequent chapters.