The Spring 2024 Manga Guide

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate

What's It About? 

With her jet-black hair, sinister smile, and silent demeanor, Sawako "Sadako" Kuronuma always had trouble fitting in during high school. But with help from her friends, her boyfriend Kazehaya, and even her rival-turned-friend Kurumi, Sawako came out of her shell. Now in college, Sawako and Kurumi have become incredibly close, but Kurumi longs for a romance of her own.

In college, Kurumi thinks she's found her soulmate in Sawako, her rival-turned-best friend from high school. But Kurumi can't help wondering if maybe there's someone else out there for her, despite her troubling track record with dating. When the opportunity to attend a mixer crops up, Kurumi drags Sawako along, setting in motion a dangerous love story…

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate is a manga by Karuho Shiina. This volume is translated by JN Productions and lettered and retouched by Vanessa Satone. Published by Viz Media (April 2, 2024).

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

It's been quite a while since I read (or thought about) Kimi ni Todoke - From Me to You, or Crazy for You, Karuho Shiina's other series released in English. (That one was a digital-only title if you missed it.) So it was a real flashback to pick up Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate, a spin-off of both of those series starring Kurumi and Akahoshi finding their romance with each other. In theory, I like the idea; not only is it fun that Shiina is combining her previous two series, but as a regular romance reader, I'm always a fan of the sort of loosely linked series that the genre tends towards, where each subsequent book pairs off a character or two from the previous volume. This feels like the manga equivalent of that trend, and that's appealing.

Regretfully, I don't love either of the two protagonists. I'm pleased that Kurumi/Ume's reformation has lasted and that she and Sawako are truly best friends now, but even she admits that she's unhealthily codependent on her friend. Taking place while they're in college, Sawako and Kurumi attend the same school, live close together, and, if Kurumi has her way, spend nearly every waking moment together. Sawako doesn't object to this, but from the outside, we can see this isn't a great situation for Kurumi. She's transferred what she calls her stalker tendencies from Shota to Sawako, afraid to take too many steps away from her lest something terrible happen. The story starts with Kurumi convincing Sawako to go to a mixer with her, despite knowing that it's not fair to Sawako and Shota – she's aware of her faults but can't seem to bring herself to do anything about them.

Eiji Akahoshi, on the other hand, is severely underdeveloped. It's entirely probable that Shiina is counting on readers remembering him from Crazy for You, but even if you do have that firmly ensconced in your brain, his immediate attraction to Kurumi feels rushed. He steps in when a too-friendly guy begins making Sawako and Kurumi uncomfortable at the mixer (he's eating at the same restaurant with a friend) and then refuses to take no for an answer himself when he asks Kurumi out. It's the sort of action that's meant to show how serious he is about her but just comes off as mildly creepy here, and it's only "mildly" because Shiina is contrasting him with the actual stalker. There's no real reason for him and Kurumi to fall in love, which takes away from the story.

Still, it's nice to see that Sawako and Shota are still going strong, and I enjoy Shiina's art. This is a fine book and one that I don't regret reading, but if you're looking for a more innovative or heartwarming shoujo romance, you aren't going to find it here.

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MrAJCosplay
Rating:

More Kimi ni Todoke? Yes, please! I don't know why we've recently had a sudden resurgence in Kimi ni Todoke content, with the anime appearing on Netflix with a brand new English dub and a season three on the horizon, but I'm not complaining. This is peak shoujo romance. It's a franchise that doesn't reinvent the wheel or subvert expectations. What you see is what you get, but that makes the franchise so appealing. The characters are simple yet layered, and the growth feels genuine, packed to the brim with heart.

Kimi ni Todoke - From Me to You seems to be a spin-off sequel to the original manga, but instead of focusing on the innocent Sadako, we instead shift over to the bratty rival Kurumi. Kurumi is a character who arguably didn't get her happy ending at the end of the original series since her entire character arc was about letting go of her attachment to the main love interest. She was the bully but part of what made her refreshing was that she seemed very self-aware about how terrible she was, almost to a self-deprecating degree. This manga makes that self-deprecating nature the focus of this manga and acts as a definitive point of her character growth. The idea is that despite the terrible things that she has done and despite not seeing herself as worthy of happiness anymore, there might still be people out there who want her to be happy, which is something that she needs to come to terms with.

The setup is a bit too convenient because the main love interest of this book is Sadako's cousin, who I'm pretty sure was never mentioned or talked about. He happens to be very good-looking and insightful about what is going on, but like I said, this franchise is pretty well known for selling you exactly what it advertises on the tin. Despite the setup, the two have great chemistry, and I can believe a future with them moving forward. It's refreshing to see someone peel back the layers of the character who originally covered herself in thorns. If you were a fan of the original series, then I would say this is required reading. If you haven't read the original, you need to since this title suffers a bit by relying on prior knowledge of the original series to sell most of its emotional setup. But so far, when it lands, it sounds very believable, and I can't believe I want a character I used to dislike to have a happy ending.