Our Blog

Synopsis

Despite being a model student, Ayaka Sakurai choked on her high school entrance exams and failed to get into her first choice school. Fearing a repeat when the time comes to apply for college, Ayaka accepts a teacher’s bribe to receive a referral letter in exchange for bringing truant student Sora Honda to class.

This proves shockingly easy, as Sora shows up the day after Ayaka visits her. In fact, Sora shows up just in time to seemingly overhear Ayaka and the teacher discussing their arrangement. Whoops!

Once they’re alone, Sora informs Ayaka of her intentions to make one request every day—the first being a kiss. After they kiss, Ayaka emphatically agrees to fulfill any request—for her referral, of course.

Review

Blackmail-Lite

I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Kashikaze, plays its hand early regarding its premise. Other romance titles that use blackmail as a device to force the main couple together often spend time making us (and the character being blackmailed) sweat and question the blackmailer’s motives. More often than not, the blackmailer is eventually shown to be kinder than they seemed. Or they will change their ways to become more empathetic to their target. Either way, the blackmailer usually wins over their target through legitimate means in the end.

That’s generally how this sort of fiction is supposed to go. However, I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl moves things along a little faster. Sora (the blackmailer in this story) is quickly established to be harmless, cute and sweet. Ayaka (the target) seems quick to view Sora in a positive light despite the circumstances, giving the titular “lonely girl” gifts without being prompted or forced—a turn of events that seems to surprise even Ayaka herself.

Ayaka, for her part, is high-strung to the point that she kind of talks herself into being manipulated by Sora rather than Sora making any sort of overt threat. As a result, the blackmail premise of the book isn’t like something from a dark romantic fantasy but more like a farcical comedy of errors and misunderstandings. So, if you skipped this series in the past because you found that premise distasteful, consider giving it another look. And if you were intending to pick this up expecting something spicy, you should adjust your expectations. This manga is a lot cuter and cuddlier than you’re probably expecting.

Mysteries and Motivations

That said, the first volume in the series hints at the drama to come. Sora has an air of mystery about her that Ayaka acknowledges, but from the reader’s perspective, Ayaka is equally mysterious. It’s clear that Ayaka’s desperation to go to a particular college isn’t solely motivated by a need for academic success, but we don’t yet have the full details. Nor do we fully understand why Sora is the titular “lonely girl” when she seems to be admired by her classmates. Like with Ayaka, we’re given a general idea of Sora’s inner thoughts, but I sense there’s more to the situation than she’s letting on. Likewise, Sora’s fascination with Ayaka is quite a mystery. We only have a vague hint that the two went to the same middle school, but even Ayaka seems to barely remember that.

Thoughts on the Art Style

The art by Kashikaze is masterful in its expressions, whether it’s the overt emotions of the adorable chibi art, or the subtler emotions expressed in the more conventional art. Even when Sora smiles, there’s a hint of sadness in her eyes. Her emotions often come across as muted, as though she might be suffering from depression. This contributes to the subtle hints of the drama going on in these girls’ inner worlds, even as they’re doing cute and fun stuff like going to arcades and amusement parks.

The chibi art I mentioned is some of the cutest I’ve ever seen. The girls in their chibi forms look like the plushie versions of themselves, with chubby cheeks and just the right sort of roundness to them. It’s hard for me to articulate just what makes the chibi art different from other manga, but something about it hits just right for me.

On the topic of art, the panel layouts are fairly dynamic, using a good mix of shapes and sizes to keep the flow of the story visually interesting while the characters go on relatively mundane dating adventures. This, combined with the cuteness of the art, made reading this manga a visual treat.

Final Thoughts

This first volume of I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl has me really excited to read the rest of the series. In contrast with its spicy story premise and cover art, Ayaka and Sora’s budding relationship is actually very sweet and silly, with lots of moments that made me smile. I went into this expecting more drama, but I can’t complain about getting a cute and cozy story instead. Not when it’s this well executed. In that regard, this book was truly a pleasant surprise.