Spring Storm and Monster
April showers bring May flowers and in this story they also bring one scary stepbrother.
Disclaimer: This copy of Spring Storm and Monster was sent over by Yen Press for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.
I am not going to lie, I was a bit worried going into Spring Storm and Monster after how disappointed I was with Mitsubachi Miyuki’s other more recent work Stray Cat & Wolf. I was so turned off by the age-gap romance in Stray Cat & Wolf that it became my worst manga pick at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con Best & Worst Manga panel. Mistubachi Miyuki is no stranger when it comes to writing stories with age-gaps, but the last one left a real bad taste in my mouth when we had a 15 year-old girl getting practically adopted by a 20-something year-old rocker who would enjoy making out with the girl he would refer to as a kid. Thankfully this time around we have two teenagers! Surely there’s nothing else that weird in this, right?
Genre: Drama, slice of life
Age Rating: Teens
Publisher: Yen Press
Status: Ongoing, 2 volumes available in English
Synopsis:
Ranko is a high school freshman who keeps to herself and avoids trouble until one day she has an abrupt encounter with a black haired boy who had just beat up two boys. Ranko minds her business and makes her way back home to her mom and pet pig when her mom’s partner moves in and bring in Ranko’s new stepbrother Kaya who happens to be that same scary black haired boy with a lip piercing.
Now that her peaceful life has been disturbed by this rebellious boy, Ranko is forced to learn more about this boy with a penchant for getting into fights. Not only does Ranko have to keep an eye on her new stepbrother so he doesn’t get in trouble, she also has to keep him in check around the house where he becomes a bit too interested in his older stepsister. Has Kaya been so deprived of love and affection due to his tragic past, or is he just a horny teenage boy?
Favorite Things:
Messy drama: If you like a sloppy telenovela, then this one will have you squinting at the questionable things but it kept me entertained not going to lie. Should I feel guilty about not completely hating this?
Ranko: When it comes to female leads by Mitsubachi, Cheeky Brat’s Yuki is still my favorite because she has such a strong personality and isn’t afraid of voicing her opinion. Ranko is definitely not as strong-willed but she does have a good moral compass which is what is needed when the male lead doesn’t really care about anything. I just do hope that she learns to speak up more otherwise she will just become overshadowed by the male lead.
Things I Disliked:
Age Gap: While this story does feature two teenagers, the fact that the boy is a 13 year-old middle schooler who is very forward with his sexual advances just leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. Again I’m not exactly sure why the author couldn’t had just aged him up so he was also a freshman in high school.
Step-Siblings: If the age gap wasn’t enough, there’s also the fact that these two are forced to cohabitate as step-siblings. The new stepfather does clarify that the boy is not his son, they’re actually not blood related at all. He wanted to take in a troubled boy in order to help him find a better life, but despite that they’re still presenting themselves as a new blended family and I can’t help but feel the ick a bit.
Rating: ★★ / 5
While there are several things about this first volume that give me the ick, the chismosa in me wants to know if this story will derail and become a trashy guilty-pleasure or if it’s just straight up trash. I’m not running to the store to pick up volume 2 but I would be inclined to read it if I find it cheap second-hand or if I find it in a library because I’m nosy and want to know what happens next.
The only reason why I’m giving it two stars instead of one is because I was entertained. This is definitely better than Stray Cat & Wolf but that in itself isn’t saying much when the bar was set pretty low with that title.
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