Tokiwa, Volume 2 Cover, A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple, Number Nine.
A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple – Information
Author of Stories: Tokiwa
Chapter Count: 4 volumes (Prequel story completed with 24 chapters)
Status: Ongoing
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Mature Content
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Plot Summary
In this review post, we’ll be discussing two short stories that are connected to each other! The first story, chronologically, is called A Story About a Man and a Woman and When They Sleep Together, Money Appears Out of Nowhere. Long title, I know, haha. This first half of the story was originally published on Twitter/X.
The sequel to that story is called A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple. For this review, let’s start with the prequel story (A Story About a Man and a Woman…), which is completed.
Although the title of this story is a bit suggestive, this is not the type of story you might think it is, haha! It is a collection of short chapters written in a slice-of-life style, about two poor college students making money together in a unique way.
Aki Hojo and Haru Hanasaki are the two main characters, and they are also neighbors living next to each other in the same apartment.
Somehow they discovered that when they do couple-like things or act lovey-dovey, money appears out of thin air! Because of this, they work together to help pay for their daily needs, rent, and school funding. They are not dating, and so the activities they do together are very innocent and sweet.
However, that doesn’t mean they don’t wish for more in their relationship! This prequel story is a fun meet-and-fall-in-love story that gives us a bit of character background for A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple.
Tokiwa, Volume 1 Cover, A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple, Number Nine.
Why I Enjoyed These Two Short Stories
A Story About a Man and a Woman…(and so on) is one of those fun romance stories that has two airheads that both like each other, but for whatever circumstances can’t seem to start an official relationship!
So you get to enjoy the fun tension between the two of them as they make money, shyly do couple-like things, and grow closer slowly! (With money humorously making an appearance afterwards).
Another fun part of this story other than the hilarious money-appearing situation, is that the amount of money that appears changes depending on the situation.
I don’t want to spoil it, but I’ll say it makes the overall plot in this story even better! The romance between these two may build slowly, but I live for those types of romance stories, so I enjoyed it a lot. A very cute story with sweet, wholesome relationship building!
This story is only around 24 chapters so it’s easy to binge in one go and enjoy a romantic story quickly. There’s also a fun twist that I really didn’t expect in this story, so look forward to it! Even better, the sequel to this story, A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple, is even more lovey-dovey and showcases these two cuties more, but later in their married life.
Both of these stories can be enjoyed on their own, but I think that because they are connected, it’s more fun to read them in order.
A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple gives off a bit more mature plot vibes. It’s still written in short, slice-of-life style chapters; but in this story Aki and Haru are now full adults, happily married, and living their adorable (and occasionally spicy) lovey-dovey newlywed lives. We get to see these two living the lives they desperately desired from the prequel, and it feels very fulfilling for us readers.
This sequel story is cute and showcases a lot of sweet relationship experiences that everyone desires. Enjoying outings together, taking care each other during sickness, waiting for each other to return from work, and more. Readers who love romantic slice of life stories will really like this series. Please note that the sequel contains a bit more mature content than the prequel.
Any Cons?
The plot for A Story About a Man and a Woman…(and so on) is very sweet and extremely cute. My only issue with it is that I wish it was made into a full story, with more a detailed plot and more fleshed-out character design or development.
But readers wish for that with any story don’t we…for it to never end! So, as a short story, I think it was extremely cute and well-done. I do think that the ending was a bit sudden, and could have been stretched a bit more, however. I would have loved to see more story for college-aged Aki and Haru!
Secondly, I think that readers who don’t like the airhead trope or who hate waiting for characters to express their feelings may become impatient with this one, so just be mindful that this relationship takes time.
Tokiwa, Volume Cover, A Story About a Man and a Woman and When They Sleep Together, Money Appears Out of Nowhere, Kadokawa.
The sequel of this story, A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple, starts out with the characters already together and married; and jumps right into their daily lives and romantic interactions, so readers could always opt to just read that story alone instead. It has around 24 chapters and is ongoing (at the time of this blog’s posting).
Personally, I really liked reading the prequel story first, since it makes the romance in the sequel feel more developed and you can feel happy for them after seeing their background! But I think that A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple can be enjoyed on its own for readers wanting to read romance quickly.
Final Thoughts
These two short stories are very cute and easy to enjoy. They are quick to read, and have sweet, romantic plots. Our characters are simple, but adorable in their own way! They have a fun and wholesome dynamic.
I really like that the author decided to write a sequel to the original story, and gave us the continuation of Aki and Haru’s romance with A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple. Check them out and share what you think below!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Tokiwa. A Story of an Utterly Ordinary Couple. Number Nine, 2022. A Story About a Man and a Woman and When They Sleep Together, Money Appears Out of Nowhere. KADOKAWA, 2020.
