Saitou, Volume 4 Cover, Kawaii Hito, Hakusensha.
Kawaii Hito – Information
Author of Story: Ken Saitou
Chapter Count: 7 Volumes, around 30 chapters + short extras
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Loss of loved ones
- Bullying
- 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.
Kawaii Hito – Plot Summary
Kawaii Hito, or Adorable Person in English, is a lovely and short romance manga about seeing people for who they are, and not judging a book by its cover! It follows Hanazono Moriya, a man with a very scary face who helps his mother run a flower shop.
He is confessed to by a beautiful woman by the name of Suzuki Hiyori; a regular at the flower shop. This leads to a very wholesome and sweet relationship with many adorable firsts. This “scary-guy” trope isn’t totally uncommon, but it’s always so sweet and well-done; so I never get tired of it!
If you prefer drama-free, slice-of-life stories that’ll warm your heart, the Kawaii Hito manga is perfect. Nothing super dramatic happens, and there isn’t really a big conflict in this story. It’s all romance, sweetness, and fluff; so if that’s your thing, give this cute romance manga a read!
Saitou, Volume 2 Cover, Kawaii Hito, Hakusensha.
Why I Enjoyed Kawaii Hito
This cute story is so full of sweetness and some occasional humor. It has a nice, relaxing slice-of-life pacing, with a lovely romance between two adults. The romance is very sweet and fluffy, fitting for its shoujo tag! However, the more deep romantic scenes are well done too, and still flow well with the cuteness of the story.
The main characters in Kawaii Hito are both extremely likable and cute. Hanazono may look scary, but he’s a very shy, sweet, and considerate person. While he might be a bit hurt by the reactions people have to his face, that doesn’t stop him from trying his best.
He is the shy, blushing ML type; which is one of my favorites! Sort of like in The Ice Guy and The Cool Girl, but less fanboy-ish! Hanazono is very earnest, and cares greatly for his family and others. He also has a passion for flowers and working as a florist, which is very admirable.
The FL, Hiyori, is a hardworking and kind person. She easily sees Hanazono for his true character, and always supports him wholeheartedly. Her character is a little bit fan-girlish, and it’s very fun! She sees Hanazono’s good points, and falls very hard for him and his adorable smile. Although it seems she hasn’t had the best experience with men, Hanazono’s kind, caring personality quickly grabbed her heart!
Overall, these characters support each other nicely and their relationship feels very equal, respectful, and full of love. It’s a mature love that feels more adult-like than the high-school aged shoujos obviously, but also still properly fulfills the adorable fluffy shoujo vibe.
These characters adore each other, and have such honest and sincere feelings. Even when outside forces or people question their relationship, they always make things work without a second thought. It’s incredibly wholesome.
This story is very laid-back and easy to enjoy. In other words, it’s full of the good stuff and none of the bad! There are no problematic shoujo tropes like miscommunication, drama, misunderstandings, love triangles, or anything that prohibits the main relationship from progressing.
We do get to enjoy fun shoujo tropes like hot spring trips, beach trips, New Year’s and Christmas, etc. Lots of fun things! Not to mention the romance begins quickly with an established relationship, so there’s no waiting around in that aspect. Although it has a very relaxed romantic plot, the manga never felt boring to me.
If you couldn’t tell already, Kawaii Hito is a very feel-good manga! Although there is a consistent focus on the fact that the main character has a scary face, it isn’t overused in an annoying way. It’s used in an appropriate amount and simply just adds extra wholesomeness to the story (since his girlfriend always wholeheartedly loves him).
It also is a bit funny! Although this story is full of fluff, wholesomeness, and romance; it has a decent amount of humor. All of the characters have expressive, honest personalities which often makes this manga have a bit of silliness to it. Hanazono’s terrifying forced smile never ceases to make me laugh.
The art style for this manga isn’t too complicated, but it also isn’t too plain, either. The art looks nice and clean, and the characters’ happy expressions will definitely melt your heart! Hanazono looks kind of hilarious in the background of some panels, which definitely wasn’t a bad thing.
Flowers often make an appearance in this story, and they look very pretty and help add to the shoujo feel.
Saitou, Volume 6 Cover, Kawaii Hito, Hakusensha.
Any Cons?
There aren’t a ton of cons for this manga; it’s very cute and has a very wholesome story. I will mention that there is an age gap (20 and 27) in Kawaii Hito, but since they are both adults above the age of 18, it wasn’t unbearable.
Another con is the overprotective sibling trope that is used early on; but honestly I think its very bearable and doesn’t last too long. Some of the side characters were a little concerning as more than one of them had a critical attitude towards the main couple, but they end up blending into the wholesomeness better than I expected.
This may or may not be a con depending on the reader, but I noticed that the main couple never has a conflict. They are so sweet and understanding, not a single argument happens between them.
This is really cute and helps with the vanilla feel of this romance, but it could’ve also added interest and some realism if they had a small disagreement and worked through it in a healthy way. But if you prefer very peaceful romances, then you’d probably love this aspect!
Lastly, I was really hoping this story would have a more fulfilling ending. I don’t hate the ending (it is very cute), but I was hoping for a more concluding finish or perhaps an extra that shows the future for the main two characters!
Final Thoughts
Overall, Kawaii Hito is so sweet and very wholesome. It’s a nice, fluffy romance to enjoy without much drama or any super problematic characters. It brings a bit of a romcom approach with light humor throughout the manga, and lots of heartwarming moments. It’s a very nice, calm representation of a healthy, romantic adult relationship that I really enjoyed!
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: Saitou, Ken. Kawaii Hito, La La DX Magazine, Hakusensha, 2014.
