Harufuji. Volume 5 Cover Art, You’re My Cutie, Kodansha.
You’re My Cutie – Information
Author of Story: Nakaba Harufuji
Chapter Count: 10 Volumes, around 41+ digital chapters
Status: Ongoing
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Mentioning of stalkers, kidnapping
- Trauma
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.
You’re My Cutie – Plot Summary
You’re My Cutie, or Kawaii Nante Kiitenai in Japanese, is a shoujo manga with a very cute and tame romance. The story follows Madoka Kawahara, a high school girl who loves reading shoujo that stars cute male leads. Basically, she has a thing for cuter, sweeter guys.
In case you read plot summaries on other platforms, I will say that I almost didn’t read this manga series because of how some outlets described it. They sort of described Madoka like she had questionable taste, haha. I thought she was going to be a creep who weirdly sought out much younger guys—thankfully, that wasn’t the case. She just has a type.
Anyway, Madoka works part time at her dad’s café. He hires a handsome guy named Momoki Shikura who’s one grade level below Madoka. He happens to be very guarded, not wanting to get involved with Madoka. This seems to be because he is constantly harassed by girls, who just won’t leave him alone.
However, Madoka is a kind, sensible person who understands boundaries. She respects Momoki’s limits, and doesn’t try to push him—even though she’d like to be his friend. This leads to a comfortable friendship, and later, something more!
Harufuji. Volume 7 Cover Art, Kawaii Nante Kiitenai, Kodansha.
Why I Enjoyed You’re My Cutie
I’ll warn that this is a very romance-focused plot with not much else going on. Additionally, you will really need to like cute things… cute characters, cute acting, all things cute. Because that’s pretty much the main thing this shoujo has going for it! If you love fluffy, adorable shoujo love stories, definitely check this one out.
Plot:
The romance in You’re My Cutie is just very fluffy and—you guessed it—cute. It’s rather sweet and often innocent, just as you would expect from a high school romance. It’s also both characters’ first time dating, so it’s all just a bit awkward—yet incredibly endearing.
Not much happens in the plot to be completely honest. It’s very focused on the dating aspects, following these two cuties as they fall more in love, learn about each other, get jealous, grow closer…all the shoujo things!
Luckily, there aren’t too many of the annoying shoujo tropes in this one (they’re sooo minimal). When there is a trope, it finishes or resolves super quickly.
There’s no painfully long-lasting misunderstandings, no huge relationship fights or struggles, the parents aren’t annoyingly against relationships…the whole plot is just fluff and cuteness as the two main characters date. It’s very uncomplicated and to-the-point.
It’s all just cute, cute, cute!
Characters:
So because this manga doesn’t have much going for it other than the main romance, none of the characters are really that deep. However, the cuteness of this manga pretty much overrides that.
In terms of the heroine, I thought her character was just too simple; mostly at first. I thought Madoka’s whole personality was just liking how cute Momoki is…which isn’t completely incorrect. That is like 80% of her personality.
I also thought she would completely take the lead in terms of romance, but that wasn’t really the case most of the time. They sort of equally initiate intimacy. However, I feel like she does take a bit more of the lead than most shoujo heroines. It almost felt like she was taking the place of stereotypical male roles in some romantic moments, which was a nice change for a shoujo.
She had a cute design, too. Another score for female leads without straight bangs, haha.
The real star of the show is Momoki. He’s extremely cute, even though he is more of the cool and handsome type appearance-wise. He’s clumsy, sleepy, needy, and clingy. He easily gets jealous, possessive, and has a hard time speaking his feelings without getting extremely embarrassed.
He also gets a bit insecure, occasionally. Basically, this entire manga is about how adorable and sweet his character is. I’m not joking, haha. If you really like the cuter golden-retriever male lead types, this manga is for you!
If you’re more into the male leads who take the lead and act strong or confident, maybe skip this one.
Art:
The art style in this shoujo manga is very lovely. It’s soft and fits the “cute” theme very well—the author makes sure the characters are always pretty in some way, haha. You’re My Cutie puts a big focus on cuteness obviously, often featuring blushy, embarrassed expressions or head-over-heels reactions. They’re almost a bit flirty or pouty, as you can see in the cover arts.
I love when romance shoujos use a soft, flowy style. This series is very simplistic with fine line art and a softer look overall that feels comforting. It’s perfect for the cute vibe, as these thinner lines and soft styles give You’re My Cutie a bit of a delicate feel!
Harufuji. Volume 6 Cover Art, Kawaii Nante Kiitenai, Kodansha.
Any Cons?
To be completely honest, I hated the first chapter of the You’re My Cutie manga. Madoka’s dad was strangely pushy, and then there is an unnecessary event between Madoka and Momoki. I won’t spoil that event, but it honestly didn’t really fit Momoki’s personality, so I just found the whole first chapter very strange and too fast-paced.
In general, things move a bit quicker than I personally prefer in this series. I sort of like some more lax chapters in between the romance progress, but for readers who are more impatient, you may love this series. I personally think that the start of the relationship feels a bit superficial or generic, since these characters don’t truly know anything about each other and still decide to date.
Also, there is a second lead. Booo! But he isn’t that bad. He’s one of the less annoying second leads for sure. He also practically disappears later, too. There’s actually a few side characters who make very quick appearances and then disappear shortly. This felt a little bit off to me, but wasn’t that big of a deal.
There’s also that annoying trope of a character having people surround or chase the ML all the time. It doesn’t happen frequently or too dramatically in this manga, but that trope just makes me annoyed—it’s so unnecessary and unneeded.
Lastly, the characters act verrryyy cute. To some, this might be a manga full of secondhand embarrassment or maybe even cringe, haha. If you don’t like seeing characters act cute or needy, maybe don’t read this!
Final Thoughts
You’re My Cutie is for readers who love all things cute! If you enjoy a fast-paced shoujo with very soft, mostly innocent romance, this one is a great pick.
The characters act very sweet and overall the plot and romance is just incredibly adorable. I very much enjoyed reading this manga—the author really knows how to write an easygoing, uncomplicated romance that will make you smile.
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: Harufuji, Nakaba. You’re My Cutie (Kawaii Nante Kiitenai), Kodansha, 2021.
