Yamada may be shy and rather clumsy, but the flower gardens at her school have always brought her happiness. Suddenly, a different sort of beauty catches her eye -- the vivacious track star, Kase-san. Although the two girls don't seem to have much in common, they soon start a romance where each must learn an important lesson in tending their budding relationship. Can the two girls, so different from each other, learn how to make their first love blossom?
A nice little bit of romantic fluff. Yamada finds herself unexpectedly attracted to an athletic classmate despite the fact that "we're both girls." Sweet, slow-paced, and innocent.
Kase-san and Morning Glories was originally published as a one-shot - I purchased it thinking that's all there is to it. I found out about the continuation of it before I actually got around to reading my copy. At that stage, I was really torn about what to do: I can't stand reading incomplete series, but the following volumes were quite pricey. I had half a mind to get rid of my copy again but eventually settled for giving it a try first - after all, it might just be good enough as the one-shot I thought it was.
Volume one was adorable - it didn't take much more convincing and I was up and ordering the rest of the series. Having read it as a whole now, I can say that each volume is equally beautiful and that I have absolutely no regrets for investing in this rather pricey series - it was worth every cent!
The main characters Kase and Yamada are quite different from one another, yet they make such a harmonious couple that won my reader's heart in an instant. Kase is athletic and keeps a feminine side despite being very much a tomboy. She is very protective of Yamada but is surprisingly generous and empathetic. Yamada can only be described as adorable and a bit of a goofball - she's had me laughing many a time with how much joy she takes out the simple things. She's definitely the naive and clumsy type but she also manages to stand her ground and make her own decisions when something is important to her.
As a couple, despite their differences, they couldn't have been better matched. Kase seems very much aware of her sexuality while Yamada only seems to understand hers gradually. It's clear from the start, though, that Yamada is in awe with Kase and the author did such a great job with how their relationship unfolds. It just has such a warm and sweet feeling to it! Although Yamada occasionally points out that they are both girls, the story never treats this as an 'Oh my god!' realisation. I feel as though a lot of stories with LGBT characters use it more as a trope for extra drama, but Kase-san and the Morning Glories is plain and simple an adorable story about two people in love who both happen to be girls.
I also have to mention how cute the art is. I really appreciated Takashima Hiromi art style, be it the cute and dainty girls or the hilarious expressions the characters wore during comedic moments. I thought it was a shame that, apart from a mid-aged teacher, there was never a proper drawing of a male character. It's another thing I noticed in LGBT focused stories; characters from the opposite gender are either non-present, unimportant or just nasty - I find that both a shame and unrealistic. But anyway, moving on, as far as art goes, I would love to see more of it!
As it happens, there is a sequel called Kase-san and Yamada. As much as I loved the original series, I am yet undecided on whether I will read the sequel. Takashima Hiromi seems to be one of those authors who manage to dish out a volume every 1.5 years. Depending on the length of the series, I might honestly not have the patience for this to conclude. That being said, Kase-san and Morning Glories is an episodic kind of story with a slice of life feel to it, which makes it an easy series to stop and consider concluded at any given time.
This mang¨¢ was so cute! Kase-san is one of the best manga of today. I loved that the story does not stop only in a platonic relationship. I look forward to reading more about the development between the characters and where the author will take us.
A wholesome love story between to girls - Yamada and Kase. I found this comic completely by chance while browsing art online. I am not a big fan of manga, in general, but I decided to give it a try because it looked very cute. So far, I can say it was really worth it, although there were things that I didn't like.
I liked that the story touches small and simple everyday life details, which makes it realistic and believable. It is pure and innocent.
However, I hated that male characters are practically absent throughout the series (at least, as far as I have read) and when they are present, it almost always means there¡¯s going to be trouble. Not only that, there were many times when the boys¡¯ faces were poorly drawn on purpose, for example, to depict silliness. I thought this was highly discriminating and made me very angry. That¡¯s why I only gave 3 stars.
This is an extremely sweet f/f romance about two gals who are canonically romantically attracted to each other, one of whom has a history of dating girls. Every chapter contains a sweet interaction between them as they start a friendship and form feelings for each other. This volume ended wonderfully and I will continue on with the series!
Just a note: there is no plot and every chapter focuses strictly on their interactions. In my opinion, this is the only flaw in the series thus far.
If you're into Yuri or Shoujo-ai, Kase-san and Morning Glories is a must read. I've read it many times online, and finally found a webstore where I could buy the physical volumes.
The story of Yamada and Kase-san is told in a series of stand-alone chapters (Kase-san was originally a one-shot in 2012). Yamada is the shy, clumsy girl in highschool and a (only) member of the Greenery Committee. She is hopelessly in love with Kase-san, the star of the school's track-club, and is thrilled Kase-san seems to have an interest in her as well.
The art is incredibly adorable, and quite humerous. What really stands out, though, are Yamada's myriad expressions. Just about every expression you can think of is there.
The saga spans 4 paperbacks (24 chapters) and it is a classic in Yuri, alongside Morinaga Milk's Girl Friends.
It seems there will be a sequel, where we'll get to see Yamada and Kase in their university years (one chapter has been published so far.
Adorable mutual pining! So cute and innocent! Art is super cute and whole things is super fun. I do want a little more character development and wonder why Yamada keeps saying she's slow?
This was adorable perfect. Oh my goodness. It was sweet, funny, just. Amazing. Absolute cute, pure fluff. I want to bundle up in this series forever omg.
This manga is about Yamada (despite the name) who develops a crush on Kase-san a tomboyish track athlete from next class. Yamada is at times reminded that Kase is also a girl. The two develop a friendship over gardening, walking together and training and Yamada starts to believe in herself because Kase does.
It has manga-style sexiness (panty shots and boob shots) but there is nothing explicit. It's actually really cute at time. The two are obviously crushing on each other and hurray that ending! It's not going to be dragged out too long though I do love slow-burn. It's very fluffy, I mean, Yamada has a tendency to tug at Kase's jacket to get her attention! And the support they give each other <3 A highly recommended series for those that like girls loving girls (or women loving women). It actually has a plot although generic (slice of life/high school)
The bad: It has a lot of ¡°...but we¡¯re both GIRLS!?!?¡± Types of moments, as well as somewhat-painfully stereotypical scenes (everyone in bras in the locker room; lots of hands clasped together in various ways, repetitive commentary about Kase-San being boyish and sporty but *still a girl!!*.
The good: For all this, it really is a sweet, gentle story, with genuinely lovable characters. I liked the pacing - it¡¯s a slowish burn but stays in motion, the relationship development never stalls. Despite being a jock, Kase-San doesn¡¯t fall into stereotypes; both characters are willing to grow with and surprise each other. Also, I¡¯m pleased that the bulk of the gay struggles in this book were ¡°does she like me or not¡± and not ¡°lets figure out how to survive this terrible homophobia.¡± While the comic is realistic about homophobic attitudes, it doesn¡¯t burden a wholesome story with too much relentless negativity ¡ª instead, it becomes a nice escape.
I read it in one sitting. It made me smile. I happily bought the sequel.
There is a bit too much of the "classic" But I'm a girl, this girl looks like a boy (she doesn't) kinda stuff going on here. That said it is a solid time if you want some women loving women content. It's a cute story, the art is really good, the dynamic Yamada freak outs are cute, and the ending did work as a solid hook for me to want to read volume 2. It wasn't so great that I was like I need number two but I do have hopes that going beyond this they can do some really amazing stuff.
There isn't a lot of yuri available here, so I'm grateful for every volume I find that isn't too gratuitous. This is a cute enough high school story, and the two of them are adorable, but it's too superficial to be actually satisfying.
This was much cuter the second time around! Although I still got a little annoyed by how they kept mentioning that Kase was boyish. Why was that mentioned so many times? Anyway, my reread of this is going well!
¡°Yamada may be shy and rather clumsy, but the flower gardens at her school have always brought her happiness. Suddenly, a different sort of beauty catches her eye¡ª the vivacious track team star, Kase-san. Although the two girls don¡¯t seem to have much in common, they soon start a romance where each must learn an important lesson in tending their budding relationship. Can the two girls, so different from each other, learn to make their first love blossom?¡±
Kase-san, the eponymous character and love interest, is a cool, sporty girl who becomes the object of affection of quiet, clumsy Yamada who tends the morning glories outside school. This book was filled with mutual respect, kindness and the kind of tropes revolving around school sports day you might be tired of, but not me!
This was possibly the best yuri I¡¯ve read yet this year. I¡¯m eagerly anticipating the sequel to see how this relationship develops, as I can¡¯t get enough of how evenly matched.
Promotional image from the music video adaptation.
A quick read that was recommended to me by Erica Friedman of Okazu. I liked it better than I was expecting, but as usual I am getting impatient for the confession of feelings by the end of the volume. It seems to be that it takes a couple chapters for that to happen. In a standalone novel, that¡¯s okay. Here, where a novel-length story takes place over several volumes, I feel impatient.
The story was sweet, real, and since it takes place at a coed school, I really like that this wasn¡¯t played off as a practice romance (s-type?) I¡¯m discovering I¡¯m really not a fan of that.
Despite the blurb, this book is severely lacking in flower puns.
(Also looks like this series got a mini adaptation, didn¡¯t know that was a thing. ? )
'Kase-san and Morning Glories' is a lighthearted, cute, cartoony and funny high school yuri manga.
There isn't a lot of depth here, and there is the whole "but we're both girls" and "girls can't date girls" mindset that was prevalent in this genre before 2017, but it wins out on adorability and endearing characters.
Clumsy, inept, unassuming and perfectly ordinary greenery girl Yamada, and tall, fit, sporty, friendly and spunky track team champion Kase-san, make a sweet couple (but why does Kase-san being a good runner mean she's like a boy? She clearly isn't. And did Yamada seriously need to see Kase-san in a bra to ascertain that she's a girl? Were Japan's traditional gender roles that fixed in 2012?). This yuri story is so wholesome, and there's no cheating, backpedalling or misunderstandings - they do kiss! They do talk about dating! I love the female centeredness (mainly on Yamada and Kase-san) of the entire thing - there's hardly any males in sight!
One more slightly negative aspect I have to add to 'Kase-san and Morning Glories' is the artwork. It's not bad, it's just a little too simplistic, and lacking in detail. Still, at least the characters look cute and distinctive (Yamada's outfits outside of school uniform are twee and I want them!), with a remarkable array of expressions.
So go ahead and check 'Kase-san' out. The girls are all right, and they just wanna have fun!