HIMAWARI-SAN

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

• 

  UltimateHope

  80/100
  A purifying manga, a purifying reading. There is nothing but cuteness in him.

  Books touch the soul.

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  Himawari san follows the story of two girls: Himawari, the owner of a small bookstore, and Matsuri, a student whose high school is across the street from the bookstore. Matsuri begins to approach the bookstore due to the rumors that spread about its owner, to end up knowing every detail of the place and of Himawari herself. As long as you work part time, little by little friendships will emerge.

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  A yuri not so yuri.
  First of all, I would like to talk a little about the initial topic. Although the manga begins with the typical of the genre (girl meets girl and they establish a love relationship), the plot I prefer to take the romantic in a subtle way, or at least on rare occasions. Although it is true that the theme is latent, for several chapters the couple has not taken giant steps towards the relationship. Matsuri is the one who falls head over heels for Himawari, and she makes sure to tell him whenever she gets the chance. On the other hand, Himawari is a reserved woman who plays Matsuri in a more remote way, so it could be said that "love" does not progress as expected.
  BUT, that is not a negative path. Both girls move forward in their own story and slowly but surely connect. The plot develops the feelings that each one has halfway, with their pasts and relationships with other people, to later develop the love connection. It is a more mature, slow and adorable type of love. The definition of affection of each character is prioritized.

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  Girls, girls and young people.
  The manga presents us with two worlds: The world of adults with Himawari, and the world of adolescence among friends with Matsuri. And no place is boring! Although the adults who surround Himawari present harder themes, such as loss, unrequited love, nostalgia, unfulfilled dreams and lack of identity... The young women are not far behind. We'll meet Matsuri's group of friends, and I'm happy to say that everyone gets their space sooner or later.
  It's nice to see how both worlds interact, and there are no problems or jokes about the change of generation. Simply... nostalgia and love of life. High school girls carry a lot for the future but enjoy their day to day life.

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  The books are infinite.
  Himawari-san tackles a subject that I love: reading.
  Himawari owns the bookstore for a reason; she makes him read! Many situations revolve around what books people can approach and this bookstore has everything for everyone, plus Himawari is the one who advises and recommends reading. You could swear there's a book for every character, and plenty to help them solve their problems or guide them through a difficult path.
  Personally, these moments are very pleasant. They mean a great message, no matter the person, no matter what you read, the point is that it is to your liking, do not abandon your dream and discover new worlds and stories in books. Because, in Himawari's words: "When it comes to reading books, reading an interesting book fills my heart."

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  Conclusion.
  And, if we talk about reading things, this manga just fills the soul. It's an easy, even quick read that introduces lovable and interesting characters always from a positive and light-hearted perspective. Matsuri is a sun full of energy capable of infecting others with his smile, and Himawari is the relaxed, bright and wise moon that accompanies that sun so that he can continue with his life on the right track and having fun.
  It is a manga that I highly recommend, whose only drawback I find is that it is quite slow. As I mentioned, lovemaking is not fast, loud, and visual, but slow, smooth, and emotional. If you're willing to follow along, you'll find a story with lots of lovable tropes and characters. Maybe it increases your taste for reading?

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• 

  Arasawa

  100/100
  A hidden gem surrounded by wholesomeness and purity. You will smile, laugh, cry, and wish it could go on forever.

  Himawari-san Review

  I’m not one to write reviews (this is my first one ever), but that’s because I generally consume popular media, which doesn’t lack any coverage on the review aspect. Himawari-san – or Miss Sunflower, in English - is what I would define as a hidden gem of the slice-of-life genre, even though it’s mainly labeled as a girl’s love manga (more on that later). Such fantastic work deserves to be seen and read by far more people! Thus, my humble contribution.

  While the “love” aspect makes its occasional presence, it’s not generally what you would expect from a Yuri work, and that might throw people off at first, understandably so (if you are a Yuri lover, that is). But while there won’t be any exchange of bodily fluids, it offers so much more than that in the form of raw, pure love for one another, and watching it bloom and bear fruits is absurdly satisfying.

  The 109 chapters cover a young girl’s journey through high school and her relationship with Miss Sunflower, an unusually young bookshop keeper with a severely wounded soul. Little by little, day by day, their bond grows, the wounds begin to heal, and the bookshop gets just a bit warmer. The process is magnificently written and illustrated (the art is pretty good, I daresay).

  Their interactions are surrounded by wholesomeness and purity, making it hard not to smile, laugh, and even cry with them. Witnessing their growth through episodic moments of their lives around the bookstore and all the joy it brings is a long yet worthwhile journey.

  Every character is well-developed, with distinct - and grounded - personalities, which are generally rare in slice-of-life works. You will grow quite attached to them as you progress through the story. Their lore is equally solid, with no apparent plot holes.

  It is a slice of life so masterfully done that one could wish it would go on forever: not only does it have all the elements one could want from the genre, but it also has the bonus of being extra wholesome, making you feel warm and fuzzy inside as you traverse its many pages.

  While I’m often generous with my scoring, I rarely throw 10/10s haphazardly. If a work (anime or manga) earned a solid ten from me, I genuinely believe it to be a masterpiece. Himawari-san is what I would call a “sleeper masterpiece,” like a PC case from the 90s with top-of-the-line 2024 innards. It doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but all it takes is a few chapters to be entirely drawn to the Himawari bookshop and its regulars.

  I hope this review can convince more people to read Himawari-san and come to enjoy it as much as I did. It's a literary experience I will never forget.

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