Manga Review – You’re Mine

You're Mine Volume 1

You’re Mine
おれのもの (Ore no Mono)
Ryoku
Webcomic – Comedy, drama, romance
7 Volumes (complete)
Publingual

Summary:

Ayumi has been classmates with Nao since elementary school, but she doesn’t pay much attention to him. After all, she’s dating the guy she likes! But when she finds out that he’s only interested in her body, Ayumi breaks up with him. Who should see her at her lowest but Nao! She runs off without talking about what happened, but Nao shows up the next day with a bruised face and tells Ayumi she’s his! What does he mean?!

Review:

You’re Mine suffers from the same eBook issues as Towa!, so if you’ve ever checked that one out, expect a similar release. This manga has also been rereleased in an omnibus, so there may be some differences between the versions.

Anyway, back to the story.

You're Mine Sample 1

With a title like You’re Mine, my first impression was that this was going to be one of those manga where the girl becomes the guy’s slave. The expression on Nao’s face on the cover is hardly looks like one of cheer and affection.

But I was wrong. Nao pretty much always looks that way, and he is in love with Ayumi. According to him, he thought she would turn to him one day, and he was irritated when he learned she started dating her crush, Kazuya. But now that they’ve broken up, he’s not going to be passive this time around. He constantly urges and demands Ayumi to forget about Kazuya and fall in love with him as she tries to figure out if he’s serious or not — and if he is, why her. But unlike what I thought, at no time does his commands come from a place of hatred or self-amusement; he does truly care about Ayumi even if he comes across as arrogant at points.

That’s the crux of the story. Meanwhile, they are surrounded by others who either support their relationship or see them separated forever. The extended cast includes the leads’ best friends Keita and Miyu, Nao’s two older brothers Yu and Rui, Ayumi’s twin cousins Gakuto and Kagura, and senpai in love with Rui Haruka.

You're Mine Sample 2

You’re Mine is made up of short chapters, and the story is full of drama. It’s not just normal high school misunderstandings, but it includes stalking and kidnapping. Not everything here is a criminal act, but this is one manga where there’s one major crisis after another. Don’t me wrong; this is definitely a romance. There are some fluffy moments, but they are mostly a) Nao declaring that Ayumi is his and b) short. The next obstacle is always around the corner. At times, I was annoyed at the combination of soap opera antics crossed with high school crises. One time in particular, Ayumi hides something from Nao because he’s afraid he won’t believe her. There’s no way he wouldn’t have believed her. She makes a couple of these moronic choices.

That continues for most of the series. The final volume is the oddball of the bunch. It’s like an epilogue and short stories in one. The dramatic climax is Volume 6, so the final volume is less essential. It just kind of ends, which is a surprise since most of the series was full of melancholy. The last volume does cover more of the side characters though. By the end, almost everyone is paired off with someone, even if they haven’t gotten together officially. So I feel really badly for the one main character who ends up alone. Okay, technically another one doesn’t get a significant other, but they didn’t get much focus anyway; this was a plotline that was abandoned. I have no idea why this character’s unique romantic history was not explored more.

The best relationship though? There’s nothing like brotherly love… between dogs.

You're Mine Sample 3

As a webmanga, the art is rather ameteurish. It improves significantly as Ryoku gains more experience, but the art can be very light. The opening is especially like a rough sketch. So pencil-y that it can be hard to tell who’s who at times, especially early in the story when readers are still trying to get a grasp on the characters. Sure, there’s the character guide, but you shouldn’t be having to consult a list while reading. Backgrounds are often minimal, but like most of the art, it does get better so that the pages aren’t seas of white. You do have to take into consideration Ryoku doesn’t have the backings of a major publisher. The price is lower in exchange for the lower quality art.

Translation:

Honorifics are used, but not for -nii and variants. Footnotes are used for things like Tanabata. I had never heard of the word “drably” before — drab, yes, drably, no. So very odd that a teenager would use such an odd word, unless it was supposed to mean something else. Typos like “liunch”, and Ayumi’s ex is “Nanao-senpai” in the first volume and suddenly “Kazuya” (his given name) in the second. The font is Comic Sans.

Final Comments:

You’re Mine features a pushy love interest, but he does care about the protagonist. But Ayumi’s constant problems — sometimes her own hesitations, sometimes the fault of others — may irritate readers. Fans will also have to balance the subpar release with the fact this was originally a webmanga.

Ryoku’s Towa! is also available in English.

Reader Rating


4.5/5 (2)

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4 Comments

  1. renxkyoko

    From your summary, I can say I’m going to like it because a Male lead who does the running after the FL is not common in shojo mangas. I’m already annoyed at Mls that have a past.

    Reply
    1. Krystallina (Post author)

      Yep, despite the slightly misleading title, he has his eyes set on making the heroine his girlfriend.

      Reply
  2. dreager1

    This sounds like a pretty fun romance title. I am glad that it’s not in the more possessive way the title implied because that usually ends up being the worst kind of romance for me. Here the story actually sounds pretty solid so I’ve definitely got no qualms with that. The art does look a little choppy but if the story’s strong enough it can get past that

    Reply
    1. Krystallina (Post author)

      Nao’s behavior really is surprising considering the title. Really wish more male leads in big-name titles took a cue from him!

      Reply

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