Lovesick Ellie is off to a great start. Ellie is one of those wallflower protagonists who doesn’t have many, if any, friends. She’s likeable, easy to root for, and easy to sympathize with given the way her classmates make no effort with her. Ellie’s perverted nature can get a bit awkward at times, but it’s more hilarious than it is weird (and it’s pretty weird). I love Ellie’s interactions with Ohmi, they’re so cute, and even though she’s often thinking perverted things they’re very wholesome. I like that Ohmi accepts Ellie for who she is right off the bat, and that he’s comfortable being himself around her, I’d say that’s a pretty good premise and reason for liking a girl. But Ellie and Ohmi aren’t the only fun characters, I love the addition of Sara to the cast. Lovesick Ellie does something unique with her introduction, in that initially it seems like Sara is using Ellie to get closer to Ohmi but in reality really does just want to be her friend. Chapter four is pretty much your typical festival chapter, with a potential rival thrown in, but I’m interested to see Fujimomo’s take on it.

It’s a pretty common occurrence in shoujo manga that the main couple gets stranded, has to stay at a hotel, thinks about doing the deed, but ultimately doesn’t. I like that Lovesick Ellie did things differently, and more realistically, in that Ohmi called his uncle for a ride home. When we were introduced to Aoba, I expected him to be a rival for Ohmi, but of course Lovesick Ellie isn’t your typical shoujo and goes about things a bit differently. Aoba isn’t really acting like a rival and while he does bring out Ohmi’s jealous side he makes no actual passes at Ellie, and I feel like his character is present more to give insight into Ohmi’s past than anything else. Ohmi’s backstory isn’t overly moving or anything (mind you I never think manga does backstories particularly well as they always seem to hinge on some sort of event) but I did find this one a lot more believable. I definitely have a soft spot for this series, Ellie is a super weird protagonist but she’s also very endearing. She’s different from other shoujo protagonists in that she’s weird and she embraces it. I also just really like Ohmi as a love interest, they’re well suited for each other.

I think this was the best volume of Lovesick Ellie so far. It took a lot of typical shoujo tropes and flipped them on their heads. Instead of the typical “bland girl gets bullied for being with the popular boy” scenario, we have a misunderstanding and Ellie’s peers think Ohmi is dating Sara and they target her instead. As much as I don’t like this trope, I did enjoy seeing Lovesick Ellie poke fun at it. Ohmi wasn’t great at communicating his feelings to Ellie in the last few chapters (I’m pretty impressed at his communication with Ellie aside from this), but I think the problem was addressed and fixed pretty quickly. I can definitely forgive miscommunication when it’s resolved right away, and when said resolution is as cute as this one was. In fact every resolution they had in this volume was adorable, and I love how much Ohmi reassures Ellie when she’s feeling insecure. As wild as Ellie’s imagination can get, her insecurities towards her first kiss were very endearing and something I’m sure a lot of young people can relate to. Romance aside, one of my favourite aspects of Lovesick Ellie is Ellie’s relationship with Sara. I love that Ellie and Sara confide so much in each other, and find their friendship super sweet. Shoujo manga is killing it lately with the friendships. I LOVE me a rival so naturally I’m super excited about the next volume. 

If you read Lovesick Ellie or plan to, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Happy reading! 💗