きょうのにゃこ譚 ゆるっと(1)

It's often said that when a series adds a baby to the mix, that's a sign the series has run out of ideas. I offer a counterpoint to that notion. If said baby is a baby duckling, the series has hit on a great idea and the author is clearly a genius. きょうのにゃこ譚 ゆるっと follows up on きょうのにゃこ譚 by adding such a duckling into the mix and the results are completely adorable and a lot of fun.

The language is generally the same as the prior series so if you read the previous with no problem, you'll probably get by here, but there are a few plot-related tricky bits. A few of the chapters actually revolve around figuring out what to name the little duckling and while I got the reasoning and meaning behind the first two names that got suggested, I was admittedly lost on whatever pun or wordplay went into the final name. That's the main sticking point of this volume and I imagine the next volume will be more in-line with the earlier series assuming no naming-related plotlines pop up.

Kakio Minori is quickly becoming a favorite mangaka for me, it's probably because I'm obsessed with ducks to an extent and her series do have a lot of duckage, but even beyond the duck aspect these stories are just really wholesome and fun with incredibly cute and joyous artwork.