よふかしのうた 1

Classic story with a language simpler than expected

Language-wise, I must start by saying that this series is much simpler than expected. Most mangas at the same level (currently 23) have a huge amount of slang and specific vocabulary, making it quite hard to follow (for instance, ルリドラゴン, SAKAMOTO DAYS). On the other hand, よふかしのうた features a lot of inner dialogue of the main character, making room for quite a lot of well-structured sentences. Coupled with a story more relaxed, almost meditative, this leads to only a small amount of slang, and only general vocabulary. The only part harder than usual would be the grammar; these long sentences feature some pretty advanced grammar points (up to N2), which are nice to study by seeing them in the wild. I would say that not knowing the specific grammar points do not alter the overall comprehension, it’s mostly a nice thing to have.

I would say that the story is pretty average. It’s pretty slow-paced, but the text being on the easier side allowed me to move forward at a decent rhythm without getting bored. The plot line is an interesting look at loneliness and depression, but most scenes are pretty static.

This Manga got me into reading in JP

I bought the first volume of this on a whim, without even checking for furigana. I bought it the day I took the JLPT N4 test for the first time, so that was my general level at the time.

I was shocked to find out that it was generally comprehensible! It does have furigana, which helps a lot, and the general themes and topics talk a lot about feelings and day to day life, so the vocabullary here is not too intense. There are a few chapters that get very monologuey, and these tend to be the harder ones, however.

It quickly became my favorite manga, the characters are fun and engaging, the romance it cute, the action is awesome, and its drawn in an incredibly beautiful style. Can't recommend this more to people who are between N4 and N3 level!