Reviews
(4.03/5)Great for beginners
This is one of the easiest pieces of Japanese media I've tried so far. It's for the most part quite easy to follow and when it does have more complex vocabulary it's usually not necessary for understanding the overall story. I think the harder aspects of the book are cultural because there are a lot of Japanese pop culture references and some very Japanese jokes that I didn't really understand.
It's skit like nature also makes it very easy to follow because there can be a chapter or two you don't understand very well and you'll still be able to understand the later parts of the book regardless.
As for entertainment value I probably wouldn't read this in English in my spare time but it's captivating enough to enjoy it in Japanese. I think it's quite useful though because there aren't a lot of other series as easy as this one in Japanese.
(disclaimer: I'm going through books I forgot to post reviews for, so I'm writing this months after actually reading)
Ngl, I got pretty bored reading this. Like others have said, it's quite nonsensical, which is supposed to be part of the comedy of it, but I didn't find it all that funny either. I think this manga's just not for me though, so if you think you might like it you could still give it a try.
しろくまカフェ often recommended as a first book, but I don't know if I agree with that recommendation, especially if you're trying to see a lot of vocab in context. Many of the jokes involve words that you will only see once (since they're puns).
I might be biased by my dislike of the book though. The grammar is pretty simple and the iirc dialogue is pretty easy to read/understand, so it's still good for beginners.
This is a good beginner manga - it has furigana and (relatively) limited vocabulary. The WaniKani vocabulary sheet has good coverage, which is a huge help.
The story is essentially a series of "slice of life" vignettes about three companions, Panda, Shirokuma (polar bear) and Emperor Penguin. It contains very silly comedy, which varies between simple puns to pokes at the world's absurdity (for example, Panda goes to a zoo for a part-time job as an employee, but gets cast as a panda in an exhibit instead).
All the jokes and puns are not terribly hard to follow, but they are an extra difficulty sometimes. Be aware that this book uses katakana extensively to make words clearly distinct, which did catch me off-guard every once in a while (すみません -> スミマセン).
Overall, I had an ok time reading it - it had a bit more slang than I was used to, which made parts challenging but rewarding. I can't say I was terribly invested in the story (I'm partial to narratives and the comedy was a little too dumb sometimes) but it was alright enough to not be a huge drag.
Language Learning
Personally, I'm not sure this is a great first manga, but maybe better once you've read a few volumes of other things. I think that the puns and nonsensical situations might end up frustrating, and the slice of life story where nothing particularly happens might get a little boring if it's the only thing you're reading.
Entertainment
That said, as an intermediate learner, I absolutely enjoyed this volume. The more you read, the more you know the characters, and the funnier it makes the chapters. I think this manga is best read a little bit at a time, to stop in at the cafe every once in a while and take a seat, see what the regulars are up to.