I decided it was finally time to read all those digital volumes I’d accumulated, and I continued enjoying How to Grill Our Love by Shiori Hanatsuka, so I thought I’d share a couple of thoughts.
In How to Grill Our Love volume 4, husband Kenta and wife Chihiro are getting used to being around each other more. She’s working on moving from Tokyo to where he lives, but in the meantime, they’re having a summer vacation together, which means visiting a hot springs hotel. It’s something of a manga cliche, but it’s also a bit like a honeymoon, with both of them nervous about advancing their relationship physically.
(One of the things I enjoy about this series is that it’s so different. The two decided to get married because they were older and lonely, but instead of the story being about how they fall in love, it’s about how they learn to live together and support one another and resolve their misconceptions. Which is also how to love each other, but the approach is refreshing.)
Once she’s back to work, the next conflict is how often to message each other. When she doesn’t reply fast enough, he comes to visit to check on her. Which is sweet, but also a little creepy. Thankfully, that’s just one chapter, and they manage to talk things out.
In most cases, food is the answer for them, or at least something they enjoy together. And boy, does it look good. Particularly when she’s trying to come up with a marketing campaign for sake so he makes her a marinated grilled seafood platter. And the break to recharge and enjoy gives her more energy to finish the task.
They celebrate his birthday, and she cooks roast beef (which looks scrumptious) and realizes how important it is to pay attention to special days for those you care about. Then he meets her co-workers at her going-away party, where he’s intimidated by the “cool designers”.
In this volume, we also get to see her life before they met, as well as how she makes her first new friend in her new hometown. This series is so cozy, I love it. The food looks delicious. The two of them are cute, and their misunderstandings are reasonable and handled maturely. I can’t wait to read more, because I love spending time in their world.
English (US) · 