Cupid-for-Food High Schooler Falls for Mysterious Sunbae
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Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Cupid is Struck by Lightning. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to manipulation, invasion of privacy, mentions of abuse, PTSD resulting in astraphobia, older bottom, gossiping, bullying, extortion, mentions of breakups, and eavesdropping, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Shingo is known as ‘cupid’ in school. Using his ability to force his way into almost any friend group, he gets information on various classmates and reports back to the girls who are curious about them. In exchange, he gets delicious treats and meals. It is a good gig, and Shingo always completes the task he is given. That is, until he is tasked with getting information on a particular upperclassman.
Ao is mysterious.
He is considered a cold prince, hanging out with some of the hottest guys in school, but refusing to interact with any adoring or curious fans that approach the group. One of his defining features is a prominent scar under his bangs, and that is what Shingo is tasked with asking about. How did Ao get his scar? Unfortunately, Ao is a hard man to keep track of, and even when he is found, Shingo fails miserably to get the info he needs.
But eventually, Shingo gets much more info than he bargained for, and it makes Shingo want to know more about Ao for himself.
Review:
I’m not going to spend long on the art because I’ve reviewed so many titles by Suzumaru Minta by this point, and I end up with the same opinions: their work is gorgeous. If you haven’t read a Suzumaru Minta title, and you haven’t seen the gorgeous artwork, you definitely should give at least one of them a shot. Over time, I’ve really come to feel like their style gives off a Kingdom Hearts vibe in the character designs (especially in Takara’s Treasure), and I mean that as a compliment. So, if you think you’d be interested in a style like that, I think you will enjoy their art style.
Now, before we get too deep into the story, I just have to flail a bit over how much I love the characters’ personalities in this. Shingo’s entire personality is defined by how easily he fits into any group and earns their trust. However, it isn’t because he is especially charming; it is because he is such a silly goofball that people can’t help but find him endearing and let him in. He very easily could’ve been crafted as this super charming playboy, and that is why he is a cupid-for-hire, but instead we get a silly guy who can make friends because he is said silly guy, and I love that. I am always drawn to characters on the dumb, fun side, so I am biased, but I still think it was such a good move. Not only is he endearing to other characters, but he is endearing to us, and it helps explain some of the sillier and goofier choices he makes.
As for Ao, he is a kuudere through and through. For those who may be familiar with the more popular tsundere or yandere, but unfamiliar with kuddere, kuudere is someone who appears very cold and stoic on the outside, but over time reveals a much softer and more affectionate person beneath the surface. His phobia of thunder and lightning, which leads him to seek comfort from Shingo, is precious. I especially like that he is perceived as cold and distant, and his reliance on Shingo steadily makes him more personable across the board. I do dislike that this personality usually leads to misunderstandings, since kuudere tend to work things out on their own without communicating, but Ao is a cutie, so we can forgive him, I think.
However, the two volumes feel like two very different stories. Of course, our characters are the same, and the storyline continues from one to the next, but while the first volume has that electric excitement of them getting together, the second settles into the relationship. It doesn’t feel as exciting or as interesting, though the smut increases, which does help. However, it introduces a rival in a third-year character that puts a wedge between Shingo and Ao. I have read the spin-off where the third-year is a main character, though it has been a long time. I will say I remember thinking it was one of the weakest Suzumaru Minta titles, and now that I know he comes from this, that sorta makes sense. I like that the introduction of a rival forces Ao to find a way to express his love to Shingo as openly as Shingo does for him, and they start exploring ways for Ao to face his fear, but the misunderstandings and the third-year’s personality really didn’t work in this series for me (and don’t get me wrong, misunderstandings are natural, and we wouldn’t have fiction at all without flawed personalities, I just don’t think the misunderstandings that appear here are my preference for this story). I feel like there was a better way to expose Shingo’s self-consciousness about their relationship and, in turn, force Ao to express his feelings more openly, but here we are. I would’ve even liked it if the second volume went into an adult timeskip, as I think the new, adult world would’ve allowed for a much more interesting dynamic.
Results:
This was pretty okay to me. I wouldn’t say it was the best Suzumaru Minta title, and I mean that by a wide margin, but it is still Suzumaru Minta. It is very sweet, the smut is plentiful in the second half, and this title has a character that I have added to my list of favorites (Shingo is precious). But is this worth the time and money? I’m not so sure. It is fine, but with so much good BL being licensed, the bar has been raised, and I am not sure this meets it. Please give Suzumaru Minta a try, but maybe not this title.
Have you read Cupid is Struck by Lightning? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
