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In I Want Your Mother to Be with Me!, Ryo is working part-time while trying to pass his accounting exam. He’s also head over heels in love with his coworker, Yuzuki, though she doesn’t know that yet. Yuzuki is a single mom whose husband died shortly after she had her baby.
Ryo thinks everything about her is great, and while others caution him that they’re not a right fit, Ryo goes full steam ahead and asks Yuzuki to date him with the intention of getting married.
He’s turned down flat.
She lets him know that a part-timer like him can’t support a child, and that she’s a mom before anything else. Though he’s rejected, Ryo refuses to give up entirely, and it seems he at least wants a friendship with Yuzuki. And to have a friendship with Yuzuki, he starts hanging out with Yuzuki’s five-year-old, bug-obsessed son.
I Want Your Mother to be With Me! is a laid-back slice-of-life story. It has moments of very fun humor, where the artwork pulls off the humor perfectly. Ryo is endearing in his adoration of Yuzuki, and how he doesn’t care about any baggage she has, the way some guys might be. Yuzuki is a sweet, caring character, who acts motherly toward Ryo more than romantically. The son is hyper and all about bugs, which is something Ryo and he can connect on.
The manga describes itself as “super-pure,” and while it never gets in anything really risque, it does have a few scenes that bring full attention to Yuzuki’s cleavage (though, if you look at the cover, you’d probably know that already). But the manga is right in the sense that it’s mostly about people caring for one another as opposed to anything carnal.
The artwork is solid, smooth and good at showing characters’ emotions. Ryo and Yuzuki are both likable characters, and even though Ryo gets rejected at first, the manga leaves things open for them to slowly come together. In fact, it ends with a pretty good cliffhanger!
Story & Art: Yutaka Tazawa
Publisher: One Peace Books
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.