“Gorillas aren’t my type!”
For most people, getting that response to your love confession would be a punch to your stomach. Well, for karate star Abe, he’s used to getting hit, and he isn’t the type to lose in any match. Akari, on the other hand, doesn’t like big, brawny, loud guys; she prefers the cute and sweet type like her childhood friend Takuto. But Abe is confident Akari will be his.
For romance fans, Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! is less about whether it’s a good manga and more about how you feel about the male lead. While he presumably is from an average middle class family, he acts like the confident millionaire/billionaire in a romance novel. While this manga isn’t smutty, this is like a gateway into the sexually explicit bodice rippers. He demands Akari’s attention, gets jealous easily, and carries her off when he’s annoyed by her or others’ interacting with her — all behavior that should be discouraged in the real world.
Akari, meanwhile, declares she’s not interested in Abe, but his pursuit of her is quickly paying off. He seemingly gives up in the second chapter, but it’s just the push vs. pull strategy. So even though Akari keeps trying to put some distance between them, she is drawn to his dedication to karate and his straightforward declarations that he’s going to win her over. If you want a heroine who does more than just push the hero away and run off blushing, well, Akari will be a disappointment. She doesn’t have much personality besides not being used to muscular athletes.
Still, in a series like this, the protagonist is almost secondary. This is all about the titular Abe showing off his muscles and delivering lines like, “I just want you to be mine. Now.” And while he’s far from the only cocky shoujo male lead, it’s rare to see one where 1) he’s a buff jock and 2) his interest doesn’t seem to be just because he can’t have her or as a means of revenge. The manga so far doesn’t really explain why he likes Akari, whether it was a sudden ba-dump of the heart that made him confess or if he had been irritating her for a while because he wanted to get her attention.
These first two volumes feature Abe pursuing Akari through various school events and holidays, like Takuto’s interest in the karate club and the class play. Author Iwai seems to be trying to find her footing as a now-serialized artist in these early episodes. For instance, Abe doesn’t seem to have a problem with Akari finally agreeing to swim in a bikini, but a princess dress for a play? Don’t show anyone else! That seems inconsistent. The supporting cast is also limited, with only Takuto and a karate school friend, Kozue, being named. Characters, including the buff martial artists, can suddenly have baby faces. All of these can be improved over time, but even then, a lot of the fans won’t care as long as there are scenes like this:
The comedy side of the story mostly lies in Akari’s tsundere reactions (with one kick to the Abe family jewels), and Takuto’s “man-crush” means that the guy who would normally be Abe’s rival is his biggest supporter. I did crack up at the karate club’s school event and even moreso at who wins the heart of “Rapunzel”. (You thought it was a prince or a guy named Flynn/Eugene? Pfft.) I’d love to see more of this type of craziness.
Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! is not going to be a title for a lot of audiences thanks to the lead following the alpha male stereotype. If this type of fiction is not an issue for you, Abe is a good flip on the usual playboy, rich, handsome prince lead you’d expect. Unfortunately, Akari has the opposite problem of being a generic protagonist that doesn’t do much to bring her own personality into these first two volumes.