[REVIEW] Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1

title: Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Fukumenkei Noise #1)
author: Ryōko Fukuyama
genre: manga, romance
publish: March 7, 2017 by Viz Media LLC (first published October 18, 2013)
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

We're hiding our true feelings. 

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Both boys promised Nino that they would find her one day through her singing, so she holds on to that hope and continues to reach out with her voice. Now in high school Nino serendipitously reunites with Yuzu, but she yearns to see Momo again...

just another shoujo romance.

This is one of those stories that felt so cliched -- overused shoujo romance plot with love triangle. A shy and comic relief guy who likes the girl and a serious and a bit more mysterious guy who also likes the girl. And a girl whose feelings bounces between the two.

I don't know. really. I picked this up because I saw it on our bookstore shipment and I'm like: oh, this one has an anime adaptation. I want to try and read this volume before jumping to the anime. So I read this and it made me go: UGH. I have conflicting feelings you see. I enjoyed this as a whole. I thought it has a nice feel to it and the art was really great -- no over use of flowery backgrounds or sparkles -- just some nice, generic, shoujo manga art.

The feelings I had hidden... unconsciously... turned into voices. They scream... become music and explode.

Anonymous Noise follows Nino Arisugawa as she reunites with the two boys she met in her childhood. One of which sings with her when they were children but then left without goodbyes and the other promised to write songs for her but also left when he realized that she sings for a different guy. It was a nice premise but all these things, promises and no-saying of goodbyes and other dramatic fillings happened when they were kids -- when they were in elementary. And I'm just like: how even?

ANYWAY, fast forward to where the story will actually revolve -- their high school life. When Nino and Yuzu, the composer, met again, they just had this great connection with each other. Music flowed between the two of them and that's a very interesting part of the story yet at the same time quite frustrating. I mean, in a fluffy, romance story, I'd say I like the way the two of them just stop and use music to connect with each other. At the same time, I'm annoyed/bothered by the fact that the two of them just randomly stops at everything and can't seem to make up their mind about what they really want to do with each other. I'm not making much sense, I know. But here's the gist: if you like the usual fluffy romance, I'd say go for this. If you don't like things being a bit frustrating or what, skip this one up and pick up a different manga. It's just high school romance drama with cringe-y speeches, you know.

So that's why... I'll keep singing... because the only thing that connects Momo and Me... is singing.

Nino's childhood friend, Momo was just given a small part in this volume. He was briefly shown. He met Yuzu. He saw Nino. He's obviously the serious guy in this triangle and I surely would love to know more about him. (he's actually my smol sister's pick in this manga, i have to know why).

OVERALL, Anonymous Noise is your usual romance manga. It uses music and childhood relationship to connect the heroine and her love interests. It's a fluffy romance and it's a really enjoyable to read. This is recommended if you enjoy the usual shoujo-romance manga.

let's connect!