REVIEW: ‘The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch,’ Volume 1

Okay, I have a bias when it comes to anime and manga. I tend to not watch or read anything with really long titles. I don’t know why, but it’s a weird habit I have. But then I saw the cover for The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch and I needed to pick it up. Published and localized in English by Kodansha, The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch is created, written, and illustrated by Shizuki Fujisawa. The English translation of the manga features translation from Cerridwyn Graffham/amimaru, and lettering by Juan Marcos Rivera/amimaru.

The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch is all about, well, Yoshida. He’s cool, smart, and really, really good-looking. A salaryman, he’s the company superstar and has the eye of every available woman for miles around. He really is the keeper most women are looking for. But Yoshida only loves one woman –the manga artist and walking-disaster Sena Shimakaze. To help her achieve her dream of being a successful mangaka, Yoshida is a part-time assistant working for free and holding Shimakaze’s whole team together. He keeps them fed, makes sure they’re rested, and knows exactly how to get the mangaka moving instead of relying on her assistants.  But friendship overshadows everything and Shimakaze is married to her work, leaving Yoshida’s love entirely one-sided.

The best part of The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch Volume 1 is Shimakaze and Yoshida’s dynamic. The two have been friends since high school and their dynamic is friendship first, manga second, and love isn’t even on the itinerary. One of the strengths of the manga is that we see Yoshida and Shimakaze through the eyes of the people around them. We see his care and dedication to helping the team from their perspective and in that see how kind he is towards Shimakaze in the process. But that kindness is the kind that only old friends can have and includes him calling her a little shit and bribing her with delicious pastries to get her pages done.

While it’s clear how much Yoshida’s actions show his care and love for Shimakaze none of it is overt or even remotely too strong. Yoshida shows his love by being who Shimakaze needs him to be. He’s accepted his relegation to the sideline but knows that he can help her achieve her dreams. It’s wholesome and a nice change of pace from rom-com protagonists who come on strong and just keep trying to barrel through boundaries.

As rom-com leads, Yoshida knows exactly how to be loving and how to light a fire under Shimakaze. On the other hand, Shimakaze is a hot mess. She’s oblivious to everything, including locking the bathroom door, and the epitome of a procrastinator. Their dynamic is one of balance, and like the assistants who help complete the manga, the reader is watching the two complement each other’s energy. Organized and chaotic, aware and totally oblivious, the couple is clearly going to be on their way to a romance of errors with their co-workers completely butting in. And I for one, can’t wait to read more.

The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch Volume 1 is available now wherever books are sold.