Mint Chocolate Vol. 2 Review – It Gets Sweeter

Mint Chocolate Vol. 1 left off with Nanami Murata living with her crush and newly made stepbrother Kyouhei Suzumura after their parents marry. After many incidents, this budding romance goes further in Mint Chocolate Vol. 2. Continuing the ridiculously cheesy but cute scenarios we start with the two alone again in the house for the weekend. What entails will make you giddy with excitement.

Mint Chocolate Vol. 2 definitely adds more to evolving the characters and providing an additional level of care and feelings between Nanami and Kyouhei. With the help and advice from their friend Andou, both Kyouhei and Nanami take more effort into understanding each other without assumptions.

Occasional troubles from the past are brought up and explored every now and then which builds a connection between the two. We also begin to learn more about their previous relationships with their parents and how things affected them. Feelings of abandonment seem to be a key experience that they both share, such as how Nanami shared she was worried when she woke up, and Kyouhei wasn’t there. The ability to be open with each other is what brings them closer together in this volume.

Then you have your typical over-the-top romantic moments that you wish would happen in real life but are to be expected from your typical shoujo manga. Without giving any scenes away, a lot more occurs between them in volume two, some cute and some embarrassing. There is definitely a progression in this romance, especially since it feels so fast-paced. Still, the future for them is questionable as they are step-siblings.

The artwork style is one of my favorites, with all the characters being good-looking, even the supporting characters. I feel like there were a lot more chibi-face inclusions in this one. It makes sense since they need to show more goofy moments, especially now that they are comfortable with each other after living together and all the new close encounters. Kyouhei also has more facial expressions now rather than just his aloof or surprised look. This goes along with the story in the sense that he’s opening up more and showing care to Nanami.

Mint Chocolate Vol. 2 leaves you at a little romantic cliffhanger. I’m curious where the author plans to take the story. There’s only so much that can happen romance-wise, and with the fast pacing, I can only see the story going so far unless they add a twist. Either way, I’m excited to see where this goes whether it be a continued series of cute and cheesy moments to make my day or if they surprise us with adding something to the plot. Regardless, the artwork, cover art, and the cheesy love story are worth a spot on my bookshelf.