MANGA: Restart Wa Tadaima No Ato De

Restart Wa Tadaima No Ato De – Cocomi

Mitsuomi Kozuka quits his job due to his boss. He then decides to return to his hometown located in the countryside for the first time in 10 years. There Mitsuomi Kozuka meets Yamato Kumai, the stepson of old man Kumai, who runs a farm near the home of Mitsuomi Kozuka’s parents. Mitsuomi Kozuka and Yamato Kumai soon become good friends, but one night Mitsuomi Kozuka kisses Yamato Kumai while he is sleeping…

A slow burn, opposites attract, friends-to-lovers story of hot-tempered Mitsuomi who’s too honest for his own good and the cheerful Yamato who low-key keeps his distance from everyone.

The manga is set in a small town with the typical small town culture of gossiping and everybody knowing everybody else. Yamato is considered an outsider despite living there for 10 years. He constantly smiles to hide his true feelings. The only person he showed his weakness to was Mitsuomi.

I wasn’t immediately drawn to the story but as it progressed the feels start to become more evident. The story has a warm, soft atmosphere with slightly bittersweet vibe to it coming from the Yamato being adopted by an elderly couple and the pang that there’s not much time left together.

The ending was adorable. I didn’t like that people still gossip about them but they were out and they had friends. It was realistic but happy.

I heard that this is going to have a live-action adaptation!