It All Started With a Dare – The Springtime of My Life Began with You Vol. 1 [Manga]

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It All Started With a Dare

• Mangaka : Nikki Asada
• Publisher : Kodansha
• Genre : Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo
• Published : May 2021

A lot of good stories start with a dare, especially when it’s fueled by youthful naivety. We’re pretty sure everybody has some weird stories about what other people dared them to do, for us we’d rather not tell. We do know tha there are also some cases a stupid dare, which initially caused a lot of headscratching, becomes a catalyst for the better. The plot of The Springtime of My Life is exactly that a case of a stupid dare that raises a flag of change.

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Discussion Time

Takasago is a likable, yet a little bit narcissistic popular boy. After losing a batsu game, a game where the loser ought to do a dare, he is asked to ask Suehiro, the class wallflower, out. The boys think that Takasago should after asking Suehiro out publicly state it “was only a joke.” But unfortunately for the boys Suehiro overhears their confessions. When Takasago asks her out, she tells him outright that she knows it’s just a batsu game, then the whole class looks at Takasago like he is bullying Suehiro. The boy forced into a corner decides the only way not to be stuck with the bully tag is to assure her the confession is real.

Why You Should Read The Springtime of My Life Began with You Vol. 1

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1. Slow Development

Honestly, the series doesn’t start that amazingly, but what we loved about it is how Suehiro and Takasago feelings slowly develop. Despite Takasago’s tendency to be pushy, he doesn’t drag Suehiro outside her comfort zone in order to conform to his standards. By doing so, both of them slowly open up to each other and slowly grow to understand their feelings. In fact, we learn towards the end that the reason Takasago quit playing baseball isn’t because of some shallow reason like being with Suehiro but because of a shoulder injury. On the other end, Suehiro also starts to open up to Takasago, which results in Takasago reviving the Literary Club.

2. Interesting Characters

The Springtime of My Life Began with You has some interesting characters. First and foremost, we have the protagonists, Suehiro and Takasago. Suehiro is this wallflower who likes the comfort of solitude. As the story progresses, we learn that despite her liking being alone, she actually did try to reach out. But before she actually does something, she ends up backing away. Takasago, as we’ve already mentioned, is this seemingly self-absorbed popular boy. However, he also turns out to be quite considerate. Towards the end of the volume, another character is introduced, the class representative. We’re guessing that he’s the author of the book Suehiro loves, and we’re excited to see how he’ll stir the pot.

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Why You Should Skip The Springtime of My Life Began with You

1. Not the Strongest Start

With Takasago’s half-assed attempt to ask Suehiro out because of some stupid game, their relationship kind of started on a bad foot. In fact, it’s cringey and a bit hard to get into, since we can’t shake the idea that Takasago is merely asking Suehiro to save his image. Takasago’s self-absorbed personality only makes things worse. Given that he’s kind of a school celebrity, he definitely knows how to act appropriate for his fame. Since Suehiro is a wallflower, he kind of teaches her how to adapt to such situations too. Although he’s actually cool when he does it, it kind of strengthens his narcissistic side.

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Final Thoughts

Despite the not-so-amazing first impression we have, The Springtime of My Life Began with You turns out to be rather enjoyable. Even though the male protagonist can come off as obnoxious at first, he redeems himself as a considerate human being later on. Also, the interactions between the leads are really adorable. With a possible third party coming into the protagonists’ relationship, we can’t wait to see how the story will unfold.

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