Lovesick Ellie follows a young woman named Ellie who is a self-proclaimed pervert and is fixated on the most popular boy in school, Ohmi. A chance encounter with Ohmi reveals Ohmi’s true nature, leads to them getting closer, and maybe to Ellie’s fantasies becoming a reality.
Series: Lovesick Ellie
Volume 4
Author: Fujimomo
First published: 2015
Ongoing: yes
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
Date read: April 30, 2020
After the events of the previous volume Ellie and Ohmi have worked out their latest conflict but now finals are just around the corner and Ellie should be more concerned than she is about her grades, otherwise how will she get the chance to spend the holidays with Ohmi?
I thought Ohmi was such a sweet boyfriend in this volume. It’s really nice to see him taking to heart Ellie’s insecurities, and making changes accordingly. I also really appreciated how annoyed Ohmi got over people taking advantage of Ellie, though I’m still waiting for her to find her own voice. Watching her character develop over the course of each volume is one of my favourite aspects of the series and it was especially sweet seeing Ellie getting along better with her classmates. She’s slowly breaking free from her shell, at an organic and believable pace. Ellie did stress me out a bit in this volume in that her loss of focus when it came to school was a bit alarming, and I felt like I cared lot more about her grades than she herself did.
I’m also still not sure how I feel about Sara and Reo’s relationship, I root for them more than not, but I want more backstory between the two and I’m hoping Sara will start being nicer to Reo. Kaname makes his official appearance in this volume, I always enjoy it when a mysterious boy is introduced and he did not disappoint. Like all common tropes, Lovesick Ellie does something a bit different with him. Kaname doesn’t come off as a likeable character because he speaks his mind a bit too freely and doesn’t quite seem to grasp social cues, but I found this really refreshing and I’m looking forward to his future interactions with Ellie. But what really got me was the second half of the volume, our girl is always stuck in her own head and can’t fathom the idea of Ohmi wanting the same things she does, this creates some really adorable scenes between the two with Ohmi really frustrated over his inability to properly convey his feelings. This was my favourite volume so far and my face hurts from smiling over it.
Volume 5
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Date read: May 4, 2020
Volume 5 picks up right where volume 4 left off, with Ellie going over to Ohmi’s house.
So this was probably my least favourite volume so far because it featured one of my least favourite shoujo manga scenarios. I won’t ever be a fan of a childhood friend/step-sibling/cousin being introduced into the mix for what seems like the sole purpose of causing tension between the main couple. I already feel enough for Ellie and her insecurities that I don’t need some girl causing trouble for her. Sakura was a pretty annoying character, but overall I am pretty pleased with the way the drama was handed and the resolution it came to. I’m also super thankful this story arc only lasted one volume. It was also really nice seeing Ellie stick to her resolve and standing up for herself.
Volume 6
Rating: 4/5 stars
Date read: May 18, 2020
Volume 6 of Lovesick Ellie is our Valentine’s Day volume, though the theme is for the most part, surprisingly, more on friendship than on romance. Kaname is also causing tension in Ellie’s relationships, in more ways that one.
Lovesick Ellie just keeps growing on me. I have such a soft spot for this series. I find Ellie and her awkwardness so endearing, and her friendship with Sara is so cute, and her relationship with Ohmi is so clumsy and sweet. It’s always so fun when your two protagonists have such great chemistry. Ellie really brings out Ohmi’s shy but demanding side and I love it so much.
I appreciated that one of the major conflicts in this volume was between Sara and Ellie, it’s great to see that friends don’t always get along, and that friendships also require time and effort. I especially liked that the two girls also had a conversation about sex. Sex is not something that is often discussed in shoujo and I appreciated Sara’s positive attitude towards it. As for Sara and Reo, I still don’t really understand why she acts the way she does around him, though I imagine we’ll eventually find that out. The two shared some really cute scenes in this instalment and Reo is such a sweet guy.
As for that last chapter, I really enjoyed the first half, but was really surprised by how things ended. I just didn’t expect Lovesick Ellie to do something so typical. I do think Kaname is a good rival though, in that he’s easy to root for and his interactions with Ellie are super cute. Obviously I still prefer Ohmi though.
Also, props to Kaname for finally telling off Tanaka. While it would have been more satisfying if Ellie was the one to do it, I still enjoyed that scene immensely.
If you’ve read Lovesick Ellie or plan to, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Happy reading! 💗
A Bookish Balance 