Perfect World reminded me how there are still places that are not handicap-friendly. And the representation of how people look at disabled people, and some might break away their relations is well incorporated in this story. 

The comic is divided into four chapters, each giving more character development to the main characters. While the story does feel rushing and 'too convenient' at times, it is the realism that I liked. The romance is not over the top and the stress the main character feels towards his disability is palpable. The illustration is clean and easy to follow. 

Recommended to whoever reads romance mangas.

What a thoughtful manga. It attempts to illustrate the mental and physical difficulties which are encountered by those who are disabled and their friends and family, and personally I think this does a good job of showing illustrating this. The two main characters share a bond, and this through the writing and illustration is well portrayed, they are comfortable in each other presence and together they grow as people, becoming more thoughtful and positive along the way. The art style is beautifully dreamy and light, a nice contrast to what otherwise could be construed as a darker topic to feature.

I was excited to read this because it looked like it had a lot of potential to be adorable and I am a growing fan if graphic novels. Turns out I was right.....this was completely adorable! I liked how the author didn't sugarcoat what a person in a wheelchair might experience or the challenges they might have to overcome. The growing relationship between the two main characters was sweet but also realistic as they both struggle to come to terms with what is happening between them. I definitely want to read the next installment in the series.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not change in any way my opinions. <b>Full review to come at the end of the month on my blog.</b>

So, this was a very bittersweet read for me. I was persuaded to read it after I saw a blogger review it and requested it immediately. <i>Perfect World</i> is a manga that tells the story of an abled interior designer and her first love — a now-disabled architect. When they meet for the first time again after graduation, Tsugumi sees that Itsuki is in a wheelchair now after an accident and the old feelings she had for him start coming back. However, she's not too sure whether she could ever date someone bound to a wheelchair.

This was the premise of the story — can you love someone who is disabled? At first, Tsugumi thinks that she can't, but as she gets closer to Itsuki her mind begins to shift. I think this concept was very interesting. I love seeing characters grow, and that's just what Tsugumi did in this book. However, it was a very obvious and predictable change and too rushed. She went from saying "no, I can't date him" to "maybe I can..." We couldn't really understand what made her change so much because it took maybe ten pages to happen.

Secondly, I thought the concept of the romance was good. An able-bodied person dating a disabled person is a very interesting concept we don't really get to read much about. I was excited to see how this would change both of their lives and how the challenges of dating a disabled person would affect Tsugumi. But I didn't get to see any of that... I'm hoping to see this in the following volume of the series, so I've not abandoned all hope. I just wish that the romance had been worked on a little better, that the writer had given the characters more time to make the decision to jump into a relationship.

I was also not a big fan of the drawings, maybe it's me and manga that don't do really well but the drawings didn't seem complete. It felt like a first or second draft, or at least not finished quite yet. Same thing goes for how the dialogue was presented. I found the two styles of speech balloons too similar to be easily distinguished. I was confused about who was saying what. Another thing I didn't like was the actual dialogue. I felt like the breaks in speech didn't make sense with the English language, it split the sentences in unnatural parts (for example, split between subject and predicate or between subparts of the subject). It got a little annoying because it didn't flow naturally.

In terms of story progression, I feel that the story was once again rushed. There seemed to be very illogical leaps between pages to the point where any emotion being conveyed didn't have the impact I think the writer wanted it to have. If only things had been developed with more attention to detail...

All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't my favorite either and I wouldn't really recommend it. You're not missing out on much if you skip this book, but you might like it if you're a drama junkie like I am. I will continue on with the series because I'm excited to see if the writer will take the next volume to the next level.

<b>2.5 stars</b>

Thank you to netgally and Kodansha Comics for a digital copy of this manga.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this, but there's issues I couldn't ignore, but at the end the author notes how this was an earlier piece, but there's great strengths in this too.

The Good:

I loved seeing a manga, a romance, that deals with disability. It's something that's really important, and I hope to see more of in fiction as a whole in every genre. This manga shows Ayukawa still going through his emotional journey with his injury, and shows realistic ups and downs, and I felt it dealt with sensitive issues well (though keep in mind this is from an able-bodied perspective).

This manga is basically a budding romance, but it doesn't shy away from the less romantic issues that come with Ayukawa's spinal cord injury, showing his struggles that he's both overcome and still has to work through every day of his life. It shows that his injury is more than not being able to walk, but other medical issues that stem from the injury 6 years after the accident.

It shows the social side, and how it brings out the good, bad and in-between of both himself and the people around him. 

There's warmth to this manga, and I found the characters, while a little bland, likeable, and could see how they could flourish given more volumes. 

This showed a little of when they were in highschool, and I liked those panels, and something I could see enjoying being expanded in later volumes.

Things to be improved on in later volumes: 

The pacing was a bit jarring, some scenes didn't flow, leaving questions on how characters got from one place to another, or jumping periods of time where the two main character's friendship grew closer without actually seeing it.

While this manga is meant to happen over a long period of time, there's a lot of progress and drama that happens too close together pacing wise. 

Parts of the story is dramatized, and I'm aware of it, but this could come down to the pacing again. While the events of this manga are sure to happen in real life, or similar events, I couldn't be sure how truly accurate some of what happened was. A lot of issues came with his body and his social and romantic life in this manga. There's a lot of variables for every single person in a wheelchair, so I'm sure some of this will ring true for some people, and not at all for others. I what had happened in this one volume happened over more volumes, it may have read as less dramatized and more realistic, from my perspective in any case, though I can't speak for people.

Overall 

Any issues I had with this really came down to the pacing, if it had been slowed down this could've easily have been a 5 star read for me. This is something that could easily improve with later volumes and I'm eager to continue on, as despite my concerns, I loved the story and want to learn more about the characters. This was both a warm, emotive, and informative manga.

A very sweet, heartbreaking and beautiful story about two high school students who reunite after years. Tsugumi reunites with her secret high school crush who is now a promising architect. Her feelings for him are instantly brought back to life. But there is only one problem...Itsuki had a terrible accident that put him into a wheelchair . Tsugumi is torn between her feelings for Itsuki but also she can't help but wonder if a relationship with a disabled guy will actually work and how will their life & relationship evolve

"Perfect World" follows Tsugumi Kawana as she reconnects with her old high school crush, Itsuki Ayukawa. He suffered an accident where he sustained a spinal chord injury, leaving him in a wheelchair.
This manga follows them as they rekindle their friendship and Kawana learns the problems Ayukawa faces daily in his life. As the story unfolds, you get to know the characters and watch them develop through their troubles.
I loved every single thing about this manga and its characters, I couldn't help feeling a bit emotional for them and I am anxious to see how it all unfolds in the future. I highly recommend this for everyone to read.

*This arc was provided by Kodansha Comics, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.*

Finally an interesting josei manga! I'm so happy we have got Perfect World in English, since there aren't that many manga for women and especially ones with a disabled lead. Tsugumi Kawana meets her former school crush Itsuki Ayukawa due to work, but soon learns that he is bound to a wheelchair because of an accident that left him with SCI (spinal cord injury). She feels like perhaps she couldn't ever date anyone in a wheelchair, but soon she notices that old feelings rise again and they both land on an unknown territory. I'm glad the manga takes the topic seriously and doesn't romanticize its topic - Perfect World is very realistic and grownup too. Some of the things annoy me, such as the fact that being in a wheelchair surely is something to whisper about when it's not and that hardly happens. Except we are talking about Japan where this actually exists. So, the need to look at this with cultural differences in mind is very much needed.

The art is slightly fragile and looks a bit crude at times, but otherwise it's good. Perhaps the manga looks slightly too much like shoujo, but the roughness eases that one oddly (which is good). There's a bit too much "learn about SCI" in the manga though. It bothers a little as Itsuki needs to explain everything to Tsugumi and it kind of eats out the pleasure, when you feel like it's not solely about the story, but the need to somehow educate grown people. Yet, Perfect World is wonderful and I'd say very important too. I wish we'd get more of these "different" series translated, since there's magic to them surely.

There was this one time I was at university and this blind student was tapping his cane listlessly and looked really lost. He turned to ask people for directions to a building but they mostly walked away, hoping he wouldn't realise they were there. (I understand this - in our world we're not told how to deal with situations like this; I blame no one). I asked him if he needed help. He said he needed to get to the law building. I didn't know where the building was, so he explained to me and I guided him. You could say it was a case of the blind leading the blind. We had a really nice conversation about the subjects we shared and he talked about his dogs, and I talked about mine.

I think what people need to realise is to stop treating disabled people like they're fragile and to be avoided. That being said, I think Perfect World does a really good job at portraying this, even if it's lacking a little in other areas and just a tad bit preachy. Address the person before you address their disability.

Also, this manga is just too cute. I exploded inside. My boyfriend had to mop me up because I was a soppy mess. I know I don't sound like I really enjoyed this, but I did. I don't often read cute things or romance (I'm all dark, gritty and noir-like). So when I do my innards go mush and my reviews don't make any sense and my boyfriend just doesn't know what to do with me. He appeals to my nihilism but I still just gush

Relationships: They're complicated.
There's an important thing about relationships - it's that once you look past the beauty, the fun and the good times, there are difficulties. Your partner could have depression, alcoholism, have been sexuality assaulted or be in a wheelchair. It's how you deal with these difficulties that makes your connection all the more great and your time together so much more meaningful.

Ayukawa is wheelchair-bound. But that's not all. He's a really cool guy. He gets way too excited about his architecture job and he's really friendly all round.

A girl who had a big crush in him in high-school, Kawana, joins his team as a designer. She's pretty shocked to find out about his accident and subsequent spinal cord injury, and very reluctant at first. But she falls for him. Hard. Obviously she does.

Kawana is pretty shocked by what happens to Ayukawa and all of his pain, but Ayukawa does not throw a pity party. He is not self-absorbed. He is strong and has overcome most of the sense of loss he felt in his youth after losing his ability to walk. But he's still hurting.

How Romance Should be Done
"When I saw the hole in his body I realised I knew nothing about him"
This manga does not romanticise spinal cord injuries although it is a romantic manga. Kawana doesn't get hit by a bout of "ooh guy in a wheelchair, it's so cool". She sits down and thinks to herself "Oh shit, can I do this? Am I strong enough?" Ya know, realism and all that. Ugh. I love this

Further on in the story, Kawana helps him with (view spoiler) I like Kawana's determination to be a part of Ayukawa's life. It makes me happy. It gives me hope in this world

This book is a little preachy though. However, there are beautiful moments peppered throughout. There is also a moment of realisation which Ayukawa and Kawana share, and it is so sweet.

4.5stars
This was such a different manga! I really enjoyed it. It was definitely not the easiest to relate to for me, but it's impossible not to fall for the characters and to not care about them.

This story is about two young adult characters that used to know each other back in high school. Tsugumi Kawana is now an interior designer, and Itsuki Ayukawa - aka her high school crush - is an architect. They see each other again and get to work together but a lot has changed since then. But one thing didn't - her feelings for him seem to never have gone away - until she realizes Ayukawa is now in a wheelchair. Can her feelings surpass the difficulties?

I really liked how realistic the story felt, and how it was brave and blunt enough to put what a lot of us thinks into words. It's not a nice thought to say "I would never date a person in a wheelchair" but we do think it. And the main reason is the number of difficulties. Although it's even more difficult for the person living with the disabilities, it's for sure not easy for the other half of the couple. Any type of disabilities also takes a mental toll on that person. God, I can't even think of how I would feel if it happened to me, and I can't really say I know anyone disabled deeply enough to know how they feel like but I believe it would be something like what the book shows. 

Kawana has a lot to learn before she takes the step to a relationship with Ayukawa. And he has a lot to change and accept too. He has to accept that a person being in love with him is not a bad thing, that their life will not stop because of that. This book has a lot of deep thoughts and it's truly both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

I loved how caring and sweet Kawana was. She is a very strong hearted person and although initially, she was not sure if she would manage to date a person in a wheelchair, I loved how she still wanted to try and to learn.

Ayukawa was a very strong male protagonist, who always tried to show the bright side of things, even in the most difficult of days. He never gives up and I truly admire his strength. But he is also a person that has a barrier to his heart. And that's not only about love but for his family too. He doesn't want to be a burden for anyone, not to his parents and definitely not to a girlfriend. He doesn't want to date anyone and believes it's best to end up alone and he is resigned to it. 

They have a long journey in front of them and I can't wait to see more about it! It's such a unique story! It's the first time I read about an MC in a wheelchair and it truly made me think. The art was also really nice and detailed. It was easy to read and very enjoyable. It transmitted the emotions clearly and all the thoughts put into this book are just so important! 

This made me cry and think a LOT and I think it's a manga everyone should try and read. I would definitely recommend it and I can't wait to read more about their story.

This book would be a typical shojo manga except for the fact that there is an honest representation of a person (and the main romantic lead) in a wheel chair.

I was definitely drawn into the story and feel like this would be a great addition to any library manga collection.

As a Manga lover, I enjoy a variety of genres and I'd gladly sit down and read as many as I can but, even if I came across lots of different stories and complex personalities over the years, I still had to read one treating a delicate subject such as this. And, let me tell you, I'm happy I took the chance with "Perfect World"!

With a lovely and clean illustration, and characters who feel real, it's difficult for the reader to put this volume down. Of course, one thing that got me particularly invested in the story is that it doesn't lessen the issues caused by SCI, in fact, it makes you face the bitter truth for what it is. It shows you what someone with a spinal cord injury has to face on a daily basis—and for the rest of their lives—the struggle, the perils, and the mental strength required to go on with life, because life must go on. Itsuki Ayukawa successfully made a career no one would have thought possible after he got so severely injured, but his passion and determination didn't let the disability stand in his way and deprive him of his dream. That is truly admirable but make no mistake, just because he doesn't share it with the rest of the group—so to speak—it doesn't mean Ayukawa's positive attitude is all there is to see... After making better acquaintance with him and his condition, Kawana's scepticism soon changes, leaving her open-minded and making everything more heartwarming.

This first volume well presented a realistic series with quite the potential. I personally think that with a better pace it would have worked even better, but it still was a pleasure to read and I can honestly say I loved it! Enthralling, moving, and refreshing, I'd definitely recommend it.

A very entertaining old favorite of mine. This is a josei manga dealing with romance and disability.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Rie Aruga did a great job at creating a sweet, touching and realistic story. I loved the artstyle and how well the characters and their emotions and struggles were portrayed. The relationship between the main characters was carefully built up even though it felt a little too cheesy sometimes. That didn't bother me too much; overall I really liked this manga.

We tried, but none of us could make heads or tails of what was happening in this story. Possibly a translation issue, possibly a lack of understanding on our side. Several of us are comic readers, but this was just not a story we could follow. We couldn't tell who was speaking when, or what they were even talking about. It was confusing, frustrating, and none of us made it past the first ten pages before we were forced to quit. Sorry!

What a wonderfully heartwarming and endearing comic. The comic follows 2 friends after high school that meet each other again. However, one of the friends has suffered a life-changing accident that now leaves them disabled. This comic follows the love story of those 2 friends and how they grow together. I loved how the storyline was realistic as well as entertaining. I was not disappointed by this comic and I think anyone that likes to read comics and likes a good love story will definitely enjoy this comic.

In Perfect World, we're introduced to Tsugumi Kawana, a 26 year old interior design worker who is re-united with her first crush, Itsuki Ayukawa, who is working for the architecture firm that her company is partnering up with. Seeing him again has revived the old flame in Kawana's heart, until she finds out that he's wheelchair bound. Believing herself incapable of being in a relationship with someone who is disabled, she instead decides to be friends with him, and learns about the challenges that Ayukawa faces on a regular basis both in his personal and work life. When Ayukawa falls ill, Kawana goes to his side, and realizes just how serious his situation his. Faced with that, her feelings begin to change, as she learns more about his disability and the disabled community in general.  While Kawana's feelings grow, it seems that Ayukawa is reluctant to let Kawana in, pushing her away from him and the potential relationship that is blossoming. Even so, love seems to be forming between them, the question is where their story will lead. 
This story was beautiful and honest, a very character driven plot. There's a closeness that you feel with both Ayukawa and Kawana, seeing their internal and physical struggles. I loved that although Ayukawa is disabled, the story isn't simply focused on the fact that he's disabled, but also what his life is like outside of that, and I felt that there was definitely more positives than negatives. Ayukawa is also not the only disabled character in the story, which I really admired because disabilities aren't rare, although many stories tend to portray them as such. I also enjoyed the realism of the story, and definitely made my eyes a little misty at the end. Definitely a change of pace from all of the romantic comedies I've been reading. The artwork is lovely, and the panels don't bombard you with too many things to process at once. I finished it in less than an hour, and I can't wait until the next volume.

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an Honest Review*
*This rating is actually 3.5 stars*
Well looks like I've found a new manga to add to my list of PTRs. It falls under the Josei, romance, and Slice of life Genre of manga/anime. 
(Though I'd probably add drama with the genres since it does have moments that are trying to show for dramatic effect.) 

Plot: 
We have a story about two old friends from High school. One had a big crush on the other while helping that crush out with finding books about architect stuff. And the other was probably oblivious of her feelings. Then they meet again a few years later. Kawana does interior design stuff and her company collaborates with Ayukawa's architectural company that he works at. And Ayukawa is in a wheelchair and still has trouble accepting it to the point that he doesn't want to feel helpless or he doesn't want to feel like a burden to anyone so he doesn't like to date anymore. And Kawana finds herself falling for him more since her crush on him in high school. She also even questions how she'd be able to love him, since she lacks confidence in herself. And it ends after chapter 4 to allow you the chance to look at the next volume. 

Its art is really beautiful and nice to look at, granted that it reminds me of other manga in this genre. And it's story isn't anything too new that I haven't possibly seen before in anime or manga. But its romance feels really nice and sweet that it can give that bubbly feel with it on the inside. And if anything I could see this getting a drama in the future once the mangaka has finished writing the story. 

Recommends to: Fans of the romance genre and to anime/manga fans who can appreciate not only the art, but the story it tries to tell. 

Hope you enjoyed my review!! Thanks for Reading!! ^_^

Something about this rubbed me the wrong way for the first half of the manga, I didn't like how her first instinct was to say she couldn't be with someone who is disabled. I didn't like that they were refusing to put in ramps. The people seemed really close minded about that, which seems awfully cruel when one of their employers was in a wheelchair.

As the volume went on, I am glad that she started to grow as a person, and be more understanding of disabled people I enjoyed that the romance was slow burning. I hope that later volumes show more of the teenager in a wheelchair and his girlfriend, so we can see how they are doing.

“Perfect World” by Rie Aruga
An interior designer Tsugumi Kawana reunites with her high school crush Itsuki Ayukawa at a work dinner outing. They reminisce about the past and she finds out he fulfilled his dream to be an architect and they will be working together on future projects.  Tsugumi is surprised to find that Itsuki is now wheelchair bound due to an accident six years ago that resulted in a spinal cord injury. Tsugumi starts meeting with him regularly after work and denies having feelings for him. She gave up her dream of being a painter years ago but his determination to continue to pursue his dream, while disabled is inspiring and she cannot help realizing she still cares for him. However Itsuki doesn’t want to burden another person with his health complications, and refuses to be in a romantic relationship. This was such a cute love story, it reminded me of “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes. “Perfect World” doesn’t shy away from the more unsavory parts of living with a disability and tries to help the reader understand how Itsuki feels, why he feels that way and how he manages his difficult life every day. The brisk pacing of the story however removes some of Tsugumi‘s nuanced feelings and she feels like a spectator in her own story.  We know she gave up her dream of being a painter in act 1 but we never go farther into her past to reveal why. Was there an inciting event? By the end of the book we have met Itsuki’s mother, work friends, basketball team mates, High school friends and his ex- girlfriend but nothing about Tsugumi’s relationships. We know Tsugumi is falling in love with him again and we see some memories from high school  but there is not much depth of feeling. I only started to connect with her at the end of act 4 when she is professing to him that she cares about him and worries about his health. I am hoping Tsugumi will receive more character development and backstory in the next book. The illustration work on the clothing, backgrounds and architectural drawings are detailed and beautiful and overall I enjoyed reading this light-hearted story on an often heavy subject. 

I received “Perfect World” by Rie Aruga from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review