| Happy Cafe | |
| 幸福喫茶3丁目 (Shiawase Kissa 3-choume) |
|
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kou Matsuzuki |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Tokyopop |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Hana To Yume |
| Original run | July 19, 2005 – November 19, 2009 |
| Volumes | 15 |
Happy Cafe (幸福喫茶３丁目 Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume) is a manga series written and illustrated by Kou Matsuzuki. The series was serialized in Hakusensha Shōjo monthly magazine Hana To Yume and the serial chapters collected into fifteen Tankōbon released between July 2005 and November 2009.[1][2] Publishing companies Tokyopop has licensed the manga for release in America and as well Sharp Point Press in Taiwan.[3][4]
Contents |
Takamura Uru is a naive and cheerful girl who is often mistaken as a middle school student because of her short height. After her mother got remarried, she took a part-time job at a small cafe called Cafe Bonheur.[5] There she meets co-workers Satsuki Shindou a pâtissier who rarely smiles but is actually very kind and Ichirou Nishikawa who falls asleep instantly when he's hungry. Even though they're scary and weird at first glance, something inside them will change as they meet Uru and feelings of love will develop as Uru works hard to bring and show them happiness once again.
Uru Takamura
A 16-year-old, second-year high school student with childish looks and very short height but possessing superhuman strength. Working part-time as a waitress at Cafe Bonheur, she went to live on her own after her mother got remarried in order to give the new couple some space. She is very naive and perky but always puts the happiness of others before her. Even though she is happy for her mother, she actually wonders about and longs for her father, who died when she was young. She then finds out that she is the reason behind the death of her father.
She is kind of a dense girl since it took her almost the whole series to realize her feelings for Satsuki, because both Ichirou and Mitsuka messed with her. In the final chapter she confessed that the person she loves is in front of her (which was Satsuki), and waited for him for three years (while he went to France).
Shindou Satsuki
A 20-year-old patissier who graduated from school at the age of 15. He always has a displeased look on his face and easily loses temper. He was raised by the café manager Nankichi Matsumoto after being abandoned by his mother at a young age. He loves baking because he like to see the smiles from the faces of the customers. Even though he always scorns at Uru and Ichirou he is actually a very caring person.
He realized his feeling for Uru after Sou confessed to her, but still had to go to France to learn more about sweets and came back after three years. (Uru was in a university).
Ichirou Nishikawa
An 18-year-old high school student who works as a waiter at Cafe Bonheur and the love rival of Shindou. He is often referred to as a weirdo and always seen dozing-off when hungry and the only way to wake him up is by giving him food. He is repeating his third year in high school solely because he sleeps in most of his classes. He always shows zero interest in everything around him but he actually enjoys playing along with Uru.
He loves Uru so much that he still stick with her even after three years. (since they are in the same university).
Matsumoto Nankichi
The manager of Cafe Bonheur and the foster father of Shindou. Unlike Shindou, he is very perky and is fond of making jokes. He also has weak joints and has no sense of direction.
Abekawa Sou
Kashiwa's younger brother. He is a first-year high school student who helps run bohneur's rival shop, 'Abeekawa Japanese Sweets' along with his brother. He is kind of shy; because of that he often behaves in a surly fashion. Originally, the Abekawa brothers didn't like Bonheur and its staff because they feel their little sister likes the shop better than their own.[6] However, they eventually come to realize that the Bohneur staff (Uru in particular) aren't as bad as they seem. Sou also develops a crush on Uru.
Abekawa Kashiwa
Sou's older brother. He's a third-year high school student and has a huge sister complex on his sister Sakura. Kashiwa tends to be a little more laid back than his brother. A big flirt.
Sakura Abekawa
She is the youngest of the Abekawa siblings. Sakura is very cheerful and sweet. She often plays with Uru in the café and is also close friend with Ichirou's youger brother Jirou.
Jirou Nishikawa
The younger brother of Ichirou. He is classmates with Sakura and is good friends with her. His mother loves dressing him up as a girl. He is also very attached to his big brother but he doesn't like Uru as much, until later into the manga, where he "approves" Uru.
| No. | Japanese | North American | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | ISBN | Release date | ISBN | |
| 1 | July 19, 2005[1] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8311-2 | January 1, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1730-3 |
| Uru takes her mother's remarriage as an opportunity to work part-time at the Happy Cafe. There, she befriends Ichirou and Shindou, two of the most unsociable guys she's ever met! To make matters worse, it turns out that Uru is not exactly meant for the waitressing world, as she's a huge klutz. But does true happiness lurk just around the corner? | ||||
| 2 | November 18, 2005[7] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8312-9 | March 30, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1731-0 |
| Inside Cafe Bonheur, the pursuit of happiness continues... When two mysterious young men walk into the cafe to declare war, Uru's passion gets the best of everyone, and they accept the challenge - with one condition: the loser will have to quit the industry for good. However, just before the contest, Shindo sprains his wrist! And when Uru's mother shows up at Bonheur, will she convince Uru to go back home? Cafe Bonheur will have to survive through some turbulent times if it's to stay happy - and in business! | ||||
| 3 | March 17, 2006[8] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8313-6 | June 29, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1732-7 |
| When Uru decides to work at the Happy Cafe, she discovers she is a clumsy waitress, and that her unsociable yet attractive coworkers Ichiro and Shindo are no help. | ||||
| 4 | July 19, 2006[9] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8314-3 | August 31, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1733-4 |
| One complication after another befalls Cafe Bonheur! A surprise visit from Ichiro's little sister throws the cafe into confusion, and it's not just because she seems to inexplicably hate Uru! And after a blackout traps Uru in his apartment, Shindo doesn't sleep at all, causing him to fall ill the next day. Can the cafe survive the day without Shindo to keep everything in order? And can Shindo survive the day without Uru's smile? | ||||
| 5 | November 17, 2006[10] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8315-0 | November 2, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1734-1 |
| Romance and happiness blossoms at the Happy Cafe! Ichiro and Sou Abekawa switch places, forcing Sou to confront his feelings for Uru. An old acquaintance of Shindo's shows up and reveals Shindo hasn't changed very much. The manager of Bonheur finally returns, but decides to test Uru before revealing himself. A bonus chapter reveals how Shindo discovered he enjoyed baking. | ||||
| 6 | January 19, 2007[11] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8248-1 | December 28, 2010 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1735-8 |
| Sakura and Jiro become friends at their preschool. But Jiro is weak and has a hard time staying alert. What kind words does Uru have for her little friend? And when Uru's class decides to hold a cafe-themed event at the school festival, Boss sends Uru and Shindo out on a cake hunt... alone together! Will this "date" take their relationship to the next level? | ||||
| 7 | April 19, 2007[12] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8249-8 | March 1, 2011 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1736-5 |
| Love is in the air... Or is that just the smell of fresh baked cookies. The school festival is on, but will the trouble stalking Uru ruin it for everyone! Shindo meets an old acquaintance of his mother's and memories come to the forefront. Will an intense hug with Uru help! Meanwhile, the two beauties of Happy Cafe, Mitsuka and Ichiro form an unholy alliance to prevent Uru and Shindo from realizing that they might be in love with each other, but it may be too late! | ||||
| 8 | August 17, 2007[13] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8250-4 | May 3, 2011 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1737-2 |
| The matchmaking bug has infected Happy Cafe... And everyone is teaming up! Boss and Inoue are all for Shindo-san, but Abekawa Senior is firmly on his son's team and invites Uru to Sou's school festival in the hopes of gaining her as a daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, Kenshi tries to impress Uru at his athletic meet, but someone else already has her eye on him! ...And why is Ichiro acting so weird?! | ||||
| 9 | December 18, 2007 [14] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8289-4 | June 28, 2011 | ISBN 978-1-4278-1738-9 |
| 10 | April 18, 2008[15] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8290-0 | - | — |
| 11 | August 19, 2008[16] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8291-7 | - | — |
| 12 | December 19, 2008[17] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8292-4 | - | — |
| 13 | April 17, 2009[18] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8569-7 | - | — |
| 14 | August 19,2009[19] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8570-3 | - | — |
| 15 | November 19, 2009[2] | ISBN 978-4-5921-8580-2 | - | — |
A drama CD was released on January 25, 2007 by Marine Entertainment under the same title,[20] and a second was released on October 24, 2007.[21] Akemi Kanda, Kousuke Toriumi and Noriaki Sugiyama were the voice actors of Uru, Shindou and Ichirou. The plot of the second CD includes the three of them going to a theme park and entering a haunted house.
Johanna Draper Carlson felt that the series quickly began to settle into telling "standard stories" for the genre, and criticised the character designs as looking as though Uru and the men of the cafe are from different series.[22] Carlo Santos described the second volume as "halfhearted",[23] later appreciating that although the story is a fantasy about an ordinary girl being surrounded by hot guys, that the series is a balance of humour and character development. He notes that sometimes romantic cliches are deployed, though, and that the art is mediocre.[24] Katherine Dacey describes the author's artistic strength as being her facial expressions.[25] Steffi MC describes the manga as not being "sickeningly sweet" or melodramatic, and feels the artwork is inconsistent, which she attributes to this being the author's maiden work.[26] Jon Morse writes "The story development isn't particularly special, but this is completely overlooked by the laugh-out-loud comedy that fills the pages. It's an excellent read if you're not a total snob about how a shojo manga operates. I call this work a pioneer!"