熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる 1 [Nettaigyo wa Yuki ni Kogareru 1] (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる / A tropical fish yearns for snow. #1)

scar

Rating: really liked it
it was very cute with sad undertones, which is exactly my kinda thing. the aquarium club was so adorable (especially the salamander) and the girls were likeable, too. the art was soft and pretty. i'd like to read more in the future

The Artisan Geek

Rating: really liked it
8/9/20
Loved it! The art is very clean and I enjoy the simplicity of the story :)

8/9/20
Reading this atm, I am SO curious as to how this is going to pan out!!

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Rod Brown

Rating: really liked it
A super slow and super low key romance. The art is so generic I had a little trouble telling a couple of the characters apart. You really have to watch closely for the little ribbon over Koyuki's ear or Kaede's slightly longer hair. It's not bad, but it just doesn't do much to stand out.

Julie

Rating: really liked it
Honestly I feel bad giving this a two star cause it's not bad or anything, but it was just okay. It was kind of boring tbh. I don't know it's just not cute enough for the awkwardness to be endearing and the emotional stuff isn't really enough. I have two more volumes checked out so I'm going to keep reading, hopefully it gets more interesting.

Mac (bookshelfpalace)

Rating: really liked it
Super cute and fast read! I loved the whole aquarium club part of the manga!

Alice 🌙

Rating: really liked it
5/5 ⭐️
Super cute!

Rebecca

Rating: really liked it
As always, even more wonderful to read in hard copy. This is just a lovely, slow-burn first book.

juliette

Rating: really liked it
a budding relationship between two girls who also happen to be the only two members of the school aquarium club. their relationship develops around an elusive salamander and mutual confusion and insecurity about their feelings towards each other.
unfortunately, it was difficult to tell the characters apart and i was expecting more complex emotional and narrative development. it's a pleasant, unoffensive, lighthearted read.
i don't think i'll be reading volume two but i appreciate that makoto hagino based the aquarium club on a real school's aquarium club.

ambyreads✿

Rating: really liked it
This was cute and gay

Jhosy

Rating: really liked it
I'm in love with the drawing and the author's stroke!
Above all, I'm in love with Koyuki, she's the cutest!
The story is about Koyuki and Amano.
Amano is a girl who had to go live with her aunt when her father accepts a job in another country.
New in town, she enters her future school when she sees an announcement of an "event."
When entering the aquarium of the school she meets with Koyuki, a senpai that participates in the club responsible by the aquarium.
Later that same day, she meets Koyuki on the beach and the two of them approach each other.
The story is very cute and to see Koyuki, so reclusive and shy, developing feelings for Amano is very cute.
Anyway ... Koyuki isn't the cutest !?

Karina

Rating: really liked it
Rating: 4.5 Stars: ★★★★ 1/2
A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow is a charming, slice of life manga about Konatsu, new student to a school located in a seaside town and Koyuki, sole member of the aquarium club! These two girls instantly connect and the sweet bond they form over the course of Vol. 1! Featuring slow-burn, yearning, alongside very wholesome moments, this is a fantastic start to a new manga series!

There's a simplicity and feeling of melancholy to this manga that makes it a very emotional (+ happy) read, seeing these two meet each other, navigate their own feelings and become closer!

Konatsu Amano moves to the seaside town of Nagahama to stay with her aunt after her father gets a job overseas. But in reality, there's a feeling of loneliness she's carrying with her. But when she sees her new high school is having an open house for the aquarium, she finds herself instantly drawn to Koyuki Honatsu, the club's leader and only member.

As Konatsu tries to navigate her new school, she finds herself running into Koyuki and the girls continue to bond. As each student is required to join a club, Konatsu wonders whether joining the Aquarium Club is a good idea. The author brilliantly delves into the inner complexities of our heroines, the complicated feelings they have for each other, and the underlying sense of loneliness they have.

Konatsu instantly finds a friend in Hirose, the bubbly, extroverted classmate who gets her to see the aquarium in the first place! She's just a really fun character and seeing Konatsu's inner conflict with wondering whether to accept or decline her offer to join Hirose in the Home Ec club turned out to be very funny. I can't wait to see all 3 of these girls bond even more!

Hagino builds such a fascinating slice-of-life school atmosphere at Nanahama High School with the various clubs and just making it a very unique place to be! I liked the inclusion of having the club involvement be mandatory for students, it just added more to the distinct atmosphere of Nanahama.

The romance is very slow burn, but also very soft and sweet! The little moments really take over the whole scene, whether its small hand holds, sharing food, or just the longing gazes.

There's such wonderful imagery and metaphors woven throughout this first volume, especially when it comes to salamanders and how it relates to Konatsu and Koyuki specifically. Its a beautiful message about the two allow each other to escape their loneliness despite this sense of being trapped and isolated. Though Koyuki feels more of a weight from expectations of those around her and in turn, she never really feels understood. All the details about the marine life are also beautifully woven into the series as well, can't wait to see how the author builds on it!

One of my favorite moments was on page 36 when the aquatic background takes over the scene as they hold hands on the beach! We see how much they mean to each other with every moment they have whether together on page or just thinking about each other, its very cute!! <3

Story-wise, although its definitely slower-paced, its very much character-driven and if your looking for a soft, SAPPHIC slow-burn romance, READ THIS SERIES! The writing is also just so good and there were definitely many beautiful lines that show the feelings that Konatsu and Koyuki have for eachother.

The paneling and artwork are perfect, allowing for a slow, introspective view of the story! The inclusion of aquatic elements like the ocean, marine animals, all add to the special world that these two have carved for themselves and its really beautiful.

Tropical Fish has easily become one of my new favorite series, Konatsu and Koyuki are just so adorable!! I can't wait to see where their story is headed! Overall its a 4.5, but will expand slightly in my full review.

A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow is a fantastic yuri manga series filled with a slow-burn, heartwarming romance, unique school setting, gorgeous symbolism, and an immersive story you won't be able to put down!

Shae

Rating: really liked it
For my full thoughts, check out this video review!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfbaD...

Orcbard

Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed it but the two characters are a bit too similar. Both are kinda shy, awkward, and like aquarium.

Overall, it is a very typical yuri manga: blushing and subtext-y. One girl is older, but thankfully it avoids "popular oneesama" trope. Nothing about the story stood out to me though.

Cy

Rating: really liked it
Really cute with lovely art, and has potential! I'm interested to see where the story goes.

Sara

Rating: really liked it
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

​When Konatsu's father gets a job overseas, she's forced to move into her aunt's house in a small fishing village. Here, she meets Koyuki, the sole member of the high school's Aquarium Club. But, there's something drawing these two together, so Konatsu joins the club. She also starts to become friends with bubbly Kaeda, who tries to recruit Konatsu to the Home Ec club. To prepare for the monthly open house of the Aquarium Club, Koyuki gives Konatsu a crash course on some of the fish the public will ask about. Konatsu can't answer everything, to her shame, but she does answer an enthusiastic little boy's question about salamanders, and they both get their first glimpse at the aquarium's newest member, a Cloud Salamander Konatsu affectionately named Koyuki because of their similarities.

This story is super sweet, and the shy affection the girls have towards each other whispers of a more serious relationship in future volumes. Kaeda is a pretty shallow character, so hopefully her air-headedness gets developed more as well. The main thing this story has on other romances is the setting being in a high school aquarium (which is apparently a real aquarium in Japan).

The illustrations are rather pretty, but there are times that it is hard to tell Kaeda and Koyuki apart. Other than their hair cuts, the could be the same.

Overall, this is a nice first volume to bring in readers who are looking for a different setting for a romance.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12