Its nice to read a romance series that isnt groundbreaking but hits perfectly. I didnt expect to fall headover heels for this manga. I expected to like it since its my type of story but I never expected to love it. I actually think the upcoming anime has a lot of potential to become super popular and bring people to enjoy more shoujo and josei and hopefully score us some new anime adaptations. Loving Yamada isnt perfect or super unique but it was just what I needed. A young college student Akane Kinoshita is dumped by her boyfriend who had roped her into playing an online game with him. But before she can quit she meets Yamada who turns out to be a famous gamer. This begins the start of their friendship and gaming adventures alongside their guild of wacky companions. However while Yamada is stoic and seemingly wrapped up in his game he may not be as indifferent as Akane thought. The plot is simple since its a sliceoflife romcom. Its mostly based on character interactions both between the main couple and the people around them. There is some slight drama but its always resolved in a mature way. Both Akane and Yamada actively try to communicate and work out their problems. Misunderstandings only last for a handful of chapters at most and while Akane jumps to conclusions she never lets that damage her relationship with Yamada. I also really liked the discussions about online safety and how people you meet online arent always who they appear to be. It also puts a strong emphasis on safety both online and meeting up with people you meet online which was refreshing. The characters on the surface are nothing special but they do feel realistic. Theyre fleshed out and given worries that you would expect from characters with these personalities. Akane is super bubbly friendly and enthusiastic but in the beginning shes struggling with her breakup and broken heart. She can also be an airhead and jumps to conclusions. However she has mature ways of dealing with her jealousy and the misunderstandings she has with Yamada. Shes also incredibly kind and forgiving and she is willing to help those who wronged her improve themselves. Yamada is incredibly stoic and seems indifferent towards anything other than his games. He tends to be blunt and unaware of his surroundings. Its revealed that he has a tough time understanding peoples emotions and reading people. He lacks basic emotional intelligence but he wants to understand people and understand their feelings and feels abnormal because of that. Hes drawn to Akane partly because shes so expressive. Hes willing to do so much for her and makes her feel secure. Hes willing to do things she didnt even ask for but made her feel more comfortable. The side characters are lovable engaging and usually hilarious. Prominent characters include the Sasaki siblings Eita and Runa. Eita plays as a female avatar Princess Ruri and Runa plays as the warrior Meatlover. Eita while a bit odd at times is very open and genuine. Hes been friends with Yamada for years and he is a super friendly and wise person though he is selective of who joins the guild which he runs. This is for the sake of his younger sister Runa so that he can ensure that her online interactions are safe. Runa has a lot of issues. Shes very abrasive and blunt and she has a strong fear of being left out as well as a fear of change. She even orchestrates a dangerous prank to keep Akane from disrupting her friendships. She does learn her lesson and is improving bit by bit the way one would expect in real life. And shes very young as she is only in middle school making her 1214. The other characters are generally lovable and wacky. The antagonistic characters are also normal people who are doing normal but jerky things. No ones crazy or super evil which I appreciated. Its just like real life. You can have drama without having characters who are unrealistically horrible. The art isnt anything super unique but it is cute. Everyone has a cute but simple design. Their ingame avatars are also super cute. Some of the designs could get a bit similar but it wasnt anything bothersome. This is such an adorable manga and it is so grounded. Its not a masterpiece but I adore it to death enough to contemplate adding it to my favorites. You can really root for Yamada and Akane as they fall in love and you can cheer them on as they overcome the ordinary hardships they face. I can wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone.