What’s Inside Counts in the Takahashi From the Bike Shop Manga

There are a lot of romance manga series that involve people who seem to be total opposites being a perfect match, but Arare Matsumushi’s Takahashi from the Bike Shop isn’t like that. Rather, it’s a case of people letting misconceptions about people’s appearances get in the way of learning who they really are. In the case of heroine Tomoko “Panko” Hanno, it’s about discovering just kind and mature bicycle shop owner Ryouhei Takahashi is, as well as how right he might be for her and accept her for who she is. And the whole first volume is great about showing us with plenty of examples so we fall for the two of them too. Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Takahashi from the Bike Shop manga below. Panko is a 30-year-old office worker dealing with a relatively ordinary life. She looks pretty put together and respectable. She’s been at her job for 10 years, even though she doesn’t like her jerk of a boss and some of her more inconsiderate fellow employees. But we also see that she sometimes has a tough time sticking up for herself, loves manga, and adores some of her favorite comfort foods. When an issue with her bike chain being loose causes her to stop on her ride home, she ends up meeting 26-year-old Takahashi. Initially, he’s just a friendly stranger who happens to be around, identifies the problem, fixes it without asking anything in returns, and says she should get her noisy brakes fixed. She’s intimidated by his punk appearance, but also seems drawn to him. Once she runs into him again at a vending machine and he offers the last Fanta he’d already gotten and she was hoping for after overtime, he points out more problems, she realizes what a good and observant person he might be. Image via Yen Press Now, if this was just it, it’d make it clear that Takahashi from the Bike Shop is going to be a manga about how appearances might not mean anything and such, but it’s setting up a genuinely sweet romance between two charming individuals. When Panko goes in for repairs, Takahashi was aware enough to have movies that also might be of interest for her to watch while she waited. She felt open enough to be herself when commenting on it. When she doesn’t have enough cash on hand to pay, they go out to dinner as her treat. He’s aware that the place she picked was “right” possible spot for what she “assumed” would be good. Him, already aware of her tastes and his own from observations, picks a cozier, homier spot they both adore, surrounded by friends. But at the same time, it shows that some elements are true. When they meet at a later time and Takahashi sees Panko had an outing that didn’t go as expected and involved a rude jerk, we do see him channel delinquent energy! While Panko can be open around people like Takahashi, his friends, and her friend and coworker Kimi, she also adheres to the responsible, quiet, agreeable 30-year-old she appears to be. So it walks this balance that shows how we do need to pay attention to each person’s depths and personalities to get past more surface-level traits and appearances. What I also love about Takahashi from the Bike Shop is, while the manga is presenting events primarily from Panko’s perspective, we’re also getting moments where we sort of see Takahashi’s side of things. So when it starts, we’re seeing from Takahashi’s view as he watches Panko head to work. We already know he’s been interested in her from some time and aware of her, but has been courteous enough to respect her boundaries and not interact unless she also seemed open to it. The characters’ different maturity levels are also fun. Panko absolutely has it together, but she also let her bike get completely out of order and is willing to eat bread that fell out of her mouth and on to a public sidewalk. Takahashi is younger, but he’s running his own business and also steps in so Panko does not eat bread off the street. It’s a good fit, and again also suggests that assumptions shouldn’t be made based on age. I just really love how Takahashi from the Bike Shop handles preconceived notions about who and how someone should be throughout the story, and how the manga handles the romance growing between Panko and Takahashi as it happens. Seeing her make her own realizations and decisions about her future, as well as how their personalities play off of each other, is really great. It’s the sort of series that really makes you root for the leads! Volume 1 of Takahashi from the Bike Shop will be available on January 28, 2025, and volume 2 of the manga will debut on May 27, 2025. The post What’s Inside Counts in the Takahashi From the Bike Shop Manga appeared first on Siliconera.

Feb 3, 2025 - 04:55

What’s Inside Counts in the Takahashi From the Bike Shop Manga

There are a lot of romance manga series that involve people who seem to be total opposites being a perfect match, but Arare Matsumushi’s Takahashi from the Bike Shop isn’t like that. Rather, it’s a case of people letting misconceptions about people’s appearances get in the way of learning who they really are. In the case of heroine Tomoko “Panko” Hanno, it’s about discovering just kind and mature bicycle shop owner Ryouhei Takahashi is, as well as how right he might be for her and accept her for who she is. And the whole first volume is great about showing us with plenty of examples so we fall for the two of them too.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Takahashi from the Bike Shop manga below.

Panko is a 30-year-old office worker dealing with a relatively ordinary life. She looks pretty put together and respectable. She’s been at her job for 10 years, even though she doesn’t like her jerk of a boss and some of her more inconsiderate fellow employees. But we also see that she sometimes has a tough time sticking up for herself, loves manga, and adores some of her favorite comfort foods.

When an issue with her bike chain being loose causes her to stop on her ride home, she ends up meeting 26-year-old Takahashi. Initially, he’s just a friendly stranger who happens to be around, identifies the problem, fixes it without asking anything in returns, and says she should get her noisy brakes fixed. She’s intimidated by his punk appearance, but also seems drawn to him. Once she runs into him again at a vending machine and he offers the last Fanta he’d already gotten and she was hoping for after overtime, he points out more problems, she realizes what a good and observant person he might be.

What’s Inside Counts in the Takahashi From the Bike Shop Manga romance manga — Image via Yen Press

Now, if this was just it, it’d make it clear that Takahashi from the Bike Shop is going to be a manga about how appearances might not mean anything and such, but it’s setting up a genuinely sweet romance between two charming individuals. When Panko goes in for repairs, Takahashi was aware enough to have movies that also might be of interest for her to watch while she waited. She felt open enough to be herself when commenting on it. When she doesn’t have enough cash on hand to pay, they go out to dinner as her treat. He’s aware that the place she picked was “right” possible spot for what she “assumed” would be good. Him, already aware of her tastes and his own from observations, picks a cozier, homier spot they both adore, surrounded by friends.

But at the same time, it shows that some elements are true. When they meet at a later time and Takahashi sees Panko had an outing that didn’t go as expected and involved a rude jerk, we do see him channel delinquent energy! While Panko can be open around people like Takahashi, his friends, and her friend and coworker Kimi, she also adheres to the responsible, quiet, agreeable 30-year-old she appears to be. So it walks this balance that shows how we do need to pay attention to each person’s depths and personalities to get past more surface-level traits and appearances.

What I also love about Takahashi from the Bike Shop is, while the manga is presenting events primarily from Panko’s perspective, we’re also getting moments where we sort of see Takahashi’s side of things. So when it starts, we’re seeing from Takahashi’s view as he watches Panko head to work. We already know he’s been interested in her from some time and aware of her, but has been courteous enough to respect her boundaries and not interact unless she also seemed open to it.

The characters’ different maturity levels are also fun. Panko absolutely has it together, but she also let her bike get completely out of order and is willing to eat bread that fell out of her mouth and on to a public sidewalk. Takahashi is younger, but he’s running his own business and also steps in so Panko does not eat bread off the street. It’s a good fit, and again also suggests that assumptions shouldn’t be made based on age.

I just really love how Takahashi from the Bike Shop handles preconceived notions about who and how someone should be throughout the story, and how the manga handles the romance growing between Panko and Takahashi as it happens. Seeing her make her own realizations and decisions about her future, as well as how their personalities play off of each other, is really great. It’s the sort of series that really makes you root for the leads!

Volume 1 of Takahashi from the Bike Shop will be available on January 28, 2025, and volume 2 of the manga will debut on May 27, 2025.

The post What’s Inside Counts in the Takahashi From the Bike Shop Manga appeared first on Siliconera.