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Gomashio to Pudding completely won me over. What starts as a premise that sounds a bit 'icky' on paper turns into a surprisingly grounded, warm, and mature romance that knows exactly what it’s doing.

The biggest reason the manga so well is the leads. Haruhi is written as genuinely mature for her age—she’s already settled in her job, knows what she wants, and has a strong will that drives the story forward. Because of that, the age gap (which initially gave me pause) never feels uncomfortable or unbalanced. Nagato, in turn, is calm, respectful, and supportive, and their dynamic feels natural rather than forced. Both ... characters are exceptional communicators so the relationship develops relatively fast as they rarely have the typical romcom trope misunderstandings or at least do not let these derail them.

The pacing is another highlight. The narrative moves along confidently, never dragging and never overstaying its welcome, and wraps up the main story at just the right time. If there’s one small nitpick, it’s that the early pre-relationship phase could have lasted a bit longer to flesh out the process of them falling in love. Still, that’s a very minor complaint in an otherwise excellent read.

And the art—exceptional from start to finish. Expressions, body language, and the faces of the leads do so much heavy lifting, elevating even the quietest scenes. Overall, Gomashio to Pudding is a thoughtful, beautifully drawn romance with refreshing characters and a strong sense of restraint. Easily recommended.

An interesting premise and great art goes to waste on a story that just gets more miserable and boring.

The story starts out interesting enough with the premise of a male MC finally freeing himself from the gaslighting and emotional manipulation of his "girlfriend". The first few chapters which focus on the emotional emancipation of the lead and starting friendships and new love are more than solid. I also think the art and character design is quite good and the female love interest is really cute and visually more interesting than most standard heroines. Unfortunately the story quickly takes a nosedive...

After the main plot seems solved ... very early in the story it devolves into repetitive misery porn where every character becomes the most extreme doormat imaginable, ready to endure immense suffering for seemingly no reason.

I never needed to stop a series mid-read and this is certainly the first time I wish I had not started reading it. So unfortunately I have to recommend anyone not start reading it.