Sumomomo Momomo Review: The Strongest Martial Artists' Families Arrange a Marriage Between Their Children — One of Whom Hates Fighting

Momoko Kuzuryuu is the strongest person in any room she enters. She arrives at Koushi Inuzuka's school to be his wife, protect him from rival clans, and have his children. Koushi, who would like to finish law school, has not been consulted about any of this.

I'm Yu. The gender inversion is the joke and it keeps working.

Quick Take

• Shinobu Ohtaka's Sumomomo Momomo (すもももももも) ran in Monthly GFantasy — collected in 12 volumes.
• Yen Press published the complete 12-volume English edition.
• Rated T+ (Older Teen) — martial arts action; Momoko's aggressive romantic pursuit; comedy fanservice.

Story Overview

The top martial arts families in Japan have a plan: intermarry the next generation to produce the ultimate martial artist. Koushi Inuzuka has already decided he wants nothing to do with this. He wants to be a public prosecutor. He is genuinely not good at fighting and is not embarrassed about this.

Momoko Kuzuryuu — small, cheerful, overwhelmingly powerful, completely sincere — arrives to collect her fiancé. She fights everything that comes near him. She makes her intentions extremely clear. Rival clans come to remove Koushi from the arrangement and discover that his protection is better handled by Momoko than by anyone they send.

Koushi objects. Momoko does not register his objections as meaningful obstacles.

Characters

Koushi Inuzuka — The series' central joke: a shonen protagonist who is genuinely not good at fighting, does not secretly become good at it, and whose practical skills (legal reasoning, deduction) are repeatedly shown to be more valuable than martial arts in actual problem-solving. His uselessness is consistent, and it is also his most realistic quality.

Momoko Kuzuryuu — Her combination of extraordinary physical power and completely sincere romantic earnestness is what makes the series work. She pursues Koushi with her whole self — no calculation, no strategy, no conditional affection. Her earnestness is the series' warmth.

What I Love About It

Momoko's sincerity. She is the strongest person in any encounter, and she uses that power entirely in service of a man who keeps telling her no. There is no arrogance in her — she is not pursuing Koushi because she can, she is pursuing him because she wants him specifically. The distinction matters. Her relentlessness is affection, not conquest.

This is Shinobu Ohtaka before Magi — you can already see her ability to make action comedy feel genuinely warm. Momoko has the same quality as her later characters: power that never becomes coldness.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The first time Koushi does something specifically for Momoko — not because the situation required it, not because rival clans forced his hand, but because he chose to — is the series' most significant character moment. The protagonist who spent the series refusing is revealed to have been paying attention the whole time.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The gender-inverted dynamic is fresh and the series commits to it completely.
• Momoko's sincerity is more appealing than the premise suggests.
• Ohtaka's action choreography is energetic.
• Complete at 12 volumes.

Cons:

• Koushi's passivity can become repetitive.
• The fanservice is present and unavoidable for some readers.
• Lighter in emotional depth than Ohtaka's later work.

Is Sumomomo Momomo Worth Reading?

Yes — if the gender-inverted martial arts comedy premise sounds appealing, this delivers it consistently. For Ohtaka fans, it is genuinely interesting as her earlier work. For readers who need significant emotional depth from their action manga, her later series will serve better.

Who Is This Manga For?

• Readers who want martial arts action comedy with a gender-dynamic twist.
• Fans of Shinobu Ohtaka's Magi who want to read her earlier series.
• Anyone who enjoys earnest, warm action comedy in a school setting.
• Readers looking for complete medium-length action comedy.

Official English Translation Status

Yen Press published the complete 12-volume English series. Available in print and digital.

Where to Buy

Yen Press's complete English edition.

Browse Sumomomo Momomo on Amazon →

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