Ultra Cute Review: Two Girls, One Boy, and the Specific Chaos of Middle School Feelings

Two best friends. One boy. The rule they set: may the better girl win, and the loser stays their friend.

Quick Take

• A shojo comedy about two best friends who both fall for the same boy and choose to compete openly rather than sabotage each other
• The friendship between the two girls is more interesting than either romance
• 8 complete volumes; a warm, light read from the Ribon tradition

Who Is This Manga For?

• Younger shojo readers and adults who enjoy genuinely gentle romance comedy
• People who like manga that takes friendship as seriously as romance
• Fans of early 2000s Tokyopop shojo catalog
• Anyone who wants something uncomplicated and warm

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: All Ages Content Warnings: Mild romantic rivalry, light comedy

Genuinely appropriate for all ages. Nothing darker than middle school feelings.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★☆☆☆
Art Style	★★★★☆
Character Development	★★★☆☆
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★★
Reread Value	★★☆☆☆

Story Overview

Noa and Tamon are best friends who have been inseparable since childhood. When they both develop feelings for Yamato at the same time, they face the situation with the specific directness that only people who genuinely trust each other can manage: they acknowledge the situation, agree to compete fairly, and commit to staying friends no matter what happens.

The story follows their competition — the various ways they each try to get closer to Yamato, the misunderstandings and accidental advantages and setbacks — against the more important background of what their friendship means.

Akimoto's insight is that the competition's terms reveal the friendship's depth. Girls who would sabotage each other aren't friends. Noa and Tamon's willingness to compete honestly is the proof that they care more about each other than about winning.

Characters

Noa — Energetic and impulsive; her feelings are always immediately visible, which is both her liability in the competition and her strength as a person.

Tamon — More composed and strategic; her development across the series involves learning that her approach to emotions keeps her from what she actually wants.

Yamato — The object of competition who is gradually drawn out of passivity and into genuine feeling. His development is modest but real.

Art Style

Akimoto's art is clean Ribon shojo with expressive character design. The comedy sequences are drawn with genuine visual timing. The romantic moments are warm without being operatic. Character designs are attractive and immediately distinguishable. Consistent quality across eight volumes.

Cultural Context

Ultra Cute occupies the center of the Ribon tradition — the magazine's specific blend of accessible romance, genuine friendship themes, and age-appropriate warmth. Ribon manga in the early 2000s was aimed at girls in their early teens, and the series reflects that context: it takes its readers' feelings seriously without requiring sophistication to appreciate.

The "two friends, one love interest" scenario is a standard shojo premise that most series use to create anxiety and jealousy. Akimoto's inversion — using it to demonstrate the friendship's strength — is the series' small but genuine innovation.

What I Love About It

The moment near the end of the series where both girls acknowledge, separately, that they'd been more invested in not losing each other than in winning. The competition was never really about Yamato. That honesty is earned by everything that came before it.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Fondly remembered by younger readers who found it through Tokyopop's catalog. The Noa-Tamon friendship is consistently cited as the series' actual appeal. The romance is considered secondary. A good-not-great entry in the Tokyopop shojo catalog.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The chapter where Tamon deliberately gives Noa an advantage in the competition — not because she's giving up, but because she understands something about Noa and Yamato that she doesn't want to interfere with — is the moment the series reveals its actual subject. The friendship was always the story.

Similar Manga

Title	Its Approach	How Ultra Cute Differs
Marmalade Boy	Complicated feelings in a non-traditional family	Marmalade Boy is more emotionally complex; Ultra Cute is lighter and more about friendship
Absolute Boyfriend	Romantic comedy with three-way dynamic	Absolute Boyfriend is darker in its romantic stakes; Ultra Cute is gentler
Fruits Basket	Shojo with friendship at its center	Fruits Basket is more emotionally ambitious; Ultra Cute is more light-hearted

Reading Order / Where to Start

Volume 1, straight through. The competition begins immediately.

Official English Translation Status

Tokyopop published all 8 volumes in English. Complete and available.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The friendship premise is more interesting than standard romantic rivalry
• All Ages rating makes it genuinely accessible
• Light enough to read quickly
• Complete 8-volume story

Cons

• Not particularly distinctive beyond its premise
• Yamato as a character is underdeveloped relative to the two leads
• Some volumes may be out of print
• Not for readers who want complex emotional drama

Is Ultra Cute Worth Reading?

For younger shojo readers and anyone who wants something genuinely light and warm — yes. The friendship between Noa and Tamon is worth eight volumes.

Format Comparison

Format	Pros	Cons
Physical	Complete 8-volume set	Some volumes out of print
Digital	More accessible	—
Omnibus	No omnibus available	—

Where to Buy

Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.

Start with Volume 1 →

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