Almost 29 and single, Yoshiko Kawai finds herself in a pickle when her boyfriend, who she’s always thought she would marry, dumps her. But life is just one thing after another, and her hottie yet expressionless co-worker, Yuuki, asks to marry her if she can’t find someone by the age of 30. What’s the true meaning behind his words that makes Yoshiko’s heart thump so much? This may not be her first relationship, but it’s also her first time feeling this way.

Date of Marriage is an office romance story with a pure love flavor to it. However, amidst the many manga belonging to the same genre, Date of Marriage manages to stand out from the crowd with its unique premise, with a focus on how a woman’s age affects her marriage prospects.

Yoshiko, our heroine, has always had the perfect vision of her life — getting married at 26, having her first child at 27, and blessed with a second child at 29. However, things are definitely not going her way when she realizes that she is now almost 29 and still single, while her friends are getting married left and right. All hope seems to be lost when her boyfriend, Daisuke, dumps her a week before her birthday, but consolation comes from an unexpected source: Yuuki, her handsome yet expressionless co-worker. And what’s more, he comes with an even more startling proposal — to get married with her if Yoshiko can’t find a suitor within the year.

Yuuki is the quintessential perfect partner with his looks and demeanour, but Yoshiko can’t for the life of her imagine why he’d propose to her, not to mention that he apparently has a previous relationship that he hasn’t gotten over with, and the very cause of his failed romance is an age gap with the woman he was going out with. The story thus keeps you wondering whether Yuuki really does like Yoshiko in a romantic sense or whether he is just pitying her. Like most romance stories, we will get to follow Yoshiko as she finally realizes her feelings for Yuuki and his true intentions as well.

The series may rely on basic romance tropes, but it keeps the story fresh with its soothing art and likeable characters, ranging from Yoshiko’s office friends, Yuuki’s playful friend Kira, to the main characters themselves, the lively Yoshiko and the emotionless Yuuki. The chemistry between these two shy lovebirds is also amusing and heartwarming to watch, especially for a romance series where the characters make the story.

Overall, Date of Marriage is definitely worth a read for romance manga fans who are not afraid of a spice of drama in their stories. The story is filled with misunderstandings and love triangles galore, but always knows when to sprinkle in a cute scene between our main couple that makes one think of young love. Readers new to romance titles will also find this story an easy entrance to the genre with its catchy premise and enthralling character bonds.

Date of Marriage manga review by Madeleine Jose.

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