Yay! So happy this one is such an improvement over Mr. Flower Bride. If you remember correctly, my review for “Bride” was not very flattering so I was concerned going into this one. Mr. Flower Groom actually started at the end of Mr. Flower Bride and even then it seemed like the story would be a bit better and it is. The first chapter of “Groom” ended on a bit of a sour note for our couple as Kouichirou, the seme and the bride *gasp!* pushes Ritsu, his childhood friend and now groom, too far during their first time together. This is right where Mr. Flower Groom picks up. What I really liked in this one is how slowly this story plays out. “Bride” was over and done in only four chapters and “Groom” covers six chapters if you count the one in the prior release. This difference really shows. It allows for these two to get to know each other better as spouses instead of just friends and it isn’t just “I love you!”… “I love you, too! Let’s do it!”

 

There are two other one chapter long stories, one for you fans of glasses, which made me chuckle, and another with a REALLY feminine uke, which I wasn’t a fan of. There’s also a short follow-up story to the main story located at the end as well as a lot of extra bit ‘n pieces about the mangaka as well as translation notes. Speaking of, Yen Press provides the original Japanese words for the sound effects and then includes the translation right under in parenthesis. They now only include the translation once instead of with each one (when it’s repeated) so the page isn’t as cluttered and this is much better. The translation itself was nice and I liked the translation notes at the end, which are needed since they are big on using honorifics throughout, which can get a bit confusing.

 

The illustrations are beautiful and I found myself really taking notice of some of the lovely facial expressions of the characters. Nicely done. Of course, our uke is a bit on the feminine side, which is a characteristic of Hoshino’s drawing style but I still love her style and find it attractive. I also love that the uke is the husband and started out with a take charge type attitude in the prior volume. Sexual content in some areas is a bit explicit but not crazy. I think they could have been done better. Her later work tends to be a bit more saucy than these scenes were.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and am so happy at the direction it took. You can definitely see Lily Hoshino’s improvement shining through. If you did buy Mr. Flower Bride, you definitely want to get this one. If you didn’t, know that the very first chapter of Mr. Flower Groom is located in Mr. Flower Bride so you will be missing out on part of the story.

 

Plot = B+

Characters = B+

Illustrations = A

Sexual Content = B+

 

Translation = A Overall Grade = A-