A Method to Make the Gentle World 13-14
I'm slightly surprised in how the story is progressing. I thought they were going to use Haruka as a springboard to introduce us to Aoi's problems, but they're actually spending a lot more time on Haruka than I thought. It seems the focus is on her for now, with most of the other stories for the other characters remaining in the background (such as how the other girls feel slightly uncomfortable with how Aoi acts). I don't have a problem with this though. Haruka's earnestness is growing on me, and I'm glad they're exploring the distance between her and Tomonaga instead of just using her as a convenient plot device.
Unfortunately, I'm not too interested in Touko or her issues, mostly because she hasn't really shown an interesting variation in expressions for me. I personally think that, if they want me to sympathize with her more, they should spend more time gradually introducing her issues instead of dumping them on me pretty much out of nowhere.
Every time I read a chapter of this manga, I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy it. The art is nice, the main character isn't too bad (the story isn't centered on him right now so he isn't that interesting, but he's pretty likeable in my opinion), and everyone feels pretty down-to-earth. For me, the manga manages to feel slow, but not sluggish, and I enjoy that pace. It has that nice seinen feel without feeling too dramatic. Too bad it's quarterly.