Sheltering Eaves is Rie Aruga's story of two kids (who become teens) in a home for children who've been abandoned or taken away from their parents due to abuse or neglect, learning to live with others and learn to support each other in their situations until they are old enough to move off on their own.

We as readers know this'll likely be a romance between Tenjaku and Yoru and that's fine, sometimes a little fictional codependency is just fine, and they really do care for each other even living with others for a long time. They're 16 now but I'm interested to see if this manga goes past having to live on their own and deal with other people outside of the home and each other?

Anyway I actually really liked this and I'll be looking forward to volume 2!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

Vol 1 of this has me absolutely hooked. Following two kids in a group home and seeing their bond grow stronger each chapter was heartwarming. To know that even after facing trauma there is a way out is inspiring to others who have been in similar situations. I can’t wait to see where vol 2 takes these characters!

Yoru gets placed in a children's home when her mom can no longer care for her. At first she's shy, but slowly she settles into her new normal when she meets a boy named Tenjaku. Now they're both in high school and Yoru has had feelings for him all along, but does she dare to act on them?

"Why was I born into this world? Should I have been born at all?"

As someone who has experience with parental emotional neglect I related quite a bit to these children. How it affects your self esteem. How there's an inner conflict of still loving and longing for an abusive and/or neglectful parent. Aruga masterfully captures all these subtleties in this first volume of Sheltering Eaves.

"People say she's a horrible parent." "But I still hang on to that one tiny memory. That 1% of happiness I remember is what keeps me going."

Aruga exposes the reality of the Japanse foster system, and shows us what life is like for these children. Sheltering Eaves also shines a light on other issues Japanese society is plagued by like the lack of adequate mental health care and the pervasive culture of latchkey kids.

This was a very well done first volume, and I am looking forward to continuing this series in the future. I would recommend this manga to people who like more serious stories with sporadic wholesome moments. It feels somewhat akin to Kotarou Lives Alone meets Fruits Basket.

Thank you Kodansha Comics and Rie Aruga for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Sheltering Eaves tells the story of Yoru and Tenjaku, two teenagers in the foster care system, as their friendship and what I imagined will be a slow burn romance starts to develop.

The story explores themes of love, healing, trust and personal struggles with emotional depth. It is almost bittersweet.

I am really intrigued to see how this story will develop and how the characters will progress. One of the stronger first volumes of a manga series I have read recently.

Thanks a lot for adding this title to your available ARCs!

I was half curious, and half hesitant going into this volume, as you have to read and see for yourself whether the artist's approach to this sensitive topic is careful or not. I knew about their more popular work Perfect World, but hadn't read it so I had no prior knowledge about their style and attitude.

I was simply surprised! You can clearly understand the research and attention to detail done when making Sheltering Eaves. Kids' reactions towards certain actions or events or behavior all made sense and I loved the way the artist highlighted how the kids constantly find themselves in awkward or uncomfortable positions. I'm definitely interested in reading more ~

A beautiful story of two young characters who have lived through many hardships. It's a very emotional story with lots of heavy and triggering moments but i'm definitely interested in the development and what's going to happen next!!

Good start to a series, loved the art style. It has a good introduction to the characters and they back stories. It will be interesting to see where they end up going.

This was a lovely read and one that I am excited to share with our patrons. We're always looking for fun titles that will be easily shared with our teen customers.

A Tale of Love and Healing

Sheltering Eaves by Rie Aruga instantly drawns their readers into a delicate, emotional story that combines romance with the complexity of personal struggle. The protagonist, Asuka, a young woman facing challenges in life, meets Saku, a man with a mysterious past, and their connection is as tender as it is transformative.

This first installment offers a beautifully crafted narrative that balances heartfelt moments with deeper themes of trust, healing, and personal growth. Rie Aruga's art shines in her ability to portray raw emotions and the quiet but powerful dynamics of relationships. The characters feel real, and the story resonates with authenticity, creating an intimate experience that is both touching and compelling.

Fans of slow-burn romances with emotional depth will find Sheltering Eaves to be a touching beginning, leaving them eager for the next chapter in Asuka and Saku's journey.

I've read a lot of manga but not one set in the foster care system. I enjoyed the characters throughout and the budding romance that this series will be focusing on. Looking forward to later volumes!

4.5
I loved this first volume. It was a great introduction to the story and the characters. My usual issue with manga is the characters feel one-dimensional and forgettable. Still, with just this first book, I understand the characters' motivations and struggles, even though I'm sure we've just scratched the surface. I'm so sad knowing I won't get to continue the story right away, but I look forward to the next volumes. It was a great, quick read (like most manga volumes tend to be) but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are just getting into manga and like to read young adult fiction or people who've already consumed some manga in the past. (I've linked a blog post of mine where I talked a little bit about how I felt about the book, not an in-depth review, just general thoughts - you can read just the second paragraph if you want).

Rie Aruga tackles emotional and challenging themes and puts in the research to make sure that what she is representing is as accurate as possible. Yoru's and Tenjaku's lives are different from their peers and yet both are going on two different paths despite being in the same situation. The two have a deep connection that others outside of the group home wouldn't understand, and facing the possibility of no longer being together is forcing Yoru to adapt to something she didn't think would happen so soon. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. This is a very heartfelt story that shows us how people who have it harder in life are seen by the majority of society.

3.5

This was an interesting start to the series. I want to see where it goes before I make a determination though if I like it or not.

I love this beginning. So far I feel like I could best describe the vibe as sweet melancholy. The worry for the future, the uncertainty, existing alongside appreciation for the moment. You are really getting to meet the characters and see their situation in this story, and it leaves me both anticipating and worrying what the future holds alongside the characters. I think this will add some good variety to the library collection, while for myself I am personally invested in what will happen next.

What a different story than I’m used to! I’ll take all the josei. This one about two childhood friends that grew up in a children’s home, now in high school and one of their parents comes back into their lives. Outside of that, I have no idea where i can see this going! A refreshing slice of life that is not your run of the mill, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a sad journey. The art style is great and the way the characters are drawn is one of my favorites! Looking forward to #2!

4 ★ // Sheltering Eaves is a raw, heartfelt story about a pair of same-aged children - Yoru and Tenjaku - who meet at a group home and form an unlikely friendship. Now teenagers, they are in their last year before legally being required to move out of the group home. They must learn to navigate the changes before them, whether it be about their future plans or their feelings for each other.

Similar to her hit manga Perfect World, mangaka Rie Aruga once again creates a story that is more than just that: it is a social commentary on the foster care system in Japan, a glimpse into the lives and minds of these vulnerable children. I greatly appreciate how Aruga uses her artistic talents to shed light on these often misunderstood and underrepresented situations.

I'm really looking forward to reading more about how our two MCs learn to overcome their childhood trauma, how they grow to love each other romantically, and their hopes and dreams for their futures.

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for this ARC.

This was a heart-wrenching and heartfelt story.
It's not light-hearted and definitely not "happy", it's heavy, hits close to home, confronting and at times just "rip's your heart out of your chest" painful.
It makes you wonder if there will be a happily ever after both for the characters and for yourself.

It, how ever heavy it may be, is a perfectly fine read.
And, if you love manga, I would definitely recommend.
Could not put it down and was intrigued by both the MMC and FMC their storyline, their personality and I would love to see their personal growth and how their relationships develop.

This is so sad. Like the topic of children growing up in children’s homes or foster families kind of hits home for me since I was adopted and lived with a foster family for a short period. But I also think it makes you stronger and the relationship of these characters and the experiences they’ve endured will make them better people (based on morals exhibited in this first vol). I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series and I hope it gets adapted into an anime someday.

CW: Bullying, Child Abuse (both physical and verbal)

This is a wonderful beginning to a new series. After reading (and loving!) the author's other series, Perfect World, I knew that I would want to read their next series as soon as I could. So when I saw this available to read on NetGalley I was so excited!! And I enjoyed reading this so much. This isn't the most light and fluffy read, but I don't think you should expect fluffy stories from Rie Aruga in general. The story follows Yoru, a young girl in the foster care system, and her relationships and life in the children's home that she lives in. She develops a friendship with a boy in the home named Tenjaku and the two grow up together. This volume begins with the children at age 10, and after a few chapters time-jumps to their second (I think?) year of high school. I found this manga to be surprisingly educational! It seems like the author did a lot of research on children's homes and the foster care system in Japan, and there are a lot of notes about it throughout the volume.

I am really looking forward to following this series as it continues. Rie Aruga does such a good job of telling stories about people that you don't normally see as main characters in manga. It is clear that care is put into writing these stories and I hope they continue to write such beautiful manga.