A Brief Moment of Ichika #1

The opening volume of Natsu Tadano's *A Brief Moment of Ichika* sets a quietly tender mood right from the cover, where a dark-haired girl with warm amber eyes glances toward the viewer against the luminous backdrop of an aquarium teeming with fish — while a white-haired young man watches from just behind her, a small smile on his face. That interplay of closeness and distance, framed by shimmering blue water and school after school of fish drifting overhead, promises exactly the kind of bittersweet, atmosphere-rich romance that lingers with you. At $13.95, this 2024 Kodansha USA release looks like a lovely place to start.