Au temps de l'amour #[nn]

A quietly tender piece from Yamaji Ebine, this 2009 Asuka release opens with a cover that sets the mood perfectly: a young woman in a ruffled skirt and red scarf reaches toward a hanging birdcage sheltering a small yellow bird, fallen leaves drifting around her boots beneath a bare autumn branch. The soft, watercolor-like linework gives the whole scene a wistful, almost dreamlike quality that feels wholly at home in the tradition of literary josei manga. Fans of emotionally nuanced storytelling will find this a genuinely inviting entry point.