Is I Want Your Mother to be With Me! Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
If an eye-catching title has you wondering what this actually is, it's a sincere, grounded workplace romance between two adults, built around a single mother's real life rather than anything the title might make you fear.
Quick Verdict
“Once you realize Ryo falls for the mother herself, not her child, this reads as a surprisingly sincere adult romance about found family and starting over.”
Best for: Readers who want a grounded, sincere adult romance about falling for a single parent and the found-family life that comes with her.
Not for: Readers hoping for a breezier, lower-stakes rom-com — this one carries real emotional weight around grief and single parenthood.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Romance, Drama
- Status
- Completed
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- Yutaka Tazawa
- Publisher
- Square Enix
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (seinen), 33 chapters, 4 volumes |
| Run | 2018–2020 · completed |
| Community score | AniList 7.5 |
| Content | The title refers to an adult man's romantic interest in a widowed single mother — a same-generation adult relationship, not a pairing involving her child. |
Overview
Ryo is a part-time worker studying for an accounting exam who falls for his coworker Yuzuki Tachibana — a widowed single mother raising a young child on her own. Despite a title that might suggest otherwise, the romance here is squarely between the two adults: Ryo is drawn to Yuzuki herself, and the story follows their relationship developing alongside the everyday realities of her life as a single parent.
What it does well
I Want Your Mother to be With Me! earns its sincerity by taking Yuzuki's situation seriously rather than using it as a gimmick. Her grief over her late husband and the practical, unglamorous realities of raising a child alone are handled with real care, which grounds the romance in something more substantial than a typical workplace rom-com premise. Ryo's growing relationship with both Yuzuki and her child builds a found-family dynamic that gives the story emotional stakes beyond the central couple, and the manga is confident enough to let that complexity breathe rather than rushing past it.
At four complete volumes, the story stays focused and doesn't pad itself out, landing its emotional beats without overstaying its welcome.
Where it falls short
The title is a real obstacle here — it's likely to make readers either skip the series outright or go in with the wrong idea about what it actually is, and that's worth knowing upfront rather than discovering partway through. Because the story deals honestly with grief and the challenges of single parenthood, it also isn't the light, easy rom-com its premise might suggest, which may not be what every reader is looking for. And since there's no official English release, you'll need fan translation to read it.
Verdict
I Want Your Mother to be With Me! is a sincere, grounded adult romance that uses an attention-grabbing title to tell a more thoughtful story than it might first appear — one about falling for someone's whole life, grief and all. If you can get past the title, it's a rewarding, emotionally honest read.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- The central romance is a genuinely sincere, grounded story about Ryo falling for Yuzuki, a widowed single mother and his coworker — not, despite the attention-grabbing title, anything involving her child.
- The found-family dynamic between Ryo, Yuzuki, and her young child gives the romance real emotional stakes beyond a typical office rom-com.
- Yuzuki's grief and the practical realities of single parenthood are treated with care rather than played for easy drama.
- It's a complete, focused story that doesn't overstay its welcome at four volumes.
Weaknesses
- The title is genuinely likely to confuse or put off readers before they understand what the story actually is, which is worth knowing going in.
- The emotional weight around grief and single parenthood means this isn't a light, breezy read despite its rom-com packaging.
- There's no official English release, so you'll need fan translation to read it.
Similar Titles
Tramps Like Us
Another josei-adjacent romance willing to build its central relationship around an unconventional starting point.
A different genre, but shares an interest in treating a child's everyday life with warmth and authenticity.
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
Shares a grounded, adult approach to workplace romance between two people with real, unglamorous lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is I Want Your Mother to be With Me! finished?
Yes. It ran from 2018 to 2020 and is complete at 4 volumes, so you can read the whole thing without waiting on new chapters.
Does this involve a romance with a child?
No. Despite the title, the romance is between two adults — Ryo and Yuzuki, a widowed single mother and his coworker. Her child is a side character in a found-family story, not a romantic interest.
How long is this series?
It's a short, complete read at 4 volumes and 33 chapters.
Is this a lighthearted rom-com?
It has comedic elements, but it also deals honestly with grief and the realities of single parenthood, so it carries more emotional weight than a typical breezy rom-com.
