Is Like a Butterfly Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manga (shōjo), 83 chapters, 12 volumes
Run	2012–2015 · completed
Community score	AniList 7.2 · MangaUpdates 8.2
Where to read	VIZ / Shojo Beat — official

Overview

Suiren Shibazeki is so quiet and withdrawn that her classmates have nicknamed her the "flower on a high peak" — beautiful, untouchable, and never actually spoken to. Taichi Kawasumi is quiet in his own way, and when the two of them end up drawn to each other, Like a Butterfly builds its entire romance around the fact that neither of them is equipped to move quickly. This is a shojo romance that takes its characters' social anxiety seriously rather than treating it as a cute quirk to be solved in a chapter or two.

What it does well

The writing gives both leads real specificity in how their shyness manifests, and that specificity is what makes the slow pace work. Suiren's silence reads differently from Taichi's, and the small, halting steps they take toward each other feel like genuine progress rather than a plot stalling for time. Morishita's art matches that tone well — soft, quiet panels that know how to let a small gesture carry real emotional weight.

The romance also earns credit for what it doesn't do: there's no forced love triangle, no manufactured miscommunication arc dragged out for artificial tension. The conflict here comes almost entirely from the two leads' own limitations, which keeps the story feeling grounded even when it's moving slowly. For readers tired of shojo romance leaning on melodrama to manufacture stakes, that restraint is a genuine strength.

Where it falls short

The cost of that patience is pacing that will frustrate readers who want more forward momentum. Long stretches pass with very little actually happening beyond small, incremental emotional beats, and if you're not fully invested in the two leads specifically, those chapters can feel like they're treading water.

The supporting cast doesn't get much independent life either — most side characters exist to nudge Suiren and Taichi together rather than to matter in their own right. And a few side arcs, particularly ones touching on the leads' social anxiety, resolve more neatly than the careful, unhurried tone set by the rest of the book would suggest they should.

Verdict

Like a Butterfly is a patient, gentle shojo romance that trusts its two shy leads enough to let their relationship develop at a believable pace instead of rushing it. If understated, low-drama romance appeals to you more than plot-heavy shojo, it's a rewarding, complete read.