Is Moriagaranai Date Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manga (josei), 3 volumes
Run	2024–present · ongoing
Community score	AniList 7.5 · MangaUpdates 7.1
Content	None significant

Overview

Haida, cursed with what she describes as chronic bad luck, joins a dating app on a whim -- a "what the heck" phase more than a genuine search for romance. She matches with Kuroi, a man who signed up for equally halfhearted reasons, and their first date is exactly as bad as that setup promises: the conversation never clicks, small things keep going wrong, and the whole afternoon settles into an unmistakably awkward, low-energy mood. And yet, somehow, as the date winds down, the two of them find themselves making plans to meet again -- neither one quite able to explain why.

What it does well

The manga's real strength is how specifically observed its awkwardness is. This isn't broad, exaggerated rom-com humor -- it's the very particular, cringe-adjacent comedy of two people who are bad at this, in believable, human ways, trying to figure out if they actually like each other underneath the failed small talk. Suzuyuki writes both leads with real personality: Haida's bad luck and Kuroi's stiff, deadpan demeanor aren't quirks bolted onto blank characters, they're specific enough that the comedy grows naturally out of who these two people are.

That specificity is what makes the slow burn work. The manga doesn't rush toward chemistry or force a spark to justify a second date -- it lets the discomfort sit, lets small gestures carry real weight precisely because so little else is going right, and trusts the reader to find the same quiet appeal in Haida and Kuroi that they're gradually finding in each other. It's a patient, dry sense of humor, and it's consistently funny without ever needing to raise its voice.

Where it falls short

That patience comes at a cost for readers who want their romance manga to move. This is a genuinely slow burn -- the first stretch of chapters lingers in the discomfort of that opening date, and if you're looking for fast romantic momentum, the pace here will test you. There's also no official English release yet, so for now, English-reading access depends on fan translation groups keeping pace with the Japanese release. And because the humor is so consistently dry and low-key, it's a style that rewards patience rather than delivering big, obvious laughs.

Verdict

Moriagaranai Date turns a spectacularly bad first date into one of the more quietly charming slow-burn romances around, built on two specific, believably awkward people instead of genre shortcuts. It asks for patience, but the payoff is worth it.