Daydreamy Iroha is too shy and anxious to talk to her high school classmates, so she finds solace in confiding in upperclassman Sou, who is always encouraging and supportive. With such a great friend by her side, Iroha just may have found a dream come true!

Iroha avoids the awkwardness she feels around her classmates by sitting outside and talking to Sou, the handsome boy she met at the library. However, one day, a boy from her class discovers the secret she's been keeping from everyone. Has Iroha found her perfect match in Sou, or just an illusory love?

Daydream Darling has a story by and art by Io Sakisaka. English translation and adaptation are by Max Greenway and lettering by Inori Fukuda Trant. Published by Viz Media (August, 2026). Rated T.

Rebecca Silverman
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When it comes to perfectly executing the basics of the high school shoujo romance, no one does it better than Io Sakisaka. Her works nearly always have just the right balance of melodrama, angst, and teenage struggles, and Daydream Darling looks like it won't be an exception. Granted, I may be saying that because I, too, was a painfully shy and awkward high schooler who would rather talk to imaginary friends than classmates. Still, Sakisaka's ability to capture the experience so well only confirms my belief in her talents.

Iroha, a rare long-haired Sakisaka heroine, isn't naturally awkward; it's something she grew into as a result of how her peers treated her. A seemingly innocent question in elementary school about why her grandfather and not her parents showed up to school events went sideways when Iroha candidly told her classmates that she's an orphan and then tried to steer them away from feeling sorry for her. That just made the situation worse, and Iroha developed a fear of saying anything, lest it come back to bite her. Now in high school, she'd really like to be more comfortable talking, but she's spent so long steeping in this particular anxiety that she can't manage it. The one exception is Akutsu, an older boy she met in the library. Because gestures were more acceptable in that quiet space, Iroha was able to communicate comfortably with him, and now that she's a first-year student at his high school, she meets him in the courtyard to vent her feelings and frustrations.

Or does she? It becomes obvious fairly early on that there's something odd about her meetings with Akutsu, like he's not there at all or that only she can see him. Eventually, a well-meaning boy in class confronts her about whether or not Akutsu is real, which is what truly jumpstarts the story. The answer isn't nearly as dire as you're probably thinking (I know I made some tragic assumptions), but it does make things difficult for Iroha in ways she never expected. Thus, her trials become twofold as she tries to feel comfortable making a place for herself in class and copes with the reality-versus-fantasy divide. It's a very specific growing-up experience, and Sakisaka handles it well. Iroha's main struggle is understanding herself and finding a way out of her own head, and both are very difficult, especially at sixteen.

There are still plenty of mysteries surrounding Akutsu, and the potential for love geometry is definitely there, biding its time. Viz's translation isn't too slang-heavy, which is very nice and a bit of a departure for them, and Sakisaka's art is clean and clear. There's potential for this story to go in a few directions as of this volume, and I'm looking forward to seeing which path it takes and how Iroha fares on her journey.

Bolts
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I must admit, this is probably the first romance in this entire guide that legitimately caught me off guard, and that's because I truly underestimated just how far the series was willing to push its namesake. Sometimes people dream or imagine things to manifest comfort or support they're not getting anywhere else. That idea seems to lie at the heart of this romance, and Iroha, a girl who has trouble communicating with others, literally fabricates a personality she can converse with to develop that sense of self. But what happens when the very senpai that she manifests ends up actually helping her in real life?

The way the story frames the imaginary senpai and the real senpai was actually commendable. There were legit moments in the story where I couldn't tell who Iroha was talking to, and I think that was part of the point. It's an interesting gimmick that I hope doesn't get dropped after this first volume, as Iroha starts coming out of her shell more. There's a lot that can be said about how people deal with different types of communication issues, and this is a fun way to do it.

It helps that the chemistry among many of the characters is actually really solid. Some misunderstandings arise from personal experiences, but at the forefront, much of it comes down to characters assuming they know what the other person wants them to say and trying to adjust to that, rather than just being honest about how they really feel about a situation. I think that's something a lot of people can relate to, especially nowadays, where there are so many hurdles that make it easier for us to fall into those miscommunication traps. Sometimes people react because they feel overly familiar with what they have gone through; sometimes they are just afraid of offending others; and sometimes they try their best not to care. But it's important to focus on what you want to say rather than what you think the other person wants to say, because then you can at least explain where you're coming from instead of where you think the other person wants you to come from. It's all about communication manifesting as self-actualization. I'm gonna keep an eye on this one, if only to see just how far it pushes a lot of these ideas that it brings up. But so far, I really like what I'm reading.