There’s nothing quite satisfying like giving a person a Reverse Uno card. If someone attempts to do something that makes you uncomfortable, and then you bounce it back at them, how glorious is it to watch them squirm? This is something that ran through my mind when I started reading The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen, a new manga rom-com from author mmk. But as the mirror effect goes on, the sweeter the narrative surprisingly becomes.

It begins with Ikezawa eyeballing Eguchi, his super attractive classmate. Naturally, he starts thinking lewd things about her breasts, as any high schooler would. But then, to his shock, Eguchi starts ogling Ikezawa back, as she comments on how sexy it is that his nipple is peeking through the opening of his shirt. His response: to scream and get flustered.

At first, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen pits Ikezawa against Eguchi, as the two trade off inappropriate comments about their clothes and bodies. And every time, Eguchi comes out on top, with Ikezawa experiencing firsthand what it’s like to be someone’s eye candy. But when he’s not in her eyes, Ikezawa can’t help but think of Eguchi, and how he can get her to look at him. When he gets his wish, such as when he buys a shirt his teacher was wearing because Eguchi was eying it strongly, he can’t decide whether it’s a wish from a shooting star or a monkey’s paw.

As the story goes on, the feelings for each other become stronger for Ikezawa and Eguchi. It starts with Eguchi wearing Ikezawa’s jacket, with the former unable to get enough of its scent. But when Ikezawa gets it back, he has a hard time giving it a wash because, well, now he can’t get enough of Eguchi’s scent! (Thankfully, his kind mom had the good heart to do what he wasn’t able to do.)

In a scene involving Ikezawa going to the nurse’s office, the kinder side of Eguchi peeks through. She does all that she can to ease his stomachache, in a moment that’s more comforting than erotic. It’s here where mmk plants those first romantic seeds, with Ikezawa seeing the kind side of Eguchi for the first time. (However, when a friend walks in and sees where her hands are, it’s hard to think of anything innocent that’s happening!)

What I find interesting about recent rom-coms and slice-of-life series is how quickly they get to the school festival arc. I thought Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life did it quickly, but The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen managed to bring it into the narrative in less than one volume! Be that as it may, it’s a funny story involving Ikezawa being sized for a bear costume, with Eguchi the one in possession of the measuring tape. Oh well, at least he gets a nice eyeful of Eguchi in a maid outfit for his troubles.

Visually, mmk’s manga is nicely presented. It teeters between looking cute and erotic, in a similar way Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu does with its art style. Both Ikezawa and Eguchi are drawn very attractively, with some nice details here and there when it comes time for some fan-service shots. And unlike most ecchi rom-coms, there’s enough eye candy for the girls here as much as there is for the guys.

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen does a solid job with its humor and heart in its first volume. We get a good setup for what the dynamics of Ikezawa and Eguchi will be, and their chemistry meshes fairly well for the time being. It takes a premise that I’m certain many manga readers would roll their eyes at, and reverses it to craft some great comedy. Hopefully, as the story goes on, the more comfortable these two will become with being seen by one another.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.