Eiji Masuda established himself with the horror manga How to Make an Invisible Man before authoring the romantic drama Sakura Discord. Yet his talent would truly flourish when he combined both genres with absurdist comedy for his long running breakout success Jitsu wa Watashi wa (printed in english as My Monster Secret). By iterating on his previous skills and thematic interests, Masuda gave readers a diverse cast of total supernatural creatures whose infectious goofball charm were delightful to read about. With most captivating element being its willingness to sucker punch the audience with an incredible gag or a heartbreaking bit of genuine drama between a vampire and her guy friend trying to keep her identity hidden so that she won’t suffer suffocating social isolation.  Since then he has stretched his wings with some unfortunately short lived series before returning to the romance with They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning. 

Initially it appears to be a love story between two shy teens from different schools who take the same train every morning. Then within 6 pages it reveals the true protagonists of the tale are the three adults whose daily commute puts them centimetres away from a will-they-won’t-they romance unfolding before their eyes.  This is the boilerplate love story taken to an absolutely farcical degree with running colour commentary from the captive audience providing most of the energy. There are very few scenes removed from the train garage, the conflicts and obstacles to this young love are all ridiculous and the main characters are so archetypal they don’t even have names. Masuda is testing himself to see how much absurd he can get out of this incredibly basic premise while before he expands beyond it. 

Being an outright comedy means it lacks the aching sympathy of his previous work.  Additionally his commitment to a realistic setting means there’s none of the imaginative fantasy components that defined Jitsu wa Watashi wa nor is there anything approaching horror at the moment. Yet if you can appreciate a pure injection of loud ridiculous comedy then there’s fun to be had here. The trio of adults forming a secret Greek chorus and YouTube comment section as they quietly cheer for young love lends itself well to many jokes an enraptured audience of a love story may find relatable. It’s an interesting experiment to invert the dynamic of a romance comic, casting the central couple to secondary leads while the more ridiculous supporting cast embrace the limelight. Masuda has proven himself many times over, so it might be worth giving several volumes before deciding if you would like it or not. So far it’s fairly one note but with an author who’s typically willing to go for wild switches. A story where we are waiting to see what he is building towards once the world expands beyond his one shaking carriage. Maybe even a different train platform one day. Who knows? Not an enthusiastic recommendation, but still feeling positive enough to follow into the future.