Mangas

Every family has its share of problems, be they big or small. Shino Tadakoro has the perfect high school life, full of romance and friendship. Her biggest problem is her shut-in brother Tamotsu. She stubbornly keeps his existence a secret, telling even her closest friends that she is an only child. Oblivious to Shino's concerns, Tamotsu suddenly declares that he is giving up the shut-in lifestyle. Is there still time? The curtain rises on a tale of family reconstruction! [Kodansha]

The leading lady here is a girl called Ume-chan. That isn’t her first name, it’s actually a nickname based on her last name, Umehara. I won’t say what her first name is, because it’s kind of funny, and it’s sort of a surprise in the scene where it’s first revealed. Anyway, Ume-chan is suffering from an unrequited crush on a boy in her class. His name is ISEZAKI-kun. He sits directly in front of her, and she spends a lot of her time observing him and writing down her thoughts in a little notebook devoted entirely to him. Ume is fairly comfortable with her situation of loving him from afar (well, from one seat behind). After all, there is no hope for her. Isezaki-kun has a girlfriend who is pretty and nice, and practically perfect. He seems to really like her. So Ume spends her time writing about him instead.