Love is like a musical composition; the notes are always the same, but never is its execution.

Introduction
              For some, adolescence can be some of the most confusing years of our lives. Like Spring, this is the time when things such as young love begin to blossom. Some bloom earlier, while others can be a little late. Whether they are in the sun—where they can be seen by all—or in the shade—only to be captured by the eye of a few—they are all beautiful . Natsuki Takaya’s Songs to Make You Smile is a collection of short stories she wrote as a young manga-ka about young love.

Summary
              The first story captures the title of Songs to Make You Smile. It's about a boy named Takahashi, an antisocial vocalist of a high school band, who feels unmotivated to write music for at a festival. He is then confronted by a girl named Anzu who helps organize the concert. Takahashi begins to reminisce a bit, remembering how happy Anzu was before she became a victim of bullying. She is quite reserved until a rival band confronts Takahashi. She stands up for him, but both she and Takahashi are unaware of what she may have gotten them into. Feeling a bit infatuated, Takahashi begins to write some new songs. Soon, Anzu gets her into some trouble, but story ends on a positive note, in an almost fairytale-like manner.
"Ding Dong" is a story that focuses on a girl named Chisato and how she reflects on her father after his passing.  The story takes place over a couple of days and shows how she interacts with various members of her family and slowly comes to terms with her father, who apparently had problems expressing himself. For the longest time, Chisato has been accusing herself of being a burden on her step mother but at the end, everything seems to fall into place.
The third chapter is called "Voice of Mine". Like Songs to Make You Smile, the protagonist once again feels unmotivated to play music and seems to be cured by the magic of romance. The story is slightly different because of the musical setting (playing classical music in an orchestra) though. Inagaki’s parents are both musicians, so he feels the need to work very hard. Because of his efforts, he is his school’s number one violinist. Even though he is proud of himself for winning a competition, he has managed to gain much animosity from jealous students and therefore, feels uncomfortable on some level. He then meets a girl named Futaba who genuinely wants to be a better violinist. Inagaki begins to criticize himself, but he regains his confidence after becoming closer with Futaba.
              The next chapter is called "Double Flower". The story is actually interesting, presenting a somewhat unrealistic protagonist, but a universal theme that guys can actually relate to. Suguru works as a seamstress under Makoto, a girl he likes. He is known for his skill, able to sew all kinds of things from quilts to curtains to cute stuffed animals. Behind a cheery exterior, we see that he is a bit down because he can’t seem to grab the Makoto’s romantic interest. He feels that this is because women may consider it strange that he takes pleasure in pursuing what some consider a “feminine” line of work and generally likes cute things. Soon, his young niece Aya shows up at the door. She is quite blunt and generally seems to reject Suguru. In fact, the first thing she does is point out the fact that Suguru’s apartment looks like it could belong to a girl. Throughout the chapter, we find out that Makoto’s relationship is failing, so Suguru feels that it is his chance to try to impress her by taking up a more “masculine” hobby like basketball. Aya thinks he is stupid for this and tells him that he is fine the way he is. Appreciating her advice, he makes her a stuffed animal (which becomes a pattern). When Suguru begins to ask why she decided to visit in the first place, we find out that things aren’t well at home and she tries to run away. Suguru saves Aya’s life and Aya eventually confronts Makoto, hinting that Suguru has feelings for her. Aya decides that she will return home and as the chapter comes to a close, Suguru meets with Makoto. He presents her a gift (for Valentine’s Day) and they seem to grow closer after shedding some tears.
              The final chapter is what is referred to as a bonus chapter from Tsubasa: Those With Wings. This specific chapter is a twist on the classic story of Snow White. In this specific version, Snow White is actually known as Princess Dark Black for her cruelty. Her family plots to have her assassinated, but it never really happens and hilarity ensues; involving a sadistic king, a nervous hunter, a perverse prince, and a poor girl named Kotobuki, who seems to get mixed up in it all.

Overview
              The first thing I noticed is that the cover does not have much detail, which is a disappointment. It is very simple, so it may not necessarily catch the eye. However, if one does decide to pick it up, they will notice the cleverly placed text stating that these are “Stories from the creator of Fruits Basket,” relying on the fairly popular shojo manga Natsuki Takaya made. This may grab the shojo loving fan but does not sound particularly interesting to someone who may not know of Fruits Basket, or even like shojo manga.
If you have read Fruits Basket, you will recognize Natsuki Takaya’s art style immediately.  However, if you haven’t, it is really simple, only making use of shading when a dire situation comes up.
I honestly did not entirely enjoy this manga (though I did like “Double Flower”), not only because I am generally not a fan of the shojo genre, but because I feel that the manga had a terrible translation. For example, Natsuki Takaya likes to include a lot of author notes on the sides of the pages, but what’s the point of including them if they are written in broken English? This was honestly my biggest concern.
Other than that, the stories are short, but perfect for a lover of the shojo genre and fan of Natsuki Takaya’s style.

Star Power

ComicsOnline rates Songs to Make You Smile 3 vibrato out of 5.

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