Kakukaku Shikajika is an autobiography style manga about the story of the mangaka's journey as an aspiring mangaka, through her tumultuous university and graduate years, to the person she is today and the large influence of a strange but loveable art teacher on her life. The manga is narrated from the present point of view reflecting back on previous times.

This manga does start out somewhat slow since she has to introduce herself, but it does begin to pick up with actual stories about her past. The cast of notable characters is thin since it is more autobiographical, the only consistently reoccurring ones being the protagonist herself, her sensei, and the side character of her friend and the main character is the only one who really sees any character development but that is to be expected since the manga is about her.

The art style is somewhat minimalist, it's not incredibly detailed but the important parts of the scenes are there. It's somewhat shoujo but not quite and it does take some getting used to.

Overall, I felt like it was a worthwhile read, but it's definitely something you have to be in the mood for. Again, it's a bit melancholic but it has its bits of humor and, if you can empathize with the main character, you'll find a nice coming-of-age story. It doesn't have spectacular art, nor does it have a huge range of characters, yet somehow, it still all comes together nicely.