Thirteen years ago, Maki's girlfriend Misaki got knocked up and dropped out of school. In her despair, Maki pronounced a terrible curse: "May your child fall in love with me in your stead." Back in the present, Maki, now a successful pharmacist, finds herself besieged by Chisato—Misaki's frighteningly smart and industrious daughter—who proclaims her eternal love for her, completely unfazed by the fact that Maki can only see her as her friend's child.
The Structural Formula of First Love is a oneshot Yuri Genre manga by Shuninta Amano focusing on the strange intergenerational relationship between Maki and Chisato.
The manga contains examples of following tropes:
- Berserk Button: Chisato's is Maki reminding her of her age.
- Distant Finale: The conclusion of the story takes place five years after Chisato leaves for a boarding school.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Between Maki and Chisato, although the latter would definitely prefer it to be more.
- I Will Wait for You: Inverted. Maki is definitely not waiting for Chisato's return from boarding school, but Chisato definitely wants to return.
- Love Father, Love Son: Maki intended for her curse to invert this... and it seems to have Gone Horribly Right.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Was Maki's curse a real thing or a complete fiction? On the one hand, it was only natural that she'd spend a lot of time with her Best Friend-slash-Old Flame's daughter, and Chisato had plenty of chances to develop strong affection for her. On the other, what were the odds of Chisato affection turning into an all-out love?
- May–December Romance: What Chisato desperately wants from Maki. In the end, Maki gives in. She is 34, Chisato is 18.
- Stoic Spectacles: Maki has them to go with her calm and (mostly) rational personality.
- The Power of Love: Chisato claims that it's the power of her love for Maki that helps her get perfect grades (in an attempt to earn her love).
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Played for Laughs, mostly. Around Maki, Chisato exhibits behavior more typical of a young adult than a thirteen-year old.
- Wicked Witch: Maki sees herself as one, on the account that her curse seems to have worked.
