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Only The Ringfinger Knows
Anmutig und scharfsinnig, groß gewachsen und äußerst beliebt... Das ist Musterschüler und Mädchenschwarm Kazuki. Und ausgerechnet mit ihm vertauscht Wataru versehentlich seinen Ring. Als sich der ach so perfekte Kazuki aber auch noch als gehässig und gemein entpuppt, reißt Wataru der Geduldsfaden...
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 11, 2010
This was my first intro into boy's love. It still is one of the most cherished and favorite manga I've read.
Matching rings are the in thing at Wataru's high school-they signify whether your best friends, single, currently seeking or an actual couple. Wataru wears his ring, for none of these reasons but because he has a special attachment to the ring itself.
Through a series of events he finds out that the prince of the school, Yuichi Kazuki, wears a ring that's a match to his! He doesn't understand why someone who is so kind and friendly to others would actually act the opposite towards him. Wataru realizes soon that his interest in Yuichi, and the emotions that he invokes in Wataru run deeper than he imagines. But he's even more suprised when he finds out Yuichi's real feelings.
This story is beautiful, funny, and sweet. I fell in love with Yuichi and Wataru as they struggled and came to terms with their feelings.
Matching rings are the in thing at Wataru's high school-they signify whether your best friends, single, currently seeking or an actual couple. Wataru wears his ring, for none of these reasons but because he has a special attachment to the ring itself.
Through a series of events he finds out that the prince of the school, Yuichi Kazuki, wears a ring that's a match to his! He doesn't understand why someone who is so kind and friendly to others would actually act the opposite towards him. Wataru realizes soon that his interest in Yuichi, and the emotions that he invokes in Wataru run deeper than he imagines. But he's even more suprised when he finds out Yuichi's real feelings.
This story is beautiful, funny, and sweet. I fell in love with Yuichi and Wataru as they struggled and came to terms with their feelings.
April 11, 2021
nostalgia never felt so good.
wow, this was one of my first BL manga.
i decided to buy it (in german) because one night i was reminiscing the old days with a friend and well.. here it is. it came this morning and although my german is crusty i got to it and i have to say memories played a lot for most of the text !
wow, this was one of my first BL manga.
i decided to buy it (in german) because one night i was reminiscing the old days with a friend and well.. here it is. it came this morning and although my german is crusty i got to it and i have to say memories played a lot for most of the text !
January 24, 2021
Review for complete series
Wataru''s high school has a new trend: matching rings! Depending on which finger you wear your ring on, you're either single, best friends or in a relationship with each other. Wataru's ring doesn't have any such meaning, it is just a small trinket that has become important to him. Rumours start to circulate, though, when it turns out that school-favourite Kazuki wears the same ring as Wataru.
Only the Ring Finger Knows is by far one of the better of its kind. It's a heartfelt story of how two boys fall in love and don't quite know how to handle their feelings. I love that there's a little bit of a mystery around the identical rings that only unravels gradually and it doesn't seem too far fetched. If anything, once we find out each of the characters' motivations, it just makes them all the more loveable.
The art isn't quite my favourite, though it's not bad either. Perhaps it's just not my cup of tea and a style that I find hasn't aged very well. But in terms of story, it's a very nice oneshot manga of which I love the pacing and how the story unfolds. It seems there's also a five-volume novel series version of this - I would love to read it as I am rather curious what five volumes would do to this one-volume manga. Alas, the novels are hard to come by.
October 11, 2014
once is a coincidence. twice is a plot. i am here today to tell you there is a book mutilator at large at the the north york central library and they must be stopped. i am calling you out villain, right here in front of god and goodreads! stop ripping pages out of manga i want to read
with regards to the book: it was okay. mostly it had me thinking about the structure of the romance novel -- how the male love interest is a figure of mystery and part of the satisfaction in the resolution is meant to come from our hero/ine finally figuring out what is up with tall dark and constantly brooding. i actually think this works way better in a high school love story like this one because i am perfectly willing to believe in teenagers as dramatic and secretive. oh god, i like this person! thought the fifteen year old. they can never know
sounds legit to me
3 stars
with regards to the book: it was okay. mostly it had me thinking about the structure of the romance novel -- how the male love interest is a figure of mystery and part of the satisfaction in the resolution is meant to come from our hero/ine finally figuring out what is up with tall dark and constantly brooding. i actually think this works way better in a high school love story like this one because i am perfectly willing to believe in teenagers as dramatic and secretive. oh god, i like this person! thought the fifteen year old. they can never know
sounds legit to me
3 stars
January 3, 2016
Ein wirklich süßer und spannender One-Shot Manga, den ich super schnell durchgelesen habe. Sehr niedlich, hat mich aber irgendwie enttäuscht, weil ich so hohe Erwartungen hatte, da viele diesen Manga in höchsten Tönen loben. Das ganze war zwar spannend, aber ich habe schon sehr viel Gefühlvolleres gelesen... Der Zeichenstil war auch nicht 100%ig meins, sowie ich mit Kizami (ich bin mir nicht mehr sicher, ob er so hieß) nichts anfangen konnte. Die Auflösung war schön und das Zusatzkapitel hat mir eigentlich am besten gefallen. Naja, ein schöner Manga, den man gut und schnell lesen kann. Immerhin habe ich jet total Lust auf Shonen Ai bekommen xD
July 11, 2021
The plot is flimsy, the romance horribly contrived and all the characters have a terrible case of triangle chin.
While this manga may have nostalgic value for many, it has not aged well. Readers looking for authentic gay representation will be disappointed with this one.
While this manga may have nostalgic value for many, it has not aged well. Readers looking for authentic gay representation will be disappointed with this one.
November 10, 2008
If you're up to high-school bittersweet, mellow, happy ending romance, this one is for you. On a side note, I really like a determined uke who can take care of himself.
March 22, 2024
Listen... I just love this so much, ok
February 17, 2017
Slight spoilers within this review – not hidden, please read with care.
Good Reads recommended Only the Ring Finger Knows to me after I read お金がないっ 1 Okane ga Nai 1 . I thought that the plot sounded quite cute, romantic in a strange sense of the word, and I decided to give it a try.
When dating someone, you wear matching rings with each other, on the left index finger (more commonly known as your wedding ring finger). Until then, you wear your ring on the right index finger to show you are single and the right middle finger for something or other, I don’t quite remember; the manga mentioned it briefly. I think for having feelings for someone you’re not ready to share.
The first chapter is totally full of drama, so much going on at once. We’re introduced to a relatively well looking boy who happens to share the same ring as his attractive, well-sought-after-by-the-girls senior. Amazingly, they accidentally swap rings and it turns out, the rings only fit the others left ring finger. Pretty amazing foreshadowing, predictable and honestly a little bit disappointing. However, the second chapter tones it down, focusing more on the two main characters of the manga.
I was disappointed when it turned out Male A was only being a jerk to Male B because Male A is popular and didn’t want people to like another man. Stereotypical, disappointing and pretty much insulting. Then again, it is Japanese, and things like this are quite typical in Japan so I suppose I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt; cultural differences.
Either way, I had to put it down. The plot line simmers down into a boring game of cat and mouse from chapter three and I just got bored with it. Perhaps I’ll try and give it another read sometime, but for now, this isn’t the manga for me. I’m disappointed in this yaoi – maybe due to the whole dynamics of Yuuri!!! on Ice and other yaoi manga I’ve read but this was just. Boring, a disappointment, and filled with so much unnecessary drama. I regret not finishing it, I really like to read a book completely before giving my full review on it, but I just couldn’t finish this one.
I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone, unless you’ve just joined the manga scene and you’re looking for a simple one to read. I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone who’s been reading manga for a while.
I’m definitely going to try this again later on, as I said, but honestly, give this a miss.
Good Reads recommended Only the Ring Finger Knows to me after I read お金がないっ 1 Okane ga Nai 1 . I thought that the plot sounded quite cute, romantic in a strange sense of the word, and I decided to give it a try.
When dating someone, you wear matching rings with each other, on the left index finger (more commonly known as your wedding ring finger). Until then, you wear your ring on the right index finger to show you are single and the right middle finger for something or other, I don’t quite remember; the manga mentioned it briefly. I think for having feelings for someone you’re not ready to share.
The first chapter is totally full of drama, so much going on at once. We’re introduced to a relatively well looking boy who happens to share the same ring as his attractive, well-sought-after-by-the-girls senior. Amazingly, they accidentally swap rings and it turns out, the rings only fit the others left ring finger. Pretty amazing foreshadowing, predictable and honestly a little bit disappointing. However, the second chapter tones it down, focusing more on the two main characters of the manga.
I was disappointed when it turned out Male A was only being a jerk to Male B because Male A is popular and didn’t want people to like another man. Stereotypical, disappointing and pretty much insulting. Then again, it is Japanese, and things like this are quite typical in Japan so I suppose I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt; cultural differences.
Either way, I had to put it down. The plot line simmers down into a boring game of cat and mouse from chapter three and I just got bored with it. Perhaps I’ll try and give it another read sometime, but for now, this isn’t the manga for me. I’m disappointed in this yaoi – maybe due to the whole dynamics of Yuuri!!! on Ice and other yaoi manga I’ve read but this was just. Boring, a disappointment, and filled with so much unnecessary drama. I regret not finishing it, I really like to read a book completely before giving my full review on it, but I just couldn’t finish this one.
I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone, unless you’ve just joined the manga scene and you’re looking for a simple one to read. I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone who’s been reading manga for a while.
I’m definitely going to try this again later on, as I said, but honestly, give this a miss.
September 10, 2016
Akhirnya kubaca juga manga yg cukup populer ini, yg juga cukup berimbang antara bintang 1-3 dengan bintang 4-5 di GR, dan terutama ada sebagian temanku yg memberinya 2-3, sebagian lagi 4-5. Jadi kurasa ini lagi2 masalah selera dan juga masalah mood, imo, lol.
Awalnya aku ragu buat mulai baca secara utk karya Kannagi-sensei ini kadang ada yg bnr2 kusukai, kadang ada yg tidak.
Dan aku juga takut manga yg diadaptasi dari novel ini tdk bisa disampaikan dgn baik oleh illustrator-nya yaitu Odagiri-sensei. Odagiri-sensei adalah mangaka dari Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru/The Betrayal Knows My Name yg sejujurnya menurutku ceritanya biasa saja walaupun gambarnya bagus. Jadi ya itulah kenapa aku selalu menunda membaca Only the Ring Finger Knows ini.
Lalu banyak yg bilang ini ceritanya tipikal sekali alias cliche abislah pokoknya, yg simpel dibikin rumit dll. Well, setelah kubaca sih memang benar kalo cliche dan simpel dibikin rumit itu.
Tapiiii....mungkin aku memang suka yg begini atau memang lagi mood atau alasan lain yg tak kupahami, aku merasa ceritanya ini sweeeeet banget deh, sudah bikin aku badump badump sedari awal, hatiku juga ikutan ngilu2 sedikit waktu Wataru galau, hehehe. Simpel dan cliche memang, dan aku sebagai pembaca yg sudah baca banyak komik selama 25 tahun, sudah melihat banyak tipe plot dari simpel hingga rumit dan original, mungkin akan dikira merasa bosan dgn yg simpel dan cliche dan sukanya yg original. But nope, aku takkan pernah bosan dgn yg simpel dan cliche, asalkan 'penyampaiannya' bagus dan menyentuh di hati, pasti kuberi 4-5. :)
Anyway, sayang sekali yg diadaptasi ke dalam manga cuma 1 volume, sisanya 4 volume lagi dalam bntk novel, padahal aku pengen liat versi ilustrasinya, krn cuci mata abis sih bishounen dua2nya, hihihi. Trus, karena aku lagi kejar setoran utk deadline manga akhir tahun, terpaksa utk lanjutan novelnya Only the Ring Finger Knows ini baru bisa kulanjutin setelah target manga Desember tercapai deh... :(
Awalnya aku ragu buat mulai baca secara utk karya Kannagi-sensei ini kadang ada yg bnr2 kusukai, kadang ada yg tidak.
Dan aku juga takut manga yg diadaptasi dari novel ini tdk bisa disampaikan dgn baik oleh illustrator-nya yaitu Odagiri-sensei. Odagiri-sensei adalah mangaka dari Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru/The Betrayal Knows My Name yg sejujurnya menurutku ceritanya biasa saja walaupun gambarnya bagus. Jadi ya itulah kenapa aku selalu menunda membaca Only the Ring Finger Knows ini.
Lalu banyak yg bilang ini ceritanya tipikal sekali alias cliche abislah pokoknya, yg simpel dibikin rumit dll. Well, setelah kubaca sih memang benar kalo cliche dan simpel dibikin rumit itu.
Tapiiii....mungkin aku memang suka yg begini atau memang lagi mood atau alasan lain yg tak kupahami, aku merasa ceritanya ini sweeeeet banget deh, sudah bikin aku badump badump sedari awal, hatiku juga ikutan ngilu2 sedikit waktu Wataru galau, hehehe. Simpel dan cliche memang, dan aku sebagai pembaca yg sudah baca banyak komik selama 25 tahun, sudah melihat banyak tipe plot dari simpel hingga rumit dan original, mungkin akan dikira merasa bosan dgn yg simpel dan cliche dan sukanya yg original. But nope, aku takkan pernah bosan dgn yg simpel dan cliche, asalkan 'penyampaiannya' bagus dan menyentuh di hati, pasti kuberi 4-5. :)
Anyway, sayang sekali yg diadaptasi ke dalam manga cuma 1 volume, sisanya 4 volume lagi dalam bntk novel, padahal aku pengen liat versi ilustrasinya, krn cuci mata abis sih bishounen dua2nya, hihihi. Trus, karena aku lagi kejar setoran utk deadline manga akhir tahun, terpaksa utk lanjutan novelnya Only the Ring Finger Knows ini baru bisa kulanjutin setelah target manga Desember tercapai deh... :(
July 17, 2012
There is nothing wrong with Only the Ring Finger Knows. But there is nothing that makes it stand out either. It is typical yaoi manga. The story is cute, but not memorable. In this particular high school, the style is to wear matching rings with your partner. Wataru is shocked and a little nervous when he learns that his ring matches with Yuichi Kazuki, the super popular and handsom senior. Romantic? Ehh... I didn't care for the main love interest. Sexy? Not really. The most you're getting out of this one are a couple of kisses and they're kind of awkward, if you ask me. I feel like this manga is rated so highly almost exclusively because it was one of the first yaoi manga easily available in the States.
November 25, 2020
Omg (friend who gave this to me, I'm so sorry <3 maybe a really younger version of myself would think differently but) this was so frustrating, nothing happened, there were no backgrounds and I kept waiting for the obvious romance to happen. A high school student who spent 2 minutes heartbroken actually said that falling in love is quick but getting over it seems to require a lifetime. Eyeroll. Everything was slow and obvious, this almost gave me a reading block.
August 4, 2011
I'm actually feeling exhausted after reading this because. of. all. the. drama. The story is cute enough - about two high school student falling in love with each other, and it's handled rather well, but seriously, so much drama about a ring? It was a bit too much to take for me.
June 28, 2007
Very pretty artwork and a very sweet plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 27, 2008
Very overrated since it was one of the first yaoi released under the yaoi-specific publisher "June". Mediocre but enjoyable.
November 4, 2022
2022:
okay, it's a 3 star now. i still like the concept and the story itself is fun but i've read things much better now and i don't get this gutwrenching feeling from this anymore
okay, it's a 3 star now. i still like the concept and the story itself is fun but i've read things much better now and i don't get this gutwrenching feeling from this anymore
August 25, 2017
The first yaoi book I ever read! Loved this, thought at the time it was the sweetest most romantic book i'd read in a long time. I've reread this so many times, an absolute fav!
November 12, 2009
First I read the mangas and then the novel. The story is very sweet and romantic.
February 23, 2022
3.5ish? I totally misunderstood the summary and had to reshape my thinking 2/3 of the way through, which is why this is sort of hovering between 3 and 4 stars. Would I have liked it more if I'd realized from the beginning that this is just a typical high school setting love story?
Also, sadly, the quality of the art is another reason for docking stars, even though I literally only picked up this series because I loved Odagiri's The Betrayal Knows My Name, Volume 01, which was sorta my introduction to manga. The gay kind, anyway.
It's just...really hard to tell the two main characters apart a lot of the time, because Odagiri draws them so similarly, and shades their hair differently in different panels, so I can't even use the dark-hair lighter-hair distinction that helps when artists have too much of a same-face style. I don't remember that issue from Odagiri's longer series, although it's been a while since I've read it. Also, the backgrounds were so lush and beautiful for that series, while everything here's a bit sparse...I wonder now if that was the work of her assistants...
Anyway, it's definitely a solid 3 stars, maybe a bit more because I really did enjoy it. I'm going to try the light novels next and see if that makes me like it more, by fleshing out more of the story and including the scenes that space requirements left out of the manga.
There isn't a whole lot of relationship development - while I felt the sweet ache of Wataru falling for Kazuki and believing he didn't have a chance with him, Kazuki was fairly mean to him during most of their interactions, so it's a bit harder to pinpoint the source of Wataru's fascination. Maybe just that he's handsome and confusing and tantalizing and frustrating, which can all mix together into some weird chemistry.
The rings bit is not at all what I was expecting. I guess I thought that this was like...some sort of a soulmarks deal, where matching rings meant you were destined for each other, etc. Instead it's a whole lot simpler and just...normal. You give your significant other a matching ring, like an engagement ring. Nothing supernatural or mysterious to it...so it's not really the book's fault that I thought it was an entirely different type of story.
Anyway, I did enjoy the storytelling, and Kazuki being kind of a disaster, actually, under his perfect exterior. The manga also feels pretty complete as-is, so I'm wondering what happens in 5 entire volumes of the light novel...probably a bunch of extra drama and jealousy and breakup-makeup things? Guess I'll find out. If I don't like the light novels, though, I'll still hang onto the manga. It stands well enough on its own.
Also, sadly, the quality of the art is another reason for docking stars, even though I literally only picked up this series because I loved Odagiri's The Betrayal Knows My Name, Volume 01, which was sorta my introduction to manga. The gay kind, anyway.
It's just...really hard to tell the two main characters apart a lot of the time, because Odagiri draws them so similarly, and shades their hair differently in different panels, so I can't even use the dark-hair lighter-hair distinction that helps when artists have too much of a same-face style. I don't remember that issue from Odagiri's longer series, although it's been a while since I've read it. Also, the backgrounds were so lush and beautiful for that series, while everything here's a bit sparse...I wonder now if that was the work of her assistants...
Anyway, it's definitely a solid 3 stars, maybe a bit more because I really did enjoy it. I'm going to try the light novels next and see if that makes me like it more, by fleshing out more of the story and including the scenes that space requirements left out of the manga.
There isn't a whole lot of relationship development - while I felt the sweet ache of Wataru falling for Kazuki and believing he didn't have a chance with him, Kazuki was fairly mean to him during most of their interactions, so it's a bit harder to pinpoint the source of Wataru's fascination. Maybe just that he's handsome and confusing and tantalizing and frustrating, which can all mix together into some weird chemistry.
The rings bit is not at all what I was expecting. I guess I thought that this was like...some sort of a soulmarks deal, where matching rings meant you were destined for each other, etc. Instead it's a whole lot simpler and just...normal. You give your significant other a matching ring, like an engagement ring. Nothing supernatural or mysterious to it...so it's not really the book's fault that I thought it was an entirely different type of story.
Anyway, I did enjoy the storytelling, and Kazuki being kind of a disaster, actually, under his perfect exterior. The manga also feels pretty complete as-is, so I'm wondering what happens in 5 entire volumes of the light novel...probably a bunch of extra drama and jealousy and breakup-makeup things? Guess I'll find out. If I don't like the light novels, though, I'll still hang onto the manga. It stands well enough on its own.
August 16, 2019
Some of the dialogue felt awkward, but the art work was stunning, bringing out the genuine feeling in the expressions of the characters, making up for the weak parts in this stunning story about first love, all of the confusion, insecurity, and earnestness that accompanies it. A trope involving ring fingers transforms into a unique relationship between two boys, the prickliness between them, along with all the wonder, magic, and painful shyness between them. All of these qualities made this reader alternately grin and wince with sympathy at these beginning steps at a first relationship, accompanied by frequent stumbling. Amidst all of this, the sweetness blooms between two beautiful, yet very different boys, growing amidstness the tension and tenderness. If gentle, romantic tales of first love which focus upon the development of the relationship itself between two young male characters, you’ll want to check this out.
July 1, 2020
In a word: Read the thing. I’ve read this one a few times over the years and I’ve always found the whole thing with the rings a bit silly, but it works for what this story is. This is a sweet story about two high school boys discovering they’re actually in love with each other in proper dramatic teen fashion. It’s cute. The trend at Wataru’s school is for couples to wear matching rings on their left ring fingers to show their status as a couple. Wataru always has a ring, but it’s on his right ring finger which basically just means he’s single and he’s wearing it because he likes it. Mega-popular Yuichi also has a ring, though he apparently doesn’t wear his as often. Yuichi is a senior, older than Wataru, and they don’t really know each other, so Wataru doesn’t really expect their paths to cross in the way that it does. It turns out that their rings match, which makes Wataru a bit uncomfortable, especially because it seems that Yuichi hates him for some reason. And thus begins their awkward and melodramatic love story, full of miscommunication and teenage shenanigans. Honestly, the whole miscommunication thing could’ve been a lot more annoying, but the story was so low-stakes and the characters are high schoolers, so it was fine. It really was sweet, and a quick read. The art fits the tone of the story and was nice. The characters were fairly fun and there was no insane levels of drama. I would recommend it.
[read the full post at In A Word]
[read the full post at In A Word]
January 27, 2018
I picked this off the library shelf out of curiosity, having not read this genre of manga before. It hit y expectations. The plot had it's romance story type contrivances at times, as well as some character interaction tropes I recognize from reading shojo manga. The ending had some nice little twists that pulled many strings of the plot together. For someone who is looking to reading like a high school age yaoi romance, I think this would fit the bill for that reader.
June 26, 2018
Boys are impossible and don't share their feelings and are so frustrating, and that's what makes this manga SO WONDERFUL. They yell at each other until they are kissing each other, and even then, it's not a super smooth road to love. Manga adaptations of light novel series are great, and I wish the rest of the series could have been adapted too! Ah, well, I will just have to go (re)read those now. Again, SO MANY GOOD SIDE CHARACTERS.
November 27, 2021
Strong 3.5 stars (if only it were longer... the manga cuts off just when the plot is getting interesting!)
The plot is engaging, I like the characters and interactions, as well as the complexity of the emotions. The art doesn't hurt to look at, either!
A pretty good will-they-won't-they get-together story!
The plot is engaging, I like the characters and interactions, as well as the complexity of the emotions. The art doesn't hurt to look at, either!
A pretty good will-they-won't-they get-together story!
May 10, 2024
I don't really understand much of what happened in this manga. The ring thing was kind of a cool idea, but we definitely needed more background/context for what happened if we were meant to feel positively about these two getting together. I think there may have been a lot lost in the translation, as well.
July 4, 2017
A cute story about two people falling in love. It shows the internal conflict of feelings you don't normally see in romance manga. I read it from a scan; I think it was hosted by mangafox. The quality was good but the pages were cut off a bit short at the bottom.
April 21, 2018
I really liked this a lot, probably a 4 or 5, when I was younger, but the relationship is pretty toxic and problematic and I see that better as an older, more mature adult. I still can't help but like it, at least going by my vague memories.
September 16, 2020
This was such a cute book. I was downright swooning. I was laughing at how cute the characters were 😁😁😁. The way the story played out was also really good. It didn't go for the typical love story. It was love but in a very very good way. I really enjoyed reading this.🌈🔥💯
February 4, 2024
The way the characters fell in love with each other was not convincing - one because they liked how happy they looked when they found the ring they lost? And the other one because they felt bullied by the person? Also the whole bullying/teasing theme was a little bland. Beautiful art though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2024
Realistically this may not be a 4 stars, but given that this was one of my favorite mangas when I was a kid, I can't not rate it high, even though the translation is a bit wonky and the plot's logic is flawed.
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