My Love Story!!, Vol. 14: In College!!

俺物語!! [Ore Monogatari!!] #14

by Kazune Kawahara, Aruko (illustrator)

Takeo Goda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don’t want him! (They want his good-looking best friend, Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn!

Takeo and Yamato’s love story in high school was a happy one, and now it’s time for college! Along with Sunakawa, the couple are excited to attend the same school. They even have a chance to work together over the winter break, but a series of ominous events occur. Will this new chapter in their life end with…murder?!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Manga Romance, Fiction, Comics, Humor, Young Adult

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2024

About the author

• Birth Date: March 11th, 1972
• Blood Type: A
• Zodiac: Pisces

Kazune Kawahara (河原和音) made her manga debut at age 18 with Kare no Ichiban Sukina Hito (His Most Favorite Person). Also, while thinking of her manga, she often spaces out and brings grocery baskets home. Adores her nieces.

Reviews

[Rod Brown]

My Love Story!! is my favorite Shojo Beat manga of all time, so I was delighted to see that it was getting a volume of bonus stories years after the series conclusion.

I immediately felt all warm and fuzzy as I followed the familiar characters through their first days in college. They discover a childhood friend is attending the same school, and memory flashbacks show how Takeo Goda goofed up when he tried to help the friend impress his crush. A reconciliation is necessary! Apologies all around, in true manga fashion!

The final two-thirds of the book zips the characters to a remote bed-and-breakfast lodge for a closed circle mystery à la Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

So, yeah, this volume is not a true epilogue or coda where we learn more things about the characters. It's just a fresh visit with the old gang as they are up to their usual antics. It's not substantial, but I'll take it!


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Extra Edition: Takeo Goda's Diary of Pure Love -- Extra Edition: Takeo Goda's Diary of Pure Love: Snowy Mountain Mystery?! Part 1 -- Extra Edition: Takeo Goda's Diary of Pure Love: Snowy Mountain Mystery?! Part 2 -- Afterword

[Laura A. Grace]

"Some things are quickly forgotten even if they only just happened. Other things, you remember for years. There are some memories you can never laugh about, no matter how much time passes. Or do even those memories eventually become something we'll be able to laugh about?"

This was such a fun read!

I was a little nervous at first because I was prepared for our trio to be in college, which they were, but somehow the chapter centered around them NOT in college?? I admittedly was a little disappointed about that even though the new character we met was cute and a really friendly person. He just wasn't who I wanted to see, even though that said, seeing Takeo and Suna as kids was wonderful! I did enjoy that and getting to see them interact with other people besides one another!

However, my favorite part of the volume was definitely the "mountain mystery" chapters! I LOVED seeing our trio actually in college and how they are still as strong as ever in their friendship/relationship! The fun I remember of the main series came rushing back the more I read, even though there was some nervousness and if someone actually DID get taken out in this cabin they're staying in…

The solving of the mystery was great and I really enjoyed how everything wrapped up! I would definitely say this is a spin-off of sorts rather than a continuation of the main series because while it was the same characters and them in college, it felt more like a fun little trip with characters we love but are older.

I would definitely recommend this volume if you're looking to see these characters again and want to see some fun shenanigans with our trio! (Or just your faves because I internally squealed every time Sunakawa had a large panel! LOL!) Very enjoyable to read and really glad we got this in English!

[tahaslibrary]

honestly, what?

[marcia]

Vol. 9 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 10 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 11 ★★☆☆☆
Vol. 12 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 13 ★★☆☆☆

A collection of extras set after the main story has ended, ranging from a run-in with a childhood friend that triggers a trip down the memory lane to a murder mystery parody. It's relatively tame compared to the silliest parts of the series. Even so, I love these characters and it's just fun to see them back together again.

[Anna Quilter]

A popular series being dragged back to show the characters in a college situation and a strange murder mystery adventure.

[Mehsi]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.


To say that this was one of my most hyped books of well a long time, yes. Did it go where I wanted. Heck no. It just felt so short. What I had expected: College, university, dates, romance, sweet times between Yamato and Takeo, studying, some silly times. What I got, over 1/4 of a book about a childhood friend who I didn’t give a shit about. After that things did get better, but I hadn’t expected that the next story would be the rest of the book. I am so disappointed. I was so happy to get approved for this one on Edelweiss (something that is a very very rare occurrence). sighs

I still don’t get why the first bit of the book had to be about that childhood friend. If Takeo really had done something to him I would have been kinda invested, but I already knew that it would be a dumb thing that Takeo made way bigger in his head. And it was. I have to say that around 30-40 pages in I just wanted to DNF. Again, I came for romance. Sweet moments. FINALLY after YEARS I would see my favourite couple again. And then this.

Sure, I am happy to see Yamato and Takeo again! I am happy that their relationship is ever so strong. I am happy to see them both going to the same uni/college, Yamato would get in there easily, but we all know that Takeo isn’t that well-versed in studies, he is more the athletic can do all type. I also loved seeing Suna there and that the friendship is still strong. And the second story, or well, 3/4’s of the book was fun, it is a bit of a murder mystery feel with them getting stuck in the mountains while volunteering/working there. Again, no dates or much college/university, but at least it had some tension and I liked seeing the peeps get more and more paranoid, haha.

But seriously, this could have easily been set in high school. I get that it is their first year, so it is only a couple of months between, so maybe it would have been nicer to just have a few moments at the start of them starting college, and then go to a year or so later. I also wanted to see some progress between Takeo and Yamato, but it was just like in the start of their relationship. You know they are together, they are protective of each other, they are cute together, they have chemistry, but that is it.

I am still hoping to actually get to see a more mature Takeo and Yamato story. I would love to see their wedding. To see their kids. To see them have grown up to be adults.

So yeah, I just cannot give this one more than 2 stars. I had it at 3 originally, but after this review, it is going down. I am sadly, not going to be putting this on my shelf. I guess I am happy that I was able to read this early, because I was planning on buying it.

Not sure if I would recommend this. I am so disappointed.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm)]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
📖 like to read Japanese manga
🥫 have ever mistaken tomato juice for blood
🧁 love a cinnamon roll MMC
💕 are a loyal person

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

A gentle giant with a heart of gold finally stops being a love underdog in this hilarious romantic comedy!

Takeo Goda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don’t want him! (They want his good-looking best friend, Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn!

Takeo and Yamato’s love story in high school was a happy one, and now it’s time for college! Along with Sunakawa, the couple are excited to attend the same school. They even have a chance to work together over the winter break, but a series of ominous events occur. Will this new chapter in their life end with…murder?!

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was my first manga in the series, but it was absolutely adorable!! I’ll definitely need to go and buy the previous books in this series so that I can get a better grasp on Takeo! He really grew on me, and he is the absolute sweetest character and so respectful! I can see why Yamato is so head over heels for him. I really enjoyed the mystery sections of this volume, as it gave Agatha Christie “And Then There Were None” vibes! The drawings were fantastic, and I was really able to understand their feelings well. Definitely pick this one up, along with the first books in the series if you haven’t read it before!

[The Book Dragon]

So Takeo, Yamato, and Suna are all college students! And here are two extra epilogue stories…sorta.

The first is Takeo and Suna reuniting with an old classmate on their first day… and Takeo panicking about one particularly bad(?) memory.

Then, Takeo, Yamato, Suna, their old friend Yacchin, his girlfriend, and three upperclassmen go on a winter trip to fix up a B&B for the summer tourists. They get snowed in and it turns into a murder mystery.

So…not a lot gets added to the story, but it’s nice to see the characters again. Takeo is such a sweetheart and he and Yamato are in love and Suna is quietly protecting them both from getting too carried away.

This series has 14 volumes.

[Tuni]

I am glad I didn’t read the series until this came out. It definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was nice to have SOMETHING after the dud that was the last volume for me.

The first half is great, showing their college glow-ups. If this entire volume had just been more of that, I think it would have been perfect. The second weird secluded cabin mystery was… fine. And would be cute if it wasn’t the finale to the series. But as it stands, it was so out of place.

I think the series is worth a read, but it definitely lost steam. Which is sad.

[Megan]

I discovered the anime in 2019 almost as a fluke and fell head over heels in love. When I realized the anime ended short, I bought the manga and fell head over heels in love again. Now, almost fourteen years after its original debut, "Ore Monogatari" has made a sudden return.

I hope this isn't a one-off special. It's great to reunite with these characters again, but they've barely just begun their college journey. I want to see it through with them. More please, Kawahara-san.

[Zian B.]

I expected this book to show more of Takeo, Suna, and Yamato’s lives now that they have to navigate college, but instead, I was given a flashback involving a childhood friends and 2 chapters dedicated to an odd trip during their Winter Break.
While it was still an enjoyable read, I just expected more from this new volume since the original manga series had ended nearly a decade ago.

[Chelsea]

This delightful volume of bonus stories was released 12 years after the original series ended! The vignettes include events from Takeo, Suna, and Yamato's daily college life. It was fun to read and I hope more similar volumes are published in the future - the world needs more positive, uplifting stories to counteract the stresses of the daily news.

[georgiaotaku]

I am not going to rate this because it doesn’t seem fair. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t what I was expecting. For a “college” version I expected us to see their lives. Maybe see them married or engaged or just being adults. It was random stories with random characters. Is this going to continue or was that it? Strange. Overall it was extremely unnecessary unfortunately.

[-moonprismpower-]

I just love how much Takeo and Yamato love each other! And of course, Suna is still my favorite. He’s so chill lol.

[charlotte rose]

Good

Great story I'm loving the way the story is going. Its just so cute the couple hopefully his best friend find an nice person for him

[Rachel S.]

Loved it! Thanks to the author for continuing the series. I hope there are more volumes in the future.

[Justin Perucca]

You can skip this one. The last one was a true ending to the series in my eyes.

[Aurora]

It was fun to go back to this series. Wasn’t expecting 2/3rds of it to be “suddenly! a murder mystery!” though. 😅

[Sara]

Love this series, but I'm not sure this volume delivered? It's very different from the others - less narrative and more side adventure - and we also didn't get much of the promised college life.

[bel]

es tan hermoso todo c':

[Sol]

I didn’t realize how much I missed these scamps 😭😭😭
Takeo is so cute, his facial expressions always make me laugh so hard!!! This volume was feel good and made me nostalgic :)

[Jennica]

3.5 Stars

[Kristy]

Was this necessary, especially years after the series had already ended? Absolutely not. Was it still a whole lot of fun? Definitely.

[Sheepy]

"My Love Story!!, Vol. 15: Our Wedding!!" Next please?

[Renee Bailey]

More like a 3.5 rounding off. First half was great as it had the tone of the previous 13 volumes.

Second half with the cabin shenanigans was okay. I didn't like Komiya or Akamatsu (two new minor characters working at the cabin with the rest of the gang). Komiya is made to look like a relationship killer and tries to get all over Takeo. Akamatsu is just suspicious of everyone at the start and also has this weird attitude about Takeo.

This as whole should of just kept the tone of the first half.