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Hatsukoi Note Vol. 2: Love’s Luster
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 14, 2026
Adorable adorable!!!!!! I really liked this one but the one thing that irked me was *THAT* scene that happens in the beginning….yknow the one if u read it…. Poor ayumu that wouldve been terrifying af and did like that they showed he is still traumatised by it when he saw a van that looked like the same one in the beginning.
I think i prefer the 1st manga better and i will reread that more than this one.
I think i prefer the 1st manga better and i will reread that more than this one.
February 5, 2025
Rating: 4.5*
I ate this UP. They were SO CUTE. I loved how most of this book was just them hanging out and being friends and building their relationship. It was so refreshing to read. So wholesome and sweet.
I ate this UP. They were SO CUTE. I loved how most of this book was just them hanging out and being friends and building their relationship. It was so refreshing to read. So wholesome and sweet.
August 3, 2025
omg this one was much more fun to read for me and i quickly got attached to the characters ^^
December 9, 2024
Hatsukoi Note was one of my absolute favorite manga, and so when I found this sequel with Ayumu and Ryuu I just about screamed. This pairing was not on my radar at all, but oh the gentle build up. The gradual little interactions leading up to them depending on eachother, to ending up together. It was perfection. The relationship had time to grow and didn’t seem forced at all. And Ayumu was redeemed finally. Ryuu our green flag gentle giant also had a sad little backstory. All in all, perfect manga and a great way to end the year. Gonna be one of my favorite releases for this year. ✨
February 7, 2025
I had a feeling I would like the spin-off sequel more than the original, but I did not realize I would absolutely love it. It'll probably make me like the first volume more, too.
This was just...wonderful. It makes me so happy when an occasional five star story shines through. I loved basically everything about this one?
Ayumu isn't a "villain" in the first volume, exactly, but he is an irritant to the sweet relationship we'd been following and rooting for. Why would he show up late to the party and try to butt in with his feelings after Tsubame finally found happiness and comfort? We find out more about that here, with a natural and genuine transition of Ayumu's feelings to a love that actually fits him much better. (That's not a size joke. But it could be.)
Ryuu, whom I want to revisit in volume 1 now that I know more of his backstory, sees Ayumu visibly pining after Tsubame at the school festival, and slides in to pull him away from the happy couple before he disrupts anything. Ryuu is perceptive and blunt but not intentionally cruel, and while Ayumu flares up in embarrassed annoyance at Ryuu calling him "sad" for clinging to a past he hadn't done anything to change, he doesn't argue with Ryuu over it. He just butts out of Tsubame's life, which he'd intended to anyway...he was staring at him with longing but wasn't going to try to insert himself between them.
Instead, he immediately does his best to move on. He signs up for a dating site, finds a guy who looks similar to Tsubame (his type is small, cute, something that brings out his protective instincts), and begins chatting with him. Eventually, they agree to meet up: on Christmas, a very romantic day in Japan.
This is where it gets a tiny bit silly, because I don't know what the long game was, exactly, for these dudes and their kidnapping attempts, but it's a trope I've seen a couple other BLs recently. Anyway, Ryuu happens to be walking by the alley where Ayumu is kicking and screaming and being shoved into a van, and he rushes in to save him and sprint back home with Ayumu over his shoulder.
That starts off a friendship, then - surprisingly, perhaps - Ryuu falling head over heels for Ayumu long before Ayumu is willing to think of him in that way at all.
Part of it is because Ayumu has certain ideas in his head of what he is and isn't attracted to. Ryuu is way too tall for him; he's not "small" or "cute" in any way at all. Except, at times, he is cute, and he sparks the protective instincts that Ayumu values so much in a relationship. I love how they almost get...not competitive, because it's not intentional like that, but both Ryuu and Ayumu put so much energy into taking care of each other. It's really, really sweet and the foundation for such a wonderful relationship.
I love so many things. How the morning after the incident, Ryuu tries to cheer Ayumu up by accidentally taking him on the amusement park date Ayumu had been saving for The One - since it was Ayumu's parents' first date spot, and he adores their loving, committed relationship and wants that for himself. I love how Ryuu immediately understands that Ayumu will be an amazing partner whenever he gives his heart to someone. I loved that Ayumu proved that when he finally confessed, telling Ryuu that he will absolutely shower him in love until he gets how much he's valued and cared for.
Ryuu has his own dark past, with a pretty messed-up relationship with his sister-in-law and some serious insecurities around being seen as "useful" but also disposable. It's hard for him to believe that anyone could actually love him. But Ayumu is stubborn and snarky and absolutely will prove him wrong.
There's one scene that shaded a little bit into dubcon, but Ryuu apologized right after and removed himself from the situation and from the relationship until Ayumu was ready to talk to him again. My main issue with scenarios like that is that it's often portrayed as "romantic" in BL, so it's nice to see something that feels realistic, like a mistake people sometimes stumble through in relationships, and then actually treat as something that affects people and has consequences.
These aren't perfect people, but they are trying their best, and Ryuu and Ayumu are pretty much perfect together.
It's just so good. Loved the communication, the friendship, and the ways their personalities were so different but aligned so well. And the realization both of them had that they were being truly themselves with each other, in a way they'd never felt comfortable doing with anyone else. That's very much my jam and tipped this into a favorite.
This was just...wonderful. It makes me so happy when an occasional five star story shines through. I loved basically everything about this one?
Ayumu isn't a "villain" in the first volume, exactly, but he is an irritant to the sweet relationship we'd been following and rooting for. Why would he show up late to the party and try to butt in with his feelings after Tsubame finally found happiness and comfort? We find out more about that here, with a natural and genuine transition of Ayumu's feelings to a love that actually fits him much better. (That's not a size joke. But it could be.)
Ryuu, whom I want to revisit in volume 1 now that I know more of his backstory, sees Ayumu visibly pining after Tsubame at the school festival, and slides in to pull him away from the happy couple before he disrupts anything. Ryuu is perceptive and blunt but not intentionally cruel, and while Ayumu flares up in embarrassed annoyance at Ryuu calling him "sad" for clinging to a past he hadn't done anything to change, he doesn't argue with Ryuu over it. He just butts out of Tsubame's life, which he'd intended to anyway...he was staring at him with longing but wasn't going to try to insert himself between them.
Instead, he immediately does his best to move on. He signs up for a dating site, finds a guy who looks similar to Tsubame (his type is small, cute, something that brings out his protective instincts), and begins chatting with him. Eventually, they agree to meet up: on Christmas, a very romantic day in Japan.
This is where it gets a tiny bit silly, because I don't know what the long game was, exactly, for these dudes and their kidnapping attempts, but it's a trope I've seen a couple other BLs recently. Anyway, Ryuu happens to be walking by the alley where Ayumu is kicking and screaming and being shoved into a van, and he rushes in to save him and sprint back home with Ayumu over his shoulder.
That starts off a friendship, then - surprisingly, perhaps - Ryuu falling head over heels for Ayumu long before Ayumu is willing to think of him in that way at all.
Part of it is because Ayumu has certain ideas in his head of what he is and isn't attracted to. Ryuu is way too tall for him; he's not "small" or "cute" in any way at all. Except, at times, he is cute, and he sparks the protective instincts that Ayumu values so much in a relationship. I love how they almost get...not competitive, because it's not intentional like that, but both Ryuu and Ayumu put so much energy into taking care of each other. It's really, really sweet and the foundation for such a wonderful relationship.
I love so many things. How the morning after the incident, Ryuu tries to cheer Ayumu up by accidentally taking him on the amusement park date Ayumu had been saving for The One - since it was Ayumu's parents' first date spot, and he adores their loving, committed relationship and wants that for himself. I love how Ryuu immediately understands that Ayumu will be an amazing partner whenever he gives his heart to someone. I loved that Ayumu proved that when he finally confessed, telling Ryuu that he will absolutely shower him in love until he gets how much he's valued and cared for.
Ryuu has his own dark past, with a pretty messed-up relationship with his sister-in-law and some serious insecurities around being seen as "useful" but also disposable. It's hard for him to believe that anyone could actually love him. But Ayumu is stubborn and snarky and absolutely will prove him wrong.
There's one scene that shaded a little bit into dubcon, but Ryuu apologized right after and removed himself from the situation and from the relationship until Ayumu was ready to talk to him again. My main issue with scenarios like that is that it's often portrayed as "romantic" in BL, so it's nice to see something that feels realistic, like a mistake people sometimes stumble through in relationships, and then actually treat as something that affects people and has consequences.
These aren't perfect people, but they are trying their best, and Ryuu and Ayumu are pretty much perfect together.
It's just so good. Loved the communication, the friendship, and the ways their personalities were so different but aligned so well. And the realization both of them had that they were being truly themselves with each other, in a way they'd never felt comfortable doing with anyone else. That's very much my jam and tipped this into a favorite.
September 11, 2025
I remember next to nothing about the first volume of this series so I probably shouldn’t have waited quite so long to read this one if I really wanted to compare the two. That being said, since this focuses on a different couple it’s really not too bad.
I feel like I liked Ayumu in the first volume but I can’t say that with any real confidence and I actually didn’t remember who Ryuu was at all, oops. In this volume though, I did absolutely love them both, especially Ayumu. What can I say, I like characters who are a little bratty sometimes.
The way that they were able to be vulnerable with and care for one another and just generally seeing their relationship progress over time was really sweet. Definitely worth picking up!
I feel like I liked Ayumu in the first volume but I can’t say that with any real confidence and I actually didn’t remember who Ryuu was at all, oops. In this volume though, I did absolutely love them both, especially Ayumu. What can I say, I like characters who are a little bratty sometimes.
The way that they were able to be vulnerable with and care for one another and just generally seeing their relationship progress over time was really sweet. Definitely worth picking up!
November 8, 2025
Hmm, ehkä tavallaan tykkään tästä parista ekan osan paria enemmän! Sellainen aika tavanomainen tarina siitä, kun luulet jonkun olevan sinulle se oikea, mutta lopulta ihastutkin kaveriin, jonka kanssa olet tätä käsitellyt. Jälleen kerran olisin halunnut nähdä tätä romanssia enemmänkin, mutta kiva piirrostyyli ja tasaisen hyvä kirja muutenkin.
September 9, 2024
Renai Side es un spin-off de la primera obra de Amekiri, Hatsukoi Note, y se centra en los personajes de Ayumu y Ryuu, a quienes conoceremos más a fondo y veremos desarrollar una amistad y poco a poco una relación romántica.
Siento que cada obra de Amekiri es mejor que la anterior, y en esta en especifico percibí un manejo del tiempo más adecuado. Lo que mejora el desarrollo de personaje, la justificación de los sentimientos y el inicio de la eventual relación.
Si bien, la manera de conocerse y entablar una amistad resulta un poco conveniente para la trama, posteriormente todo se siente natural. Los sentimientos confusos de amor en la adolescencia están muy bien personificados. Ayumu está confundido porque Ryuu no es su tipo (a diferencia de Tsubame) pero no puede evitar pensar en él todo el tiempo. En cambio Ryuu, quien sufrió una decepción amorosa en el pasado, se enamora de un chico por primera vez.
Es hermoso ver que tienen una muy buena comunicación, incluso con la terquedad de Ayumu, son capaces de hablar las cosas cuando creen que se equivocan (quizá exceptuando la parte del mes sin contacto). Por ocasiones pensaba que iba a haber drama innecesario pero no era así, ambos lo resolvían muy bien y eran capaces de manifestar sus dudas e inseguridades.
El final me encanta, si bien Ryuu es quien da el primer paso, Ayumu tuvo que darse cuenta del significado de sus propios sentimientos y hacérselos llegar.
Fue una hermosa lectura y amé a ambos. Quizá más a Ayumu porque es muy fácil de empatizar con toda su fachada perfecta y el overthinking que hace por cada cosa que le pasa jajaja. Pero tambien Ryuu, no sonríe o le muestra su lado vulnerable a la gente pues le da miedo volver a salir herido.
Siento que cada obra de Amekiri es mejor que la anterior, y en esta en especifico percibí un manejo del tiempo más adecuado. Lo que mejora el desarrollo de personaje, la justificación de los sentimientos y el inicio de la eventual relación.
Si bien, la manera de conocerse y entablar una amistad resulta un poco conveniente para la trama, posteriormente todo se siente natural. Los sentimientos confusos de amor en la adolescencia están muy bien personificados. Ayumu está confundido porque Ryuu no es su tipo (a diferencia de Tsubame) pero no puede evitar pensar en él todo el tiempo. En cambio Ryuu, quien sufrió una decepción amorosa en el pasado, se enamora de un chico por primera vez.
Es hermoso ver que tienen una muy buena comunicación, incluso con la terquedad de Ayumu, son capaces de hablar las cosas cuando creen que se equivocan (quizá exceptuando la parte del mes sin contacto). Por ocasiones pensaba que iba a haber drama innecesario pero no era así, ambos lo resolvían muy bien y eran capaces de manifestar sus dudas e inseguridades.
El final me encanta, si bien Ryuu es quien da el primer paso, Ayumu tuvo que darse cuenta del significado de sus propios sentimientos y hacérselos llegar.
Fue una hermosa lectura y amé a ambos. Quizá más a Ayumu porque es muy fácil de empatizar con toda su fachada perfecta y el overthinking que hace por cada cosa que le pasa jajaja. Pero tambien Ryuu, no sonríe o le muestra su lado vulnerable a la gente pues le da miedo volver a salir herido.
October 15, 2024
I like how this one is a bit longer and takes its time with developing the story and characters. It was nice seeing them open up and be vulnerable with each other.
I really like Ayumu, Ryuu is just kinda there for me but I don't dislike him. I really enjoy this author's art.
I really like Ayumu, Ryuu is just kinda there for me but I don't dislike him. I really enjoy this author's art.
April 1, 2025
Follows a different couple to volume 1, which is a shame. Didn’t enjoy this one as much, just not that keen on Ayumu at all.
April 29, 2025
I really liked this follow up volume of the friends of the MCs in volume 1.
I’d definitely read more from this mangaka 💕
I’d definitely read more from this mangaka 💕
May 31, 2025
Watching these two fall in love was so frustrating! Stop being a tsundere and just love him already!
Read
December 14, 2025something something finding love in the most unexpected places
March 19, 2025
Unexpectedly liked this couple better than the first.
Didn't actually know this existed until I bought the first English release volume and it had a 1 on it! Something about these lonely characters had me more intrigued and endeared than the first couple, which is rare for me! I think the main character's personality in this duo was what got me; he's clumsy and tries to act cool, and is met with a very stoic counterpart.
Didn't actually know this existed until I bought the first English release volume and it had a 1 on it! Something about these lonely characters had me more intrigued and endeared than the first couple, which is rare for me! I think the main character's personality in this duo was what got me; he's clumsy and tries to act cool, and is met with a very stoic counterpart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews