If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love, Vol. 1

君となら恋をしてみても [Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo] #1

by Maru Kubota

When you’ve spent your entire life shrouding the part of yourself that’s capable of love, it’s terrifying when love finds you. Everyone had shown Amane that being gay was enough to push away those he cared about―until he moved to Enoshima and met Ryuuji, who was everything everyone else wasn’t. Amane doesn’t need to hide when they’re together, and his feelings quickly outgrow the veil he’d safely shoved them behind for so long. But now, Amane must reckon with something even scarier: the hope that this love could be real…

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Comics, Yaoi, Boys Love, Graphic Novels

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2022

Reviews

[Rebecca]

A very sweet love story that is as much about acceptance of oneself as it is about love. Ryuuji is such a gem and is absolutely perfect for Amane, who truly just needs to be loved.

[Lucy (the invisible life of a reader)]

this was a really cute volume and i cannot wait to read more!!

amane hasn't really liked anyone since middle school, having gone through a pretty painful experience. but when he moves to a new school and meets ryuuji, he starts to think that maybe falling in love wouldn't be so bad.

one of my favourite kinds of characters are always the ones that smile or laugh to hide their pain and amane is exactly that type of character, but with ryuuji he is starting to learn that he doesn't always have to smile. their relationship is honestly everything and i'm so curious to see how it will develop in future installments!!

Thank you Edelweiss and Yen Press for an arc!! The English paperback will be out March 25th so be sure to check it out!

[Mystic DreamClouds]

This was a really cute and adorable read!

Amane is a lovable and relatable character who has hidden his true self after a horrible incident in the past. He smiles and fakes being “normal” which pains my heart to see him hurting himself. It’s not until he moves to Enoshima and meets Ryuuji that he’s finally able to freely be himself. As their friendship grows, the feelings become deeper and Amane starts falling for the kind and open Ryuuji. I love how he’s expressive and honest with Ryuuji and I love how Ryuuji is accepting of Amane.

Ryuuji is a gem. I love how he is non-judgemental and clear with Amane. When Amane joked about his sexuality, Ryuuji took it with seriousness and openness. He questioned Amane’s attempt to cover it up and showed Amane the freedom he needed to be himself. I liked how after this incident Ryuuji is always looking at Amane even if he isn’t clear on his feelings yet.

This manga has such a unique start. It threw me off and I have a million questions but as the story continues we learn more about both Amane and Ryuuji and that takes the cake. I love their interactions and how this volume focuses on it while depicting their growth. The subtle changes in expression, dialogue and the backgrounds makes this a captivating read. I enjoyed how the characters had multiple layers even if there were many cliches such as, getting sick, festival date, and more.

That said, the pace is quite fast and Amane falls for Ryuuji quickly and hard. Personally I didn’t have an issue with this, because given Amane’s personality it made sense, as well as I like stories that focus on the growth in relationships without any unnecessary drama or triangles. Both the characters are school kids, but there aren’t a lot of school scenes and there are very limited interactions with side characters.

I liked how the flashbacks and backgrounds helped define the characters instead of their actions. I felt like this volume depicted the flashbacks as-is; simply a moment of sadness or regret in the past. They weren’t explaining the character’s current decisions because it was evident that although the moment was a trigger, there was more that made the character who they currently are.

The artwork is fun but scratchy. I’m not sure how else to explain the artwork because it’s somehow pointed yet soft. It’s not clean but clean and has an equal balance of scenic backgrounds and iconography. I absolutely loved their chibis and facial expressions. These two blush so adorable and they speak with their eyes! You can see their emotions in their eyes the most, but also their body language. The artwork is really interesting and unique throughout.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I have already read it twice in one sitting! Reading it makes me smile and I am eagerly looking forward to the next volume. I hope the next volume is filled with more lovable and cute moments without any drama!

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[cherry]

Amane hat so eine Art, alles mit Humor zu nehmen – sogar, wenn’s um seine Sexualität geht. Wenn er jemandem erzählt, dass er schwul ist, macht er’s als Witz, damit’s nicht so ernst wirkt. Dabei merkt man total, dass da eigentlich viel Unsicherheit dahintersteckt.
Dann zieht er zu seiner Oma und wechselt auf eine neue Schule und trifft dort auf Ryuji. Ryuji ist das komplette Gegenteil von ihm: super hilfsbereit, kann kochen, ist immer freundlich und einfach dieser Typ Mensch, der für alle da ist. Und natürlich ist Amane sofort hin und weg.
Das Setting ist so schön! Diese kleine Stadt am Meer, mit Treppen, Bergen und dieser ganz typischen japanischen Atmosphäre ist einfach so cozy. Die Story ist total ruhig, aber man spürt das Knistern zwischen den beiden immer mehr!
Ryuji scheint hetero zu sein, aber er geht so natürlich und respektvoll mit Amane um, dass man die ganze Zeit hofft, dass da vielleicht doch mehr ist. Und dann kommt noch diese Erkältungsszene am Ende🥹
Es ist auf jeden Fall ein richtig schöner Slowburn-BL und ich bin mega gespannt auf Band 2 – und hoffe ganz ehrlich auf mindestens eine Kussszene!

[Carli FriesJr.]

The way this story made me feel..

Amane’s depth, sorrow, & yearning to be accepted. He hides behind a mask of laughs & smiles. Ryuuji is so kind & it’s heartwarming to see how genuine he is. It was so sweet it made me want to cry. It makes me want to hold Amane tight & tell him he’s important & cared for & the emptiness/pain from his past will too pass.

[rory (jess' version)]

we love some emotionally traumatized mc who sleeps around because of fear of being alone and how he found real love with the ml

[somnus 🪴]

i love this it’s sooooo cute and fluffy

[Ash 🩹 (Dazai’s + Omori’s Version) 🔍]

4.75/5 ⭐️

AMANE IS JUST LIKE MEE FR🫶

[grayi ♡]

Cute! Fluffy. I really feel for Amane, I can tell how lonely he really feels behind the happy facade, and I think someone as sincere and honest as Ryuuji is going to be good for him.

[Fallon]

That was adorable 💘

[K]

This was shockingly lovely. Really low drama so far, mostly because Amane has trained himself to laugh off anything that starts veering a bit more into serious territory.

He's gay, pretty much openly, and has a solid record of physical, casual experience, but seems to have written off all types of affection, whether romantic or familial. He hasn't told anyone yet why he moved to a remote area to live with his grandmother, but since he does later tell Ryuuji that when he was little, his mother was always busy at work and his father didn't care about him, it seems like he just got shuffled off to a more reliable family member. Hard to tell if anything negative had happened more recently or if his parents just said "hey we don't want to deal with having a kid anymore."

The really interesting part that I did not expect was how perceptive and open Ryuuji is. They form a pretty quick friendship, based on the sorts of silly things that make friendships so easy at that age. Proximity, mostly, and shared experiences.

But when Amane suggests a "date" and then laughingly tells Ryuuji during that "date" that he's gay, Ryuuji tells him (a) stop joking about it (b) oh, you're serious. then why are you treating it like a joke?

The first response is exactly why Amane comes out to him so quickly - again, something I didn't expect, but which makes sense with his personality and his history. He's been burned before by finding out guys he'd thought he was close with actually didn't consider him a friend...at least not once they found out he was gay. Even though he'd just said he was gay, and not that he was interested in them, specifically.

So with Ryuuji, Amane just gets ahead of the curve and any potential heartbreak and tells him right off where things stand, so he doesn't have to worry about getting attached and being ditched later on, once the truth comes out.

But Ryuuji doesn't change how he interacts with Amane in the slightest. He gets a bit irritated, for Amane's sake, that he plays off things as a joke when they obviously matter to him. And he notices when Amane goes from bright and over-the-top enthusiastic about everything to quiet and still, when he doesn't think anyone's paying attention to him.

Also loved Ryuuji just casually hanging out with Amane's grandmother while he was waiting for a sick Amane to wake up, hopefully feeling a bit better. They're just...so good together. And I'm very, very much looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops.

[marcia]

Picked this up at the library knowing nothing about it. It's so charming and funny! Amane is an endearing lead. The way he uses jokes to hide how hurt he is breaks my heart and is also relatable. I totally understand why he's fallen for Ryuuji given how sweet their interactions are. That said, I hope we get to learn more about Ryuuji in the next volume. He's mostly a blank slate at the moment. While I've been raving about the writing, I enjoy the art just as much. You can tell Maru Kubota is at least a little inspired by manhwa, from the way they panel and do linework to the jokes and facial expressions. Can't wait for the next volume.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble]

I can see why so many people love this. Sometimes I just want to read a feel good BL and now I know that this series will scratch that itch for me. Even some of the sadder parts are handled in a way that yes it’s sad but it doesn’t change the general feeling of the manga. I’ll definitely will be continuing as I’m already so enthralled in these two kids and their story.

[ℂ ✧]

Una història d'amor no correspost (per ara?) d'un alumne obertament gai que acaba d'arribar a l'illa d'Enoshima cap a un noi que coneix abans que comenci el curs. La relació qy es va desenvolupant és preciosa, sense prejudicis i sembla que es va coent una possible relació ❤️ amb ganes de més!!!

[Jake]

I found it a bit odd and at times like a few panels were skipped (maybe to streamline the story?), if you know what I mean.

It's got potential, so I'll probably pick up the second volume, and then decide whether to continue it or not.

[Peppa]

It’s definitely sweet but I can’t say more to it since not much had happened here

[Dee]

4 ⭐

Amane is right, Ryuuji is a real sweetheart.

[Marianne]

if I read a random b/l that turns up in a crate at work it still counts as work right

[Stay_in_Wonderland]

★ 3,5 ★

[Julie]

Ahhhh so cute!!! I need the next volume. I'm so happy this lived up because I've been wanting to read this one for a while. This was so adorable and I can't wait to see them get together.

[Cassandra]

Much fluffier than the premise suggest. Our main character has been hurt by others reaction to his sexuality in the past. He was called gross in particular by a person that he wasn't expecting to return his feelings but hoped that he would still accept him as a friend once he was honest. This has led him to living a more promiscuous lifestyle sleeping with older guys (i don't love this as it seems common that people mess around with young kids in manga ,shoujo too in a simply sexual relationship) and I wasn't sure I was going to like this series cause of that. It seems like then the more experienced young person kind of pushes their love interest in to sexual/intimate encounters without consent often but that does not happen here at all. Our lead, even with his sexual history that in other manga series would have led him to dub/non con behavior, is kind and considerate of his new friend and potential love interest. They are just so sweet together. He is accepted and still has a friend after telling him he is gay. And he is shocked that someone accepts him, I loved it. I like the art too very easy to tell everyone apart. I can't wait to see where this series goes.

[Kyra Ayala]

This book is so wholesome. I want to adopt Amane now haha. The one thing that I wasn’t expecting but loved while reading this was the realism of being queer. In manga or a lot of books I read now don’t have the same realism when it comes to the reality of being part of the lgbtq+ community. It obviously was sad to see Amane’s past and how it shaped how he feels and treats him own sexuality but I felt that it was so beautiful and carefully crafted. Amane is such a wonderful character to me and I love him.

My favorite scene by far though was the bath house. When Ryuuji said “how long have you been laughing at yourself?” I just kinda had to sit in silence. It felt like such a fragile moment and I loved it as much as it hurt. The bonus chapter in Ryuuji’s point of view also held a similar feeling when it said, “He’s super friendly…and quick with a smile. But sometimes…he looks like he might break down in tears.”

Overall, this book is so worth reading and it holds such a gentle, thoughtful and loving tone to it. 10/10

[Henli]

Amane doesn't have a good relationship with relationships. Because of some past trauma stemming from coming out to a friend, he has learned to joke about things instead of seriously talking about feelings, and has pretty much written off serious relationships. After moving to a new town to live with his grandma, Amane meets Ryuuji, a boy that ends up being a classmate at his new school. The two hit it off pretty quickly and develop a fast friendship.

Amane is pretty openly gay, but jokes about it to try to protect himself. Ryuuji is incredibly kind and caring and accepts Amane wholeheartedly. Because of this, Amane starts to heal from his trauma and starts to develop some real feelings for Ryuuji.

All in all, this is a really sweet story about love, friendship, and acceptance. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series when it comes out.

[Rose Rambles]

A perfectly fine romance story about a high school boy, Amane, learning that he doesn't have to hide himself, especially when he befriends Ryuuji.

This story just wasn't for me, in part because I'm an adult, and this is definitely geared towards high schoolers and young adults. I do think this would resonate with folks in that age range, and would appreciate the honestly overall sweet story happening. I am happy that it's a queer coming of age story.

Mild spoilers...

One jarring moment was when the character Amane, to himself, says "I want him inside me!" about the potential love interest. While it's established at the beginning that this high schooler seems to be sleeping around, and with older - though the age difference is not specified - guys, idk, that one line still felt so jarring to see, to me at least. I think it felt out of place with the rest of the story and its general sweeter tone.

[ceejay]

I love how sweet all the characters are in this manga. Ryuuji despite just meeting Amane treats him with nothing but respect and hospitality. And Amane despite saying he’s not destined for love slowly starts understanding what love is through Ryuuji. When first reading I instantly thought Ryuuji reminded me of Uenoyama Ritsuka and just reading more and more I just saw the resemblance which made me more drawn to him and his character. Despite Now with Amane spilling his secret to Ryuuji, Ryuuji didn’t look down on him or make fun of him and if anything he actually helped Amane accept himself more and decided to let Amane know that he shouldn’t make himself the butt of the joke when he is no different than anyone else for liking who he likes. I love how close the boys got within the short amount of time they’ve known each other, and I can’t wait to read more about them! Literally as soon as I finished reading this volume I went ahead and ordered more, I’m hooked.

[Alan D.D.]

Esta es otra historia preciosa que habla sobre las heridas emocionales del pasado, de cómo la sociedad puede condicionar a alguien a tener comportamientos autodestructivos, y cómo las personas indicadas pueden revertir el efecto. No se trata de un mesianismo ridículo ni de ser el santo remedio para los problemas. Se trata de sentir algo genuino, algo por lo que enfrentar el miedo a salir lastimado.

This is another beautiful story that talks about the emotional wounds of the past, how society can condition someone to engage in self-destructive behavior, and how the right people can reverse the effects. It's not about ridiculous messianicism or being a cure-all for problems. It's about feeling something genuine, something that makes you face the fear of getting hurt.

Full review on April 23rd: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/20...

[Zephorah Dove]

So stinking adorable!

I'm really curious about Amane's backstory and why he moved to live with his grandmom. Ryuji-kun is such a typical Samaritan, going out of his way to help everyone, but I wonder if his help for Amane is out of pity? Hopefully not but I was skeptical when he commented on Amane looking close to tears at the time.

In such a short amount of time, we got so many scenes of them together and nurturing their relationship. I almost teared up when Amane came out and Ryuji told him he didn't need to make a joke out of it. Even if there is not love line between them, I really hope they remain friends and Amane is able to accept himself more.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Yen Press for the DRC. Really looking forward to volume 2.

[Ryofire]

This is a really sweet, realistic fiction boys love manga, with lovely characters, a fun dynamic between the leads, and a nice plot. The art isn't always the best, and there's one shot of food early on that looks like a photograph rather than a drawing (but in a bad way, like it was just put in a filter to look like a drawing rather than used as a reference for a drawing), which is unfortunately increasingly popular with manga now), and which is a shame, since the other food drawings look just fine, even good. But given how good the rest of the volume is, I'll give it a pass.

I have a soft spot for characters who use humor to hide pain, and that's a central part of this.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I look forward to volume 2.

[Beau Manglass]

I am reviewing a digital ARC I received via Edelweiss.

A sweet, simple BL story. Amane moves from the city to live with his grandmother. He is pretty open about his attraction to guys, but plays it off jokingly to protect himself from the rejection that he has experienced from former friends in the past. In his new town he meets Ryuuji, who shows Amane what genuine acceptance and connection can look like. I don't know that I'll continue the series; some of it is a little tropey, but it was a nice 1st volume, not too much to really complain about.

[Luka]

I have not read a single thing in like half a year and honestly,,, this is the perfect thing to get me back into it. I love Amane so much. I have watched the adaptation they released like,, last year I think(?), and I've love him since then. He feels so relatable, not just to me personally but to young gay people in general. There's this real underlying hurt that always comes across in his interactions with other characters; no matter how much he smiles or how loud he laughs, there's always a deep insecurity lying beneath. It comes across so well, this is genuinely such a well done manga.