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Love on the Horizon (Manga) #1

Love on the Horizon Vol. 1

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Art university student Nagi Kitagawa is hopelessly in love with Yu Yamasaki, his senpai in the folk song club who also happens to be his next door neighbor. Yu seems to have it all-good looks, a great personality, and he's also super popular-so Nagi can't help but think he'd never fall for a shy, innocent country bumpkin like him. One night, after drinking too much at one of their club get-togethers, Nagi helps a drunk Yu get home safe-but before he can go back to his own apartment, Yu wraps Nagi in his arms and falls asleep, trapping Nagi in his embrace. Nagi sneaks out the next morning, careful to not wake Yu up, and vows to keep the incident a secret. But when Nagi finds himself growing closer and closer to Yu, his unrequited feelings only grow stronger…but could it be his love isn't as one-sided as he thinks it is…?

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2022

15 people are currently reading
474 people want to read

About the author

Machi Yamashita

2 books10 followers

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5 stars
181 (31%)
4 stars
278 (47%)
3 stars
109 (18%)
2 stars
13 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
Profile Image for Morwen.
215 reviews109 followers
February 19, 2025
This was so incredibly puddle-worthy! 🫠🥹🥰
It was over a bit too fast, —something adorably-swoony and short was exactly what I was looking for initially, but it was so lovely that I was sad to see it end so quickly.
However, even if so brief, it delivered all the emotions that it was supposed to, from the cutesy shivers of anticipation, to that little tear in my left eye that I will blame on *random other external circumstances* should anyone ask 🤫🤫🤫😁

This is such a good choice for a quick MM college romance pick-me-up, with that brand of giggling, clean, wholesome cuteness that is typical of manga stories. 🥰

Spicy scenes are not exactly closed door, but shots are framed in a way that makes it safe even for younger audiences.

Thank you Kodansha for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Pre-Read
I haven't ever added any of the manga I've read/own on Goodreads, and it would be a messy chore to do, but this cute little thing popped up in my NetGalley feed, and I couldn't help myself 👀😶‍🌫️🫠
Profile Image for alex :).
222 reviews30 followers
June 4, 2025
4.5 stars! the way it was so obvious that yu had feelings for nagi had me kicking my feet. he was such a cutie patootie and soo clingy. i loved them both :’)
Profile Image for Rebecca.
1,443 reviews84 followers
May 24, 2025
This was a super soft and sweet first love story with precious leads whose longing, and joy at being together radiate off the page. The author does a wonderful job at communicating their connection through the art, even in the quiet moments. I'll definitely be picking up more.
Profile Image for Brooke.
832 reviews560 followers
February 18, 2025
⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

If this is just a dream… I don’t ever want to wake up.


Love On The Horizon was ADORABLE.
A sweet friends to lovers romance, some pining and a queer awakening.
Nagi and Yu were extremely cute together, the art style simple but fitting. A read that made me giddy and happy, and I hope we get more of these two lovebirds.

I’ve never felt my heart race just by holding someone’s hand.


I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Katie.
627 reviews7 followers
June 27, 2025
Re-read 27.6.25
Rate 3.5



First time i read i didn't enjoyed reading it as i think i wasn't in mood for it but this time round i actually quite enjoyed reading it was super cute.
Profile Image for Susanna.
Author 52 books102 followers
February 7, 2025
This was cute, but kind of small. The story has been going on before the reader comes in, even if the flashback explains how it began. The men have already a set pattern in their relationship: Nagi pines after Yu and helps him home every time he passes out drunk after a student party, and then end up sleeping at his place because Yu wants to cuddle, but Yu doesn’t remember anything in the morning. Then one time Yu does remember, sort of, and both are embarrassed. But they talk it out, realise both like the other, and start dating. Everything is sweet, cute, and wholesome, with a hint of spice.

This is volume one, but it could be left at this. It’s low-stakes, no drama, and I don’t see how anything would change in following volumes. I’m happy where they end up.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Sabs ✨️.
697 reviews11 followers
February 10, 2025
ARC 3.25 ⭐️

Love on the Horizon Vol. 1 by Machi Yamashita is a cute, heartwarming, and sweet BL romance manga.

Just like the front cover, the artwork and drawing style was really nice and the story was easy to follow.

As the series progresses, it will be interesting to see their chemistry grow. I think this is a great book and I can't wait for the next volume.

Thank you, NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Machi Yamashita, for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Karina.
32 reviews20 followers
March 15, 2025
Cozy and cute! 🥰
The manga is about two boys falling in love with each other, but they believe the other does not feel the same.

The art style is very beautiful! The story focuses on their relationship, and I loved the slow burn; it was sweet and cute but not cheesy. The characters were very likable and grew on me. It felt like a comforting, cute, and cozy read!
Profile Image for Miki_reads.
463 reviews168 followers
February 20, 2025
This is sooooo fricken cute! If you loved twilight out of focus, you will eat this up. It's just a really sweet BL manga that'll give you a tooth ache 🥹

*i received an arc and this is my honest review*
Profile Image for Fallon.
281 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2025
May this kind of love find us 😭🫶🏻✨ they’re so cute my heart skipped a beat or two 🥹
Profile Image for ベッカ.
155 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2025
Call me a simple lad but goddamn do I love pure uncomplicated love stories!!
Profile Image for Chloe.
127 reviews8 followers
July 6, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

I want to start off this review with a special thanks to @Netgalley and @Kodansha for allowing me to read an e-arc of this volume! This was a cute and simple BL title. The characters were enjoyable and fun to read about. The characters have a good dynamic and I will be rooting for their relationship! I enjoyed my time with this first volume and I am looking forward to reading more of this series in the future! This volume gave off similar vibes to the BL title “Stay By My Side After the Rain” so if this series is one that you like you may like this title too!

Profile Image for Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎.
1,270 reviews187 followers
February 9, 2025
As expected from our Machi-sensei: a flavorful, heart-tugging romance with sprinkles of angst and cutesy! I love this one with all my heart lol. My heart won’t stop drumming while reading this. That’s what sensei does to you with her works—makes you crazy for bl, makes the world better for a few moments!

My gratitude to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me a gorgeous copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Kelli.
2,126 reviews25 followers
April 2, 2025
This is absolutely adorable.

If you enjoy a sweet, contemporary slice-of-life college and/or neighbors meet-cute romance, this is definitely for you. Especially if you are a fan of wholesome, endearing BL stories where the developing relationship between our main couple is more of the focus than the *spice*, you would like this.

Which, isn’t to say that this story doesn’t have some sensual, enthusiastically consensual moments—because it does! But, that is certainly secondary to watching our boys fall in love.

Anyway.

I think this is a very solid and satisfying first volume. Would definitely recommend checking out this series or any of the author’s other work~
Profile Image for Mary.
613 reviews28 followers
February 9, 2025
This was really cute! The relationship was adorable, and I loved that there was no drama. Just straight fluff. This felt like a one-shot to me, so I am curious to see what more will happen between them - I hope it stays super lighthearted and warm. I would love to see them all go on vacation to Nagi's hometown like they talked about.
Profile Image for .•°•MonaLisa•°•..
169 reviews2 followers
June 17, 2025
☆ 4.5 stars ☆

This was just too adorable, I already know I'ma come back and read this story over and over again😭 the way they were just pining for each other was wayyy too cute💗
Profile Image for Esme.
988 reviews49 followers
March 4, 2025
This was so precious. It was just absolutely adorable, I really loved the art style. Cannot wait for vol 2 cause I love these characters so much!

A very quick and cute BL manga!

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc! All opinions are my own!
Profile Image for lex ❄.
408 reviews175 followers
June 16, 2025
This was actually out of my element because I don't really go after lighthearted stories but I thought it was good to try. After all, sometimes all that's needed is to read a cute BL manga with a simple story to pass the time. That was exactly my experience with this one, and I enjoyed it overall because it felt comforting and it was an easy reading.

The story is about Nagi, a first year college student that has recently started his studies. He lives next door to another guy -Saki- that goes to the same college but is older, and Nagi is usually tasked to get him to his home after reunions because Saki gets too drunk. Nagi gets used to it, and with time he starts falling asleep in the same bed as Saki, without him knowing. Nagi hides his feelings because he can't believe a popular guy like Saki could ever like him back, but he doesn't expect to be so wrong.

This was a fluffy manga with low/zero angst about two guys that fall for each other the more time they spend time together, but it takes time for both to realize this. On one hand, Saki discovers what he feels isn't just out of friendship, meanwhile Nagi stays quiet about his because he believes Saki is very popular and he might be only interested in girls so he won't ever have a chance.

Some of that could sound angsty, but in reality this situation is solved very easily and faster than I thought, allowing the reader to see their dynamic progress even after they realize they're into each other. I found this refreshing and comforting because of how careful they acted towards the other. It's also a surprise to see the daily life of a couple depicted even after the big confession event since it doesn't always happen. This one goes down the slice of life route about a healthy relationship and the art worked really well with that concept because of how simple and neat it is.

The few thing that I wasn't a big fan of are the rushed/not really shown development of Nagi's feelings, because we know from the beginning he likes Saki but we don't see how he fell for him. There's also the fact that this had little to no conflict and honestly that isn't my type of story. I feel like this premise could've worked really well with some angst to make it have more flavour, especially considering that during some time Nagi's feelings were unrequited. But I guess that wasn't the author's intentions, and if so then I respect that.

Ultimately, this was a slice of life BL manga with comforting vibes, a healthy couple dynamic that sgo from friends to lovers, with the love interest being a popular guy and a not-so-umrequited love.

-I received a copy of this book for free through NetGalley and I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Tags: BL manga, slice of life vibes, fluffy and lighthearted, healthy relationship, friends to lovers, sort of unrequited feelings, eventual mutual pining, bi-awakening, popular x not popular, zero/low angst.
Profile Image for anzhelika ୨ৎ.
200 reviews148 followers
April 21, 2025
⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚ 3.5 stars ˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

"if this is just a dream… i don’t ever want to wake up."

aww this was such a sweet manga! it was such a quick, cozy and wholesome read, i need volume 2 now! the art is stunning as usual (i wish i had the talent). i did feel like the story was rushed but it is a short manga so it's fine. overall, really enjoyed and highly recommend reading it!

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Machi Yamashita for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
Profile Image for Juliette.
508 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2025
Love on the Horizon had me giggling and kicking my feet in the beginning. Frankly, it was adorable at the start; however, as the book went on, it took on a more sexual undertone, and the romance started to feel rushed. Knowing that this is only the first volume of a series, I hadn't anticipated them getting together so early on in the book, and it caused the second half a bit underwhelming.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Missha.
358 reviews10 followers
February 8, 2025
This was so warm and cozy, for the time that I spent reading I felt like I was engulfed in a domestic and love-you-crush blanket.

Thank you, Netgalley and Kodansha comics for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I did not get paid for this review

Nagi crushes on Yuu, who he looks up tk and thinks he has no chance with, but it seems that isn't correct. They're neighbors and have many excuses to keep bumping into each other.

This story is cute and heartwarming. Any hints of exploring each other's bodies are done tastefully (fade to black, though you do see some flesh and some adult struggles).

Like another reviewer on goodreads points out - I am wondering what we will get in book two, but I will let myself be surprised and I will definitely give it a try, if only for how sweet these two are.

Machi Yamashita said they were nervous since this was their first published book but I don't think they have anything to be nervous about.

Perfect if you're looking for: character focussed story / fluff / comfort no hurt
Skip if you want: plot driven story / angst / struggles and problems / jealously

The translation is well done and the author's notes (at the end rather than continuesly during the story) are a nice addition.
Profile Image for donutdot.
491 reviews13 followers
March 9, 2025
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

i really need to cut down on my sugar intake this was so sweet? i'm a heavy angst reader and this didn't have much but i loved the fluff! the pining! everything!! it's such a straightforward love story between two neighbours, one who often carries the other home while drunk.

i don't normally like instalove but when it's Nagi i totally get it simply because Yu is just the nicest persom ever and he's so soft with him even when they just meet that i couldn't help but root for them. and yes, Yu is a bit oblivious but i absolutely love that he is the one who makes the first move. the misunderstanding in the middle about the (spoiler!!) drunk kiss was a bit painful to read but i loved that it got them together.

post canon them was literally the cutest. not the domesticity, the surprises and the calls when one is away. this has made me feel too single so i am giving this 5☆ for sure. keeping a look out for anymore of this series in the future~

ps. it helps that the art style is very cute too
Profile Image for LindSlay.
59 reviews1 follower
February 23, 2025
Very sweet story. Pretty straight forward premise, college kids neighbor like spending time with one another and things bloom. No real conflict or anything complex so it was a fine read.
Profile Image for ArtbyKarla Gaudier.
83 reviews18 followers
April 9, 2025
Few BL manga with the kind of emotional sincerity and soft, aching tension that *Love on the Horizon* delivers. This is my first read of this manga and this is the first volume. It offers a beautifully paced, slow-burn romance that pulls me into the heart of unspoken longing, self-doubt, and the bittersweet hope of a love that might just be within reach.

I chose to read this because I got intrigued by the cover and the fact that I am a BL connoisseur. But at its core, the story follows Nagi Kitagawa, an art university student with a shy demeanor and a deep, unwavering crush on his charismatic, Yuu Yamasaki. Nagi’s feelings are tender yet seemingly unattainable, after all, Saki is everything Nagi isn’t: popular, effortlessly charming, and seemingly out of reach. But what makes Love on the Horizon stand out is the way it captures the subtle, intimate moments that make falling in love feel both exhilarating and heartbreaking. The narrative doesn’t rely on grand confessions or dramatic gestures; instead, it leans into the quiet, unguarded interactions between the two characters like the night Yuu, in a drunken haze, unknowingly holds Nagi in his arms, leaving Nagi trapped between the reality of his feelings and the dreamlike possibility of something more.

The emotional pull of the story is undeniably strong. Nagi’s internal conflict is deeply relatable, making every stolen glance and hesitant touch resonate with an authenticity that BL fans will adore. The contrast between Nagi's innocent, almost self-deprecating perspective and Saki’s carefree yet enigmatic personality creates a dynamic that keeps me hooked. The manga masterfully balances moments of gentle humor, longing, and tension, ensuring that the stakes of their relationship feel high at every turn.

Visually, Love on the Horizon complements its narrative with delicate, expressive artwork that enhances the characters’ emotions. The soft linework and careful attention to body language make every interaction between Nagi and Saki feel intimate, whether it’s a casual exchange or an emotionally charged scene.

Love on the Horizon is more than just a sweet college romance but it’s a beautifully crafted story about longing, self-discovery, and the quiet possibility of love blooming when you least expect it. If you’re looking for a BL series that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you eager for more, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Profile Image for Ren || Reading What I Want.
1,926 reviews152 followers
February 13, 2025
{ Love on the Horizon, Vol. 1 }
by Machi Yamashita

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Length: 196p
Source: ALC - NetGalley, Kodansha Comics
Release Date: January 7, 2025

•••••••
This is a cute little love story of how Nagi Kitagawa fell hard for his friend Yu Yamasaki. And y’all. I DEVOURED this manga. It was so friggin cute and sexy. It had me blushing and swooning.

Seriously. I’m so happy right now. These two were absolutely ADORABLE. Both a bit awkward, both a bit naive, and both crazy about the other.

I loved how even though both had never been attracted to another male, they just went with it and so did their friends. This story was a warm, sweet, sexy hug and I can’t wait for more!

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
💋 yaoi manga
💋 friends to lovers
💋 sexual awakening
💋 neighbors
💋 friend group

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}


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