This was such a cute read! Would be perfect in springtime, but even now it felt like a bit of sunshine on a gloomy day. 🌺
In Akira Falling in Love we witness a reunion of two former schoolmates, Akira and Momose. What follows is a hilarious chain of awkward moments as our protagonists don't realise they have feelings for each other! I could see myself in some of those moments, as others probably will too, which made reading this even more relatable and comforting. Being the first volume in a series, this one served as an introduction to the story, but one that made me excited to follow along. Will be looking forward to reading more!
Thank you to NetGalley, Shinta Harekawa and VIZ Media for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 百瀬アキラの初恋破綻中。 1 aka "Akira Falling in Love" Volume 1 will be out March 10th, 2026!
I want to start by thanking NetGalley, Shinta Harekawa and VIZ Media for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Akira Failing at Love, Volume 1 or 百瀬アキラの初恋破綻中。1 (Momose Akira no Hatsukoi Hatanchuu., #1) will be out March 10th, 2026!
I really enjoyed how cute and silly this was, having been looking forward to seeing this new work from Harekawa after discovering Ranma 1/2. The structure of this manga reminds me a bit of Kaguya-sama: Love is War with Momose and Kugayama’s approach to their crushes as well as the repetitive opening of vignettes. The mutual pining, obliviousness and overall innocence in Akira’s schemes also reminds me a bit of Tomo-chan Is a Girl!
As a first volume, this did a good job establishing the story and introducing the main characters and I really look forward to seeing Harekawa expand on these characters and their story in future volumes.