A Howl of the Heart 01

A Howl of the Heart #1

by Ayato Miyoshi

In a war-torn era, a man devastated by the loss of his lover and fellow soldier discovers that his beloved may still be among the living!

Uru and Tenyo are two elite soldiers with a bond that runs deeper than blood. Living together and fighting side by side has only heightened their affection for one another...but in a world ravaged by war, connections can be severed in an instant. When Uru loses his life, he leaves Tenyo behind with nothing but a final kiss goodbye.

After two years of mourning, Tenyo sneaks into the enemy general Kakezuki’s territory with the intent of finishing him off, as promised to Uru. But when he gets there, he finds that the enemy looks exactly like his dearly departed brother-in-arms! There’s no way Uru is still among the living...or is there?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 10, 2026

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good first volume but i’m still a little confused at the initial plot and world-building, but i’m sat for volume two after the first volume’s cliffhanger

[Vie · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy potential🙏🙏🙏 i was like😶‍🌫️ and then👀👀 and then👁👁👁👁

[hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read manga often, but this one instantly caught my eye due to insanely pretty art. Surprisingly, the story got me hooked as well.

[пташатко · Rating 5 out of 5]

матір божа, ЦЕ ПРОСТО ШЕДЕВР

ще з перших сторінок я була абсолютно зачарована неймовірно гарною та майстерною мальовкою, незабаром мене вже повністю скорила атмосфера та органічність оповіді, а коли почав розгортатися сам сюжет, мені взагалі аж дух перехопило. на якомусь моменті я навіть заплакала, бо мене настільки пройняло почуттями! я просто в захваті!! це неперевершена й абсолютно дивовижна історія! усі теми, які вона зачепила, усі образи, найменші деталі та їхнє втілення мені на сто відсотків прийшлись до душі! ця манґа однозначно залітає у топ моїх наулюбленіших робіт евер...

p.s. до слова, для мене вона була жахливо reminiscent поєднанням хікару та yuwu ✋😔

p.p.s. я зовсім не читала анотацію, тому досвід вийшов that much more impactful

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one.

I wasn’t sure how they were going to handle Uru/Kakezuki since you know up front what happened. But I like how his resurrection is being handled and how it leaves at lot more room for the story to develop along with what’s going on with the Azure North in the civil war.

I like how emotional Tenyo is even though he’s a battle tested soldier and assassin. He’s really in his feelings and it’s like he’s trying to feel for UruZuki as well.

There was a lot of story and it went by pretty fast. I enjoyed the author’s note and the explanation of the character names.

I’m looking forward to the next volumes. I want my boys to have a happy ending!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this online a while ago and I wasn’t super impressed. Upon a second reading, I’m still not really into this story.

It has some interesting elements: childhood friends, coming back from the dead, palace intrigue, second chance romance with a twist, very stylized visuals, etc. All very cool things in a vacuum.

But, they don’t really come together in a totally cogent way?

Honestly, I find that the setting and content exist just to explain away why this relationship isn’t toxic—which, as a reader, I find really not compelling. I don’t appreciate stories that seem to actively be manufacturing excuses for abusive behavior.

So, I have complicated feelings about this one—that are not resolved by an official translation coming out.

But, the mangaka is clearly more of a queer romance writer than an epic, history-fiction/fantasy writer. That may explain some of the clumsy storytelling and world-building in comparison to the romance bits.

Anyway.

I’m giving it 3/5 stars because it’s not as bad as it could be? (Especially given the genre.) But, this is not a promotion either~

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has potential, but the fast pace really hinders both the action and the romance plotlines. It's very clear the mangaka has been influenced by other BL wuxia stories, particularly those with themes on dramatic memory loss, mistaken identity, undead puppets... This follows in those footsteps. However, the pacing does not offer enough detail in the plot to justify the character's decisions. Instead of sacrifices made from heavy emotion and desperate yearning, Tenya's decision first to pretend to be an undead puppet and then to take it a step further and get the seal tattooed permanently on his back seem like the rash actions of a naive man. The story clearly wants these moments to be heavy with emotion. It misses the mark severely.

The art style is gorgeous, the detail of the clothing is well designed. I'd like at least 5 volumes instead of 2, though, to really chew through the yearning that the author clearly wanted to give us.

[luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise & ideas but the story moved way too fast.

I liked the parallels between Tenyo & the sorcerer. Both having lost someone they loved & wanting them back. A question is asked: to what extent is one willing to sacrifice others (and perhaps oneself, even) to regain a love lost? There is also a seed planted regarding objectification & autonomy, but we'll have to see if that actually gets tackled in-depth.

My main complaint is how fast Tenyo & Kakezuki's relationship progressed. I wanted a slowburn with more confusion & questioning! They were pretty cute, which is nice, but not what I wanted from volume 1. Oh well.

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is so weirdly paced - concepts are brought up and then the scene moves on, thoughts are left unfinished *a lot*, and I think that we as the readers are supposed to accept the fast evolving relationship between Tenyo and Kakezuki because of past feelings - and Uru still being buried deep within there or something, but we didn't even get that much of a backstory of Tenyo and Uru together.

I don't like being made to have to assume and carry the weight of the relationship as a reader, the story itself should do that.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite manga to be completely normal about, and published by SE no less!
I'm definitely loving where this is going, and recommend if you like a little bit of drama and yearning, with a dash of slow burn, angst, and [probably] second chance romances. I think fans of Trickster's Tale, LKYT, and even other historical-themed fictions might like this one.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting manga, I have to say out of all the paranormal stories I've read this is a new one for me. The closest I can think of is Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, but even then this is a bit of a twist compared to that story.

I want volume two so bad because I want to know what happens next so bad and how this story between them can possibly be resolved.

[whatcaityreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a fan of the art style, the idea of the plot was interesting but it was slow and boring with not much substance. The pacing is jarring and feels like there are missing pages and it jumps and stops halfway in scenes. So confusing.

[c · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Swathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting premise. The idea of loving someone who doesn't remember their lives but they still love you. it's kind of beautiful but sad. The artwork is also fantastic.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

love is the most twisted curse of all

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh wow the art is so beautiful! And the story is very intriguing. I will be reading more!!!!!

[Lyora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so invested 🥺

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art, great characters & premise so far. Definitely looking forward to continuing, and hoping it'll lean even more into the political intrigue.

[Nicole Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good! Looking for more volumes as we speak!

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent art, cool storyline and i absolutely did not enjoy the writing or the dialogue. It was just kinda silly and repetitive.

Super sad execution (imo) on a promising idea.

2.9

[taytay 🕷️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i need the next volume yesterday.

[Jimena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nada como un buen BL de fantasía con el suficiente drama para alegrarme el día.

[The_BookAce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Oh yeah, gimme more please

[Kiwi Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Took me on a rollercoaster of emotions! One of my favorite BL mangas ever 🥹

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

V HYPED

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to sit on this one for a day but I don't think I liked this one all that much. It was kind of confusing and poorly explained, I don't have a sense of the characters connection and thus wasn't super invested in the plot. I don't think I'll pick up the next volume of this particular series.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Tenyo, an elite assassin, is captured and pulled behind enemy lines where he discovers the fearsome opposing general looks exactly like his fallen comrade. As he sorts out his feelings, he is given an impossible task, but one that will keep him alive within this hostile camp. Gorgeous setting, hot guys, intriguing premise, this is right up the alley of romance BL fans who love a bit of mysteriousness and suspense to their stories. There is quite a bit of angst, a bit of violence with the various battles they go through, and lots of beautiful illustrations.

This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12