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Star and Hedgehog
Outgoing college student Ikumi heads home for the summer, where he meets Harukiyo, a shy gardener with a soft spot for house plants.
Despite seeming totally resistant to Ikumi's charms, Harukiyo eventually admits his attraction to Ikumi, and Ikumi is surprised to discover he feels the same way about Harukyo! At summer's end, the pair embark on their first long-distance relationship...
Once reunited, Ikumi and Harukiyo stumble together through the early stages of their newfound romance, tripping over the stark differences in their personalities. Can a blossoming love between a shining star and a prickly hedgehog go the distance?
Despite seeming totally resistant to Ikumi's charms, Harukiyo eventually admits his attraction to Ikumi, and Ikumi is surprised to discover he feels the same way about Harukyo! At summer's end, the pair embark on their first long-distance relationship...
Once reunited, Ikumi and Harukiyo stumble together through the early stages of their newfound romance, tripping over the stark differences in their personalities. Can a blossoming love between a shining star and a prickly hedgehog go the distance?
Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2018
18 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
January 3, 2026
so cute! i loved seeing ikumi and harukiyo’s relationship grow throughout the story. i feel like a lot of manga ends once the main characters become a couple, so i always appreciate when i stumble upon gems that show how the couple is doing months after becoming official!
January 6, 2021
So hot and cute at the same time! Updates, please!
March 15, 2026
Seriously this was such an cute and wholesome story! The couple! Was really adorable and I loved that they take consent seriously and communicated a lot.
December 2, 2019
Simple but cute story. Rounded up to 5.
December 4, 2021
[ ★★★★ / 5 ]
This is adorable too!
Nayuta-sensei really get the hang of making likeable characters. I really like sensei's style of storytelling. I like the pace, and the storylines flow naturally too!
Therefore, I officially declare Nayuta-sensei as my (another) go-to-author! Yeeeay~ 🙆🏻♀️
Off to the next works, go go! 🏃🏻♀️💨
p.s:
yo y'all need to listen to the drama cd because sheeesh— 🔥♨️
p.s.s:
their seiyuus did a really great job of portraying the characters 👍🏻
This is adorable too!
Nayuta-sensei really get the hang of making likeable characters. I really like sensei's style of storytelling. I like the pace, and the storylines flow naturally too!
Therefore, I officially declare Nayuta-sensei as my (another) go-to-author! Yeeeay~ 🙆🏻♀️
Off to the next works, go go! 🏃🏻♀️💨
p.s:
yo y'all need to listen to the drama cd because sheeesh— 🔥♨️
p.s.s:
their seiyuus did a really great job of portraying the characters 👍🏻
February 5, 2020
è stato adorabile!!!
November 26, 2025
This was cute and I loved the emphasis on consent, but it felt like it was missing something. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly though. They’re a cute couple and I love how chill they were about liking each other although they clearly dated women before. Would love to get the brother’s story too 👀
January 11, 2026
A straightforward read with cute moments, minimal angst, and smut sprinkled in. I think this manga would’ve benefited from a few more chapters. It’s not bad, but definitely not up in my favourites. This bl was enjoyable nonetheless and was easy to read in one go. Introverted, shy characters have a special place in my heart.
September 15, 2024
it was sooo cute
August 6, 2025
Cute. Definitely an enjoyable read.
November 3, 2025
★★★★☆ (4.25)
they're so cute pls protect
they're so cute pls protect
January 10, 2026
Cute, adorable, fun, sexy, great chemistry, and I love it. Plus, so many bonuses. 😍
February 21, 2026
2.5⭐️
This one was just alright for me! Pretty strait forward story, but it was lacking depth. The main characters simply lacked chemistry, but I did like the art style!
This one was just alright for me! Pretty strait forward story, but it was lacking depth. The main characters simply lacked chemistry, but I did like the art style!
February 3, 2022
AAAAH I just wish it would have lasted a whileeee but it was absolutely amazinnnnng and smutty to add :)
October 9, 2025
*Original Review 3/20/2022*
Original Rating: 3 stars
Very cute~ I love grumpy boy is actually soft boy with mean face. It's adorable every time.
*Reread 9/6/2022*
*More of a 3.5*
Futekiya coming through with another translation! I enjoyed it more the second time, maybe because I needed a bit of a palate cleanser after the insanity that was my last read.
Ikumi Chiba, a college student in Tokyo, decides to go home for the summer. When he returns, he meets one of the gardeners who works in his family's yard, Harukiyo. Harukiyo has a ton a piercings and a bit of an intimidating vibe, but whenever Ikumi approaches him he ignores him. Ikumi assumes he's shy, but when he notices how talkative he is with others, Ikumi starts to think Harukiyo actually hates him for some reason. Or maybe there's another reason Harukiyo's acting that way?
This is veryyy cute and wholesome and just lots of fluff. I can still see why I rated it 3 stars last time. I did want a little more from their relationship after they got together. I feel like I didn't get enough of the together especially with their long distance relationship and there was a bit of a minor conflict that intruded on their time. If only there was just another chapter of cuteness. Otherwise I really enjoyed their relationship and their dynamic. I love Harukiyo's awkward grumpiness. So cute!
*Reread 10/9/2025*
Bumping up to four stars because I like it more with every read. This time I read the Tokyopop translation and I love that they include all the little store bonuses. Idk if it's my mood, but reading this made me really giddy this time. They're adorable.
Original Rating: 3 stars
Very cute~ I love grumpy boy is actually soft boy with mean face. It's adorable every time.
*Reread 9/6/2022*
*More of a 3.5*
Futekiya coming through with another translation! I enjoyed it more the second time, maybe because I needed a bit of a palate cleanser after the insanity that was my last read.
Ikumi Chiba, a college student in Tokyo, decides to go home for the summer. When he returns, he meets one of the gardeners who works in his family's yard, Harukiyo. Harukiyo has a ton a piercings and a bit of an intimidating vibe, but whenever Ikumi approaches him he ignores him. Ikumi assumes he's shy, but when he notices how talkative he is with others, Ikumi starts to think Harukiyo actually hates him for some reason. Or maybe there's another reason Harukiyo's acting that way?
This is veryyy cute and wholesome and just lots of fluff. I can still see why I rated it 3 stars last time. I did want a little more from their relationship after they got together. I feel like I didn't get enough of the together especially with their long distance relationship and there was a bit of a minor conflict that intruded on their time. If only there was just another chapter of cuteness. Otherwise I really enjoyed their relationship and their dynamic. I love Harukiyo's awkward grumpiness. So cute!
*Reread 10/9/2025*
Bumping up to four stars because I like it more with every read. This time I read the Tokyopop translation and I love that they include all the little store bonuses. Idk if it's my mood, but reading this made me really giddy this time. They're adorable.
March 24, 2026
Llevaba tiempo queriendo leerlo porque cada vez que lo intentaba no funcionaba el servidor o las páginas no servían. Ahora que por fin lo he leído se me ha quedado un poco mal sabor de boca. No ha estado mal, me ha sacado la espinita que era lo más importante, sin embargo, ha habido alguna serie de cosas que me han bajado puntos.
October 25, 2025
Cute, although not much in the way of a substantial story.
As with Be My Buddy , the setup was the best part: a really promising idea that just didn't develop enough. The beginning was great. Handsome, popular, apparently Super Rich Ikumi goes home for summer break and is surprised to find that his mother has hired some gardeners (including a handsome guy in his age range) to redo their huge yard.
Incidentally, the wealth difference never comes up as a plot point, which would've made things more interesting. Ikumi's college friends open the story by being jealous of his wealth and his gigantic house where he gets to spend his time lounging around and doing nothing (presumably not needing any part time jobs during school either), but the difference in his and his gardener boyfriend's societal status falls by the wayside. Even when Harukiyo mentions that he enjoyed being able to sit in on one of Ikumi's college classes, since he'd never had the opportunity to go himself, they never talk about it.
Or, at least, we don't really get to see any of the development of their relationship, where they might talk about important things. There's a 4 month time skip where they talk on the phone a ton, but about what? I wish more of that would've been shown.
Harukiyo is a few years older than Ikumi, 24 and shy and fortunately quite interested in plants, since that's his family business. Although they mostly do outdoor landscaping, he has a particular interest in house plants, which is how he and Ikumi finally have a real conversation, after a few awkward encounters where Harukiyo had seemed like he actively disliked Ikumi.
Turns out Harukiyo's just a fairly big introvert who found Ikumi so wildly attractive he had trouble interacting with him face to face. This...would've been helped by the art demonstrating that, honestly. Ikumi looked like a very ordinary dude. If he's supposed to be incredibly stunning, he should be drawn to be a lot more handsome than everyone around him...
Harukiyo is quite handsome himself, with his natural black hair but a ton of piercings, that he'd apparently (according to the author's notes) started adding to keep people away from him, but has been adding to over time just because he likes them. I did like the bonus comic of Ikumi imagining how intimidating he would've been for the short period where he had bleached blond hair, too.
His primary traits are that he's got an intimidating exterior that's juxtaposed intriguingly against his blushing, surprisingly chatty, awkward but sweet side. Ikumi...well, he's rich and good looking with a very friendly, outgoing personality. That's really as much as we learn about either of them, which is why I would've liked some more relationship building in the middle.
The two of them interact for maybe...three days? Four days? While Harukiyo is mostly outside working on Ikumi's family's garden while Ikumi sleeps until noon. They have a few decent interactions, where Ikumi learns more about Harukiyo's true personality and gets intrigued by how open and honest he can be, and also how attractive and built his body is. Mostly, Ikumi seems to be really drawn by Harukiyo's open interest in him: he's never had a guy tell him so earnestly and repeatedly how good looking he is.
It throws Ikumi off, but he starts to notice Harukiyo in turn, and eventually (...after like four days...) realizes he's attracted to Harukiyo, too. He kicks himself for not asking for Harukiyo's phone number before they finished up their work for the year (not returning again until spring), but when he runs into Harukiyo at a local festival, he's able to fix that error.
Well, first he runs off because he gets embarrassed when he sees Harukiyo with a girl. Harukiyo had never actually said he liked him, after all...he'd just expressed admiration for Ikumi's clothes and handsome face, which could just be a platonic admiration sort of thing. So Ikumi feels kind of humiliated by starting to think of him in a different way, and to expect more.
Except, of course, Harukiyo had meant it in an "I'm attracted to you" way, and they have a nice interaction and clarification before Ikumi goes off to Tokyo, and they start the first four months of their long distance relationship.
Everything's still in such early stages it's hard to really see it as a solid relationship just yet. I do like how much they talked about taking things at Harukiyo's speed, with Ikumi respecting him, even if they get in fights about some of their kinks later into their relationship. It's a decent story - could've had some additional depth, but overall pretty good.
I hadn't realized the book I keep skipping in preorders is a spinoff about Harukiyo's older brother, whom he visits in Tokyo when he has a misunderstanding with Ikumi. It makes some of that interaction a little weirder...I don't know if Nago had decided at that point that the brother would be gay, too? Although Harukiyo had the traditional BL route of dating a bunch of girls previously and then suddenly falling for this random dude. (I was a little disappointed that Ikumi was apparently his first male crush, because would he really have been that open about telling him he found him attractive?)
Anyway, the spinoff just sounds a whole lot more angsty, and the summary has tropes I'm super not into, like a whole casual friends with benefits deal with the brother sleeping with other people. So I'll probably keep skipping it, and will leave this classed as a one-shot. Even if I am a little curious if Harukiyo and Ikumi would show up in the sequel.
As with Be My Buddy , the setup was the best part: a really promising idea that just didn't develop enough. The beginning was great. Handsome, popular, apparently Super Rich Ikumi goes home for summer break and is surprised to find that his mother has hired some gardeners (including a handsome guy in his age range) to redo their huge yard.
Incidentally, the wealth difference never comes up as a plot point, which would've made things more interesting. Ikumi's college friends open the story by being jealous of his wealth and his gigantic house where he gets to spend his time lounging around and doing nothing (presumably not needing any part time jobs during school either), but the difference in his and his gardener boyfriend's societal status falls by the wayside. Even when Harukiyo mentions that he enjoyed being able to sit in on one of Ikumi's college classes, since he'd never had the opportunity to go himself, they never talk about it.
Or, at least, we don't really get to see any of the development of their relationship, where they might talk about important things. There's a 4 month time skip where they talk on the phone a ton, but about what? I wish more of that would've been shown.
Harukiyo is a few years older than Ikumi, 24 and shy and fortunately quite interested in plants, since that's his family business. Although they mostly do outdoor landscaping, he has a particular interest in house plants, which is how he and Ikumi finally have a real conversation, after a few awkward encounters where Harukiyo had seemed like he actively disliked Ikumi.
Turns out Harukiyo's just a fairly big introvert who found Ikumi so wildly attractive he had trouble interacting with him face to face. This...would've been helped by the art demonstrating that, honestly. Ikumi looked like a very ordinary dude. If he's supposed to be incredibly stunning, he should be drawn to be a lot more handsome than everyone around him...
Harukiyo is quite handsome himself, with his natural black hair but a ton of piercings, that he'd apparently (according to the author's notes) started adding to keep people away from him, but has been adding to over time just because he likes them. I did like the bonus comic of Ikumi imagining how intimidating he would've been for the short period where he had bleached blond hair, too.
His primary traits are that he's got an intimidating exterior that's juxtaposed intriguingly against his blushing, surprisingly chatty, awkward but sweet side. Ikumi...well, he's rich and good looking with a very friendly, outgoing personality. That's really as much as we learn about either of them, which is why I would've liked some more relationship building in the middle.
The two of them interact for maybe...three days? Four days? While Harukiyo is mostly outside working on Ikumi's family's garden while Ikumi sleeps until noon. They have a few decent interactions, where Ikumi learns more about Harukiyo's true personality and gets intrigued by how open and honest he can be, and also how attractive and built his body is. Mostly, Ikumi seems to be really drawn by Harukiyo's open interest in him: he's never had a guy tell him so earnestly and repeatedly how good looking he is.
It throws Ikumi off, but he starts to notice Harukiyo in turn, and eventually (...after like four days...) realizes he's attracted to Harukiyo, too. He kicks himself for not asking for Harukiyo's phone number before they finished up their work for the year (not returning again until spring), but when he runs into Harukiyo at a local festival, he's able to fix that error.
Well, first he runs off because he gets embarrassed when he sees Harukiyo with a girl. Harukiyo had never actually said he liked him, after all...he'd just expressed admiration for Ikumi's clothes and handsome face, which could just be a platonic admiration sort of thing. So Ikumi feels kind of humiliated by starting to think of him in a different way, and to expect more.
Except, of course, Harukiyo had meant it in an "I'm attracted to you" way, and they have a nice interaction and clarification before Ikumi goes off to Tokyo, and they start the first four months of their long distance relationship.
Everything's still in such early stages it's hard to really see it as a solid relationship just yet. I do like how much they talked about taking things at Harukiyo's speed, with Ikumi respecting him, even if they get in fights about some of their kinks later into their relationship. It's a decent story - could've had some additional depth, but overall pretty good.
I hadn't realized the book I keep skipping in preorders is a spinoff about Harukiyo's older brother, whom he visits in Tokyo when he has a misunderstanding with Ikumi. It makes some of that interaction a little weirder...I don't know if Nago had decided at that point that the brother would be gay, too? Although Harukiyo had the traditional BL route of dating a bunch of girls previously and then suddenly falling for this random dude. (I was a little disappointed that Ikumi was apparently his first male crush, because would he really have been that open about telling him he found him attractive?)
Anyway, the spinoff just sounds a whole lot more angsty, and the summary has tropes I'm super not into, like a whole casual friends with benefits deal with the brother sleeping with other people. So I'll probably keep skipping it, and will leave this classed as a one-shot. Even if I am a little curious if Harukiyo and Ikumi would show up in the sequel.
December 10, 2019
College student Ikemi heads home on break and meets the son of the gardener. Straight forward story, a little angst. Nice art over all.
February 22, 2026
3.5, I think if you come in with managed expectations that it's a focus on two people coming to terms with liking each other and dealing with managing their different expectations in a relationship.
The beginning is just too cute. I love the way both struggle to express themselves in a way that is so awry. I can see why some say the beginning is the best part. Once they decide to date the stuff after the timeskip is just ok. It's fine and fluffy but doesn't have as much engaging as the beginning when they were awkward. Instead they have a new awkward as they try to manage their expectations and going too fast or too slow. I think it was a nice hurdle to cover and showcase but didn't feel like enough for a whole volume. I just wish I saw more of them as a couple by the end and wanted more. I appreciate the focus on a couple that has to navigate different expectations. But that's just so frequent after the time skip it feels like very little else happens after they decide to come together as a couple.
The art is ok. I think it's best when it's scratchy like when characters are flustered or shout. Otherwise it feels like the mangaka is trying to keep it “clean” and at a certain quality level that they seem to struggle to maintain with undrawn faces and such. But when they're flustered it's this scratchiness that really sells it so well. Along with those moments just being so cute.
I appreciate that it collects all the extras. I guess this was pretty popular because multiple JP bookstores had special extra chapters, it got a drama CD extra chapter, and just more. I feel like it's rare to see them all collected in one like this, so I really appreciate that Tokyopop did it here.
The beginning is just too cute. I love the way both struggle to express themselves in a way that is so awry. I can see why some say the beginning is the best part. Once they decide to date the stuff after the timeskip is just ok. It's fine and fluffy but doesn't have as much engaging as the beginning when they were awkward. Instead they have a new awkward as they try to manage their expectations and going too fast or too slow. I think it was a nice hurdle to cover and showcase but didn't feel like enough for a whole volume. I just wish I saw more of them as a couple by the end and wanted more. I appreciate the focus on a couple that has to navigate different expectations. But that's just so frequent after the time skip it feels like very little else happens after they decide to come together as a couple.
The art is ok. I think it's best when it's scratchy like when characters are flustered or shout. Otherwise it feels like the mangaka is trying to keep it “clean” and at a certain quality level that they seem to struggle to maintain with undrawn faces and such. But when they're flustered it's this scratchiness that really sells it so well. Along with those moments just being so cute.
I appreciate that it collects all the extras. I guess this was pretty popular because multiple JP bookstores had special extra chapters, it got a drama CD extra chapter, and just more. I feel like it's rare to see them all collected in one like this, so I really appreciate that Tokyopop did it here.
March 23, 2026
I really ended up liking this manga! It’s one of the manga I got this month (March 2026) that I have been excited to get into and I’m so happy that I ended up liking it even more than i thought!!
The vibes of this manga is alot more lighthearted and makes you smile than i expected but I love it so much for that, I was smiling basically the whole time reading even when the deeper moments happened I was probably smiling a few moments later because of something else. It’s very cute, very lighthearted and very funny but there is still deeper moments mixed in with mini lessons for the characters to learn themselves which I liked a lot :) overall it was a really good read and i enjoyed it!
The vibes of this manga is alot more lighthearted and makes you smile than i expected but I love it so much for that, I was smiling basically the whole time reading even when the deeper moments happened I was probably smiling a few moments later because of something else. It’s very cute, very lighthearted and very funny but there is still deeper moments mixed in with mini lessons for the characters to learn themselves which I liked a lot :) overall it was a really good read and i enjoyed it!
October 11, 2025
Not quite a 3-star read, but I rounded up. There's nothing terrible about it; I just found that there's nothing really to it. It starts out cute and sweet, but ultimately the characters are kind of forgettable because they're pretty superficial (i.e. we never learn anything about them besides one is a gardener and the other is a student living in Tokyo). When Harukiyo gets mad, that was kind of a perfect place to learn something more about these two, but it didn't happen.
February 17, 2026
Ikumi is cheerful, handsome and popular university student, returning home for summer. There he met Harukiyo who is edgy- looking gardener working temporarily at his house. I love Ikumi and Harukiyo about their meeting and shy personality and shy. Finally admit each other feeling and why being shy. I rate this a 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read it on Hoopla app.
June 13, 2021
Such a beautiful story. I ship them so hard.❤☺
Me being a Leo living in countryside can understand how people in countryside react when you dress a little flashy. But they are actually admiring your style the just tend to be shy to tell you.
Me being a Leo living in countryside can understand how people in countryside react when you dress a little flashy. But they are actually admiring your style the just tend to be shy to tell you.
May 10, 2022
reread : this one is still so cute! i enjoyed the plot and the romance aspect, and of course the art style is rlly nice. i specifically like how at the beginning of the relationship between the mc and the love interest, they set positive boundaries. it’s refreshing!
5 ⭐️’s !!
5 ⭐️’s !!
June 3, 2023
BL molt fluixet i meh entre un noi i el seu jardiner... l'única cosa mig especial que té és que el jardiner té pinta de macarra, però en realitat és molt tímid i és l'uke + que mantenen la relació a distància. M'he quedat bastant igual ^^'
November 11, 2025
I first read "Star and Hedgehog" years ago online and I finally get to hold a physical English copy!!! 💕
Story is so sweet, the art is stunning, and the characters still make me melt. Absolutely deserving to be on the shelf.
Story is so sweet, the art is stunning, and the characters still make me melt. Absolutely deserving to be on the shelf.
December 28, 2025
Pretty cute. I like the art as well. I did not like the sequel to this story at all but this one was not bad to me. The couple like and respect each other. It just doesn’t have that overall charm to be fluffy and it’s not angsty.
January 26, 2026
🌧️🎇📱- more of a 4.75
love that it was love at first site
ikumi and harukiyo are super cute
hated the chapter where ikumi tries to force harukiyo into doing smth he doesn’t
thought it was gonna be cute bc of the cover, but I liked the ending of it.
love that it was love at first site
ikumi and harukiyo are super cute
hated the chapter where ikumi tries to force harukiyo into doing smth he doesn’t
thought it was gonna be cute bc of the cover, but I liked the ending of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2020
It's good enough even if the art isn't that great tbh.....
May 17, 2020
This manga was cute, the main characters were funny and adorable and I like their relationship.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews