Whoever You Are, I Love You 1

きみが誰でも愛してる [Whoever You Are, I Love You] #1

by Keiku Hagiwara, Annelise Ogaard (Translator)

Genres: Manga, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Graphic Novels

164 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2026

About the author

See also: 萩原ケイク

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

3.5 stars — this was a very confusing and anxiety inducing first volume, but i’m rather intrigued to see where this series goes!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for an ARC of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]

The plot of this is shaping up great, but the premise is not so much. And by premise, I mean that our lead, Yuki, would be so desperate to get married because of societal pressure and such that she would go with this slimeball who is so obviously shady.

Look, I know people do crazy things for love and all that, but we see that Yuki is otherwise hardworking, clever, resourceful, driven, etc etc. That she apparently ignores warning signs like she’s driving backwards through a construction site at 2am while hiding in the trunk does not make sense.

It also hurts some of the revelations; she’s been dating for all this time and never bothered to look up or visit Yoji (her fiancée)’s place of work? There’s having blinders on and there’s all that stuff I described last paragraph.

And Yoji is blatantly using her for some kind of shady scam and she just goes along with it because he’s in debt that needs to be cleared before they can marry, supposedly. Yuki, honey, check the receipts. Literally. There’s trust and then there’s… see two paragraphs ago.

Anyway, once the actual plot kicks up, involving a guy Yuki brought to Yoji who wound up dead? That’s when things really start to clip along. Shun, who is dangerous and sexy in the way of good thriller leads (a tattoo? Gasp!), enlists Yuki’s help to find his brother, the guy who wound up dead, and his brother’s now missing wife.

These two begin to meet up frequently and use their combined skills to begin getting to the bottom of this, but it’s pretty clear they’re not exactly great at this just yet. Which is a good thing; the tension and revelation portions of the story are a lot of fun. And let’s not forget that other sort of tension that starts bubbling up, obviously.

What’s going on with the mysterious list they find? Can Shun be trusted? Can Yuki? There’s a bizarre guy in a goat mask talking about mind control that just has to figure into this plot somehow, but sure doesn’t yet. Lots of tantalizing little threads are waiting to be pulled.

Which is fine - the vibes do a good job and there are intriguing questions being asked. I also liked Yuki’s younger coworker, who is very carefree and therefore likely to end up dead before this is done. It replicates that specific sort of genre feel and I thought that was solid.

There’s also the aforementioned whiff of romance as Shun and Yuki get closer together, even though they couldn’t have started off on a worse note. It reminds me of a solid Hollywood thriller and it had that atmosphere down pat by the closing chapters.

So, yes, you have to accept that somebody as smart and capable as Yuki would let herself be taken in by Yoji. Yoji’s an excellent sleazy guy, but he’s not that good at hiding his evil. The opening doesn’t click at all as a result, but once the story starts to move it gets a lot better.

3.5 stars - not rounding it up because it needed a stronger foundation, honestly, but I liked where it went by the end. It’s a little pulpy, but that’s not a bad thing, and it certainly makes me curious where it goes next.

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

So I am not feeling too well, so I am going to write a shorter review. In this book we meet a girl (who I didn't always like) who has a sweet fiancee. Or well. I had my doubts from the beginning because he acts very dubious about things + goes from sweet to creep in mere seconds. And as we find out as the story continues things are BAD with capitals all over. She meets a guy who lost his brother and she talked to him before things. Through that we find out even more things that had me going OMG. The whole mystery/what is going on is pretty great and things really did pick up with the ending being a cliffhanger that had me gasping (but not entirely surprising me), but the characters are the downfall in this manga. The MC is wishywashy and annoyed me. Shun (the brother of) just went from hot to cold and I just didn't like how he handled things. The fiancee was just a creepfest from the start go, I don't get why anyone would start dating THAT.
The art was pretty good. And yes, I am curious what is going to happen next, but I am not sure how much of the characters I can stomach. If this one is just 2 volumes I will keep reading, any more, nah.

[Lyss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

Evil lurks beneath the most beautiful faces and no one knows that better than Yuki Sato.

Yuki is a 32 year old temp worker desperate to get married so her ailing father has the chance to see her in a wedding dress. When she meets a handsome and successful man on a dating app she falls fast and hard, getting engaged rather quickly. Despite his insistence that he wants to get married he needs to make more money and he enlists Yuki to find wealthy men on dating apps and introduce him to them.

Gullible and blinded by the idea of happily ever after, Yuki blindly introduces her boyfriend to these men and never thinks twice of what happens to them after. That is until she meets Shun Majima, the younger brother of a man Yuki had introduced to her fiancé. Shun says his older brother is dead and he thinks Yuki and her fiancé are responsible.

From here Yuki is sent down a rabbit hole of digital lies and manipulation. A web of crime has caught Yuki and it appears her loving fiancé is the spider hellbent on making her his next meal.

Tensions begin to rise as Yuki pairs up with Shun to find out exactly what happened to his brother, and who her fiancé really is.

As the two partners grow closer a bond is formed, can Yuki and Shun keep this purely professional or is there romance lurking among the shadows?

This is the perfect mix of crime thriller and blossoming romance. The mystery is well done and I was hooked from the moment we met Shun. The character designs are gorgeous and Yuki’s fiancé is always sporting a sinister twinkle in his eyes behind his sly smile. If I had one gripe with this it would be how quickly the romance seems to be unfolding but with limited volumes it makes sense that it would be necessary to progress the storyline.

I’ll absolutely be picking this up and every volume after!

Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for the eArc!

[Lia♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC

i was very intrigued by the premise of this and it didn’t disappoint, perfect balance of both suspense, tension and romance.

Our fmc Yuki is on the hunt for a husband to make sure her dying father whose one wish is to see his daughter happy and married before he passes. First step of the plan is complete, at least that’s what she thinks. She has found a fiancé Yoji, who is seemingly absolutely perfect and everything seems fine in their relationship for awhile but slowly but surely things start to crumble when secrets about her future husband’s involvement in a mysterious disappearance come to light.
Yuki has to start investigating everything and starts working with a mysterious man Shun who is the brother of the missing man and is convinced that her husband to-be is hiding a lot more than just that.
More secrets get uncovered and sparks fly between her and the new mysterious man. At the same time things start getting more and more concerning with Yoji, who is acting more and more strange and creepy each passing day. Something is not right..

I enjoyed reading this, the art style is very pretty as well and i can’t wait to get to continue and find out more about this story in the next volume!

[Shayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character, Yuki, is desperate to get married so she misses all the red flags that her boyfriend, Yoji Goto, has until hot blond guy, Shun, arrives and accuses her of being an accomplice in Goto’s schemes. The whole story she’s yanked around between the two guys whenever they show her some affection and then alternate back to being jerks. Yuki is super pathetic and so naive. I didn’t really like much in this story. The art work is ok. There is a sex scene at the beginning of the book do not middle school appropriate. There are so much better manga/graphic novels out there that this one isn’t worth reading in my opinion. But at least the story is cohesive which had been missing in the last couple graphic novels I’d read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first kind of...romantic suspense graphic novel and I think I could really like that theme!

I liked the artwork overall in this one, but there were a few scenes/things I wasn't a huge fan of - mainly Shun when he was like talking excitedly or yelling - I'm sorry Shun! But overall the art was really fun and I liked how our creepy villain Yoji was presented especially.

I'd consider continuing with this one!

Give this a try if you want:
- romantic suspense - our heroine is in a questionable relationship and it starts to crack when our hero shows up asking questions
- murder mystery aspects - there are deaths being brought up and our hero and heroine are trying to find out more information
- heroine in her 30s

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoever you are, I love you is really interesting. Personally, I don’t really find Yuki very relatable so I was struggling in the beginning to understand her and I’m still pretty confused about why she ignored so many red flags, but I think this volume really shows how desperation and insecurities can make people, especially woman, put up with things that feel wrong because society tells you that you need to keep up with your peers.

I still don’t really like Yuki or her reasons, but I’m super intrigued by the mystery plot line and I have no theories about what is happening and why. Yoji seems like he’s just using Yuki, but the ending made me think that there’s more to his feelings. So far, I like Shun and I wonder if there will be a little bit of a romance between him and Yuki.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the arc! All thoughts are my own.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic way to set up this mystery in my opinion.

I’ve noticed a lot of people saying Yuki ignoring all of the red flags with Yoji was unrealistic but I disagree. I have met many Yukis in my time and I can also say that getting married and having kids is a societal expectation of women to an extent still, especially in certain countries. Would I personally fall for Yoji’s nonsense probably not but I feel it’s not unrealistic at all. Loneliness and desperation make us do stupid things.

With that being said I am extremely interested to find out more about what exactly Yoji’s doing and why he seems to be fixated on Yuki. I’m very interested in all 3 of our main characters which also helps.

Not quite a five star for me but I did really love this.

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Whoever You Are, I Love You 1 by Keiku Hagiwara was a dramatic and, at times, suspenseful manga read about a woman struggling through life who gets caught up in a relationship with an obviously sketchy man and how she secretly tries to break free after being confronted by one of his supposed victims' family members. This is definitely a darker type of story than I usually go for, but I'm glad I gave it a try. Even if the female lead seemed kinda dumb and annoying, I still wanted to root for her and see what happened. Curious about future volumes..

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is an interesting series start. I sympathized with Yuki, even as she frustrated me, but I was glad to see her gain some courage by the end. I'm definitely curious about what's happening in the story, and hope the payoff is something a bit more sinister than Yoji just being a greedy asshole. Some of the imagery feels very cultish, so I'd love if the story went in that direction.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha Comics, NetGalley, and Eidelweiss for a digital copy of this ARC.

A compelling horror thats creepy in its realism. A woman feels the constant pressure from society and family to progress in life with a partner and kids, to the point she overlooks some serious red flags in a partner until its too late. Ended on such a cliffhanger and I am eager for the next volume.

[Aisvarya [back ig] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omg, that ending has me so worried for our FMC😭😭

⚠️Look up TW before diving into this.

What to expect -
💔 Fast-paced romantic thriller
💔 Naive and kind-hearted FMC
💔 Murder mystery
💔 Dark secrets and lies
💔 Shocking twists and turns

We follow Yuki Sato, a temp worker who wants nothing more than to settle down and get married so that her father can see her in a wedding gown before it's too late. In her urgency, she joins a dating app and ends up matching with Yoji, who seems almost too good to be true and insists that they get married soon. Just when she thinks everything is finally falling into place, a new guy named Shun appears and tells her that her fiancé might not be who he claims to be.

I'd like to say that I'm always up for a dark romantic thriller, so this was exactly the kind of manga I needed. It has enough suspense to keep you engaged and throws some insane twists your way that make it impossible not to keep reading. (And I desperately need Volume 2, especially after that cliffhanger🥲)

Initially, I found Yuki incredibly naive and innocent because she seemed completely blind to all of her fiancé's red flags. I was like, I get it, girl. He's 6 feet tall, charming, and seems like a total catch😭 but who would willingly overlook all the gaslighting and manipulative behavior?! Not to mention the fact that he's controlling, and his face takes on this violent, unsettling look whenever she questions him or doesn't behave the way he wants. Those alone should've set off every alarm bell imaginable, yet she keeps choosing to see the good in him and believes he'd never do anything to hurt her.

Watching her make those choices was honestly so frustrating😭 But eventually she begins to realize that he has a much darker side than she first thought, and I loved seeing her become more cautious while quietly trying to uncover what he's hiding. I'm absolutely here for that character growth.

I don't even want to talk about her fiancé, Yoji, because I genuinely despise him😭 And honestly? He scares me. He's so unpredictable that you never know what he's thinking or what he's about to do next, and that constant uncertainty made him even creepier. Every time he appeared on the page, I was immediately on edge.

As for Shun, I definitely liked him more than Yoji (let's be real, almost anyone would look better standing next to that man💀). He does seem to genuinely care about Yuki while also wanting to uncover the truth. That said, some of his behavior felt a little inconsistent. One moment he's accusing her, and the next he's helping her and trusting her completely. It felt a bit abrupt, so I'll need a few more volumes before deciding how I truly feel about him.

As for the things that didn't work for me, the pacing was probably my biggest issue. I cannot believe I'm saying that I disliked how fast-paced something was 👀 but here we are. Since this is the first volume, I felt it needed a bit more room to establish the world, the characters, their backstories, and the mystery itself. Instead, everything seemed to happen very quickly, and the plot jumped from one major event to the next without giving us much time to process what was happening. Because of that, some parts felt a little clunky, and I never got enough time to fully connect with the characters. I just wish the next volume slows down slightly and gives those moments more room to breathe.

Other than that, this definitely had enough elements to grab my attention (because I can never say no to a good mystery😌). I'll absolutely be picking up the next volume. And if you're looking for a romantic suspense story filled with morally gray characters, dark secrets, and genuinely unsettling vibes, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out.

Huge thanks to Kodansha Comics for the eARC through NetGalley.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC copy in return for an honest review!

Whoever You Are, I Love You is a romance thriller by Keiko Hagiwara that follows Yuki, an unmarried temp worker determined to find a husband because her ailing father wishes to see her in a wedding dress before he passes away. After countless disappointments, she finally meets what seems like the perfect man through a dating app: Yoji, a wealthy and charming millionaire who appears to have everything she is looking for.

Just when Yuki believes she has found her happy ending, a devastated stranger named Shun approaches her with shocking information. According to him, Yoji may be connected to the mysterious death of his brother. Faced with growing doubts about her fiancé, Yuki begins investigating the truth and quickly discovers that Yoji may not be the person he claims to be.

I picked up this manga because I was looking for something different from a typical romance story, and it did not disappoint. One aspect I particularly enjoyed was Yuki's character development. At the start, she comes across as someone desperately searching for love and stability, allowing societal expectations and her desire to fulfil her father's wish to cloud her judgement. As the story progresses, however, she proves to be far more resilient than I initially expected. Rather than ignoring the warning signs, she chooses to confront them head-on, even when doing so puts her in uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situations.
I also appreciated that the manga prioritises the thriller elements over the romance. While it is fairly obvious that Shun is positioned as a future romantic interest, the first volume does not rush into a romance between them. Instead, the focus remains on the mystery surrounding Yoji and the growing sense that something is deeply wrong beneath his perfect exterior.

Overall, I would recommend this manga to readers looking for a modern thriller with romantic elements rather than a straightforward romance. The story combines the themes of the vulnerabilities and risks that come with online dating with suspense and character development. One thing that I struggled with a bit was Shun’s seemingly constant distrust and openness towards Yuki which seemed a bit off vibe. Nevertheless, the mystery is what truly drives the story forward, making it a refreshing read for those looking for something a little different.

[Kristina Butke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga was not what I expected, and I mean that in a positive way. This has all the makings of a solid thriller with characters you can’t trust, a mysterious death, a missing woman, and double lives.

We first meet Yuki and her fiancé Yoji and see that they are a lovey dovey couple.

But there are warning signs. Yoji keeps making excuses to put off the marriage and wedding, a lot of them being financial. He postpones meeting Yuki’s father. And, in a more subtle panel, he helps himself to the cash in Yuki’s purse as he is saying goodbye. There’s also a scheme where Yuki continues to hunt for men on the dating app, but I didn’t entirely get what was up with that, so I can’t really comment on that here.

One day, Shun appears at Yuki’s workplace and pretends to have met her before, and the two go outside to talk. Shun shows Yuki a picture of his dead brother, saying he died in an accident, and asks her if she knows anything about it or has anything to do with it. He also brings up Yoji as someone who cannot be trusted.

Shun plants the seed of doubt in Yuki’s mind, and she takes Shun’s advice to track down the conversation school Yoji is said to be running, only to find out it’s not there–the address instead points to a club.

Shun persistently keeps his tabs on Yuki and confronts her several times, and the plot thickens…and that’s all I’m going to reveal.

Shun seems to be like a good guy and you want to trust him, but his obsession with his brother’s death has sometimes led him to stop caring about anything else. Although, you can see the stirrings of something potentially romantic there with Yuki.

Yoji is despicable, all charm and no heart. He is manipulative and duplicitous, and the threatening choice he makes at the very end of this volume is a shocker. You immediately sense danger is coming and are filled with dread. You can’t help but feel bad for Yuki and wonder if there’s a part of her that hates herself–why did she allow herself to be engaged to such a creep? Is the pressure for marriage that strong that she would put herself in harm’s way?

This manga is full of twists and turns. It’s fast paced and a well-illustrated volume. The ending immediately made me want to dive into Volume 2 and I desperately want to know what will happen to these characters.

If you like romantic mystery thrillers, you can’t go wrong with giving this a try.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

At thirty-two, Yuki just wants to get married, especially after her father's stroke and after meeting Yoji through a dating app, she was positive she has met the perfect man. He was so kind and considerate at first, but now, two years later, that seems to have just been a mask. Every time she asks him when they will get married, he puts it off a little bit longer, saying that he just needs his business to stabilize first, and it seems he only shows up to her home to have sex and leave. Plus, he asks her to find well off men on dating apps for him, assumably to invest in his business; however, one afternoon, a man by the name of Shun shows up at her work. He tells her that his brother was one of the men she had contacted on a dating app on Yoji's behalf, but he's dead now, dying in a horrific car accident. What's worse is that shortly before he passed, he married a woman who has now disappeared with the proceeds of a thirty-million yen life insurance policy. He is more than positive that Yuki helped Yoji with a life insurance scam. At first, Yuki doesn't want to believe it, but Shun keeps showing up and presenting more and more evidence that Yuki may just have had a hand in murdering not just Shun's brother but countless other men. Determined to get to the truth, she agrees to assist him in catching Yoji, and it soon becomes very clear that her fiance may just be the devil in disguise.

So far, this has been pretty great! It is a very stereotypical story about a controlling man taking advantage of a woman with very little self-esteem, so on the uniqueness front, it hasn't added anything new, but I still enjoyed it. I do kinda feel like Yuki and Shun are going to eventually hook up, and I genuinely am not sure how I feel about that though. She's clearly made some poor life decisions when it comes to dating to begin with, and I'd rather see this progress with her not jumping straight into a new relationship after discovering her current fiancé may be a murderer. That being said I actually really love Shun, so it's hard to not want them to hook up. *sigh*

I really loved the art in this one as well, so all in all this is definitely a series I will continue at the very least because Yoji is clearly a slimeball and deserves to be taken down.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eArc!

[reese ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoever You Are, I Love You (Volume 1) follows the story of a 32-year-old office worker, Yuki, who is desperate to get married. All she sees on social media are her friends getting married and starting their own families. Her boyfriend, Yoji, promised that they would get married after he finishes paying off the debt from his failed business venture. However, as time goes by, Yoji begins asking Yuki to do increasingly strange things. Yuki’s doubts begin to take shape when a mysterious man named Shun appears, claiming that Yoji may be involved in a shady business deal that led to someone’s death.

--

This manga was quite a surprise to me. I have not read any josei titles in awhile so I knew I had to pick it up when it finally became available.

Whoever You Are, I Love You (Volume 1) had a really intriguing and timely premise. In a generation dominated by technology, everything seemed easier, even finding someone who you thought you would spending your life with. This is exactly how Yuki met her fiancé, Yoji.

I really appreciated how the mangaka presented the conflict in this volume. I love how it shifts from softer, more comforting vibes into something eerily disturbing as you turn the pages, especially when we begin to see glimpses of the potentially shady things Yoji is involved in. Shun’s involvement later on adds even more tension, which I truly liked.

Although I have to say that I find the characters a little half-baked. By half-baked, I mean that I sometimes find it hard to get into their headspace because they seem to change their minds too often and a bit too quickly for my liking. However, after reading this, I decided to give the series some grace, considering that this is only its first volume.

Thank you to Keiku Hagiwara, Kodansha Comics, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Whoever You Are, I Love You (Volume 1) will be released on June 23, 2026.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha comics for providing me with ARC of this manga.

Yuki Sato had one dream: getting married. Seeing others get married and start a family made her jealous. So she decided to try dating apps one day and matched with this really handsome, posh guy. Yoji. (All my fellow girls may want to scream at her-as do I-because dating app is no place to find true love).
Now Yuki is finally settled down with this guy (not yet married), when another guy comes along to confront Yuki about his brother's death and accuses her to be linked with it. Things unravel as she finds out her fiance is not who he seems to be.

Yuki is so stupid. So this "fiance" of hers tells her that he cannot marry her yet (🚩🚩🚩) because he is broke and he needs HER (🚩🚩🚩) to MATCH UP with OTHER GUYS (🚩🚩🚩) on DATING APPS (🚩🚩🚩) and later INTRODUCE THEM (🚩🚩🚩) to HIM (Yoji) (🚩🚩🚩)

If that didn't SCREAM shady, I don't know what did. (Also the fact that Yoji has a very eerie smile.)

And so, Shun comes to confront Yuki about his brother's death. He tells her how one of the guy (Shun's brother) she introduced to Yoji died and his wife (associated with Yoji) ran away with insurance money. He even shows her the photos of his brother- which Yuki recognize. AND THIS GIRL STILL CHOSE TO BELIEVE YOJI ????? HELLO????? COMMON SENSE???? DID YOU THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW????

AND THEN SHE GOES AND TELLS ALL OF THIS TO YOJI

SURVIVAL INSTINCT WHO???

She is the girl that is getting killed first in the horror movie. Good thing this is only mystery thriller (+ romance and maybe action).

You can pretty much predict the ending. Unfortunately, I was unable to predict the middle and guess what? This volume hangs on a 🥁🥁🥁 ...... CLIFFHANGER!

Good luck waiting for that next volume

[Tiffany Seward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manga | Mystery | Dating App

Thank you to Kodansha Comics for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

• Plot:
Whoever You Are, I Love You Vol 1 introduces Sato, a 32-year-old MC as a temp receptionist. Other official female workers at her building view her as a “professional slut” because they feel she’s using the job with low pay to find a husband. She’s eager to get married, given her age.

• What I Liked:
The pacing is great, and there’s mystery.

• What Didn’t Work for Me:
It’s not hard to figure out that, after being introduced to her “fiancé” through a dating app, he seems to be using her because he wants her to keep using the dating apps to find a rich guy to help them get married sooner. She’s so focused on getting married before her dad dies that she tosses out logic when it comes to him.


• Themes / Ideas:
Deception, schemes for money, killing, etc.

• Who I’d Recommend It To:
Those who’d like to read mysteries or see potential cons of dating apps.

• Overall Thoughts:
This volume is full of mystery and is fast-paced. If you have ever considered using a dating app, you probably won’t want to after reading this. I’m interested to see what happens in the next volume. There are 2 MCs: Sato and a guy connected to her through the person she’s dating. They team up against that guy. I wonder if there will be romance between them or double-crossing. No way to tell which way it goes, because people are mostly not who they appear to be in this series so far.

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟
I woke up to this in my inbox and finished it before work in a single sitting. It was so ridiculously fast-paced and bingeable.

Art Style
The artwork is BEAUTIFUL. It was in black and white, but was clean, precise, and expressive. I was literally speeding through the comic so fast on my iPad.

I went in without many expectations and was surprised by how dark this gets- Which I actually loved. The female protagonist can't seem to catch a break. But selfishly, why would we want her to? That is kind of the point of reading a comic - it really was one thing after another.

Although our FMC was not the smartest woman in her 30s, she is kind, slightly naive and caring. I am still routing for her, and here for the character development already visible in this first volume has me very invested in where she goes from here. There is a lot of room for her to grow and I don't mind reading about an FMC who really finds her own.

Cliffanger Ending
And WTF was that ending and WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER. I am excited to know what happens next and zero patience! What a fun read.

Recommendation:
If you enjoy dark, fast-paced manga with beautiful art and a protagonist with room to grow, pick this up immediately. Just remember to check your TWs.

Thank you to NetGalley, Keiku Hagiwara, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical Comics for the ARC of this!

[Keshia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Whoever You Are, I Love You 1 (ARC Version)
Release Date: Jun 23 2026
This is a remarkably effective suspense manga that feels grounded in real-world anxieties. Yuki Sato is a protagonist caught in the "limbo" of her early 30s—facing judgment for being unmarried and working a dead-end job while her father’s health declines.
The brilliance of the story is how it weaponizes that vulnerability. Her boyfriend Yuji's exploitation of her is chilling, and the introduction of the "mysterious death" subplot involving Shun elevates the story beyond a simple romance. It's a dark, twisty game of cat-and-mouse that asks how well we truly know the people we love. If you enjoyed the tension of Perfect Blue or psychological seinen that deals with the female experience, this is a strong recommendation.
I loved the duality of the plot. On one hand, you have a grounded critique of societal expectations; on the other, you have a dangerous game that could result in death. I found myself fully invested in the tension between Yuki, Yuji and Shun. It’s dark, twisty, and does a great job of showing how the need to "fit in" can lead someone into a nightmare. Definitely looking forward to the next volume. I couldn't put it down and I'm eager to see where Yuki’s journey goes next.

[Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Whoever You Are, I Love You 1 by Keiku Hagiwara is the first volume in a new series that will appeal to adult readers everywhere. The story revolves around Yuki, a 32 year-old woman, who is in a relationship with Yoji. At first, Yoji seems like the perfect man, but Yuki starts to uncover devastating secrets in his past. Yoji may have been involved in the death of a young woman. Not only that, but Yoji doesn't seem to love her anymore. With her dream of a wedding slowly dying, will Yuki find the courage to leave Yoji once and for all?

Overall, Whoever You Are, I Love You 1 is an amazing josei manga that will appeal to fans of the Tears on a Withered Flower webtoon or Tomorrow I'll Be Someone's Girlfriend. One highlight of this book is how it appeals to adult readers of manga. I am a bit tired of reading shojo manga about high schoolers in love, so when I saw that this manga was coming out aimed at the adult demographic, I knew that I had to read it right away! This book definitely satisfied my need for something with themes of love, betrayal, and revenge. The ending was also great, and I can't wait until Volume 2 comes out. If you're intrigued by the synopsis above, or if you're a fan of josei manga in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!

[jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0
dark emotional mysterious tense
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Just what kind of a person are you, really?

I'm a sucker for mystery manga like this, with morally grey characters that are thrust into situations so convoluted that you can't help but root for them in their misery. It starts off simple enough, with our protagonist Yuki trying her hardest to keep up with the many expectations for women in their 30s and to not disappoint her elderly father, whose only wish was to see her married. Although she has her boyfriend, things aren't as they seem, and within one volume, the author managed to capture and ensnare their readers with the crumbs of possibilities this story could spiral into. I adored the little light within the characters, made them more dimensional instead of just bland puppets to move the plot forward - I especially love how Yuki's kindness and naivete was flipped from being her weakness to her biggest asset. I'm really excited on how this would go, and I hope Kodansha licenses the rest of the volumes as well.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoever You Are, I Love You is a mystery josei. Yuki is 32 years old and working only temporarily. Her mom's dead and she doesn't want to let her dad down and wants to get married soon. She dating a guy now though, but there's something weird about Yoji, whom she met on a dating app. Yuki is desperate and doesn't see anything wrong with her fiancee until she meets Shun. It seems Yoji isn't what he seems and the whole thing gets quite dark. The manga highlights what is wrong with the Japanese society and how it puts pressure on women. At the same time I was so mad at Yuki, since she refuses to see things around her. But there are people like that. I'm glad she decides to do something about it eventually and it will be interesting to see how dark and creepy the whole thing will turn out to be. Perhaps it was slightly painful to follow Yuki and I wished she had more character, since she's quite bland.

The art looks OK, but it isn't out of this world. This felt like your basic josei mystery, which was a letdown on some level. The setting is interesting and it's hard to say where this will go, so points for that. I don't think this series can be that long though, but it's an OK mystery still. I just wish Yuki will evolve as a character in the long run - then this could be something.

[Eric Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Whoever You Are, I Love You 1" has a decent start with an interesting psychological angle, even if it didn’t fully hook me yet.

My biggest issue was the pacing. It somehow felt like both a lot and very little happened at the same time, which I know can be common with manga. Still, I thought the mystery elements and character dynamics were handled fairly well, especially once the story started leaning into a darker tone with Yoji's actions.

For most of the volume, I felt more like I was observing Yuki from a distance rather than emotionally connecting with her. That changed a bit during the moment where Yoji lightly threatens her with blackmail after taking her picture in a compromising situation. That scene genuinely caught me off guard and made the story feel like it could be much more sinister and made it more psychologically compelling. The ending as well did a good job of encouraging me to want to continue since it shows how cunning Yoji can be with his tactics.

I also liked the artwork quite a bit. The relationship dynamics felt believable overall. Currently, I’m somewhere between cautiously interested and mostly indifferent about continuing. It’s definitely not bad by any means, and I am interested in continuing to read and see where it goes, but I’m waiting to see whether the story fully commits to the mystery which was the most engaging aspect.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

I rated Whoever You Are, I Love You 2 out of 5 stars. Yuki Sato, a 32-year-old temporary worker, is determined to fulfill her ailing father's wish of seeing her married before he dies. After meeting the seemingly perfect Yoji on a dating app, she believes her future is finally falling into place. However, the arrival of Shun and the mystery surrounding his brother's death force Yuki to question whether her fiancé is truly the man she thinks he is.

While the premise is intriguing, the story felt rushed from the very beginning. The characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to fully connect with them or sympathize with their motivations. The frequent jumps from one scene to another made the narrative feel somewhat shallow and prevented the emotional moments from having their intended impact. Because of this, I found it difficult to become invested in any of the characters or root for their relationships and outcomes.

That said, I can see the appeal for readers who enjoy fast-paced romance mysteries with dramatic twists. Unfortunately, this series wasn't quite the right fit for me, and I don't plan to continue with future volumes.

[✩｡°⋆ Lala ⋆｡°✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

• ARC Review •

[Whoever You Are, I Love You Vol 1]
🔥 Release Date: [Jun 23 2026] 🔥
Thank you to Kodansha Comics, Keiku Hagiwara, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
★★★★☆

This volume had me in my feelings in a way I was absolutely not prepared for. It starts off soft and sweet, and then suddenly I was clutching the pages, unable to read fast enough. Hagiwara has a real talent for slipping emotional gut punches into the quiet moments, and every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, it swerved just enough to make my heart stutter.

The characters are messy in that painfully human way, awkward, yearning, trying so hard to connect while tripping over their own insecurities. It’s tender, frustrating, adorable, and it made me want to shake them and hug them at the same time. The emotional beats land, the humor is well timed, and the art carries so much nuance in the smallest expressions.

Did it drag in a couple spots? Yeah. Did I occasionally want to scream “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER” into the void? Also yes. But the payoff is worth it, and the final chapters absolutely deliver before ending on a cliffhanger that had me immediately needing the next volume.

[Jada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kodansha Comics, Vertical Comics, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Two years ago, Yuki Sato met the perfect man, Yoji, on a dating app. Desperate to fulfill her ailing father's final wish— to see her get married— Yuki agrees to help Yoji in whatever ways she can so that he is financially ready for marriage. Once a handsome stranger, Shun, approaches her with suspicions that Yoji played a part in his brother's death, Yuki must confront the red flags she's been ignoring.

Whoever You Are, I Love You is a fast paced thriller exploring the pressure for women to marry and the red flags people ignore to find love. Finding out your partner isn't who you thought is a nightmare, let alone finding out they might be responsible for murder! The premise is intriguing, and I was definitely hooked while reading! I felt like Yoji was a little too cookie cuter villain/manipulator, and Yuki was a little too naive for someone in their 30's, but I still really enjoyed my time reading and flew through this first volume. I can tell that Yuki's character development will be strong in this series!

[Sarah Gatecliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book

A different type of manga to what I usually read...but you know what...I really appreciated the change.

Whoever You Are, I Love You follows our main protagonist Yuki who is struggling to keep up with societal norms...such as getting married, having babies, buying a house etc. She does have a fiancé, Yoji, but they can only get married when his business starts making money. He suggests Yuki introduces him to wealthy matches on a dating app, who he says will hopefully help him turn the fortunes of his business around, allowing them to get married.

But things aren't all what they seem with Yoji, and when she is approached by a stranger about some disappearances, she starts to wonder who she is actually engaged to...

I thought Yuki's story was really quite heart wrenching. She just wants to be like everyone else...find someone who loves her and get married...maybe start a family. This is a theme which is very common in some countries, where women of a certain age are expected to have their lives together by a certain age. The pacing was steady and kept you gripped right until the end, I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

[Jack Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is messy, but in the best way.

I love a story that reminds me of a classic soap opera - betrayal, secrets, scandal, it’s all here! Yuki Sato feels like she is falling behind at life as all of her friends are boasting of weddings and careers and new babies, she is stuck in a temp job and the looming death of her unwell father has made her desperate to find a man she can marry so her father can fulfill his dream of walking her down the aisle. Then, she thinks she has found the perfect man on a dating app only to discover that he is not what he seems.

These characters are great. Yuki’s feelings of inadequacy as she enters her thirties are so relatable, and I like the fact that we have adult characters in this manga. I also find myself really interested in our alleged villain. I am a sucker for darker romance and with the way this ended, I’m hoping that there might be a bit of that mixed in with all of drama. We can only wait and see!

The art is fantastic and fits the story very well with lots of close up, expressive panels that really show the characters emotions.

I can’t wait to read more! Thanks to Kodansha and Netgalley for the DRC!!