A Long & Short Love Story

by Kei Ichikawa, Katelyn Smith (Translator)

No two boys could be closer than Ibuki and Kippei. As next-door neighbors and childhood friends, they go to the same school, chat about their favorite music, and watch the summer fireworks together every year. But when Ibuki kisses Kippei one day, the definition of their relationship begins to change…

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Yaoi, Romance, Graphic Novels

Kindle Edition

Published May 12, 2026

About the author

Kei ICHIKAWA (市川けい) is a Japanese BL manga artist.
Also known as doujinsha under the circle name Hyakkei (百計).

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing happens and yet everything does.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interestingly experimental format that did not work at all in book form.

This was originally published over three years in a serial format, with a color cover page in each issue of Ciel magazine. I guess it would work well enough that way - it's just a couple of pages of a cute, no-plot, no-drama, no-frills relationship, which a reader would read and quickly move on from.

Reading 20 of these in order as a "book" made it apparent how empty the story was. Maybe if the art was stronger, the pops of color and sedate pace would've stood out more. But this just felt like a very mediocre story where nothing happened and we never got to know the characters at all.

The first three chapters are basic "longtime friends and neighbors" vignettes. Cute enough, but I was startled when there was a kiss in chapter 4, with Kippei hiding away at home after Ibuki surprised him.

And then. The next chapter they were dating?

After that it was just fairly boring timestamps of studying, graduation, moving out, etc. No chemistry. No development - which might be a little tough in this serial format but was certainly possible - and still very little to distinguish them as characters.

And then there were randomly odd things, like Kippei's sister being present in a couple of chapters - seeming to be living at home in one but with "since you moved out" dialogue in another. Absolutely anything of interest happens off-screen, which is inevitable because there are only a few pages per chapter, but then why doesn't anything interesting get saved for those 2-5 pages?

The movie-watching one was extremely confusing. I think it was supposed to be flashing back and forth, but without any visual markers for that and with mild drama that barely made sense.

And the final chapter didn't even bother with a solid conclusion. Three years of serialization, fizzling out with nothing.

I was not expecting this to be such a disappointment. It's hardly a story at all.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

little sweet relationship vignettes with pops of color. really cute and simple!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much in the way of development, but taken for what it is-a series of vignettes, it's sweet and the color pages are especially beautiful.

[E (manga_runner) · Rating 3 out of 5]

rounding up to 3 trying to keep in mind that its a short story format

I liked seeing the colored pages that were included.

It's a quick read as the chapters are short and are mainly snippets of moments between the two, but you kinda feel like you are missing moments between the chapters. It's a wholesome read, but I feel like the chapters are more of what you would see of bonus stories in a manga.

-no spice, wholesome BL
-childhood friends to lover

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ibuki and Kippei are neighbours and best friends since childhood. They're always together, but neither of them thinks it's anything more, until Ibuki kissess Kippei. After a brief confusion, they decide they're dating.

This was a very low-key, stand-alone romance. It's told in brief vignettes of a page or two that catch the scene in the middle, or allude to something that has happened without witnesses, with full-colour chapter title illustrations sometimes being the entire the plot. The story follows the boys from high school to university, and absolutely nothing happens with the romance. The second kiss takes place years later. But it leaves them in a happy place.

According to the author's afterword, the story was originally published in a serialised form. If I'd had to read a story this slow over several years, I would've given up. Collected in one place, it was nice and poetic even. Worked fairly well. Art was nice, with dabs of colour here and there, and the chapter titles were really beautiful.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Morthos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but because of how the chapters were 5-10 pages long, it sometimes felt like nothing was happening. I get it from the title, and I've read other manga that did this daily snapshot kind of storytelling, but it was just sweet with nothing added to it. Like, it's sweet for sweet’s sake. I'm also very annoyed about the splash of color; I'm sorry. I like manga black & white, and It's bothering a part of my brain in the same way that uncensoring a manga during localization does… I still liked it. In fact, I really want a volume 2 of their adult years living together.

This was a really nice slice of cake that I would've loved another piece from, and now I want another plate with an even bigger slice of cake.

[ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss and Yen Press for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was soooo cute!! I liked each snapshot of Kippei and Ibuki's love story and how even though each one could've very easily stood on its own as a much longer story, they still read as fully complete stories as is. I do wish Kippei and Ibuki got a bit more character development on-page, because since the short stories move very quickly we don't really get any moments of reflection/growth for either of them. Overall, though, an adorable manga!

[Cas ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a little bad rating it only 3 stars, but the format doesn’t really work for me. It’s clearly a serial turned manga, but it’s one of those ones where it should’ve stayed a serial I think. If I had bought this vs read it at the library, I probably would’ve been really bummed by the lack of story. It’s very cute and I was rooting for them, and the art is beautiful, but there’s no substance to it & the dialogue is sparse because it’s only a few pages per chapter. It leaves you wanting much more.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

I love Kei Ichikawa. I normally don't care for the short story snippets, but this flowed pretty well. I liked the little bits we get of their relationship and the splashes of color were cute. I'd love to see what this looks like printed.

I feel like the next step is to physically publish Blue Sky Complex!!! Futekiya is going under and the people need to be fed!!

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute serialization! The chapters are very short and things aren’t drawn out. More glimpses into everyday life moments than anything. And the use of color throughout was really lovely and unique!

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, I was so happy to read all the good bits of a kindling romance versus in different seasons of life. This was a really cute serialization and the use of color was done really well. We all need stories with more fluffy moments and less angst.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was cute the pops of color was also really nice. The writing style is more poetic or at least thats what it reminds me of. Very short and sweet, simple but not poorly done in my opinion

[Amber Hutchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty impressed with how we were able to gather so much about the couple just by seeing short snippets of their life. It was well executed and a realistic view into true friends to lovers. Not to mention, the absolutely gorgeous art in-between the chapters. Overall, a sweet quick read.

[Hannah Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet little blurbs/ short stories that give you a peek into a sweet couple and their development of life together.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet series of vignettes from these boys' teenage to early adult life. Childhood friends to loves is one of my weakness' honestly.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but it’s episodic … you only get small glimpses into their lives so it’s hard to connect with the characters… But I guess the title makes sense in that way…

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this fell short of the potential of a really good series. It's like a collection of snippets from potential chapters.

[Sarah C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have enough words for this stand alone manga, seeming they didn't give me enough words to understand what exactly was happening throughout the manga. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Darcy Roar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little stand alone, but nothing to write home about particularly

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story. friendship and love all in one. Beautiful artwork

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute!

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more a snapshot of them going from friends to more. There's no depth or sense of time really. There's great art and the couple is cute throughout.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I picked this one up. It’s slim volume but every chapter is a short story as their love progresses and there’s about 20 chapters. Hence the title, a long and short love story. Very clever.

The art was beautiful as well. I didn’t realize until I was reading the book that this is the second Ichikawa title I’ve read. I read “Stray Bullet Baby” and I really liked it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Told in very short chapters, this love story begins with two friends whose relationship changes forever when one suddenly kisses the other. In each chapter, there are pops of color, adding visual drama and beauty as well as something to set this story apart in the world of BL manga. The chapter breaks were originally cover art done for a serialization contest, and they are a beautiful highlight of this collection.

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

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12