與妳相依 敲響心扉的百合精選集 1

Éclair #1

by Nio Nakatani, 仲谷鳰, のん

　Cover Illust & Comic
　　仲谷 鳰

　　Illust
　　のん／柊ゆたか／南方 純

　　Comic
　　天乃咲哉／天野しゅにんた／伊咲ウタ／伊藤ハチ／カボちゃ／川浪いずみ／缶乃
　　北尾タキ／タカダフミ子／唯野影吉／にしお栞／ハルミチヒロ／平尾アウリ
　　めきめき／結川カズノ

　　在胸口作響的是心的鼓動。
　　一共由19位作者描繪出百合之間絕美的情愫。

本書特色

　　★以《終將成為妳》作者仲谷 鳰為首，豪華執筆陣容織就出的華美短篇集。
　　★在女孩子之間的特別關係中，一定能找到讓你怦然心動的作品……
　　★最溫馨甜美的百合精選集！

Genres: Manga, Yuri, LGBT, Romance, Queer, Short Stories, Lesbian

276 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2016

About the author

Nio NAKATANI 仲谷鳰 is a Japanese mangaka and doujinsha.

Associated Names:
Rireba リレバ

Official site:
Doujinsha site: 「リレバ」 rireba
Pixiv: 仲谷鳰[Nakatani]

Reviews

[Sasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art in this anthology is wonderful...and that's about where the wonder stops. Eclair collects stories from various yuri manga creators. The age choices a lot of these authors decided on were questionable at best. I have no problems with age gaps—like a 35-year-old with a 25-year-old is totally fine. In fact, I wish that were the case for most of the stories in Eclair. However, a 25-year-old engaging in a relationship with a 15-year-old is wildly inappropriate because they're at different stages in their lives—to a normal adult, a teenager is a child. Not a sexual person to pursue. A few characters looked/are as young as 10 which is like...I don't understand the need for creators to make their characters predators for a "successful" romance. It's creepy and unnecessary. Teens can barely form a concrete assessment of what's needed in a healthy relationship with what little experience they have; a 10-year-old would have no concept of sexual attraction.

I can see how certain power dynamics can be attractive (ex: professor/student, queen/handmaiden—assuming all are age-appropriate) because ~forbidden attraction~ but there are better ways to write it, especially because the way manga creators tend to handle power dynamics poorly. In "The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl", the 30-year-old acknowledges many times that the high school girl is a child. Romanticizing this kind of behavior in adult characters is a gross misuse of the platform and incredibly irresponsible. Other stories are either cute/fluffy or they have consent issues, manipulation, bullying, etc. Out of all 15 stories, only 3 made my purchase worthwhile (got it for Nakatani). Would I buy it knowing what I know? No, definitely not.

[eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

wish i could’ve rated it higher as i had high expectations but like three of these stories had girls with large age gaps in love and thats just not okay what the fuck? i liked the other stories though and all of the artwork was beautiful. so. idk. three stars i guess

[Donatella Principi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo manga raccoglie 16 storie yuri di autrici differenti fra cui Nio Nakatani (Bloom into You), Sakuya Amano (Gosick) e Canno. Sono tutte storie che affrontano l’amore fra ragazze, da quello più casto e timido a rapporti più fisici e quotidiani. Ce n’è davvero per tutti i gusti, insomma. Ho apprezzato molto i disegni e la sensibilità delle autrici, alcune anche in pochissime pagine sono state in grado di lasciarmi un’emozione, e penso sia un ottimo primo approccio allo yuri manga in quanto fornisce tutti gli elementi base di questo genere. Al di là dello yuri, trovo che sia una raccolta molto delicata sull’universo femminile e per questo ve lo consiglio caldamente. Spero che venga pubblicato anche in italiano perché merita davvero

[Ekene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly incredibly sweet. My favorite story has to be Belle the Rabbit and the Wolf by Hachi Itou. It was so goddamn cute that I wanted more. I needed more. Very sweet, definitely recommend

[Peyton (Taylor’s Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were amazing and then some (majority) were boring and just felt rushed.

But in then end, I’m not picky on it because it was all wlw and my bar is low for them 🤷‍♀️

[Rachel Isaacson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.6 stars

Rating by Story:
- Happiness in the Shape of a Scar by Nio Nakatani - 5 stars
- Tears in the Clean Room by Shiori Nishio - 4 stars
- Human Emotion by Shuninta Amano - 3 stars
- Intro by Chihiro Harumi - 4 stars
- The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl by Canno - 2 stars
- The Hairdresser by Uta Isaki - 3.5 stars
- Alice in the Miniature Garden by Sakuya Amano - 2. stars
- Master for 1/365 by Mekimeki - 4 stars
- Two Years and Eleven Months by Kabocha - 4 stars (this story made me feel very sad)
- Game Over by Kagekichi Tadano - 4 stars
- My Cute Bitch by Izumi Kawanami - 4 stars
- A Tale of Weeds by Kazuno Yuikawa - 1.5 stars
- The Two of Us and Apples by Taki Kitao - 4 stars
- Belle the Rabbit and the Wolf by Haci Itou - 2.5 stars
- Your Jinx by Fumiko Takada - 1.5 stars
- My Idol by Yuri Hirao - 1.5 stars

[Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey, Japan, can we stop shipping children with adults now, mmkay?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good-sized anthology at almost 300 pages. Most of the stories are decent but I was hoping for more variety, as most of them are the usual cliché of school students experiencing their first love. I’ll summarize each plot below so you know what you’re in for. FYI, most of these stories are pretty tame. While most have kissing, not all of them do, and there is only one actual love scene, which is interrupted before it gets very far.

The anthology opens with three full-color illustrations by Non, Yutaka Hiiragi, and Sunao Minakata, independent of the stories that follow:

Happiness in the Shape of a Scar, by Nio Nakatani (16 pages). This story is about a high school student who is crushing on the lone wolf of the school. Her crush only cares about one thing, becoming an expert pianist. She jealously wishes for some tragic accident to befall the girl so she can no longer play piano and will have time for her. But she changes her tune when her wish actually comes true.

Tears in the Clean Room, by Shiori Nishio (22 pages). A high school love triangle. The main character’s crush starts dating another girl, and she has to learn to accept that she can never be with her.

Human Emotin, by Shuninta Amano (20 pages). I thought this one was pretty cute. It’s an opposites-attract story about two stylists, one who is perfectly poised and one who is a complete klutz. The sophisticated one decides her coworker’s clumsiness is adorable and her desire to take care of the helpless girl blossoms into love.

Intro, by Chihiro Harumi (16 pages). The student x tutor trope, one of my favorites! The art is absolutely divine. The girls in this story are gorgeous! (But what is up with that title?) I wish this author had more published yuri but all I can find are het hentai books and I have zero interest in that.

The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl, by Canno (8 pages). I found this story to be pointless filler. As the title suggests, it’s about a woman who sleeps with people just to mooch off of them and a rich high school girl who pesters her (unsuccessfully) to become one of her victims.

The Hairdresser, by Uta Isaki (16 pages). A high school girl grows close to her crush by braiding her hair daily.

Alice in the Minature Garden, by Sakuya Amano (24 pages). This story is unique to the anthology in that it takes place in Victorian Europe, but I wasn’t a fan because it’s about children. A young girl hand-picks an orphan to be her maid. The maid feels sorry that her little mistress is a lord’s illegitimate child, so she is strict with her to prepare her for the cruel gossip she will undoubtedly encounter as she grows up.

Master for 1/365, by Mekimeki (8 pages). A high school girl offers to be her best friend’s slave for a day, since it’s her birthday. But she’s disappointed when the birthday girl only wants a snack from a vending machine, and explains (with a kissing demonstration) that she should ask for something more special.

Two Years and Eleven Months, by Kabocha (25 pages). Pretty art, but I didn’t like this story at all. Two middle school students decide that when they grow up they’ll run away together. But in high school they have to amend their pact to only be together until they graduate because the one girl’s parents have since divorced and her mentally ill mother now needs a caregiver.

Game Over, by Kagekichi Tadano (11 pages). This story had the potential to be my favorite in the book, but it was too short. The two high school girls featured enjoy sexy roleplay, so they find an abandoned house and pretend it’s the apocalypse. But they hear a weird sound and run away.

My Cute B****, by Izumi Kawanami (26 pages). Cute art, but not my kind of story. Two women whose boyfriends are best friends move in together to save on expenses. They are crushing on each other, but the one sleeps with a different man every night, including her new roommate’s boyfriend, to make her jealous. I actually hate this trope. A lot.

A Tale of Weeds, by Kazuno Yukikawa (16 pages). A “love triangle” about little girls. One is manipulative and controls her pushover friend, coercing her to lie for her. When this mean girl steals another classmate’s notebook and then plays innocent, her doormat has to take a stand at last and tell the truth at the risk of ending their friendship. Boring.

The Two of Us and Apples, by Taki Kitao (8 pages). Pretty cute story about a girl who always cooks food for her male crushes, but has to have her female friend help because she is a terrible cook. One day, after having a dream that her soulmate was right in front of her the whole time, she offers their freshly-baked apple pie to her female friend instead of a guy.

Belle the Rabbit and the Wolf, by Hachi Itou (26 pages). Adorable anthro story about a bunny girl who runs a tea café and a vegetarian wolf girl looking for a special dessert. Probably my favorite story in this book, and I don’t even like anthros.

Your Jinx, by Fumiko Takada (10 pages). Worst story in this anthology by far. It’s about a little girl who thinks she is pregnant, but it turns out she was just constipated.

My Idol, by Auri Hirao (6 pages). In the disappointing wrap-up to the anthology, two pop idols dressed like German clog dancers try to overcome their stage fright by clinging to each other. But after their performance, when the one tries to continue hugging the other, she is rejected.

After the curtain call, the book gives you a basic Japanese language tutorial on the use of honorifics and the value of the yen, then each author and artist from the anthology writes a sentence or two in closing.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection not just because of the sheer amount of stories, but also because each of those stories is different. From sweet to sexy to bittersweet, there's a little bit of something for everyone in here.

[Eressea · Rating 2 out of 5]

極短篇不太好發揮吧
沒幾篇喜歡的
果然不是百合吸引我而是劇情呢
照這樣說或許我也有看BL的潛力，只要故事寫得夠好?

終將成為你4那時才要上KOBO啦!!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

3* for the stories i actually enjoyed but i'm deducting a point for having to skip the ones that were just grown ass women getting with young girls lol

[Isapropanol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Some of the stories are to die for, some of them just generally made me want to die

[Devyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some stories were really sweet and I absolutely adored one of them, but my god there were definitely one too many stories in here about adult women dating underage girls. One of them even looked to be between a elementary age child and an adult woman?? Another was a woman in her late 20’s with a young high schooler.

These types of themes are tired, disgusting, and old to say the least, and it’s definitely one (among many) of the tropes anime/manga need to stop creating. Especially considering the queer community suffers from homophobic accusations that they’re full of pedos.
Definitely would not recommend this collection to anybody.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

there are far too many creepy age gaps in this... maybe a solid 3 of them are sweet and don’t have any underlying strangeness, but the others have significant, uncomfortable gaps and no I just can’t I cannot it shouldn’t be acceptable
the artwork is nice though so ????

[andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this anthology, but most of the stories just didn’t resonate with me. A few were cute, but I found the pacing of most of them off (either too rushed or too slow), and some of the relationships were uncomfortable to read about due to the age gaps, etc.

[Zoe Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eclair review

With yuri manga, as a genre being especially vulnerable to endless cycles of will-they-won’t-they (often without even directly acknowledging the characters have romantic feelings for each other in the first place), the one-shot format is a great way to cut the BS and get straight to the meat, as immediately illustrated by Nio Nakatani’s “Happiness In The Shape Of A Scar,” which gets first billing and provides the cover art. It’s an angsty, internal little piece which delivers all the set up-pay off-resolution of a “crush from afar” storyline in a few dozen pages that I found infinitely more compelling than what I read of Bloom Into You.

The vast majority of the stories are high school dramas, which is basically what you expect going into anything yuri, but there are a few that break the mold, and, if you’ll forgive the inelegant formatting, I’ll rattle off a list of the stand-outs below:

Shuninta Amano’s Human Emotion is the tale of a low-affect, underemployed service worker and the klutzy clod of a co-worker she learns to love (to bully). As a sort of “full disclosure,” Amano is my favorite artist in the genre, and I *believe* this is her first English-released story, and also a new one for me, AND it’s about bullying a cutie, my favorite trope! So it’s like stumbling ass backwards into a full-on treasure trove of horny zoh-based stereotypes. Really, if I’d known she was in it in the first place, that would’ve made my purchasing decision for me (and I’d kill to see any of her other stories—ESPECIALLY her long-form The Feelings We All Must Endure, translated into English). So, that kinda makes Eclair a five-stars-by-default sort of thing for me……..

THAT BEING SAID, the rest volume is no slouch. Izumi Kawanami’s “My Cute Bitch,” which dives deep into another perennial favorite trope of mine “the “straight” girls who—shocker!—actually only has eyes for each other best friend, but torques the method slightly, as the title aptly suggests, by toying around with who’s the top/bottom in their relationship.

Kagekichi Tadano’s Game Over justifies itself by its twist alone, which I won’t spoil, except to say that it’s one of the few stories to acknowledge modern day homophobia—albeit obliquely, and without angst. It’s pretty rare for yuri to address that sort of societal ostracisation (and when it does, it feels like it’s more often in manga that are technically categorized as “seinen”). Game Over is barely 10 pages long, but it tells a complete tale with all the obverse details it doesn’t portray about its world.

That trifecta forms the stand-outs for me, but other relevant stories include Canno’s The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl skirts age lines—which is something you often have to stomach just to read yuri in the first place—but I’m a sap for overachieving younger partners paired up with useless couch potato older ones, so sign me up! Kazuno Yuikawa’s A Tale of Weeds is a sweet, and thankfully chaste, grade school story of trust and betrayal. And, finally, I was surprised by the penultimate story, Hachi Itou’s Belle the Rabbit and the Wolf. I wasn’t expecting a dose of kemono-mimi in here, and while the story itself, about cute animal people running a pastry shop, was a little too twee for my tastes, I’ll never say no to an aloof wolf girl (*with* ~kakkoi~ facial scar, no less). And seeing the author essentially making their own built-in Coffee Shop AU was a nice way to bring the anthology to a close.

As far as I know, Eclair is basically the only anthology of its kind in the English mangasphere (though I’d be happy to be corrected!) and it comes out of the gate swinging for its genre. If you’re interested in more traditional yuri stories, there’s easily twice the amount of standard high-schoolers-being-cute in here as the ones above, that appealed more to my “ughhh wait i’ve almost spent more of my life PAST high school than UP TO high school sensibilities. Either way, Eclair’s a hard recommend, and you can… take that to the bank? …i guess? i don’t have catch phrase worked up and I’m a little done with writing this and you’re probably a more than a little done with reading it, so thank you for your time and let’s call it at that!!)

(as a side note, both the cover and the paper stock feel a little flimsier than your average manga release, even Yen Press’s other recent, Delicious in Dungeon. I understand it’s probably a given, since it’s got a bigger-than-average page count for a manga volume, but just be warned if you’re picking up the hard copy. It’s not a big deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning that I felt I had to be a little more careful with throwing this into my bag on the way to work than I usually do)

[Aleria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally read me some goo yuri (basically yuri is lesbian love for those they don't read manga). ^_^

I wrote down my thoughts of each story in a notebook but I will share them here. I'm not sure if this is a spoiler or not...but I don't think it is. :)

Story #1: Honestly I thought the girl was going to do something awful. Since she was so greedy the other girl's affection. But after Kei hand broke things changed. She didn't want those ugly thoughts anymore, she just wanted to be with her. Be by her side.

Story #2 : In this story I'm glad the neat freak girl eased dropped.Finally some action! The kissing scenes were intense but sweet at the same time. Even though she loves one of the girls but she already loves another. I just hope the main girl notices her feelings & doesn't reject them as a "phase".


Story #3: Not sure how to describe this. Basically a woman who does well at everything & finds nothing by it when people say she isn't human. Finally feels human after seeing a girl who's clumsy as hell. who can't do anything right. An I literally mean this, nothing right at all. Lol.


Story #4: This was cute but funny at the same time! The student wanted her tutor to focus on the now & not the past. Since the tutor only likes historical places & people more then normal people.


Story #5: I love that this is the 2nd story so far where someone younger falls for someone older then them. I don't mind it, it's cute.
Bu I need the woman to stop "borrowing" money & get a job a;ready.


Story #6: Like damn! Chika made Kaoru's hair look so beautiful! (That one time I actually write down the characters names down.)


Story #7: Another adorable story. I really hope the maid can help this young lady be strong. Cause she's right. A stubborn, pure, not all that bright little girl will get destroyed or corrupted by society.


Story #8: Short but satisfying. She better take advantage of having a servant for a day. ;)


Story #9: I thought this would be sweet. But it got serious & sad. I really hope there mind changes when they get a bit older. I feel bad for the girl who feels alone since her mom's incident.


Story #10: I was confused. I thought the world did end in this story. But they were just role playing. I'll be damned!


Story #11: If this story went a bit further, it would've been complicated but probably worth it.
I just hope the slutty roommate gets tested since the girl chose her. She's been sleeping around a bit too much.


Story #12: Children can be scary & weird. At least the girl got away from her two faced evil friend.


Story #13: This was so cute! Friends that cook together but become lovers afterwords.
* I want Apple Pie now.


Story #14: Why are all the animal people so darn cute?! The pastries in this story look so darn delicious! I want a bunny girl! T^T Hell! I want ears & a tail! :)
(I like cute things...sometimes don't judge me! Also this is the 2nd story where there is an apple pie.)


Story #15: This girl is a trip! I have no words for this one, only that it was funny.


Story #16: You should've told her how you felt to begin with! Cause it's one sided & she loves the fans more then you! Lol.

[Lucky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good little read for any fans of yuri/wlw/girls' love/lesbian content. Éclair is full of diverse and entertaining short stories that are best taken in short doses to really appreciate each and every one. What I found while reading, was that I in fact, did not enjoy every story, and that's good. There's a story in Éclair that fits everyone's tastes, and that's what marks a good anthology. However some struck me as morally weird, or were written as if they were part of something bigger and expected me to have prior knowledge, and some seemed to showcase unhealthy relationships in a positive light. One has a woman like her partner because she's "helpless" and "can't do anything right", she finds it cute, comparing it to a hamster on a wheel, with its "helplessness being entertaining", and I thought that was pretty odd and unhealthy. However, a vast majority of them were cute, heart-warming, and fun. Varying from some more cheesy or funny tales to some that were more serious, not every one of them ended happily. One very early on, in fact, takes a bit of a sad end that was completely unexpected, but it felt all the more real. If every story ended with butterflies and rainbows, it would have gotten boring.
I guarantee no one would enjoy every single story, but there's going to be something in here that makes you happy and warms your heart. I would definitely recommend Éclair to anyone looking for a good collection of short lesbian love stories, and will be picking up the second when I get the chance!

[osoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

К сборникам историй я подхожу с опаской, потому что разнообразие зачастую означает неразборчивость. Бывают случаи, когда некоторые произведения включаются в тематический сборник, но выбиваются жанром или относятся к общей теме постольку поскольку. Вызывает недоумение, каким образом они там вообще оказались…

Éclair от этого не страдает, тема выдержана во всех 16-ти историях, а сеттинг, жанры и теги поистине впечатляют – тут и типичные школьные истории, и повседневность, и фэнтези, и age gap, и дружба с пеленок, и предательство, и фетиши, и абсолютно прекрасные и не поддающиеся навешиванию ярлыков зарисовки. 16 раз читателю предлагается погрузиться в новый сюжет, новую манеру повествования и рисунка, и вот что я скажу – уже очень давно я не получала удовольствия от такой солянки.

Тот случай, когда краткая форма оказалась самодостаточной. Без лишнего растягивания одной сюжетной линии на n томов, все лаконично и оттого более пронзительно сказано на ~20-ти страницах. И так 16 раз. Зачет.

hisashiburi

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies and any kind of collections that feature works from different authors are difficult to grade... There were some sweet stories, some alright ones and some which I didn't much care about, as is usually the case.
I think I was a tad disappointed because I expected to like this collection more as a whole. But it was still a nice, quick read that featured many kind of infatuation and love between girls. Too many were dancing on the edge of "is that love or just admiration because they think the other one is cool and looks up to them", I hoped more actual romantic love stories. But those were sometimes cute stories too.
A few stories had a bit cringeworthy elements like liking the other one because she's like a funny pet or "no sex so our love remains pure" or something.

But there was more good than bad, so it was worth reading.

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a diverse compendium of stories: tragic stories, silly stories, magical stories, thoughtful stories, and sweet stories. They are not clones of one another and each offers something different. But they do have one thing in common: they're all too short. I already find myself thinking that characters and their growth are rushed when reading yuri works that span a half-dozen volumes; these that cover just eight pages each are frustratingly devoid of the languid journey I hope to take with the people I'm being introduced to. However, it's a testament to the quality of the writing that in most of these shorts, I still found myself caring about the characters, and wanting more. Perhaps one will catch the eye of an editor who will convince its author to expand it into a proper novel. Until then, like many a yuri character's love, all we'll have is what might have been.

[Freddie🏳️‍⚧️🐀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such a big book most the stories were complete duds. Which is a shame I LOVE Anthology comics but this one was a chore to get through.
There are very few stories I can say were alright or even very good. The stories are usually problematic (gross dynamics or age gaps) or just made go “huh? What is this story about even?” All these stories just did not make good use of their length, ending so suddenly and just like giving me nothing.

The art however is very good for each chapter. But my goodness.

Here are my favorite stories
1. Belle the rabbit and the wolf
2. Happiness in the shape of a scar
3. The hairdresser
4. Game over
5. Master for 1/365

Even out of these 5 I wouldn’t say that they are worth buying the volume for.

[alix flora 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay some of these were not my vibe with a weird girl telling this girl has to marry her she got pregnant from her to the cutest relationship ever between a rabbit and a vegetarian wolf girl omg
My favorite stories were happiness in the shape of a scar for the wonderful angst
Intro. Because it was notice me senpai but betterrr
And Human Emotion because she really said damn you’re dumb as hell and cute lemme love you
And the story to a tale of weeds was probably one of the most interesting since yanno kids are crazy af

[David Doel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a volume of short stories by different authors. I liked only one or two of the stories. One thing became clear as I read this volume; a manga short story depends heavily on the quality of the artwork. The story I liked most had excellent artwork that helped carry the story. The artwork was generally good in the other stories, but it did not contribute to the story-telling. The text was also little help for those other stories.

[DragynBlack · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with any anthology there are stories I loved and stories I could have gone without. I enjoy the 'fun but complicated' more than the 'inevitable heartbreak' and 'tragically disfunctional'. All in all I think it's a good collection and would recommend to any yuri fan. Favorites were "Intro." by Chihiro Harumi & "The Two of Us & Apples" by Taki Kitao and I'd say the collection is worth picking up for those two alone.

[Carissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.4 average rating per story*
Happiness in the Shape of a Star 3/5
Tears in the Clean Room 2.5/5
Human Emotion 3/5
Intro. 2/5
The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl 1/5
The Hairdresser 2/5
Alice in the Minature Garden 1/5
Master for 1/365 2.5/5
Two Years and Eleven Months 3/5
Game Over 2.5/5
My Cute Bitch 4/5
A Tale Of Woods 1/5
The Two of Us and Apples 3.5/5
Belle the Rabbit and the Wolf 2.5
Your Jinx 4/5
My Idol 1/5

[Kris Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not bad, but I feel like it should have been better for what it was worth. I haven’t had much luck finding good GL mangas. I thought this one would knock my expectations out the park, but it was so-so. It is an anthology, and a sub suggested that this volume be read first. There was a suggestion that the other volumes could revisit some previous stories. Bloom Into You was a better GL (and my first), but ever since then I haven’t had a lot of luck finding one that was just as exciting.

[Bentgaidin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of short love stories. Some are sweet, some bittersweet, cruel, cute, amusing, or fantastical -- there's something here for everyone. Perhaps because they're all so short, I didn't get as attached to any of the characters as I'd like, but there are a few that I'll especially enjoy revisiting in the future just for their perfect sweetness.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as you'd expect. There are certainly troubling recurring themes (love between girls is more pure because it isn't sexual, love between girls has an expiration date...), but there is enough variety that if you don't like one story you can move on to the next and have something different. I liked that the authors were a mix of established mangaka and newcomers.

[Jeff Rhodes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at reading manga. Maybe this was a bad starting point. I'm not sure. All I do know is that this book is awful. The many different stories are so scattered, and the artwork so poor in certain places, that I couldn't help but just chuckle or roll my eyes. If you enjoy manga this book might be right for you. All it's done for me is turn me away from it.