Star Collector, Volume 1

Sternensammler Sammelband (Volumes) #1

by Anna Backhausen, Sophie Schönhammer (Illustrator)

Fynn's favorite activities are skipping class, smoking, and lying around. So when he's told it's time to shape up and try doing something else for a change, he has no idea where to even start. Then, on a nighttime walk around his neighborhood, he sees a stranger with a telescope up on a hill: his name is Niko, and he loves to watch the stars. Intrigued, Flynn decides to find out more about this nerdy boy and what could be so interesting about the night sky that he loves so much.

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

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2017

About the author

Anna Backhausen wurde 1995 geboren. Momentan studiert sie an der Universität Kassel Soziale Arbeit. Nebenbei versucht sie in ihren Zeichnungen und Geschichten den Eigenheiten ihrer Mitmenschen einen Platz zu geben und Fuß in der deutschen Comic- bzw. Mangaszene zu fassen.

Neben den häufigen Verabredungen mit ihrem Schreibtisch, welche meist von Sophie Schönhammer eingefädelt werden, geht sie gerne ins Kino, trifft sich mit Freunden zum Kuchen essen oder backen und sucht auf Flohmärkten nach Schätzen.

Anna findet ihr auch unter ihrem Künstlernamen Holzesserin auf Facebook und Twitter.

Gemeinsam haben die beiden bereits verschiedene Dojinshi veröffentlicht und für ihre Geschichte He’s half-baked den Dojinshi-Preis 2014 gewonnen.

Instagram: traumholz

Reviews

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★★★
Vol. 2 ★★★★☆

I kind of adored this. The artwork is beautiful, the characters are lovable and flawed and sweet, and the romance is slow but simple and precious. There's definitely a lot that doesn't get explained in Niko's back story here, but I'm hoping that's going to be explored further in the next volume. Bits of the story are surprisingly bittersweet (like the secrecy behind Niko's scar and his home life, or Zoe's deep love for Fynn despite their breakup), and it definitely adds to the depth of the book overall. I can't wait for Volume 2. ♥

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Mads Browse · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

reread #1:

i remember being so smitten with this couple a few years ago, so i’m not sure what changed this time around. maybe it was volume two that i enjoyed the most, but either way, i’m still bummed that this one fell flat.

[The Half-blood Reader]

09/04/20 - Free atm at https://www.tokyopop.com/together

The coloured pages at the beginning are gorgeous watercolours!!! *drops that at your desk and just stands there*

Now that I finished, I still like the art, but the writing leaves much to be desired. Over dramatic, all over the place.

I am also wondering if the translation was well done, since there were lines that made no sense.

[Keiko the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too fast, but this is gooooooood

I love how smooth-sailing the storytelling is. The art style is so cute, and the characters are so adorable. I absolutely love this one! I still can't believe that I shunned this manga in the past—THIS WAS SO GOOD. I'm such a dork for not reading this one sooner. Definitely heading for the volume 2 next!

[Skirmish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Reaction: https://neverhollowed.com/2019/02/07/...

I received a copy of Star Collector from Tokyo Pop via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Peppa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fynn be like:

First I broke up my gf, then the next second I kissed the guy I just met and I am changing my life and want to be with him forever and ever lol

[Oviya Balan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly one of the fine works I found in Netgalley in these past weeks. Thanks for the copy. Can't wait to read more from this authors.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review under Star Collector, Vol. 2

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
Aaah so cuuute!!
It totally reminds me of Wolfstar!!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this comic from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just can't resist books with cute covers, and this one, a manga-styled comic, was right there with cute covers! I wanted to know more about this duo, would they be together? Would there be romance?

It all starts when Fynn's girlfriend breaks up with him, and he is left flummoxed about the whys and hows. As he contemplates things he meets up with the cute Niko who gets angry at Fynn for smoking when he is looking for stars. Fynn reacts like how most smokers do, though I also could see his side. Generally this is his spot, his space to calm down and have a smoke. I can imagine he isn't amused that someone just pops up and goes complaining.

But from that moment Fynn is hooked, he needs to find out more about Niko, especially after getting a tiny telescope from Niko. And I was also hooked. I loved seeing Fynn go to school (which is apparently a rare event) and searching for Niko. It was adorable to see these two get together, to see the sparks light up between them.

However, I did think the pace was a bit fast. I mean, Fynn just got dumped by his girlfriend, and he is already drooling over the next person (as you could see that he was quickly interested in Niko in a different way than friendship). Plus, that he was totally fine with kissing a dude. Yes, he questioned things, but he was quick with accepting and it just felt weird and off. Normally people don't just go Oh, I just kissed a dude, and I like it. And then want more. I would have liked more of that, it would have made the relationship that is blooming between Niko and Fynn a bit more realistic.
While I did like that he made things up with his ex-girlfriend, I did feel sorry for the girl as it must also hurt her to see him just move so fast.

I liked that we saw more of Fynn's home situation, find out more about him, and see why he is so stand-off-ish.

There was also some drama, and yes, at times I was rolling my eyes at it all. Come on guys, please.

And the Perseids thing that Fynn got notoriously wrong also got on my nerves. I did have a laugh though that Niko got it wrong once as well. :P Persieds.

The art was just gorgeous. I loved how the characters were drawn, there were so many details to them. And then there are the backgrounds, dang. Nice!

So all in all, I had fun reading this one, and I was shipping these two together. I loved the stargazing aspect to it, and how Fynn also started liking it. I will definitely have to check out the next volume in this series to see how their relationship goes on.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Bine · Rating 4 out of 5]

süße Geschichte. Freue mich auf den nächsten Band. Leider bin ich mit Fynn (schrecklicher Name auch) noch nicht so richtig warm geworden.

[Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up

[S.R. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this last night on a whim because I wanted a cute sweet mm.

This was really good and sweet although it was a little more in depth than I thought it would be, I am going to read the next one right away because I really want to know Niko's backstory.

So cute.

[Ekene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder if it's better reading a manga before watching a booktube video involving a manga. Ashley from AshleyOutpaged read this and mentioned the insta-love, saying it was just a okay read. And..I have to agree. The romance is sweet but happens so fast. Also, there's a girl character I can't tell if she's genuine or just a fake friend for one of the love interest, so maybe answers will be given in volume 2

[Sol · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Do you know how lucky we are to even exist? If we're so lucky... then that means it's worth making something out of life for that alone."

This was such an insane early-to-mid 2010s time capsule that I was shocked to discover that it had been published in 2019... It reminded me so, so hard of the mid 2010s, with its characters and plot that read like a John Green YA novel, protagonists who wear hipster glasses and checkered Vans (oh my god, checkered Vans...!), and even a shirt that says "Come to the nerd side, we have Pi"... I have to imagine that maybe it was worked on for some years during that time period because this feels so, so much like a time capsule for that era. In the author's note there are "XD"s abound, and even a drawing of one of the characters wearing suspenders. I almost wonder if there's a doodle out there somewhere of Fynn with a mustache tattoo on his finger and a "Do you love the colors of the sky?" poster.

As I was reading, I felt as though the characters really exhibited traits that were popular during that time, as shown with the edgy, smokes-like-a-chimney bad boy, and extremely nerdy, had-a-hard-life "class weirdo" new kid. They didn't really feel like unique characters at all to me, and I never really found them compelling or interesting, nor did I extremely buy into their romance. In general, the whole thing felt more to me like an independent comic that would have been popular on Tumblr rather than something that warrants a professional publication. I'm also not really 100% sure on why this was published in the standard Japanese right-to-left format when it seems as though the original was in German, and the story seems not to even take place in Japan.

Both of the authors were about in their early to mid 20s when this was published and I feel a similar sense of immaturity, tropey character writing, cheap melodrama, and one-liners that give me full-body shivers from cringe ("I need nicotine... 'Niko'-tine... I'm totally addicted..." on pg. 136 practically made my eyes roll into the back of my skull). I think that this needed significant polish and quite a bit more heart, as well as more (practical) care and attention to the theming, because right now it feels empty, weak, and forgettable, with characters who I couldn't imagine possibly existing outside of the era that this was written. Both the writing and the art weren't for me, although I do think that the pages' compositional layouts had some strengths.

Overall, I didn't find this offensive or anything, and I do think that a somewhat honest effort was put into it. However, if I had to put a word to this book, it would be "amateurish".

[Nerdholics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho poi apprezzato i vari personaggi, sia quelli secondari (come la mamma di Fynn o Zoe, la sua ex ragazza e amica anche di Niko), sia i due protagonisti. Anche se l’uno sembra un nerd ma abbastanza popolare, e l’altro sembra fregarsene totalmente, in realtà entrambi nascondono delle ferite e cercano di proteggersi attraverso una corazza. Se volete continuare a leggere passate sul blog.
https://lacavernadeinerd.wordpress.co...

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

A very cute read, lovely artwork, just fell flat to me with the shallow depth of the internal struggle of our bad boy. He gets dumped by his best friend who thinks he might be gay and he just goes 'huh maybe I am' which is fine but it just felt like he never had any sort of internal questioning. Bad boy falls for a sweet nerd, they're cute/adorable, and sweet nerd has a mysterious background.

[Knight Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lovely story. This is my first BL manga and it did not disappoint. I like how Zoe the ex-girlfriend stayed friends with Flynn and helped him patch things up with Niko. Niko and Flynn's relationship is pretty intriguing.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Review of the mini-series on V2 page ;)

[lexi ⋆˚࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm dying, like they are super cute and when he said "how far we can go" "till the stars" KILL ME OMG

[𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚⋆. · ⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley to write and honest review.

”How far should we go?”
“To the stars.”
“Nerd!”

Even though I am a manga beginner— barely started to read this genre during Christmas break (and fell in love completely with it— I do can recognize asap when a manga is going to be cute and fun!

And when I have something cute with fun in the same sentence, I am all in.

Star Collector is the story of an outcast high school boy who meets this astrology-lover boy one night on a mountain hill. He finds himself curious about the boys personality and obsession with the stars, and continues to accompany him to gaze at the sky during the nights. Later on, he soon finds himself feeling something new.

BL (Shounen ai) is one of my favorite types of manga— the type I’ve read most so far— and when I saw the cover and synopsis of this one, I couldn’t resist to request it on NetGalley. I find romance between boys more intimate and real and honest, and I enjoy how the characters grow.

It was a short volume, but for the simple fact that it was so enjoyable it could have been read in a sitting. But, at the same time, you crave to just take it— hold on to it— a little bit longer to savor the soft butterflies in your tummy when you think of the cuteness of the story.

The latter was a really easy one— slice of life, school, and star gazing— and the plot was one that kept you wanting to see when THAT was going to happen. The art was REALLY beautiful and, if I am honest, the first thing that caught my attention. The characters were really interesting and I enjoyed reading about them— though I have the feeling I will learn more about them in the next volume.

This first volume includes the first five chapters of the story, which was originally written in German. The second volume will include the last five chapters of the story, and it will be released soon this year.

(Yes, I liked it THAT much that I did some research, lol)

If I had to point out something that might have been a small flaw; it would have been the pacing. It was a bit to fast, though if you actually keep up with the art and images, you would notice that a bit of time passes in which the main characters spend time with each other. But even despite the pacing being a bit pushed forward, I think the story develops lovely and it is one that makes you smile!!!

Can’t wait to get back to these two guys in the next volume!

If you’re into BL manga, I truly recommend you this adorable story that you will love! And if you’re new into manga and are interested in exploring the Shounen ai world, then this manga is a good— cute— place to start!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, fluffy, and gorgeous artwork! The story was a little shallow in places and felt a bit jumpy in a few scenes, but overall it was a fun read. I hope we learn a little more of the backstory of our MCs in volume 2!

[Henna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Collector is a cute story of Fynn, who's kind of a bad boy, and Niko, who's a huge astronomy nerd. Fynn's the type who shrugs the problems away, and prefers to sleep and smoke like a chimney instead of going to school in time. He's on top of a hill late at night, smoking and doing nothing when he meets Niko, who rambles about stars and astronomy. And for once, Fynn actually keeps coming back and finds something interesting, especially how mysterious Niko seems to be. Fynn and Niko are both interesting characters and their interaction is fun to read about; I was certainly charmed by it.

The art is incredible - I loved the style and it captivated me, so I probably spends more time staring at certain panels than actually reading further. I especially loved Fynn's longer hair, so gorgeous! Only slightly negative thing that I have to say is Zoe, who's Fynn's ex-girlfriend and best friend - her motives didn't really come through, which confused me a bit. At times she seemed very supportive, but there was a bitter tone, and it seemed like she switched between supportive and snarky bitterness in a heartbeat.

I'm anticipating the next volume, because I need to know more about Niko and see where the story is going. I can certainly recommend you to check Star Collector out, it's such a cute story.

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read any Manga and this particular comic/graphic appealed to me because of the fascinating description and I wanted to try something new that sounded entertaining.

I am very glad I chose “Star Collector” because it was so enjoyable to read. I think it was a great first choice for trying this genre because it had a straightforward story-line, which made it no bother for me to master the Manga style which needs to be read from right to left.

For me, the story was tender and sweet and the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. I could feel the characters’ emotions and each one had their own individuality and distinctiveness.

I can’t say much else on the quality of the artwork since I am not at all artistic but I did appreciate how the story progressed through the artwork as well as the dialogue.

I will definitely be reading Volume 2 in this series to see how their relationship progresses.

I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to try Manga and is after a quick and light-hearted read.

{Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}

[Namratha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edgy, rakishly charismatic Flynn’s favorite activities are : skipping class, smoking and being alone with his thoughts on the top of a deserted neighborhood cliff. He has just been dumped by his long-time girlfriend and oddly enough, he isn’t very affected by it.
And then one day he notices a boy called Niko atop the cliff, peering through a telescope at the stars and being so lost in scoping out the secrets of the universe that Flynn’s admittedly magnetic presence doesn’t have any visible effect on him.
And thus begins the transformation or should I say, evolution of Flynn.

Tropes-wise, it is fairly straightforward: dynamic bad boy with a big personality falls for nerdy, bespectacled classmate with a chip on his shoulder. What makes Star Collector a quiet gem is the steady flow of the story, Flynn’s self-introspection and willingness to be a better person, quiet Niko’s firm ability to stand up for himself and never be taken for granted and all those soft moments of a new love slowly flickering to self-conscious life. The artist’s drawings capture the ups and downs and in-betweens with an articulate line here and an angry chaotic smudge elsewhere.

A poignantly sweet love story.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to preface this by saying that I knew nothing about manga before reading this. I decided to read it because the description sounded fun and I wanted to try something new. I am very glad I picked this out because this was so much fun to read. I feel like The Star Collector was a good first choice for getting into manga, because it was an uncomplicated story, which made it easier to get used to reading from right to left.

The story was sweet, but I do wish the story was stretched out a little longer, prolonging the inevitable. I know there are going to be more volumes in this story, so I almost would have preferred if it had left off on a sort of cliffhanger so we wouldn’t be sure how things were going to turn out. I am still excited to see what happens next, so this is just me being a bit picky.

I cannot comment too much on the quality of the artwork since I have no artistic talent whatsoever, but I do like how the story moved along with the artwork even when the panels didn’t have any dialogue in them.

I would recommend this story to anyone who is looking for something sweet and lighthearted that you can finish in a single sitting.

[Dreamsinabook Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno shonen-ai davvero carino e dolce. A fine volume vediamo che alcune questioni sono ancora lasciate in sospeso, comunque sono d’accordo con chi dice che possa essere letto anche come autoconclusivo: sicuramente non ti lascia appeso e la storia tra i protagonisti ha una sorta di chiusura in questo volume. Bhe Comuqnue io voglio saperne di più quindi spero che il prossimo esca presto!
Ho apprezzato tantissimo anche i disegni e sia l’immagine sulla copertina che quella sulla sovracopertina sono fantastiche!
Per chi fosse interessato faccio presente che non ci sono scene esplicite all’interno del volume.

[madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. The art style was cute but wasn't polished enough. There was a heavy emphasis on a character's scar, but I couldn't find the damn thing no matter how hard I looked, which seems like a serious oversight. Simple story, not really complex enough to provide actual criticism. Just kinda eh.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh My God... This was SO cute.
I loved the characters, they were very well developed, especially considering how few pages this was, they had so much personality, and yes I am crushing on Niko (a lot)
The art work was amazing, and I will definitely be waiting for the next volume to come out so I can continue this adorable story.