Mako's always had a passion for photography. When she loses someone dear to her, she clings to her art as a relic of the close relationship she once had...Luckily, her childhood best friend Kei encourages her to come to his high school and join their prestigious photo club. With nothing to lose, Mako grabs her camera and moves into the dorm where Kei and his classmates live. Soon, a fresh take on life, along with a mysterious new muse, begin to come into focus!
Ahhh, this was so cute and wholesome. I love the art style and the characters, and it has great vibes so far!! I love how passionate she is about photography, and I love the subtle romantic tension that’s happening between these two, can’t wait to see where it goes!
Yo no me esperaba que este manga fuera tan cute, pero lo amé muchísimo.
La historia es súper sencilla: tenemos a Mako, una chica a la que su abuelo le enseñó a tomar fotos desde pequeña y ahora ama la fotografía. Su mejor amigo, Kei, se mudó a otra ciudad para estudiar en una preparatoria y, por la misma época, el abuelo de Mako muere, así que ella decide mudarse también para estar cerca de su amigo. Allí los dos viven en una casa de estudiantes que está llena de gente del club de fotografía, así que es perfecto para ella.
En esa casa hay un chico súper guapo y misterioso que detesta las fotos, pero que es muy fotogénico, así que Mako no se resiste y siempre le hace fotos. Poco a poco ellos dos se van acercando y él le cuenta cuál es su problema con las fotos y otras historias sobre su vida. Y, curiosamente, al mismo tiempo, Kei empieza a pensar que quiere que Mako sea más que su mejor amiga. Chan chan chan.
La verdad es que en este primer tomo no pasa nada salseante, pero la tensión que se va armando es espectacular, así que lo amé.
la verdad es que 16:01 hasta ahora no ha pasado absolutamente 16:02 nada romántico gracias ni de besos ni 16:06 nada de estas cosas pero está súper cute 16:09 y de hecho tendría muchas ganas de leer 16:12 el segundo volumen ya pero quiero como 16:14 empezar en varias series
This is such a cute start to manga series that centers around photography. While there is definitely a heavy romantic element, it was exciting to know that Nogiri incorporated some aspects of photography into the main framework of the story. Love in Focus follows three characters mainly from the perspective of Mako who has been invited to attend the same high school as her childhood best friend. The two are clearly close and have a strong bond. After becoming a part of the photography club and living in the dorm with the rest of the club, Mako meets a mysterious new character who catches her eye. It's then that readers get to see a potential love triangle form. While I do feel like parts of this follow certain stereotypical tropes of shojo manga, I still really enjoyed it. Mako is such a sweet character with a strong passion for photography. And it's clear that she's completely oblivious to the potential romance that could occur with the other two characters. I definitely feel like this is a manga series that I will finish quickly considering that it's only three volumes long. If you haven't heard of it definitely check it out.
I'll be honest: I didn't expect very much from this manga. It's nothing against the manga or the author (this is my first time reading any of Yoko Nogiri's work), I just figured it would be pretty basic and slice-of-life. Luckily, I got way more than I expected, because this manga was absolutely adorable and I immediately grew to enjoy all of the characters so much.
There's a bit of romantic tension, some cute humor, and a few really sweet moments mixed in with gorgeous artwork. There are little focus-lens shapes and lens flares thrown in to the art style to tie it back to the theme of the main character's photography, which was a nice added touch. The general vibe of this manga reminds me a lot of Furuba/Fruits Basket, so if you like the mannerisms of the characters in that series, I recommend trying this one, too!
Thank you so much to Vine for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
There were some things that annoyed me, mostly how inconsiderate and pushy/rude/self-absorbed the characters are -- but in a realistic teen way, and I think well done by the author. Just not sure how much I want to spend time with realistic teens! It was bad enough being one!
I enjoyed the discussions about photography and seeing, and how individuals conceive it differently.
The start of this manga wasn’t that great tbh but as the volume progresses I really liked the dynamics between the characters especially Kei-chan, Mako and Amemura (I think this last character is my fave - he is soooooo handsome!) and I really like Luka too *swoons* I feel like there’s going to be a love traingle which is something I really enjoy in shojo manga.
Love in Focus is your typical shojo manga storyline so if you’re a fan of this genre you will probably enjoy this. I am certainly interested to see what happens in volume 2!
Overall Series Thoughts: Hold everything—wait, give me my wallet—I’m off to order this series for my bookshelf. The photographer in me just adored this three book collection and it was all very clean and sweet. And the love triangle wasn’t too drawn out and the “loser” (can we call him just the “not winner” instead??) was good about how it ended. Very realistic.
Content: A 'hell no' is said; A couple mentions of guys being hot or good looking; A couple mentions of grown woman stalking a young male model (though it’s revealed in the third volume that it wasn’t sexual).
I need you all to read this series! I knew I would love this series from the moment I saw the cover. I’ve wanted to read this for months and I’ve been waiting and waiting for my library to get copies. Side note: they still don’t have copies 😕. Love in Focus was adorable, laughable, and filled with second hand yet adorable embarrassment. I had my ship within the first 10ish pages and I will root for them until the end!!
Me at the end of vol 1
SHOOK!!! Like wow, he did not come to play! But also, dude back off and let my ship sail 😒
Just what I needed right now, a quick and cute first volume to a new-to-me manga series! I can't wait to pick up the next volume!
Note: I am currently on a hiatus from reviewing. I need a bit of a break from the pressures of reading, so I'm just going with the flow this year. I'll obviously still be reading, but at my own pace and when I feel like it. Thank you for understanding!
I guess March is the month for Mangas since all I've been reading this month is non-stop shoujo Mangas.. 😅
I've been meaning to read this one for a while though since I read Yoko Nogiri's other work — "That Wolf Boy is Mine!" — and it's definitely lived up to any expectations I might have had! Really want to check out more mangas/novels centered around photography now!
Note: this series is currently available on Kindle Unlimited for those who are interested!
A pretty straightforward love triangle is at the center of this low-key but competent romance. Our heroine is so obsessed with her photography she obliviously interacts with the boy next door trying to fight his way out of the friend zone and the mysterious and emotionally complicated young lad who wears long bangs and glasses to hide his model perfect good looks from the world that has hurt him so.
I like how the creator leans into the theme by sprinkling triangles throughout the art.
Whenever I pick up the first volume in a manga series, I usually can tell within the first section (sometimes even the first few pages) whether it’ll appeal to me enough for me to enjoy it and to want to continue on. This manga easily drew me in, and I’m already invested in the cast of characters and how things will play out for them in the end. Plus, the photography aspect is fun!
Reread 9/9/21: I forgot how chill and down-to-Earth this manga is! The cameo at the end with characters from That Wolf-Boy is Mine! made me smile so much!
Original Review 1/20/21: This was exactly what I needed after a rough day!
I'm not overly fond of love triangles and don't think this one necessarily has it (because it's very obvious who Mako has feelings for), but there are some other "things" that I'm sure will come into play and cause…some issues for our main girl.
One thing I've really appreciated about Nogiri's titles is that they are so relaxing! They tend to be very chill and have a beautiful main character (and I don't mean physically, though they are pretty) that really just shines. It's something I've deeply appreciated about her work and willing to read more despite the "love drama." (Though honestly, this series seems pretty drama free and more of working through one's feelings.)
I DEEPLY enjoyed the photography aspect! I really loved how Mako's camera was an extension of her arm and how she found beauty in everything. It made me smile on more than one occasion.
I would love to continue this series (I checked out the first volume from my library)! It's a beautiful, down to Earth manga that I could see myself enjoying just because of how relaxing and happy it made me feel. (I also liked that little bit of humor that was thrown in there.) Plus, the art is gorgeous!
Rating: 4.5 Stars: ★★★★ 1/2 (Maybe 5? Still deciding on a rating!) Love In Focus Vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri is a character-driven manga that focuses on Mako Mochizuki as she continues high school not only in a new school, but stays at a boarding house after her best/childhood friend Kei recommends she join their photography club!
For a first volume in this series, it was really great and I've found a new favorite manga! It was absolutely wonderful (´▽`ʃƪ) ♥♥
The highlight of this volume is definitely the characters, from their introductions, the way the art expresses their emotions, and just the cast overall is really something special!
"When you want to take a picture, it's because something moved your heart..."
Mako gets used to staying the boarding house and meets Mitsu within the first couple pages after taking his picture on her way to meet Kei! He surprisingly also lives in the house and she learns more about him as she finds him an interesting photo subject!
I love how friendship and love (even possible future love) are explored in this first volume! *the last page had me screaming tbh! Its also very light on romance, but heavily implied!
There's also exploration of grief (lightly, but impactful), friendship, and the impact art has on us and how it inspires us!
The art is really nice too and I love how it wonderfully showcases characters (especially Mako, Kei, & Mitsu's) subtle expressions. It's really focused on the characters + overall very beautiful (especially in terms of nature backgrounds)! --There's one page in particular that had such beautiful scenery-I'm hoping to get more of that in future volumes!
Love In Focus Vol. 1 is a character-driven manga that follows Mako an avid photographer and her new life in Hokkaido, Japan! From the wonderful cast of characters, exploration of grief, friendship, and a bit of romance! I'm looking forward to the future volumes! This is a really great start to a new manga series!
Este es el primer manga que leo (y termino) y debo decir que me encantó la historia, sus personajes y el formato. Al principio me costó un poco acostumbrarme a leer en otro sentido los cuadros, pero una vez que le agarré la mano fue súper fácil seguir la historia.
Cosas que me encantaron: ✨Las ilustraciones me parecieron hermosas (les comparto algunas en el post). ✨Los personajes son muy adorables. ✨La fotografía sea una parte esencial de la historia. ✨Me encanta cómo fue abordado el romance.
Leí este manga de prestado, pero creo que lo voy a comprar porque la verdad me gustó mucho. Ya quiero leer los siguientes volúmenes y ver cómo sigue la historia de Mako y sus amigos. Si estás buscando un manga para comenzar a leer, te recomiento este. Es ligero, entretenido y adorable. Seguro te va a encantar como a mi 🥰
ngl if I told someone I don‘t like for them to take a picture of me and they ignored my wish and kept pushing me to take my picture anyway… I‘d probably throw some hands lol
Two boys live in a dorm with a girl and a love triangle forms. Sound familiar? Yeah, that’s the premise of Defying Kurosaki-kun. And one of the boys wears glasses and grows his hair long to hide his good looks from his peers. Sound familiar? That’s Miyamura from Horimiya. And they’re all part of the photography club. Sound familiar? That’s Tada Kun Never Falls in Love (anime).
And if all that unoriginality wasn’t warning enough for you, then you’d be in for a shock when you come to realise that there was zero plot in this. It was just an endless list of introductions of a crowd of new characters who were included for no conceivable reason, meaningless and repetitive interactions, fountains of backstory spewed after dialogue that barely prompted it, and not an ounce of romance in the air. You’d think that if there was no plot then there would at least be some enticing romance to keep you glued to the page, but there wasn’t even that; this manga really had nothing to offer beyond a few basic and generic ideas regarding photography and perspective.
The protagonist, Mako, was a naive simpleton whose personality didn’t extend beyond her camera lens, the second love interest was a blank slate who had no personality beyond being the childhood friend who doggedly followed Mako around, and the main love interest, Amemura, was a boring character whose personality didn’t extend beyond his supposedly painful backstory. He couldn’t even pull off being a mysterious and alluring romantic figure because he, like every other character, talked for Japan at the earliest opportunity. Case in point: literal moments after the truth of who he was had been discovered by the protagonist, who he barely knew and had had previous suspicious encounters with, he was chronicling his whole life story in a lovely, succinct trauma dump that had no place coming from someone that should have been less forthcoming given his past issues with other creepily-interested parties.
It was undeniable that the art was good and there was even something fun about the inclusion of all the triangles in the background of the artwork like a little ode or reference to the love triangle. But no amount of good art can make up for an obvious lack in, well, everything else. Ultimately, this was a failed attempt at an interesting romance manga and a failed attempt at a photography-based manga too.
LA PRIMERA PARTE DE UNA TRILOGÍA DE ROMANCE ESCOLAR.
Esta historia comienza con nuestra protagonista que un día decide seguir a su mejor amigo a una preparatoria de fotografía. Ellos crecieron rodeados de cámaras fotográficas, amándolo más que a nada, gracias al abuelo de ella. Cuando ella llega a esta escuela, van a terminar viviendo bajo el mismo techo, pero también con otros chicos, entre ellos alguien que odia las fotos y todo lo que represente. Creando un triángulo amoroso entre ese chico, el mejor amigo y la protagonista que va a durar los tres volúmenes.
Esta primera parte se me hizo muy bonita y tierna. Extremadamente fácil de leer, tiene menos de 200 páginas, por lo que en una sentada terminas la historia. Y te deja intrigada para conocer como va a terminar.
El primer volumen estuvo lindo. Es un shoujo como cualquier otro la verdad, no se destaca en mucho. Me la re baja que Distrito Manga lo haya traducido en español neutro, pero bueno; compraré los dos siguientes volúmenes cuando salgan.
Well, that was rather sweet! As promised in the original Japanese title ("Renzu-sou no Sankaku", which approximately translates to Lens Inn's Triangle), it's an allusion to the shape of the inn's roof, as well as as the love triangle forming between the heroine and her two beaus.
While the story was fairly typical (childhood friend loves girl; girl is actually interested in somewhat else), I felt that the depiction of first love was rather realistic. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the focus of the manga was photography.
This was really cute and lighthearted so far! I'm looking forward to reading the next one on hoopla right away! Not looking forward to the love triangle 💀🤣 But hopefully it's done well...we'll see lol And Omochi, the dog, is super cute 🥰 I also appreciated the translation notes in the back of the book, was a nice surprise!