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Koimonogatari #1
Koimonogatari: Love Stories, Volume 1
When Yuiji accidentally overhears his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Seeing Yamato in a new light, Yuiji does his best not to let prejudice color his view, but he still finds himself overthinking his classmates' interactions now. He especially notices the way Yamato looks at one particular boy: Yuiji's own best friend.
Even though he tells himself he shouldn't get involved, Yuiji finds he just can't help it; watching Yamato's one-sided love draws him in a way he never expected. At first, it's empathy, knowing that the boy Yamato has his sights on is definitely straight and has no idea. But as his own friendship with Yamato develops and the two of them grow closer through a mutual study group, Yuiji comes to truly care about Yamato as a person, regardless of his sexuality. He only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.
Even though he tells himself he shouldn't get involved, Yuiji finds he just can't help it; watching Yamato's one-sided love draws him in a way he never expected. At first, it's empathy, knowing that the boy Yamato has his sights on is definitely straight and has no idea. But as his own friendship with Yamato develops and the two of them grow closer through a mutual study group, Yuiji comes to truly care about Yamato as a person, regardless of his sexuality. He only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2015
64 people are currently reading
942 people want to read
About the author
Tohru Tagura
32 books41 followersAssociated names :
TAGURA Tooru
TAGURA Toworu
Name (in native language) : 田倉トヲル
Blood type : AB
Lives in Shounan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
June 8, 2020
Relectura, esta vez del tomo que ha editado en España Norma, que ya estaba bien que lo sacara de la estantería xD.
Gratamente sorprendida con el trabajo que ha hecho la editorial, traducción, papel, páginas a color, maquetación, todo excelente, lo pagas caro, pero al menos, compensa.
Inicio de una historia pausada, bonita, que me gusta mucho por dónde está yendo en sus últimos capítulos. Recomendable incluso para los que no leen BL.
Reseña original: Shounen Ai de manual, y de instituto encima, tiene todos los ingredientes para aburrirme, pero no, me ha enganchado. Es muy bonito.
Gratamente sorprendida con el trabajo que ha hecho la editorial, traducción, papel, páginas a color, maquetación, todo excelente, lo pagas caro, pero al menos, compensa.
Inicio de una historia pausada, bonita, que me gusta mucho por dónde está yendo en sus últimos capítulos. Recomendable incluso para los que no leen BL.
Reseña original: Shounen Ai de manual, y de instituto encima, tiene todos los ingredientes para aburrirme, pero no, me ha enganchado. Es muy bonito.
July 20, 2020
Cute but to slow for my tastes
May 18, 2020
Well, this was a bummer.
I’ve been catching up on manga series lately, I thought this would be an interesting story to follow. The cover looked beautiful and I got carried away by the art style and the synopsis.
Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to my expectations. I had several problems, which I’ll list down below:
-Slooooooooow pace – you either love it or hate it. I’m on the later, and every single chapter I was thinking “when is this gonna end?” which is never a feeling you want to experience as a reader.
-There’s only three expressions on the characters: blushed, smiling or serious. I kind of get that the story doesn’t have any ‘chibi’ or dramatically expressions, but I think that if your character feels something, their face and their body language should tell it. That’s the beauty of manga: to say a lot without words.
-They all look alike! – But that’s probably due to the previous point. Also, all characters’ personalities are so dull, you can’t tell who is who. Even the female characters feel just the same as the males.
-I couldn’t connect with the story nor with any of our protagonists – I am a queer woman, so I know the struggles of being part of the LGBTQ+ community, but this was so poorly portrayed, I almost feel sorry for the people that think this is pro-rights.
I’m sure I won’t be reading the next volumes, which is a shame because the premise of this story seemed rather entertaining. But, to be honest, the story-telling wasn’t my favorite.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been catching up on manga series lately, I thought this would be an interesting story to follow. The cover looked beautiful and I got carried away by the art style and the synopsis.
Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to my expectations. I had several problems, which I’ll list down below:
-Slooooooooow pace – you either love it or hate it. I’m on the later, and every single chapter I was thinking “when is this gonna end?” which is never a feeling you want to experience as a reader.
-There’s only three expressions on the characters: blushed, smiling or serious. I kind of get that the story doesn’t have any ‘chibi’ or dramatically expressions, but I think that if your character feels something, their face and their body language should tell it. That’s the beauty of manga: to say a lot without words.
-They all look alike! – But that’s probably due to the previous point. Also, all characters’ personalities are so dull, you can’t tell who is who. Even the female characters feel just the same as the males.
-I couldn’t connect with the story nor with any of our protagonists – I am a queer woman, so I know the struggles of being part of the LGBTQ+ community, but this was so poorly portrayed, I almost feel sorry for the people that think this is pro-rights.
I’m sure I won’t be reading the next volumes, which is a shame because the premise of this story seemed rather entertaining. But, to be honest, the story-telling wasn’t my favorite.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2020
Aunque ha tenido sus luces y sus sombras, en general es una historia que me ha parecido muy tierna y bonita, y estoy deseando leer el siguiente tomo para ver cómo continúan las vidas de ambos protagonistas.
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
August 4, 2020
This is the definition of a slow-burn - there's not really any romance yet to speak of, but we can see that Tagura is planting the seeds that will eventually grow into one. Right now it's actually a lovely story of friendship - Yuiji is just there for Yamato, who is struggling with being in the closet, and listening to his problems is helping Yuiji to realize what's lacking in his own life, to say nothing of the all-important realization that being gay doesn't make you less human. I'm not always a fan of slow-moving stories, but this one has me hooked, because I genuinely want the two protagonists to be happy, whatever that means.
...even if I can't always tell the characters apart from the art.
3.5
...even if I can't always tell the characters apart from the art.
3.5
March 5, 2021
A lovely first volume to what should ultimately be a three-volume series (the second one is already out).
Delicate and not obvious in its narrative developments, with a nice sense of location and characters.
I'm not entirely crazy about the drawing style, but I'm growing fond of it!
On to the second volume!
Delicate and not obvious in its narrative developments, with a nice sense of location and characters.
I'm not entirely crazy about the drawing style, but I'm growing fond of it!
On to the second volume!
May 24, 2020
I've been provided with ARC in exchange for a honest review.
I am usually sucker for a good BL manga, especially set in high school. Tha's why I had such high hopes for Koimonogatari. I must say I am mostly... confused. I think the biggest problem was formatting of the ARC, that was unreadable in the lot of places and it made whole experience very very unpleasant. I am not the only reviewer who had such problems, which is a shame.
Story is about a young high schooler who finds out that one of his closest friends is gay and is in love with their mutual friend who is very oblivious to the fact. Very interesting concept, right? From what I recognized, manga focuses on self-discovery, friendships and growing as a person. Pace is quite slow, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes their fast-paced stories. It also felt kind of monotone from time to time.
I am pretty sure I'd have better experience if formatting was better but I can't really say if I liked art of Tagura or not. In the end, if you get chance to read physical manga, try it. It's not the best BL out there but it's not definitely the worst.
3/5*
I am usually sucker for a good BL manga, especially set in high school. Tha's why I had such high hopes for Koimonogatari. I must say I am mostly... confused. I think the biggest problem was formatting of the ARC, that was unreadable in the lot of places and it made whole experience very very unpleasant. I am not the only reviewer who had such problems, which is a shame.
Story is about a young high schooler who finds out that one of his closest friends is gay and is in love with their mutual friend who is very oblivious to the fact. Very interesting concept, right? From what I recognized, manga focuses on self-discovery, friendships and growing as a person. Pace is quite slow, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes their fast-paced stories. It also felt kind of monotone from time to time.
I am pretty sure I'd have better experience if formatting was better but I can't really say if I liked art of Tagura or not. In the end, if you get chance to read physical manga, try it. It's not the best BL out there but it's not definitely the worst.
3/5*
July 13, 2020
¡Muy entretenido y con momentos muy adorables!
Sin embargo, he de decir que me ha chocado bastante la actitud, al principio, del personaje protagonista al enterarse de que su compañero era gay, aunque ha sido genial ver cómo su opinión iba cambiando según avanzaba el manga. Y otra pega que tengo que ponerle ha sido que ¿las caras tenían siempre la misma expresión? En ese sentido, me costaba conectar cuando su expresión no reflejaba los sentimientos que se supone que sentían.
De todas formas, aunque parezca que me quejo más que otra cosa, lo he disfrutado y me ha dejado con muchas ganas de continuar la historia.
Sin embargo, he de decir que me ha chocado bastante la actitud, al principio, del personaje protagonista al enterarse de que su compañero era gay, aunque ha sido genial ver cómo su opinión iba cambiando según avanzaba el manga. Y otra pega que tengo que ponerle ha sido que ¿las caras tenían siempre la misma expresión? En ese sentido, me costaba conectar cuando su expresión no reflejaba los sentimientos que se supone que sentían.
De todas formas, aunque parezca que me quejo más que otra cosa, lo he disfrutado y me ha dejado con muchas ganas de continuar la historia.
May 12, 2020
recieved a copy from netgalley for review!
I'm not sure how much of my issues were based in the kind of messed up format the e-arc was in, but I kept getting characters and events confused. its a slice of life romance manga, but I couldn't understand what was happening half the time. again, some of it could've been the formatting of my review copy, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I was hoping. wonderful art and overall concept though, I think!
I'm not sure how much of my issues were based in the kind of messed up format the e-arc was in, but I kept getting characters and events confused. its a slice of life romance manga, but I couldn't understand what was happening half the time. again, some of it could've been the formatting of my review copy, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I was hoping. wonderful art and overall concept though, I think!
May 23, 2020
Koimonogatari: Love Stories, Vol 1 (2020/05/18)
Rating 2/5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review.
This was a cute slow burn Manga to read. I really enjoyed the writing style and the art design. Although this was a love story between Yamato and Yuji, I really appreciated the slow burn and build up we got to see for the characters as their relationship blossomed. We also got to see Yamato discover new friendships while also failing for Yuji which was really interesting. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and this isn't an all-time favourite manga for me.
Rating 2/5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review.
This was a cute slow burn Manga to read. I really enjoyed the writing style and the art design. Although this was a love story between Yamato and Yuji, I really appreciated the slow burn and build up we got to see for the characters as their relationship blossomed. We also got to see Yamato discover new friendships while also failing for Yuji which was really interesting. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and this isn't an all-time favourite manga for me.
September 10, 2020
It doesnt support or open after I download the pdf version of it. It's also not showing in my shelf in netgalley and I cant open it to read Please look into the issue and if you can send me the pdf in my mail ID- taniagungunsarkar@gmail.com I cant read the book from here. Please look into the issue
August 7, 2022
Un BL de instituto con los inicios de una historia de amor sencilla que por ahora es un friends to lovers que evoluciona poco a poco. Para mi gusto le ha faltado un poco de ritmo, pero quizá la historia mejore en el siguiente volumen.
August 7, 2020
Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book on NetGalley mainly because I was intrigued by the cover of the manga. However, I did have problems reading the manga which impacted my enjoyment of it overall, as well as how quickly it took me to read the manga.
The plot of the manga was incredibly slow which made me not enjoy it as much, and hard to connect with the story. I did like seeing the friendship between Yuji and Yamato develop but I didn't connect with the characters beyond that. The story focuses on Yamoto's struggles being a closeted gay man, and his fears of being discovered. I like that it was the main storyline but I also felt like it lacked good execution of the story, and there was one character who was also gay that did something to Yamato that made me not like the manga as much, and question that subplot. I'm being purposefully vague but I didn't like it. Overall, when I was reading it, I was reading it more to finish it as quickly as possible as opposed to me enjoying the story. I don't think I will be picking up the next volume in the series.
In addition, the artwork made the characters look really similar. I had a hard time figuring out who was who when a character that looks like Yuji was introduced. It made it harder for me to enjoy the story because I spent a lot of time questioning who was talking.
I wouldn't recommend this manga.
I requested this book on NetGalley mainly because I was intrigued by the cover of the manga. However, I did have problems reading the manga which impacted my enjoyment of it overall, as well as how quickly it took me to read the manga.
The plot of the manga was incredibly slow which made me not enjoy it as much, and hard to connect with the story. I did like seeing the friendship between Yuji and Yamato develop but I didn't connect with the characters beyond that. The story focuses on Yamoto's struggles being a closeted gay man, and his fears of being discovered. I like that it was the main storyline but I also felt like it lacked good execution of the story, and there was one character who was also gay that did something to Yamato that made me not like the manga as much, and question that subplot. I'm being purposefully vague but I didn't like it. Overall, when I was reading it, I was reading it more to finish it as quickly as possible as opposed to me enjoying the story. I don't think I will be picking up the next volume in the series.
In addition, the artwork made the characters look really similar. I had a hard time figuring out who was who when a character that looks like Yuji was introduced. It made it harder for me to enjoy the story because I spent a lot of time questioning who was talking.
I wouldn't recommend this manga.
November 6, 2015
Hnnngggg...love this manga!
This is how supposedly a shonen-ai manga has to be written.
I need more manga like this!
Meski baru 4 chapter tapi sudah berhasil menguwes-nguwes hatikuuu... *cries
It's portrays a realistic problem of a closeted gay high-schooler.
STORY
Hasegawa Yuiji accidentally knows Yoshinaga Yamato's secret that he's a gay. Even though Hasegawa already suspected it, still the knowledge confusing him how to behaves normally around Yoshinaga. But after another accidental revelation, both Hasegawa & Yoshinaga starts to open up and bond such a friendship.
CHARACTERS
Hasegawa Yuiji: good at maths, already have a girlfriend, but I personally think that this girlfriend thing was just a convenient.
Yoshinaga Yamato: good at sport, so far he acted normal around his friends but deep inside he feel guilty for hiding his identity and feel that his life is fake. He's only out to Hasegawa and one of his friend that is a girl (forgot her name :D, love this girl anyway such a supportive friend)
I really hope that the next volume will comes out soon!
(Sy setengah berharap Hasegawa jadian ama Yoshinaga tapi nanti itu jadi klise dan membenarkan anggapan bahwa tidak ada persahabatan murni antara gay dan straight :|
tapi gak rela kalo Yoshinaga ama yang lainnn :( )
This is how supposedly a shonen-ai manga has to be written.
I need more manga like this!
Meski baru 4 chapter tapi sudah berhasil menguwes-nguwes hatikuuu... *cries
It's portrays a realistic problem of a closeted gay high-schooler.
STORY
Hasegawa Yuiji accidentally knows Yoshinaga Yamato's secret that he's a gay. Even though Hasegawa already suspected it, still the knowledge confusing him how to behaves normally around Yoshinaga. But after another accidental revelation, both Hasegawa & Yoshinaga starts to open up and bond such a friendship.
CHARACTERS
Hasegawa Yuiji: good at maths, already have a girlfriend, but I personally think that this girlfriend thing was just a convenient.
Yoshinaga Yamato: good at sport, so far he acted normal around his friends but deep inside he feel guilty for hiding his identity and feel that his life is fake. He's only out to Hasegawa and one of his friend that is a girl (forgot her name :D, love this girl anyway such a supportive friend)
I really hope that the next volume will comes out soon!
(Sy setengah berharap Hasegawa jadian ama Yoshinaga tapi nanti itu jadi klise dan membenarkan anggapan bahwa tidak ada persahabatan murni antara gay dan straight :|
tapi gak rela kalo Yoshinaga ama yang lainnn :( )
April 30, 2020
A huge thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am so sad. I had such high hopes for this one, but it has sadly let me down. Putting aside the terrible formatting of the eARC, which made it near impossible to read at times, the story was just confusing. On top of that there was a lot of talking and thinking, and it kept going nowhere; just round and round in circles. I love emotions in my stories, but this seemed excessive and convoluted. I have since found out this manga falls into the category of 'boy love', written by women for women, and that matches my thoughts of 'this sounds like a woman trying her very best to write a gay man'.
It's full of stereotypes about both girls and boys, and the fourth wall breaking was just very annoying. Still, there were some amazing quotes in there, that I have written down.
It was very hard to connect to these characters, and the ending really doesn't make me want to read on. This one wasn't for me, sadly.
I am so sad. I had such high hopes for this one, but it has sadly let me down. Putting aside the terrible formatting of the eARC, which made it near impossible to read at times, the story was just confusing. On top of that there was a lot of talking and thinking, and it kept going nowhere; just round and round in circles. I love emotions in my stories, but this seemed excessive and convoluted. I have since found out this manga falls into the category of 'boy love', written by women for women, and that matches my thoughts of 'this sounds like a woman trying her very best to write a gay man'.
It's full of stereotypes about both girls and boys, and the fourth wall breaking was just very annoying. Still, there were some amazing quotes in there, that I have written down.
It was very hard to connect to these characters, and the ending really doesn't make me want to read on. This one wasn't for me, sadly.
December 21, 2021
CW: Homophobia, Forced Kiss: not between the main couple, Threat of forcing self on the other
This story follows a boy named Yuiji who witnesses a boy in his class, Yamato, talk about having feelings for Yuiji's best friend. He then starts to befriend him and tries giving him advice on how to approach his queerness.
This one didn't really work for me. The characters were pretty annoying, joking around like a bunch of boys. Which may be realistic, but it isn't what I want to read about. I also found the relationship pretty forced. We don't get a lot of their friendship in this one, maybe the next volume gets better. Yuiji also has a girlfriend who is very self-centered and annoying. I wish BL didn't have this so often, the female characters tend to be an obstacle or don't get many character traits themselves. It's unfortunate.
I'm still debating on whether I want to pick up the next volume. I don't think this series is for me.
This story follows a boy named Yuiji who witnesses a boy in his class, Yamato, talk about having feelings for Yuiji's best friend. He then starts to befriend him and tries giving him advice on how to approach his queerness.
This one didn't really work for me. The characters were pretty annoying, joking around like a bunch of boys. Which may be realistic, but it isn't what I want to read about. I also found the relationship pretty forced. We don't get a lot of their friendship in this one, maybe the next volume gets better. Yuiji also has a girlfriend who is very self-centered and annoying. I wish BL didn't have this so often, the female characters tend to be an obstacle or don't get many character traits themselves. It's unfortunate.
I'm still debating on whether I want to pick up the next volume. I don't think this series is for me.
May 11, 2020
ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Despite the questionable formatting of the ePub, I really did enjoy this book a lot. It shone a spotlight onto identity, figuring yourself out, figuring out your sexuality and being a good friend. Although there wasn't a prominent romance, I did find myself loving the approach that Hasegawa had when he discovered one of his classmates was gay. He tried to support his classmate, Yoshinaga, no matter what and that bromance was highlighted throughout the 4 chapters contained in this book. I enjoyed it so much although it was a bit hard to read at times. I blame that on the formatting of the ePub. Just note it did not impact this review and my rating scale.
All in all, I'll definitely be back for the sequel though and I can't wait until it's released!
ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS
Despite the questionable formatting of the ePub, I really did enjoy this book a lot. It shone a spotlight onto identity, figuring yourself out, figuring out your sexuality and being a good friend. Although there wasn't a prominent romance, I did find myself loving the approach that Hasegawa had when he discovered one of his classmates was gay. He tried to support his classmate, Yoshinaga, no matter what and that bromance was highlighted throughout the 4 chapters contained in this book. I enjoyed it so much although it was a bit hard to read at times. I blame that on the formatting of the ePub. Just note it did not impact this review and my rating scale.
All in all, I'll definitely be back for the sequel though and I can't wait until it's released!
ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS
September 13, 2015
Really good - a story about a gay and a straight high school student who are - *gasp* just friends (so far, but I can't tell where the story is going, which is rare). I really like it so far and can't wait to know how this is going to develop.
December 31, 2018
This awkward slow burn cuteness is killing me. Also the friendship level is A++++
December 12, 2020
This feels like it was written by an alien.
A straight alien.
A straight alien.
Read
December 22, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Homomisia
Homomisia
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February 12, 2022
~*See below for review in English*~
06.2020:
Der Klappentext beschreibt ausgezeichnet um was es in diesem Manga geht, und was wir bis jetzt gesehen haben gefällt mir sehr gut.
Bevor Yuiji merkt, was Yamato für seinen Freund empfindet, war Yuiji der Meinung keine Vorurteile zu haben. Nun da er in seinem unmittelbaren Umfeld einen schwulen Jungen sieht, merkt er jedoch, dass er sehr wohl voreingenommen ist. Und auch im Laufe des Bandes ändert sich seine Einstellung nur langsam und er erlangt bis zum Ende des ersten Bandes noch keine 100%ige Akzeptanz.* Er findet es "ein bisschen abstoßend", dass Yamato auf Männer steht. Gleichzeitig ist er Yamato gegenüber aber offen und ihm schon jetzt ein guter Freund. Er hört ihm zu und versucht seine Sichtweise zu verstehen und reflektiert dadurch auch über seine eigene Situation. Das schätze ich sehr.
Ich finde alle Charaktere sympatisch. Bei Sakura bin ich mir jedoch noch etwas unsicher, ich bin aber sehr gespannt, was genau hinter seinem Handeln steckt.
Momentan würde ich den Manga nicht unbedingt dem BL-Genre zuordnen unter dem er verkauft wird, auch wenn er sich mit dem Thema Liebe und Homosexualität beschäftigt. Für mich liegt er eher im Bereich Slice of Life (mit LGBTQ+ Themen). Das ist keinesfalls als negative Kritik zu verstehen. Mal sehen, was der nächste Band bereithält. Ich bin jedenfalls sehr gespannt, was die Zukunft für die Charaktere bereit hält. Ich wär auch total zufrieden, wenn Yuiji und Yamato einfach bessere Freunde werden und bleiben, ohne dass sich etwas romantisches zwischen ihnen entwickelt, denn so ist das manchmal einfach, nicht wahr?.
Ich finde es unpassend, dass hier im Manga selbst aber auch unter den Anmerkungen der Redaktion von "Männerrolle" bzw. "Frauenrolle" beim Sex unter Männern gesprochen wird.
*Was ich okay finde, denn so ein Prozess kann nicht immer von heute auf morgen stattfinden, wenn die Vorurteile tief sitzen.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The (German) blurb is an excellent description of what this manga is about, and I like what we have seen so far.
Before Yuiji realises how Yamato feels about his friend, Yuiji thought he had no prejudices. Now that he sees a gay boy in his vicinity, however, he realises that he is very much prejudiced. And even in the course of the volume, his attitude changes only slowly and he still does not achieve 100% acceptance by the end of the first volume.* He finds it "a bit repulsive" that Yamato likes men. At the same time, however, he is open to Yamato and is already a good friend to him. He listens to him and tries to understand his point of view and thus also reflects on his own situation. I appreciate that very much.
I find all the characters likeable. However, I'm still a little unsure about Sakura, but I'm very curious to find out what exactly lies behind his actions.
At the moment, I wouldn't necessarily assign the manga to the BL genre under which it is sold, even though it deals with the topic of love and homosexuality. For me, it is more in the slice of life genre (with LGBTQ+ themes). This is in no way to be taken as a negative criticism. Let's see what the next volume has in store. In any case, I'm very excited to see what the future holds for the characters. I'd also be totally satisfied if Yuiji and Yamato just become and stay better friends without anything romantic developing between them, because that's just the way it is sometimes, isn't it?
I find it inappropriate that in the manga itself but also under the editor's notes they talk about "male role" or "female role" when it comes to sex between men.
*Which I find okay, because such a process can't always happen overnight when prejudices run deep.
06.2020:
Der Klappentext beschreibt ausgezeichnet um was es in diesem Manga geht, und was wir bis jetzt gesehen haben gefällt mir sehr gut.
Bevor Yuiji merkt, was Yamato für seinen Freund empfindet, war Yuiji der Meinung keine Vorurteile zu haben. Nun da er in seinem unmittelbaren Umfeld einen schwulen Jungen sieht, merkt er jedoch, dass er sehr wohl voreingenommen ist. Und auch im Laufe des Bandes ändert sich seine Einstellung nur langsam und er erlangt bis zum Ende des ersten Bandes noch keine 100%ige Akzeptanz.* Er findet es "ein bisschen abstoßend", dass Yamato auf Männer steht. Gleichzeitig ist er Yamato gegenüber aber offen und ihm schon jetzt ein guter Freund. Er hört ihm zu und versucht seine Sichtweise zu verstehen und reflektiert dadurch auch über seine eigene Situation. Das schätze ich sehr.
Ich finde alle Charaktere sympatisch. Bei Sakura bin ich mir jedoch noch etwas unsicher, ich bin aber sehr gespannt, was genau hinter seinem Handeln steckt.
Momentan würde ich den Manga nicht unbedingt dem BL-Genre zuordnen unter dem er verkauft wird, auch wenn er sich mit dem Thema Liebe und Homosexualität beschäftigt. Für mich liegt er eher im Bereich Slice of Life (mit LGBTQ+ Themen). Das ist keinesfalls als negative Kritik zu verstehen. Mal sehen, was der nächste Band bereithält. Ich bin jedenfalls sehr gespannt, was die Zukunft für die Charaktere bereit hält. Ich wär auch total zufrieden, wenn Yuiji und Yamato einfach bessere Freunde werden und bleiben, ohne dass sich etwas romantisches zwischen ihnen entwickelt, denn so ist das manchmal einfach, nicht wahr?.
Ich finde es unpassend, dass hier im Manga selbst aber auch unter den Anmerkungen der Redaktion von "Männerrolle" bzw. "Frauenrolle" beim Sex unter Männern gesprochen wird.
*Was ich okay finde, denn so ein Prozess kann nicht immer von heute auf morgen stattfinden, wenn die Vorurteile tief sitzen.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The (German) blurb is an excellent description of what this manga is about, and I like what we have seen so far.
Before Yuiji realises how Yamato feels about his friend, Yuiji thought he had no prejudices. Now that he sees a gay boy in his vicinity, however, he realises that he is very much prejudiced. And even in the course of the volume, his attitude changes only slowly and he still does not achieve 100% acceptance by the end of the first volume.* He finds it "a bit repulsive" that Yamato likes men. At the same time, however, he is open to Yamato and is already a good friend to him. He listens to him and tries to understand his point of view and thus also reflects on his own situation. I appreciate that very much.
I find all the characters likeable. However, I'm still a little unsure about Sakura, but I'm very curious to find out what exactly lies behind his actions.
At the moment, I wouldn't necessarily assign the manga to the BL genre under which it is sold, even though it deals with the topic of love and homosexuality. For me, it is more in the slice of life genre (with LGBTQ+ themes). This is in no way to be taken as a negative criticism. Let's see what the next volume has in store. In any case, I'm very excited to see what the future holds for the characters. I'd also be totally satisfied if Yuiji and Yamato just become and stay better friends without anything romantic developing between them, because that's just the way it is sometimes, isn't it?
I find it inappropriate that in the manga itself but also under the editor's notes they talk about "male role" or "female role" when it comes to sex between men.
*Which I find okay, because such a process can't always happen overnight when prejudices run deep.
January 23, 2022
Me gustó. No me pareció la gran cosa, pero al mismo tiempo la historia promete para el futuro. Supuestamente sólo existe un volumen más... pero todavía me quedan 16 capítulos por leer lol y este volumen tuvo 5 capítulos... raaaaro.
3.5 de 5 estrellas.
3.5 de 5 estrellas.
August 17, 2020
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions are my own and this did not affect my review in any way.
When I first saw this manga on Netgalley I was instantly drawn to it. I’ve been trying to get more into manga and after reading the description I knew I wanted to read it.
In this manga we follow Yuji, who, after accidentally overhearing his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Yuji only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.
First I have to make a comment about the format of the manga provided, it definitely was not the best, you could hardly read the text boxes because of how blurry it was, some pages overlapped with each other and you couldn’t zoom in. So it definitely was a struggle to get into.
I am really sad to say that I didn’t quite enjoy this manga as much as I wanted to. It was so slow, it took forever for anything interesting the happen and taking into consideration the format I just wanted it to end.
Another problem I had was the fact that all the characters looked the same to me, they all had similar expressions, dressed similarly and overall I couldn’t distinguish between them. Because of this I couldn’t connect to the story because by the time I was able to tell them apart I no longer cared.
Although I had trouble with the manga I immensely appreciate the message the author is trying to portray. I loved how Yuji was always supportive of Yamato and I really enjoyed the friendship aspect (because even though this is marketed as a romance it was much more of a friendship).
If I find a physical copy of the manga I will definitely pick it up and give it another chance and maybe even consider continuing on with the series. Like I said most of my problems were due to the poor formatting of the copy I received but I was really disappointed with this one.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
When I first saw this manga on Netgalley I was instantly drawn to it. I’ve been trying to get more into manga and after reading the description I knew I wanted to read it.
In this manga we follow Yuji, who, after accidentally overhearing his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Yuji only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.
First I have to make a comment about the format of the manga provided, it definitely was not the best, you could hardly read the text boxes because of how blurry it was, some pages overlapped with each other and you couldn’t zoom in. So it definitely was a struggle to get into.
I am really sad to say that I didn’t quite enjoy this manga as much as I wanted to. It was so slow, it took forever for anything interesting the happen and taking into consideration the format I just wanted it to end.
Another problem I had was the fact that all the characters looked the same to me, they all had similar expressions, dressed similarly and overall I couldn’t distinguish between them. Because of this I couldn’t connect to the story because by the time I was able to tell them apart I no longer cared.
Although I had trouble with the manga I immensely appreciate the message the author is trying to portray. I loved how Yuji was always supportive of Yamato and I really enjoyed the friendship aspect (because even though this is marketed as a romance it was much more of a friendship).
If I find a physical copy of the manga I will definitely pick it up and give it another chance and maybe even consider continuing on with the series. Like I said most of my problems were due to the poor formatting of the copy I received but I was really disappointed with this one.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 14, 2020
I do like to read Manga but this was just very confusing.
There is a group of friends in high school. One friend is gay (call him A). A hasn't told anyone, that he is gay but he likes B.
B is oblivious.
Meantime C realises that A is gay and likes B. C tells A that he knows A is gay and C and A become closer friends.
Then along comes X who is a girl and she decides they should have a homework club whch they do.
They go out as a group and meet other friends and then A meets D who is out and proud but not in the same school. D gives A a lot of unsolicited relationship advice.
C also has a girlfriend called Z who he isn't sure he really likes. C spends a lot of time wondering about A and how A feels.
All of them do a lot of sports and B reads a lot of manga in class and likes models.
At some stage C kisses A.
There are a lot of other young people thrown into the mix, maybe another 5 or 6 others and the story rambles on but nothing much happens.
In summary, I think this is a story about a group of young people who may or may not have love lives and who are friends and that's it. At least they work together to improve their grades but nothing much happens
The artwork is good but the story is a rambling plot of nothing.
I do think that perhaps some of the story is lost in translation or maybe the story will develop over many volumes to come. This is just volume one. I certainly will not be reading any further.
Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
There is a group of friends in high school. One friend is gay (call him A). A hasn't told anyone, that he is gay but he likes B.
B is oblivious.
Meantime C realises that A is gay and likes B. C tells A that he knows A is gay and C and A become closer friends.
Then along comes X who is a girl and she decides they should have a homework club whch they do.
They go out as a group and meet other friends and then A meets D who is out and proud but not in the same school. D gives A a lot of unsolicited relationship advice.
C also has a girlfriend called Z who he isn't sure he really likes. C spends a lot of time wondering about A and how A feels.
All of them do a lot of sports and B reads a lot of manga in class and likes models.
At some stage C kisses A.
There are a lot of other young people thrown into the mix, maybe another 5 or 6 others and the story rambles on but nothing much happens.
In summary, I think this is a story about a group of young people who may or may not have love lives and who are friends and that's it. At least they work together to improve their grades but nothing much happens
The artwork is good but the story is a rambling plot of nothing.
I do think that perhaps some of the story is lost in translation or maybe the story will develop over many volumes to come. This is just volume one. I certainly will not be reading any further.
Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 2, 2020
The dialogue of this arc was particularly grainy and hard to read which possibly led to my emotional disconnection from the story. As a concept, I like it. A casually homophobic dude realizing the gays are people too is always nice, and I like how the choice to come out isnt as simple as "I don't trust you not to be an asshole." One line I both love and think is silly was "I hate being a minority". I love it because #mood. I hate it because, yeah bro that's kinda how it works. This is a book I would pick up at the library but probably wouldn't buy for myself unless the subsequent volumes turn out something amazing.
May 24, 2021
I liked this and I like how it feels more real? Although I do feel some of the language and wording is a bit awkward and unnatural. Like some of the conservations seem a bit off, but that could just be the translation. This series is more about sexuality and learning/growth than it is about romance. Although, I do really want to see how their friendship and relationship grows. I'm not sure how I feel about Hasegawa, he's a weird one. But I really like Yamato and reading his perspective. I'm not sure where this is going to go, but it's definitely a very slow burn if it does end up becoming a romance.
October 24, 2021
- 3.5 stars!
- for sure it's a slow burn
- i think?? it's a lil clumsily handled portrayal of being gay in a conservative environment but also like,,, it's true,,,,
- i like the characters!! i want to know more about them!!
- themes of friendship!! make good friends!! love your friends!!
- for sure it's a slow burn
- i think?? it's a lil clumsily handled portrayal of being gay in a conservative environment but also like,,, it's true,,,,
- i like the characters!! i want to know more about them!!
- themes of friendship!! make good friends!! love your friends!!
May 10, 2020
Rep: gay main character; secondary gay character
Warnings: homophobia
This book is narrated by two protagonists - Yuji, and Yamato. Yamato has a crush on Yuji's straight friend, and Yuji notices. Now, I find Yuji's perspective more or less boring, since he starts from a place of protectiveness over his friend aka the homophobic notion that Yamato might attack him, but by the time he gets confirmation Yuji is already friends with Yamato (they form a study group via Yamato's friend) so he just feels bad for him, and instead promises him that he won't out him and in general, make things easier for him. Now, Yamato's perspective is more interesting, in that he is unsure of whether he is being his real self by being in the closet; the only being knowing being the above friend and Yuji, he feels he is doing his own best friend a disservice by not telling him. Later on, he meets another gay guy through cram school, and he has a more wider understanding of living as a gay person in a homophobic society.
The theme of unrequited love and relationships is a big part in the start of this book. Yuji noticing Yamato's hopeless crush on a guy who can't reciprocate his feelings, starts to question his own actions in his relationship; he feels he is not being a good boyfriend to his girlfriend, and tries to be better. He aims to be a support system for Yamato, to have him talk to him about his feelings which he can't talk to about with his other friend. I will admit I didn't like him at the start because of his knee-jerk reaction to Yamato's interest in his friend, but I think by the end he was a reasonable and good friend to Yamato, giving him his space, but also lending a shoulder. Meanwhile, Yamato's experiences as a closeted boy in high school, and his reasons for being so are depicted so realistically. His relationship with his best friend, the rendering of male friendships, the relief of having someone else like him to talk to - all are rendered so sincerely. Is it entirely new in stories about queer high school students? Not really. It has more of a slice of life approach to the storyline, than having a particular path, but it is also very invested in exploring the relationships between the characters.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from TokyoPop, via Netgalley.
Warnings: homophobia
This book is narrated by two protagonists - Yuji, and Yamato. Yamato has a crush on Yuji's straight friend, and Yuji notices. Now, I find Yuji's perspective more or less boring, since he starts from a place of protectiveness over his friend aka the homophobic notion that Yamato might attack him, but by the time he gets confirmation Yuji is already friends with Yamato (they form a study group via Yamato's friend) so he just feels bad for him, and instead promises him that he won't out him and in general, make things easier for him. Now, Yamato's perspective is more interesting, in that he is unsure of whether he is being his real self by being in the closet; the only being knowing being the above friend and Yuji, he feels he is doing his own best friend a disservice by not telling him. Later on, he meets another gay guy through cram school, and he has a more wider understanding of living as a gay person in a homophobic society.
The theme of unrequited love and relationships is a big part in the start of this book. Yuji noticing Yamato's hopeless crush on a guy who can't reciprocate his feelings, starts to question his own actions in his relationship; he feels he is not being a good boyfriend to his girlfriend, and tries to be better. He aims to be a support system for Yamato, to have him talk to him about his feelings which he can't talk to about with his other friend. I will admit I didn't like him at the start because of his knee-jerk reaction to Yamato's interest in his friend, but I think by the end he was a reasonable and good friend to Yamato, giving him his space, but also lending a shoulder. Meanwhile, Yamato's experiences as a closeted boy in high school, and his reasons for being so are depicted so realistically. His relationship with his best friend, the rendering of male friendships, the relief of having someone else like him to talk to - all are rendered so sincerely. Is it entirely new in stories about queer high school students? Not really. It has more of a slice of life approach to the storyline, than having a particular path, but it is also very invested in exploring the relationships between the characters.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from TokyoPop, via Netgalley.
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