峰くんはノンセクシャル

by Uta Isaki

Mine-kun is Asexual. He doesn't like sexual intimacy in a relationship. He can kiss a girl, but it's not something he wants to do if he can help it. But Murai loves him so much that she's willing to overlook the fact that she can't hold his hand; that she can't cuddle up next to him when they watch movies together; that she can't fall in love with him the way that she hopes to be loved in return. In the eyes of those around them, is this even a relationship that's meant to last, or is it a train wreck just waiting to happen?

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Queer, Romance, Contemporary, Asexual, Slice Of Life

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2019

About the author

ISAKI Uta
Name (in native language): 伊咲ウタ

Reviews

[Emma Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an ace, I loved the ace character so much. The author acknowledged that asexuality is a spectrum a Mine-kun was very aware of what he wanted and was up front about it (but this book which focuses on his asexuality isn’t even from his POV)
Now let’s talk about the problematic part: the relationship. It made it seem like a relationship between aces and allos is impossible. (Which isn’t true). She kept trying to do little things to make sexual moves or wishing he was making moves and kept just saying a relationship between an ace and an allo was just a friendship. This can be EXTREMELY harmful to the Ace community. It is 100% possible to have a romantic relationship with an ace person and let’s keep in mind that not all ace people are sex repulsed too. It’s all about communication.
Only reason it has 3 stars is the ace rep. Otherwise, it’s harmful and promotes stereotypes

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this book to be pretty cute and happy mainly because of all the positive comments that mention a happily ever after. The thing is Mine didn't really get a the happy ending you'd expect. It's extremely basic. So basic that he gets to be happy after the Author's note, (which was touching) a huge majority of the book is quite sad because even though Mine - Kun's name is in the title and although the story is told through dual perspectives we mainly see things through the eyes of his temporary girlfriend. And I think what annoyed me the most was how simple the ending was. The love interest did no research on Asexuality and instead just took her clearly Acephobic ideas and ran with them.

Also I would like to point out that shoe horning in that her Acephobic best friend just so happened to be a lesbian really rubbed me the wrong way since she never dealt with the repercussions of being Acephobic nor ruining (more like sabotaging) her best friend's relationship.

I also don't don't believe what we got was a hea simply because we never even got a name for the person Mine - Kun ended up with. He's just a guy.

Three last things.
* I believe that Mine - Kun is aromantic as well as being an asexual guy who wants a queer platonic relationship not a romantic one.
* I was very confused while reading this mainly because the scenes would change rather quickly and abruptly so when they switched topics out of nowhere It took me a lot longer than it should've to understand what was happening.
* The illustrations at times were funny.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does it seem as though the author attempted something new and failed miserably? She gets points for trying, but aside from that, the title, stories, and characterization were all unimaginative and very stereotypical.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While researching this one shot I learned a little about Japanese terminology. In Japan the term "asexual" refers to someone who is aromantic asexual while romantic asexuals are known as "nonsexual" (in Japanese this one shot is called "Mine-kun is nonsexual" since he's a biromantic ace). And I honestly don't know if I can adequately explain the relief I felt at learning the term nonsexual. Asexual never felt right to me but I used it because it was the closest thing I had but nonsexual just feels right in all the ways asexual didn't and I'm happy this one shot taught me the term.
But also that's all personal stuff that doesn't have anything to do with the one shot. Personal stuff that does have something to do with the one shot however is that the author wrote this when they first started questioning if they were asexual/nonsexual, and yeah you can kind of tell but self discovery has to start somewhere. I don't know if I would recommend this one shot to people but I would recommend the author's other asexual story Is Love The Answer (There Is No Love In Your World in Japanese) because that is a six chapter story that really has time to explore the spectrum of asexuality, nonsexuality, and the stuff in between and around in a way a 46 page one shot just can't.

[Soundless · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of, I love that were getting more and more Manga with Ace rep!
(also mine-kun is also clearly aro coded, so yay)

I feel like this was pretty realistic, which might not make it for everyone. It's not a happy story, but it's also not sad. It's just about two people who realize they are not compatible with each other. That being said - it looses that one star, because it was way too short. That makes it pretty basic when it could have been so much more. I wish we'd seen more of mine-lungs POV and I also wish murai could have had the chance to shine more by actually challenging her beliefs. But I'm not unhappy with how things turned out between them, because they clearly want different things in life, which is OK.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short but poignant manga functions more as an exploration than a story. Mine-kun is asexual and bi-romantic, and he's fully upfront with the girl who asks him out. He'll go out with her, he says, if she's okay with there being no sexual contact, including kissing. She says she is, but it quickly becomes clear that she didn't really understand, or believe, him initially. The piece ultimately makes the point that it's okay to be who you are, but that that also means respecting other people for who they are.

[Ceren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mangakanın yazdığı son söz 💓

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance here, romance there, I feel like there's not enough Ace representation in media. I need more, it's the only way I feel seen and understood.

I'm seeing quite a few mixed reviews of this little one shot and I can understand why. But, in my case, I don't really see the problem with it. As the mangaka have said in the Afterword, asexuality comes in different forms and not everyone is the same. The mangaka is also different than their own Ace character they have created, themselves being under the same spectrum.

I don't think it's harmful in any way either. It's not saying Ace x Allo can't ever have a relationship, but rather, it may happen to not work out for some people. It only told a story, a version of how a relationship would go for SOME.

I really liked Mine, he's such a cutie bean. I wanna protec. I wanted to know more about him. He deserves the world. ♡

I wished it was longer.

[eenayde]

v short but still did a good job at portraying the realistic difficulties that might arise from an ace/allo relationship. it didn't villanize either side but rather showed that it's ok to require different things from a relationship. the author's note was also quite lovely!!

the main shortcoming is it's length bc we barely get to develop the characters' personalties/storylines beyond the cursory. still, worth a read :)

[Caleb Kovalenko · Rating 1 out of 5]

This ended up being so disappointing - like there was so much acephobia and not enough exploring asexuality that it left me . . . empty. I wish the girlfriend was more understanding and her best friend was just weirdly obsessed with how much intimacy was in the relationship, to the point that if she pushed it more I would consider it harassment.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is absolutely gorgeous. I loved every bit of it.

[marisdreaming · Rating 3 out of 5]

tw: aphobic content

[Mick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl tries to enter a romantic relationship with the affable yet emotionally aloof Mine-kun.

Positive points:
The book offers representation of asexuality, an orientation that is overlooked in normative fiction. The art style is pleasant manga fare.

Negative points:
This work might never succeed in gaining enough visibility to raise awareness to asexuality. Both main characters lack emotional maturity and lack true compatibility. Furthermore, by generalizing Mine-kun's experience of romantic attraction without a modicum of exploring the spectrum of asexuality and aromanticism, the story might hinder representation and validation for some aces. The ending is also unsatisfying in that it brushes aside any possible character growth and fails to address the true reasons of our protagonists' failure to court. This can even be dangerous if one is to equate it to a fundamental incompatibility between all asexuals and all allosexuals.

What to expect:
The story centers on two people trying to build a relationship while learning and navigating their differences. Unfortunately, there seems to be fundamental divergence in their outlook, expectations and efforts.

Experience/appreciation:
While both Mine-kun and Murai are both valid in their feelings, they are frustrating in their interactions. The ending feels both weak and rushed. Uta Isaki wrote a spiritual successor to this manga in Is Love the Answer?, a much more satisfying (if at times somewhat pedantic) story of coming to terms with (aromantic) asexuality; go read that book!

[TheBackCatalogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Information

Genre: Contemporary-Drama
Demographic: Adult (General)
Length: Short (45 pages)
Content Advisory:
Moderate: Ace/Aro-phobia

Note: Irodori Comics who publishes this work in English is an 18+ comics distributor purchasing this comic or accessing their site if you are under the age of 18 is against Irodori's terms of service.
Available Digitally from Irodori Comics

Review
Mine-Kun is Asexual is the perfect companion piece to Is Love the Answer? While Is Love the Answer? focuses on exploring the asexual experience from an asexual person's point of view Mine-Kun is Asexual is about the difficulties of an Allosexual and an Asexual being in a relationship from the perspective of an Allosexual - Murai. It is one of the most compassionate works on the topic I have seen while acknowledging that these two people want different things in a relationship. The ultimate conclusion of this work is that two people can love each other and be compatible in other ways, but that doesn't make them the right people to be in a relationship together. Mine is simply unable to give Murai the type of love she needs and continuing the relationship would be selfish and ultimately harm them both.

Despite being such a short work Mine-Kun is Asexual acknowledges the complexities of an Allosexual / Asexual romantic dynamic, compassionately acknowledging at least for Murai and Mine-Kun their relationship was not meant to be. I highly recommend it if you adored Uta Isaki's Is Love the Answer? you pick this up afterwards.

[Evan Ostdiek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isaki is one of my favorite LGBTQ authors because she talks about queer experiences no one else does. This seems like a good draft or starting idea for "Is Love the Answer" which is my favorite book from her.

However, this is SIGNIFICANTLY shorter (read in less than an hour). Additionally, this focuses on an allo person dating an asexual person.

I think for how short this is it is tight and discusses a lot about love and the challenges between ace and allo people.

I appreciate what this manga did and how it set the dominoes up for her "Is Love the Answer". I would read this after "Is Love the Answer" as it does way better for understanding Mine-kun's asexuality.

Problems:
-wish it was longer. Maybe, expand on the ending instead of the like page epilogue. Though honestly, I would just want another volume.

-Accessibilty. It is hard to find this without some uh... methods. Lack of print, translations, and no library copies from what I found.

-"Is Love the Answer" is more fleshed out. Only really recommending this if you read that and are itching for more.

It is really good just confined by length which is understandable given that this is one of the first/few ace mangas. Publishers probably wanted this to be a proof that the topic will sell.

[Beck GT · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 estrellas
Empecé a leer por que era corto, pero no pensé que necesitaría saber mas.. mucho mas, había leido representaciones ace antes, pero no eran el foco, con esta lectura se me hizo muy chiquito el corazón por que Mine era un asexual pero no arromantico y me parte el alma que no lo hayan entendido, aun asi lo entiendo pero me parece durisimo que ademas de sus preocupaciones y ansiedad por su persona tambien tenga que pensar en los demas, y es justo para el, aun asi me parece increíble que haya habido una conversacion de acuerdos aunque estos fueran dolorosos, por lo menos para El.

[Dona · Rating 2 out of 5]

T T
melancólico y realista, aunque tiene estereotipos es una realidad, con tan pocas páginas me sentí identificada y se entendió a ambas partes, se sintió muy triste la dinámica ace/allo, frustrada e icomprendida. Amé a Mine siempre honesto, ansioso de si mismo y preocupado por lo que su pareja quiere.
💔

[mingorae · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

i did in fact tear up multiple times just cuz some things that Mine said felt stripped from my mouth. representation is important even if it’s just a small fraction. it would’ve been cool if the perspective was in Mine’s pov but maybe that would’ve hit too close to home ❤️ yall mind if an ace girl seeks a little validation tonight

[_ aethonan _ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐3.4⭐
Me dejó un sentimiento raro. Me gusta mucho leer más representación ace pero creo que hubiera sido mucho más interesante ver la perspectiva de Mine. El final es algo triste, pero realista, y eso solo me pone más triste. Con algo más de páginas podría haber estado mejor.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A melancholic sketch of the relationship between a cuddly straight woman and a physically aloof, asexual bisexual man.

[Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mine! ♡ He's adorable and deserves the world and I'd watch movies with him any time!

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que bonito. Me encanto

[Chichi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the exploration of a relationship between someone who is asexual and someone who isn't was interesting.

But Mine-kun character could have had more exploration.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of Isaki Uta's Lost and Found Collection, put out by Irodori Comics. Since these are so short, I wanted to count them as 1 book, but GR doesn't have the collection in their database. Shouganai.

[Andrea Legarrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
[Tengo clase en unos minutos, así que este mini review será un caos; en el futuro lo editaré]
Fue un one-shot que logra explicar en pocas páginas lo que es ser aroace. Puedo verme recomendando este manga a mis conocidos para introducirlos al tema o simplemente como material de apoyo, lol.
Quisiera remarcar que la autora decidió representar a Mine-kun de cierta manera y sus experiencias no hablan por todos los aroace. Fue interesante verme reflejada en Mine-kun; así que como aroace, puedo darle mi aprobación n_n

El dibujo es bello y cargado de emociones, el storyline es sencillo pero fácil de seguir.
Puedo entender que los personajes se vean un poco decoloridos y le atribuyo lo anterior al número reducido de páginas; sin embargo, es un manga que ayuda a visibilizar a una minoría que también es ignorada dentro de la propia comunidad LGBTQIA+.

[isa diosa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

i realized that this author had another manga with asexual rep so i came flocking over to read it at 3am instead of sleeping (yay)

anyways this was a silly goofy oneshot where a girl is dating this guy who is asexual. honestly i feel like past me would’ve resonated more with the girl because of how she longed for a sense of affection but that’s besides the point i liked seeing the characters grow through this (just like i did woah it’s all coming full circle) even if it was just a short oneshot

[Denise Malta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This relationship was entirely realist, sometimes people do try their best but a compromise is not good enough. However, the asexual representation - which is the whole point of the manga - was a bit shallow and stereotyped. I wish the author had taken greater care into exploring how ace's are on spectrum and how complex it can be. It was overall more about the struggles of the allo character and barely focuses on the ace character. It also concludes with a very harmful message that relationships between ace and allos are bound to fail.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 2023. A charming short manga (under 50 pages) about an asexual young man and arosexual young woman dating in college.

I enjoyed and appreciated this, it felt sweet and gentle and honest. Looking forward to checking out more by the author, I see they have some other manga on Hoopla not about asexuality and they have another newer manga about asexuality coming out as well.

“Mine-kun is Asexual” by Isaki Uta.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

i just had to read this because there aren't a lot of manga about asexuality (that i know of). this one is short but realistic. it showed how difficult it is if both parties are not on the same wavelength. it'll just lead to being hurt. it's good that mine-kun was upfront about his boundaries. i hope we get more manga like this.