What do you think?
Rate this book
ロマンスには程遠い
田舎の港町にある小さなＩＴ会社「KAMOME」に、ある日、英国人エリートＳＥ・ルイスが入社してくる。古株の営業マン・新（あらた）が面倒を見ることになるが、海向こう式スキンシップや、甘い見た目に反してストレートにものを言うルイスに面食らってばかり。そんなルイスからの視線が気になっていた新だったが、痺れを切らしたルイスから「オレのことまだ思い出せないの？」と言われて……!? 英国紳士部下×平凡リーマン！ 田舎の港町で巻き起こる、極上再会ラブ!!
175 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 9, 2023
Arata Toono - chàng nhân viên văn phòng bình thường, sống và lớn lên tại một thị trấn gần cảng biển hẻo lánh. Thế mà một ngày nọ, tại cái nơi khỉ ho cò gáy đó lại xuất hiện một người nước ngoài, Louis Carter - người đã được nhận vào làm việc và trở thành đồng nghiệp với Arata.
Okay, điều khiến mình hoang mang ở đây, là Louis vốn là "mối tình đầu" của Arata và cả hai vốn đã gặp nhau từ trước Σ( ° △ °|||) Mọi thứ sau đó được lý giải về quá khứ khi cả hai lần đầu gặp nhau (dù đáng yêu nhưng mình vẫn thấy khó tin chút...). Điều mà mình thích thú ở đây chính là Louis - một người với tính cách cởi mở của người phương Tây - sẵn sàng giúp đỡ, luôn hòa đồng cùng với mọi người xung quanh, và Louis cũng luôn yêu mến Nhật bản.
Đây là tác phẩm thứ ba của Amamiya mà mình đọc sau khi ấn tượng với ぼくらのつづき Bokura no Tsudzuki , và thất vọng về 恋だ愛だはさておいて Koi da ai da wa sateoite ; khi đọc xong ロマンスには程遠い Romance ni wa hodo tooi mình mới thốt lên "Đây mới mà Amamiya mà mình muốn đọc!". Bởi quyển này, Amamiya giữ được nhiều sự dễ thương, nhí nhảnh mà không đưa vào nhiều phân đoạn tình dục; vẫn là nét vẽ cute và mình thích nhìn ánh mắt bơ phờ của Arata, các nhân vật phụ cũng đóng góp không ít phần hài hước cho diễn biến ~(‾▿‾~ )
Thú thật là dù bản thân mình không hẳn thích sự phát triển trong mối quan hệ tình cảm của Arata và Louis. Tác giả đưa vào rất nhiều thứ về văn hóa, ăn uống, công việc một cách dễ thương gắn kết cả hai, nhưng mình cảm thấy chuyện tình của Arata và Louis thiếu chút gì đó... dù họ luôn quan tâm lẫn nhau. Nhưng vẫn chắc chắn và rate 4☆ cho quyển manga nhẹ nhàng và ấm áp này. Mình ấn tượng đoạn Louis chào hỏi bố của Arata, mình vẫn muốn biết thêm về Arata và gia đình.
February 22, 2026
They are so freaking lovely man i need someone to love me too i feel so envious😭
October 8, 2024
Chinese title: 還算不上是愛情
This has 神率 of 55.3% on Chil-Chil!
4-4.5 ⭐️
I’ve re-read this manga a few times and each time I’d discover some new clues and interesting details left by Amamiya-sensei. The vibe of the story is a bit similar to Blue! Blue! Blue! I read it calmly tonight sitting in my sofa while burning a scented candle.
For sure it’s a more mature BL story, touching on many facets of life outside of your typical romance plot.
- Many foreigners are attracted to Japanese culture from watching anime/reading manga.
- It’s very difficult for foreigners to plan a travel itinerary when the websites are all in Japanese.
- Otakus are going on anime pilgrimages at lesser known locations in Japan away from the big cities.
- Isolated small towns have declining population and lack tourists.
- Many young people do not want to continue their family business/traditional industries in the countryside.
- The stereotype company culture in Japan, e.g. seniority, high stress, work overtime, put client first.
- When the East meets the West, there would be cultural clash, it’s important to understand and respect the differences.
The seme Lewis Carter (late 20s) is a senior engineer from England recently joined the IT firm, he’s really happy to be able to live in Japan and work in the same firm as the uke. He previously visited this small town in his teens (probably) after watching an animation about Oyster Girls, the uke helped him wrap an onigiri and gave him a tour around town. It left good memories and he was determined to return here to find uke.
The uke 遠野 新 (30) is an ordinary man, a hard working manager in the IT firm, always the last to leave and first to arrive office. He was working part-time in the convenience store during university when he met the seme. The poor guy always thought his first love was a beautiful “girl” with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Coming from a fisherman family, he’s distanced himself from his parents and don’t eat oysters anymore.
The IT firm boss is a small business owner who used to live in the big city, he moved here because he liked the slower pace of life and going fishing in the morning.
The young girl in the firm is also an anime lover, she would cosplay male characters outside of work and is a fujoshi, always watching out and cheering for the seme and uke’s relationship.
This has 神率 of 55.3% on Chil-Chil!
4-4.5 ⭐️
I’ve re-read this manga a few times and each time I’d discover some new clues and interesting details left by Amamiya-sensei. The vibe of the story is a bit similar to Blue! Blue! Blue! I read it calmly tonight sitting in my sofa while burning a scented candle.
For sure it’s a more mature BL story, touching on many facets of life outside of your typical romance plot.
- Many foreigners are attracted to Japanese culture from watching anime/reading manga.
- It’s very difficult for foreigners to plan a travel itinerary when the websites are all in Japanese.
- Otakus are going on anime pilgrimages at lesser known locations in Japan away from the big cities.
- Isolated small towns have declining population and lack tourists.
- Many young people do not want to continue their family business/traditional industries in the countryside.
- The stereotype company culture in Japan, e.g. seniority, high stress, work overtime, put client first.
- When the East meets the West, there would be cultural clash, it’s important to understand and respect the differences.
The seme Lewis Carter (late 20s) is a senior engineer from England recently joined the IT firm, he’s really happy to be able to live in Japan and work in the same firm as the uke. He previously visited this small town in his teens (probably) after watching an animation about Oyster Girls, the uke helped him wrap an onigiri and gave him a tour around town. It left good memories and he was determined to return here to find uke.
The uke 遠野 新 (30) is an ordinary man, a hard working manager in the IT firm, always the last to leave and first to arrive office. He was working part-time in the convenience store during university when he met the seme. The poor guy always thought his first love was a beautiful “girl” with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Coming from a fisherman family, he’s distanced himself from his parents and don’t eat oysters anymore.
The IT firm boss is a small business owner who used to live in the big city, he moved here because he liked the slower pace of life and going fishing in the morning.
The young girl in the firm is also an anime lover, she would cosplay male characters outside of work and is a fujoshi, always watching out and cheering for the seme and uke’s relationship.
June 24, 2022
Amamiya is really good with angst—the blue, longing, the connection, the beauty: it's perfect!! And I can also say the same about her art style which is really one of a kind. Also, Luis is so adorable, I just can't!! I like this so much!! I'm definitely going to read other titles from her, seeing as I also enjoyed her Blue! Blue! Blue! series. Kinda same atmosphere. I'm sure you'll enjoy this, if you liked that series or vice-versa. Although, I liked this one better.
February 10, 2026
3/5 ✯
Przyjemna historia z motywem małego, nadmorskiego miasteczka, choć bez większego "wow" z mojej strony. Zdecydowanie wolę inne tytuły od tej autorki, niemniej, sposób w jaki narysowano Louisa skradł moje serce 🫶🏻 Ale znów - to Amamiya! Jej kreska nigdy nie zawodzi.
Tytuły ze starszymi bohaterami są u mnie w mniejszości, więc muszę ponadrabiać!
Przyjemna historia z motywem małego, nadmorskiego miasteczka, choć bez większego "wow" z mojej strony. Zdecydowanie wolę inne tytuły od tej autorki, niemniej, sposób w jaki narysowano Louisa skradł moje serce 🫶🏻 Ale znów - to Amamiya! Jej kreska nigdy nie zawodzi.
Tytuły ze starszymi bohaterami są u mnie w mniejszości, więc muszę ponadrabiać!
December 3, 2025
This was so lovely.
Look, it's a little bit silly that Arata spent an entire day showing an attractive British tourist around his coastal town without ever (a) asking their name or (b) realizing that they were not a girl. They weren't that young...the dialogue (if translated correctly) says Arata was in college at the time, although it'd make a bit more sense for them to be high school students, maybe. (And even then it's a bit hard to mix up genders.) But I kind of don't care.
Since his little town was the setting of a popular anime, they got flooded with tourists that year who wanted to do a "pilgrimage" to visit all the scenes that had been faithfully animated. Hardworking, serious Arata is annoyed by all the requests for directions...until an extremely pretty foreigner with long hair and stunningly blue eyes taps him on the back and silently asks him to unwrap an onigiri. Arata takes the selfish route and offers to give the pretty "girl" a tour...which results in a long, memorable day with a lot of smiles and laughter and very little conversation, since their language barrier is pretty large at this point.
But then, at the end of it, the surprisingly low-voiced "girl" kisses Arata and promises to come back for him some day.
His first kiss and his first love.
Who shows up, years later, as a tall, handsome, charmingly extroverted English coworker whom Arata doesn't recognize at all, although he still finds Lewis's blue eyes extremely pretty.
The pacing was excellent for a one-shot. There's enough time to show how appealing Lewis is even without their history - he's an excellent coworker, generous and friendly and kind with everyone, devoted to Japanese culture, and just foreign enough to be surprising and intriguing. He leaves drinking parties early, clocks out and goes home without agonizing about overtime, openly discusses his likes and dislikes, and even tells their entire office that he's gay.
He's everything Arata isn't, and that makes him absolutely fascinating. I loved their early conversation about trying new things before deciding you don't like them; it's not that you have to like everything, but if you don't actually give it a chance, how do you know you won't appreciate it? Lewis is talking about food, but this becomes relevant later on, once Arata finally discovers that his "first love" was his current coworker, who of course had known it was him all along.
Their chemistry builds very naturally; it's more a factor of Arata accepting that he's been attracted in the same way all along, and is okay with that being the case now that the incredibly pretty person is a man. Lewis is very open about his interest but isn't pushy - it's a good balance that provides just enough momentum for Arata to finally make the decision on his own.
I loved the little glimpse of Arata's family, with Lewis shouting his praises to Arata's fisherman dad, who has a strained relationship with him because Arata didn't continue in the family business. While this was an excellent one-shot, I would've loved to see more of Lewis fitting into his family and the overall town culture. I'm curious about Lewis's family and if he'll really be okay fully transplanting to such a small town in Japan. But he gets along with everyone he meets, so he's the kind of guy who can really build a home for himself anywhere.
This was just a shockingly sweet, thoughtful story about love forming over a pretty big culture gap. makes me realize I would love to read more in that specific kind of genre.
Look, it's a little bit silly that Arata spent an entire day showing an attractive British tourist around his coastal town without ever (a) asking their name or (b) realizing that they were not a girl. They weren't that young...the dialogue (if translated correctly) says Arata was in college at the time, although it'd make a bit more sense for them to be high school students, maybe. (And even then it's a bit hard to mix up genders.) But I kind of don't care.
Since his little town was the setting of a popular anime, they got flooded with tourists that year who wanted to do a "pilgrimage" to visit all the scenes that had been faithfully animated. Hardworking, serious Arata is annoyed by all the requests for directions...until an extremely pretty foreigner with long hair and stunningly blue eyes taps him on the back and silently asks him to unwrap an onigiri. Arata takes the selfish route and offers to give the pretty "girl" a tour...which results in a long, memorable day with a lot of smiles and laughter and very little conversation, since their language barrier is pretty large at this point.
But then, at the end of it, the surprisingly low-voiced "girl" kisses Arata and promises to come back for him some day.
His first kiss and his first love.
Who shows up, years later, as a tall, handsome, charmingly extroverted English coworker whom Arata doesn't recognize at all, although he still finds Lewis's blue eyes extremely pretty.
The pacing was excellent for a one-shot. There's enough time to show how appealing Lewis is even without their history - he's an excellent coworker, generous and friendly and kind with everyone, devoted to Japanese culture, and just foreign enough to be surprising and intriguing. He leaves drinking parties early, clocks out and goes home without agonizing about overtime, openly discusses his likes and dislikes, and even tells their entire office that he's gay.
He's everything Arata isn't, and that makes him absolutely fascinating. I loved their early conversation about trying new things before deciding you don't like them; it's not that you have to like everything, but if you don't actually give it a chance, how do you know you won't appreciate it? Lewis is talking about food, but this becomes relevant later on, once Arata finally discovers that his "first love" was his current coworker, who of course had known it was him all along.
Their chemistry builds very naturally; it's more a factor of Arata accepting that he's been attracted in the same way all along, and is okay with that being the case now that the incredibly pretty person is a man. Lewis is very open about his interest but isn't pushy - it's a good balance that provides just enough momentum for Arata to finally make the decision on his own.
I loved the little glimpse of Arata's family, with Lewis shouting his praises to Arata's fisherman dad, who has a strained relationship with him because Arata didn't continue in the family business. While this was an excellent one-shot, I would've loved to see more of Lewis fitting into his family and the overall town culture. I'm curious about Lewis's family and if he'll really be okay fully transplanting to such a small town in Japan. But he gets along with everyone he meets, so he's the kind of guy who can really build a home for himself anywhere.
This was just a shockingly sweet, thoughtful story about love forming over a pretty big culture gap. makes me realize I would love to read more in that specific kind of genre.
Read
May 22, 2022It appears that whenever I finish any of Amamiya's works, I am left with a huge ass smile on my face 😩
October 8, 2023
i liked it !!
March 15, 2026
he otakued around and found out fr
September 30, 2022
This gave me a warm fuzzy feeling!! I need more of this. It is not too long and not too short. Quite impressed how Amamiya managed to make her readers invested with the characters and the story with just enough foundation and build up. I also really like how she showed us what happened in the past without taking too much pages nor chapters.
Far from Romance is a fun short read that will make you giddy and squeal to your pillow or just scream and spew inaudible noises while blushing like you're about to explode and have the urge to bang your head against the wall cuz why couldn't that be me where is my OWN romance?
I would recommend this if you want to fill up your free time with a quick romantic read.
Far from Romance is a fun short read that will make you giddy and squeal to your pillow or just scream and spew inaudible noises while blushing like you're about to explode and have the urge to bang your head against the wall cuz why couldn't that be me where is my OWN romance?
I would recommend this if you want to fill up your free time with a quick romantic read.
June 25, 2025
short cute and vey sweet story !! the art style is amazing so i’ll just have to keep reading all of the authors stories haha
Read
September 27, 2025British otaku x normie salaryman small town office romance BL sdkfjsfsldf the concept is a mouthful but the art style is very beautiful and the story is very soft, fluffy, and subdued!
January 24, 2026
Gorgeous, 10/10.
May 10, 2026
Honestly I keep trying to think of what to write in this review but I just can’t stop laughing from one of the last moments that happened in this manga. I went into this manga thinking I was going to like it and I ended up loving it- it’s such a cute, funny, and sweet read :)
The main couple are absolutely adorable together because of the dynamic that they have, I can imagine others wouldn’t really call it “adorable” for one reason or another but the way their dynamic is and how they interact with each other from the moment that they recognize each other in chapter 2 is just… so cute?? I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s mainly “cute” because of how Lewis handles and interacts with Arata but truly they are such a sweet pairing even when they weren’t officially a couple so from the start of the manga till the end of it I loved their dynamic and their chemistry so so much. They just continuously made me happier and happier reading the manga tbh
Now I can’t finish this review without mentioning their coworker because she is absolutely one of my favorite side characters ever and we barely get content of her but when she is included I’m laughing so hard and genuinely so happy because she is ME and I love her for that truly. She is such a mood from start to end of the manga, especially once she finds out about Lewis’s feelings for Arata- and is the biggest mood and automatically became my best friend plus who i would be if i was in the manga as well. I just love her addition to the manga and story more than I can express and I’m so happy to have her character be included in the end of the manga like she was because it was perfect and absolutely hilarious, I loved it and I loved her. She made this manga get rated 4.75 instead of 4.5 out of 5 honestly
Overall this was such a great read and I’m genuinely so happy to have loved it the way that I did, and I’m so happy to have it apart of my physical collection!!
The main couple are absolutely adorable together because of the dynamic that they have, I can imagine others wouldn’t really call it “adorable” for one reason or another but the way their dynamic is and how they interact with each other from the moment that they recognize each other in chapter 2 is just… so cute?? I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s mainly “cute” because of how Lewis handles and interacts with Arata but truly they are such a sweet pairing even when they weren’t officially a couple so from the start of the manga till the end of it I loved their dynamic and their chemistry so so much. They just continuously made me happier and happier reading the manga tbh
Now I can’t finish this review without mentioning their coworker because she is absolutely one of my favorite side characters ever and we barely get content of her but when she is included I’m laughing so hard and genuinely so happy because she is ME and I love her for that truly. She is such a mood from start to end of the manga, especially once she finds out about Lewis’s feelings for Arata- and is the biggest mood and automatically became my best friend plus who i would be if i was in the manga as well. I just love her addition to the manga and story more than I can express and I’m so happy to have her character be included in the end of the manga like she was because it was perfect and absolutely hilarious, I loved it and I loved her. She made this manga get rated 4.75 instead of 4.5 out of 5 honestly
Overall this was such a great read and I’m genuinely so happy to have loved it the way that I did, and I’m so happy to have it apart of my physical collection!!
March 29, 2024
3.5/5 ⭐️
Es una historia muy linda. Sin embargo, no es una que me haya dejado sin aliento o con un sentimiento de querer leerla de nuevo. Es decir, no me marco para siempre ni tuvo una escena en particular memorable.
Lo más bonito que destaco es la historia de como se conocieron por primera vez, Luis era en serio muy bonito y forman un bonito vinculo aunque haya sido momentáneo.
Quizá algo que no me convenció mientras leía fue que no me di cuenta en que momento comenzaron a tener sentimientos explícitos el uno por el otro. Por parte de Luis era evidente pero con Arata fue algo un poco dificil de ver.
Me pareció que comparado a otras historias de Amamiya a esta le falto más… drama ?? No lo sé, pero sea lo que sea le falto algo más de eso para que el desarrollo se sintiera más orgánico.
Es una historia muy linda. Sin embargo, no es una que me haya dejado sin aliento o con un sentimiento de querer leerla de nuevo. Es decir, no me marco para siempre ni tuvo una escena en particular memorable.
Lo más bonito que destaco es la historia de como se conocieron por primera vez, Luis era en serio muy bonito y forman un bonito vinculo aunque haya sido momentáneo.
Quizá algo que no me convenció mientras leía fue que no me di cuenta en que momento comenzaron a tener sentimientos explícitos el uno por el otro. Por parte de Luis era evidente pero con Arata fue algo un poco dificil de ver.
Me pareció que comparado a otras historias de Amamiya a esta le falto más… drama ?? No lo sé, pero sea lo que sea le falto algo más de eso para que el desarrollo se sintiera más orgánico.
October 20, 2023
Veus, en canvi aquest BL sí que m'ha semblat adorable amb una progressió de la història i de la parella protagonista molt tendra :) dos oficinistes que treballen en un poble remot del Japó, l'un local i l'altre un anglès ben plantat que ningú entén per què ha anat a petar en mig del no-res amb el currículum tan bo que té. Resulta que ja es van conèixer anys enrere quan l'anglès va voler visitar el poble en què s'ambienta el seu anime preferit i el local li va fer de guia improvisat pensant-se que era una noia. Es van fer un petó, peò no van perdre el contacte. La relació avança d'una manera molt sana, amb elements culturals que els sorprenen mútuament i amb el dilema de si el japonès és gai o no. Molt cuqui! ♥
May 27, 2022
When I first read this, I thought the art was great and the characters interesting and I was super curious as to where it was going.
Chapter 2 is even more interesting as we learn more about the characters but we're also hit with red flags. That said, the plot seems to lag after that, all the way to the underwhelming ending.
It didn't help that there was the repeated "you have to reject me if you don't like it" kind of consent rather than "do you want this?".
Every time I think about this manga, I think about the beautiful art - and it really is amazing! - but I can't recommend it because it's not that entertaining and it has red flags.
Chapter 2 is even more interesting as we learn more about the characters but we're also hit with red flags. That said, the plot seems to lag after that, all the way to the underwhelming ending.
It didn't help that there was the repeated "you have to reject me if you don't like it" kind of consent rather than "do you want this?".
Every time I think about this manga, I think about the beautiful art - and it really is amazing! - but I can't recommend it because it's not that entertaining and it has red flags.
April 25, 2026
4/6 stars
Lovely art, easy story but never gets too deep in anything. It feels very surface level. We know Arata has some issues with his dad but they are never really explored. We aren't told what he identifies as but he thought his childhood crush was a girl and we know nothing about what he thinks when he finds out that assumption was incorrect. I think Lewis's foreign ways are used to make assumptions and move the plot along cause, oh that foreigner.
I liked their co-worker, when Lewis gave her the thumbs up, that was really cute.
Lovely art, easy story but never gets too deep in anything. It feels very surface level. We know Arata has some issues with his dad but they are never really explored. We aren't told what he identifies as but he thought his childhood crush was a girl and we know nothing about what he thinks when he finds out that assumption was incorrect. I think Lewis's foreign ways are used to make assumptions and move the plot along cause, oh that foreigner.
I liked their co-worker, when Lewis gave her the thumbs up, that was really cute.
January 5, 2023
This wasn’t a full 5 star for me but it still made my heart go boom boom, it’s not just a cute fluffy story although it’s undeniably cute, it’s also very angsty which I’m living for! The author draws very tiny yet extremely powerful scenes (just 3 panels of someone going from uninterested to interested, or just 3 panels of hands touching and caressing) that are fucking beautiful, I’m in a full blown reading spree of Amamiya sensei’s works rn
March 17, 2025
Maybe my expectations were too high. This was missing something for me. Any time a westerner is portrayed it is a little....distracting? We are always smooching people randomly I have noticed 🤔 The ml is British, but had more of a default westerner vibe?? I think I was too caught up in the cheese to appreciate the story? Idk something was lacking. It still is cute, and lowkey. The author does meditative emotional stuff really well
July 30, 2024
Es bastante ligero sin una trama demasiado pesada, si la pareja es cierto tarda un poco es porq Arata aún procesaba el hecho de estar con un chico, pero eso en parte es realista no todos se les hace fácil. Así q si es lindo el manga y siempre se busco consentimiento cosa q amo q pase en sea en libros o la vida real.
March 18, 2025
This is definitely one of the most wholesome BLs I've read. I just really adored how Louis didn't force his feelings on Arata and just allowed him to process everything at his own pace. There should be more consensual BLs like that, not gonna lie - still I'm happy to see such a change in this genre after so many years, even if that change is still in-progress!
August 3, 2023
Fajna przyjemna manga z nieco powtarzającym się już motywem - bohaterowie spotkali się wcześniej,zapałali do siebie uczuciami,a teraz spotykają się znów po kilku latach.
Generalnie, jest to raczej miła manga idealna na odstresowanie się i dlatego ją polecam,
ocena: 5/5
Generalnie, jest to raczej miła manga idealna na odstresowanie się i dlatego ją polecam,
ocena: 5/5
March 24, 2025
— 3.5 stars
I told in my last read (my first story from Amamiya) that I’d keep an eye out on this author because they could be the next person to give me a great read, and ohhh, this came close.
I also noticed this time that THE PANEL WORK OF AMAMIYA?!??! Stunning. Amazing. Unique. Wow.
I told in my last read (my first story from Amamiya) that I’d keep an eye out on this author because they could be the next person to give me a great read, and ohhh, this came close.
I also noticed this time that THE PANEL WORK OF AMAMIYA?!??! Stunning. Amazing. Unique. Wow.
June 10, 2022
Le graphisme est super beau ♥️
November 8, 2022
I would gladly read more from them.
March 11, 2023
I want to read more, it was so good.
July 31, 2023
4.5. Dużo się uśmiechałam i naprawdę spodobała mi się ta historia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews