Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide, Volume 3

僕らの地球の歩き方 [Bokura no chikyuu no arukikata+ #3

by Mone Sorai, Katie Kimura (Translator)

Super serious Asahi Suzumura and laidback, easygoing Mitsuki Sayama might seem like an odd couple, but they made a deal; they'll vacation around the world and when they get back to Japan, they'll get married.

As they travel from country to country, the different people, cultures and cuisine they encounter begin to bring them closer together. After all they're not just learning about the world, but about themselves too.

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Romance, Contemporary, Travel, Queer, Yaoi

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[rory (jess' version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

their history when they were in high school was slightly uncovered BUT I NEED MORE

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some short flashbacks continue to fill in some missing pieces to who these two sweet boys (age 29) really are, how they met, and the nuances of their families and earlier life.

I like how it is the small things that they appreciate in each other. The honest comment. The embarrassing/open love between them that is SO obvious to people they meet. Getting matching slippers is a cool little step that has quiet meaning just to these two boys.

They have met people that seem impressive to the boys, yet these same people walk away with inspiration from seeing how Asahi and Mitsuki interact. This really reminds me of those puppy-love days early in a relationship that you never want to forget.

New countries in this volume:
- United Kingdom
- Morocco
- Spain
- Sahara Desert

They go to nice highlights that make me want to use these ideas to do a similar trip! I like how Mitsuki gets excited like a little kid over simple new things. This always brings joy to Asahi.

Morocco still has being homosexual as illegal, so they are careful in public. I like innocent Mitsuki's expression:
Why does it have to be illegal though? We love each other the same as anyone else!
What's so wrong about one simple human falling in love with another?

(tears by me)

Mitsuki unpretentiously admits to their friend Paul, how he (Mitsuki) met Asahi:

I was super scared when I asked Asahi out too. Especially since we were both guys.
But I didn't really think about what would happen afterward.
I may only be able to say this because things went well.
But you'll never know unless you try.
I knew that I'd definitely regret not telling him that I loved him.
Besides, I didn't want to just give up on him without trying first!

(more tears for me)

Their view of the stars in the sky while visiting the Sahara Desert makes me want to go there. I like how some night sky views have been featured a couple times in this series, since I could simply travel to a place for the sole reason to see clear dark skies at night.

Shooting star. Friendship ring/hand touch. (more tears - damn! - I'm liking this story)

Another 5* heart-helpful story!

[Aria Bipolarbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pensavo fosse l'ultimo ma non lo è 😭
L'unica cosa che vi posso dire è: leggetelo, davvero. È carino, dolce e ti insegna molte cose in giro per il mondo! Come avevo già preannunciato, la mia recensione arriverà quando li avrò letti tutti!

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

we get more and more chances to see and know how they first met as well as seeing london, edinburgh, and CHEFCHAOUEN !? MOROCCO'S CHEFCHAOUEN !? (spotting a CTM bus was really not in my bingo card, but i get i'll take it!)

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has to be a 4th volume, right? I really want to know how they end up when they return from the trip. The way things ended is still super cute but I just want the whole journey.

[dreamgirlreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are so freaking cute!!! I need more!!! Promise me there will be more???????

[Silly Pick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable and beautiful, as always. I really can't wait to read another volume of this fantastic journey.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is stunning and the story is amazing. Asahi and Miysuki are so adorable.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una sèrie que no cansa mai perquè manté un ritme trepidant amb els viatges (barreja ideal de paisatges espectaculars i píndoles culturals molt encertades) a mesura que vas veient com la relació d'amor es consolida amb fragments intercalats sobre el seu passat ♥ Que no s'acabi mai, però a la vegada que arribin ja al Japó perquè es casin, surtin de l'armari i tothom sigui feliç :3 (segueixo amb la mini queixa: prou de deixar petons a mitges, quin patiment!!! que s'estimin obertament i que els lectors ho puguem celebrar, carai!!!! 💔)

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute as always, and the art of all the key landmarks in the countries visited is really cool as well! I love their relationship, and as much as I enjoy watching them travel and continue to grow together, when will their travels end just so I can see them get married ahhhhh.

[Eva]

this series is so perfect

[Pam Z (Pam's Shenanigans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as heartwarming as the previous volumes! We got to meet new characters and explore new countries with these two. Although I feel like the first 2 volumes were stronger in terms of the story, volume 3 is still a stunning read.

[Nelva (nelvalostinpages)]

this manga fills me with so much joy

[Axis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am literally binging all that's available in one sitting LOL

[untitled lullaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was probably my favorite one. They did a lot of travel and it was cute.

[Amara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

January 2024 belated. I absolutely adore this Boys Love / MM romance series and whole-heartedly recommend it. A couple goes on a trip all over the world with plans to get married at the end somewhere it’s legal, and along the way they interact with a variety of cultures and people. They are adorable and I love them.

Away from home, they have the opportunity to make new friends as a couple without the possible ramifications of the loss of employment or family relationships they might experience at home, and experience being out as queer and as a couple in various cultures and places. They also have opportunities to experience others queerness and how it is treated in different cultures. These experiences serve as catalysts for growth and change in their relationship in different thoughtful ways.

Additionally, there is a genuine love and celebration of travel, various authentic cuisines, and architecture in the series that you get to sense and experience as they visit and admire places worldwide.

Definitely recommend! Available at Sac Library physically and on Hoopla digitally, but I love these ones so much I’ve bought them too!

“Our Not-So Lonely Planet Travel Guide” volumes 3-4 by Mone Sorai.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is still stunning and I love the characters more and more every volume. The side characters in each volume are amazing too, Paul and Kaoru are no exception. Rooting for them!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes you put off reading your favorite things for the longest time.

I reread the first two volumes before finally diving into the rest, and I think I understand both why I loved them so much and why I'd kept buying the rest without actually reading them. There are a number of factors - book collectors don't have time to read all the books they continue putting on their shelves! - but a major one was how sad I'd felt as covid wore on and on and on and I started to realize the world wouldn't ever quite go back to how it was back when I was young and energetic and optimistic and eager to travel the globe like in these books.

I wish there were author's notes in these - something Tokyopop doesn't often include, but which I'd really be interested in, from a mangaka who continued to write these beautiful stories about travel and human connection during years when the world was pretty locked down and isolated. I'd like to know where their inspiration came from, how they kept gathering their material for all these beautiful places, and if anything changed in the storytelling process.

But even without knowing all of that, this series is just...so lovely. I'm still a little sad, I guess, that my own traveling days seem to be behind me now, but it's nice to be able to travel through fiction still. The bulk of this volume was in London, which I know and love well - even with a stopover in one of the most beautiful cities I've visited, Edinburgh. (I would dearly love to go back there. Maybe even live there, if that was possible.)

This time, they're staying with a college friend of Mitsuki's, a handsome, open-minded guy named Kaoru who's been living and working in London for a while, and gives them a good tour of all the cinematic spots they know and love from movies. Asahi takes a pretty major step here - while they've technically come out to a number of people on the journey thus far, most of them were either queer themselves or strangers they're unlikely to ever run into again, at least not in a setting where it would impact their lives and families back in Japan.

Mitsuki, who wants to marry Asahi, is very much willing to let anyone and everyone know about their relationship, but he does his absolute best to respect Asahi's need for privacy on the matter. So when Kaoru asks if the two of them are dating, Mitsuki denies it, and Asahi...tells him the truth.

It's such a lovely and important moment, because it's terrifying for him to tell someone who's (a) straight and (b) that closely connected to their real lives. It's showing some major growth for Asahi, and his love for Mitsuki is getting more and more visible as he starts to let go of the idea that he might have to let go of the man he loves, in order to give them both better futures.

Talking to Kaoru's gay roommate, Paul, helps as well - while this globe-trotting trip was supposed to just give them a ton of good memories together before they broke up, what it's actually doing is giving Asahi the opportunity to see that there's a big, beautiful world out there full of people who will accept and care for him exactly as he is. Not as the person he's convinced his family wants him to be.

Of course, that's still not true in all of the world...they go from England to Spain to Morocco, where they can't be as open in public about their relationship, even to the limited extent Asahi had been growing more comfortable with. There are a couple of heartbreaking panels, like the image of a straight honeymooning couple holding hands in the Sahara, framed by the distance between Mitsuki's and Asahi's hands. Or Asahi looking lovingly at a sleeping Mitsuki, only to slip out of their bed to answer texts from his mother and brother.

There's a long journey left for them still, but they're making so much progress, and their love for each other is just achingly wonderful. Plus I love seeing all these wonderfully detailed tours of cities I haven't been to. It's such a lovingly illustrated series - honestly pretty impressive that there are six volumes out already, with this much intensive research and hard work put into them.

But the settings never drown out the characters or the story. Three volumes in, we get the backstory of how they met! The mutual unrequited crushes back in high school, the reunion years later, even the confession...ugh! It's all wonderful.

[Josue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately, I’ve been getting into the habit of taking notes as I read so that I can journal the book and review it. Volume 3 thus far seemed to be most packed with content and so far my favorite of them all. Asahi and Mitsuki travel to the UK, where once more they meet a friend of Mitsuki’s. They go and they do their usual sightseeing and trying new foods and through their mannerism Mitsuki’s friend Kaoru finds out they’re in a relationship. We learned about their backstory from both of their points of view and it’s beautiful. The love that they have for each other is depicted in such a wholesome and beautiful way, and they were in love at first sight and since high school. The fact that even into adulthood they ended up reconnecting and still having the same feelings says a lot! I related to this so much because my husband and I fell in love at first sight too and we married soon after without telling anyone. Now almost 10 years later it is the best decision I have ever made. I,like Asahi, had hangups with my sexuality that through time I overcame by being open and standing up for myself. I deserve love too, and my relationship hurts nobody. Asahi did a lot of growth in this volume and he’s coming to terms that what he and Mitsuki have is real and that they deserve their chance just like everyone else. He also is told that he’s lucky he has someone like Mitsuki and vice versa. They also meet Paul who is Kaoru’s roommate and happens to also be gay. They connect and hang out becoming friends. Paul asks Asahi and Mitsuki for advice as he shares he’s in love with Kaoru. Seeing their relationship Paul felt some type of way of what he wished to have but can’t with Kaoru and understandable because unrequited love is torture. However, I felt like Kaoru was also giving mixed signals. I don’t know but part of me hopes that the feelings are reciprocated and that they end up together. The illustrator was so good at making them almost look like they were already in love that I hope it’s foreshadowing. Once again, Mitsuki and Asahi realize how lucky they are to have each other. Even though Asahi still hasn’t come out to his family, I think he’s starting to realize he doesn’t care anymore and is happy with Mitsuki. Sometimes, you have to take the risk to be happy regardless of what others, especially your family members, think. We have one life, and we have to live it. The best way to do so is to find our own happiness. They end up traveling to Spain and Morocco this time. While in Morocco, Asahi lets Mitsuki know that same-sex relationships there are illegal and to be careful. Regardless of this, though, they have a good time sightseeing and trying new foods; they end up going to the Sahara and experiencing a true dark sky. The illustration was so beautiful, it’s honestly poster-worthy. The way they were drawn looking at the stars… So far, this is my second series of BL manga, and I am loving the genre. In a world where things seem so dark lately, this type of read and art makes me feel happy.

[Tachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quel bonheur de retrouver nos globetrotters et de continuer à les suivre dans leurs pérégrinations européennes et sentimentales ! C’est exactement le genre de manga où le mélange entre voyage et romance est parfaitement dosé pour moi.

Voici Asahi et Mitsuki en Angleterre pour ouvrir le bal de ce tome, et comme toujours, c’est un vrai et beau guide touristique rapide que nous offre l’autrice. Petit tour à Londres et ses lieux emblématiques autour de la royauté mais pas que, même séjour à Edimbourg, le tout rempli d’anecdotes sur les lieux, la gastronomie, la vie là-bas, la culture et même les transports. Ça donne furieusement envie d’y aller. Ça tombe bien, c’est mon cas pour Edimbourg, puisque nous réfléchissons à un petit voyage là-bas. Idem ensuite quand ils changent de pays pour l’Espagne et plus précisément Barcelone et toutes les créations de Gaudi là-bas. J’ai adoré. J’ai eu des étoiles plein les yeux et j’ai appris des choses. Ce fut également le cas lors de leur dernière escale du tome : le Maroc, où là aussi les découvertes gustatives et culturelles sont riches.

Mais L’échappée belle n’est pas qu’un guide touristique, c’est aussi un guide sentimental et ce tome a fait fort ! Alors qu’Asahi a encore du mal à assumer leur couple, il avoue pourtant leur relation à l’ami de Mitsuki qui les accueille à Londres. Ça fait vraiment plaisir de le voir évoluer et ne plus se cacher et cerise sur le gâteau, ça leur offre un nouveau confident, ce qui n’est jamais de trop. Pour nous lecteurs, c’est également l’occasion de rencontre de nouveaux amis à suivre et d’entendre à nouveau parler de la difficulté à avouer ses sentiments quand on ne sait pas si l’autre partage notre inclination, surtout quand on est homosexuel. C’est universel. L’autrice n’hésite pas d’ailleurs à parler de la différence d’accueil de cette préférence selon les pays et les cultures, notamment avec l’arrivée au Maroc et j’apprécie qu’elle le fasse, ne nous faisant pas un portrait faussement idyllique. C’est bien.

Après tout ce temps après le tome 2, 2 ans, j’ai vraiment apprécié de retrouver ce tendre et maladroit duo de voyageurs qui continue à me faire rêver par leurs destinations et à me toucher par leur histoire. J’aime autant ce que leurs voyages m’enseignent et que le plaisir que je prends à les voir évoluer dans leur relation. L’autrice a trouvé ici l’équilibre parfait entre découverte et émotion pour moi et je m’en régale à chaque escale !

Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

È sempre un piacere leggere un volume di questo manga, seguire Asahi e Mitsuki nel loro viaggio alla scoperta non solo di questo vasto mondo, ma anche di loro stessi. Questo, infatti, è uno degli aspetti che amo di più della serie, questo doppio binario - da un lato, il viaggio intorno al mondo, il contatto con nuove culture e tradizioni, le mille esperienze fatte e nuove amicizie; dall'altro, un'opportunità per conoscere meglio se stessi e il partner, per affrontare dubbi e paure. Asahi e Mitsuki si fanno forza a vicenda (il primo arriva addirittura a confermare la loro relazione in maniera esplicita davanti a due sconosciuti).
Sono molto interessanti anche i flashback - la paura di accettare certi sentimenti viste le aspettative della società e delle famiglie; il disprezzo che Asahi prova inizialmente per se stesso, insieme alla convinzione di essere destinato a passare la sua vita da solo; il coraggio di non scappare di fronte alle difficoltà e di dare una possibilità a questo amore. Un amore che ispira anche gli altri.
E pensare che esistono posti in cui questo tipo di rapporto è considerato illegale. Asahi e Mitsuki si trovano a entrare in contatto con questo mondo, così vasto e, al contempo, così connesso. Fanno nuove esperienze. Raccolgono nuovi ricordi. E, mano nella mano, si muovono verso la loro destinazione. Che meraviglia!
Non vedo l'ora di leggere il quarto volume e di scoprire le prossime tappe di questo lungo viaggio.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series about traveling couple from Japan. In this story they spend time in London, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Morocco the blue City, Fez and the Sahara Desert. They really go all over.

Reading this makes me want to see the world too. The artwork for the Cathedral's and other famous landmarks is outstanding. The artist really captured the details.

Half of the story takes place in London and we meet a friend from Japan there and his roommate. They are cool people like everyone else they meet. We see some city spaces in London that a resident would know.

There is a bonus story and it's the couple not doing anything on the coast of Spain just hanging out in their room together resting. It's simple and wonderful.

I've never heard of the blue city in Morocco. All the buildings and everything is blue. Now I want to go and see it. Of course, this Manga really puts emphasis on the food and makes it look so yummy. They talk about food in each city and I want to try it all. Yum.

I can't wait for the next volume. This has to be one of my favorite Manga of all time. It's a very sweet and interesting story. It shows off places that I want to go and places I've never heard of.

[Bookmark Party · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌍✈️ Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide non è solo un manga sul viaggiare: è un percorso di crescita, amore e scoperta. Con Asahi e Mitsuki partiamo dal Giappone e ci immergiamo in paesi, culture e piatti tipici raccontati con lo sguardo di chi vuole custodire ogni istante. Mitsuki, fotografo freelance, trasforma ogni scena in una cartolina, mentre la loro relazione evolve tra complicità, tenerezza e quella dolce tensione che conquista il cuore. 💕

Non è una semplice guida turistica in forma di fumetto: tra le pagine emergono temi profondi come il coraggio di mostrarsi per ciò che si è, il peso delle aspettative familiari e la difficoltà del coming out. Eppure il tono resta leggero, romantico e pieno di speranza, capace di far sorridere e riflettere allo stesso tempo.

Con uno stile grafico che richiama i vecchi shōjo, essenziale ma efficace soprattutto nelle architetture e nel cibo, il manga ci fa sognare, viaggiare ed emozionare. È una storia che lascia il cuore caldo e la voglia di partire… non solo alla scoperta del mondo, ma anche di sé stessi. ✨

Ogni volta che li finisco scoppio in lacrime per la tenerezza di questa serie 🥺🥺

[Kay Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can accurately describe just how much I love this series, and this installation is no exception. In this instalment Asahi and Mitsuki visit the UK, Spain and Morocco. Once again I want to add all the places they visited to my bucket list of places I want to visit, and try all the food they tried (even though I'm vegetarian and most of the food they eat has meat in it 😂 So that's not going to happen).

We also meet two new characters in the UK, an old friend of Mitsuki's (who's name I cannot remember now, I'm so sorry, I will refer to him as S) and S's roommate Paul. I really liked these characters too and I want a little spin-off story about the two of them!

Mone Sorai is truly a master at work - the humour is light-hearted and whimsical, the travel-guide aspects are so fun, and the characters are so endearing, and the romance flashbacks really pull at my heart-strings.

[Indie-Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can accurately describe just how much I love this series, and this installation is no exception. In this instalment Asahi and Mitsuki visit the UK, Spain and Morocco. Once again I want to add all the places they visited to my bucket list of places I want to visit, and try all the food they tried (even though I'm vegetarian and most of the food they eat has meat in it 😂 So that's not going to happen).

We also meet two new characters in the UK, an old friend of Mitsuki's (who's name I cannot remember now, I'm so sorry, I will refer to him as S) and S's roommate Paul. I really liked these characters too and I want a little spin-off story about the two of them!

Mone Sorai is truly a master at work - the humour is light-hearted and whimsical, the travel-guide aspects are so fun, and the characters are so endearing, and the romance flashbacks really pull at my heart-strings.

[Midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro tomo hermoso, los paisajes son bellísimos, sientes como estás en los lugares, quieres probar todo lo que se muestra, en este tomo terminan su viaje por Europa con GB y España y llegan a África en Marruecos, me dío mucha nostalgia ver el Sahara y recordarlo además en un momento tan precioso para Mitsuki y Asahi. Igual que en el tomo anterior, vamos viendo a los muchachos más seguros de sus sentimientos, más decididos a mostrar quienes son y el amor que se tienen, aunque haya lugares dónde no sea tan sencillo. Tenemos nuevos amigos que también son importantes para ayudarles ver otras perspectivas. En fin, cada tomo de esta obra es hermoso y este no es la excepción.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know what it is about this series, but I am loving it so much. It’s comforting and funny and emotional and already one of my favorite series ever. It’s beautiful! Asahi and Mitsuki are so lovely and genuine; they show their love for each other in different ways but you can tell the love is there all the same! And seeing their travels is so enriching, it feels like I’m traveling the world with them. From meeting new people to having to hide themselves in certain countries, trying new foods and seeing beautiful sites, it’s never a dull moment with these two and I’m just so completely enamored by this series. I can’t wait to read more!

[Sephreadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questa serie diventa sempre più bella man mano che si va avanti! I disegni sono sempre più spettacoli, talmente dettagliati da avere l'impressione di avere di fronte delle foto.
I posti visitati questa volta sono la Gran Bretagna, Spagna, Marocco e il deserto del Sahara, inutile dire che me ne sono innamorata e la voglia di viaggiare è sempre più forte man mano che si scorrono le pagine.
C'è spazio anche alla crescita personale e la loro coppia si arricchisce di personaggi sempre più interessanti che li accompagnano nelle varie tappe. Da non perdere!

[Austin Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story enjoyable, but it fell prey to the same issues as the earlier books: an excessive emphasis on food and travel, overshadowing the development of the characters. Once more, the plot conveniently introduced another LGBT character to encourage Asahi to confront his family. However, delving into their past through flashbacks and witnessing them spend a night apart added depth. Meeting Paul in the UK provided a platform for Misaki and Asahi to address their anxieties and delve into the complexities of their relationship.