好きっていいなよ。4 [Suki tte Ii na yo 4]

好きっていいなよ [Suki tte Ii na yo] #4

by Kanae Hazuki, 葉月かなえ

学校一のモテ男・黒沢大和とつきあい中の橘めいは、初めての恋のバトルを経て、大和との絆を深められたと思っていた。
でも今度は、大和を狙ってた読者モデルの子が転入してきて、大和をモデルの世界へと誘う。
初めて強い嫉妬と孤独にとらわれためいは?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Young Adult, Comics

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2010

About the author

かなえ 葉月 is a manga artist and writer.

• Name in native language: 葉月かなえ
• Birthday: September 1980
• Blood Type: B
Twitter username: @kanaehazuki

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more background information about Megumi because she rubs me the wrong way! Another great installment in the series. I particularly liked the dynamics between Mei and Kai and the conversations they had around bullying and its effects on people. While I would have felt more like Kai, I definitely understood where Mei was coming from. I’m looking forward to picking up volume 5.

[Bookaholic (reads every mortal thing) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had lots of problems with this volume. Lots. A certain character being the main one. But she was put in for DRAMAAH anyway.

Nevertheless, I still love Mei and Yamato and there is very little that can make me stop loving them, so I hold my 4 star flag high.

PS- I finished all the updated volumes and am quietly wondering what to do with my time now. Since I am too lazy to add all volumes (as you know), I'll extend my volume 1 review and add in my final thoughts there. You may proceed.

[mandinmandin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok! This volume was better than the previous ones. Finally, I saw some sort of plot here. The new guy, Kai is cool and I think we needed him to warm things up.

[Bookarune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quel bonheur de replonger dans cette histoire! Mei reste un personnage terriblement attachant. Ses sentiments sont si humains, si réalistes que ça peut en perturber.
J'aime ces personnages, j'aime ce manga et il me tarde de lire la suite.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness this is a fluffly little love story that just about makes your teeth hurt to read it, it's so sweet. But then it comes out and surprises you with some depth, like the whole bullying storyline.

But isn't that why we're here reading it? Because there's something just very very satisfying in reading such a pretty love story. My only complaint is that Mei is too insecure sometimes...this girl really needs to relax a little and realize just how much she's loved. But on the other hand, she has her feisty moments so yay for the girl with a bit of spine where it's needed most. There's a kiss here that will make you squee in delight as it's the perfect thing exactly.

This is quickly becoming a series that I want to own. Why does manga have to be expensively addictive? Why does it have to take so many volumes to tell a story?

*sigh*

[Noriboo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favourite volume. I enjoyed the conversations between Mei and Kai about bullying and the effects it had on their emotional development. Both Mei and Kai are very mindful, and both tend to overthink. However, when they talk to each other, they tend yo give the other great advice, which leads them to reflect upon their own pitfalls, too. I love to see the growth.

Why was this my least favourite? Well, the drama with Meg felt forced. She's a typical entitled mean girl. As a teen, I didn't clock it, but re-reading it as an adult, Yamato's nonchalant attitude in the situation rubs me the wrong way. He seems to be taking Mei for granted and puts the emotional weight of the relationship on her.

[Tammy Ikram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really impressed with the way Kanae Hazuki gives so much depth to characters. She allows them to be flawed, but doesn’t dismiss them because of it.

In the US we’re inundated with revenge stories, and the MC, Mei, only sees hatred as breeding more hatred. Her position is that you don’t need to hold on to those people, and allow those negative experiences to influence your life. Revenge only repeats the cycle.

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

Other than how annoying Yamato was being in the first half, by being completely oblivious to Mei's feelings and how his actions would affect her thankfully he realizes his mistake, and makes up for it, I don't have any really strong feelings towards this volume. It was just alright.

[vexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg…. I got halfway thru it waiting for my bf to get home from work the other night and had to stay up later than him to finish it LOL. I love these character so much!!! The growth… wow… speechless.. truly!

[Jemailyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3☆

I remember reading this from a long, long time ago. And re-reading the part where Megumi tried to steal Yamato from Mei still kinda annoy me. I know this trope would dragged in a few more volumes. *sigh* Why do I punish myself reading this again, I wonder?? Ahaha.. 🥲

[lobelyys · Rating 3 out of 5]

hooly heck, i can’t stop reading this manga, i loved this series when i was younger and i love it now (realizing obviously that some things are pretty toxic)

[Alexim Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

xD quizá me lo tomo muuuy personal pero no soporto a Megumi.
Pero me da mucha vida que ya salga más Kai, lo amoo!!

[Megan Czap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megumi - Meg was introduced in this vol 🐱
I'm here for a good 'ol pot stirring.
Also Kai overcoming his need for "payback".

I find it amusing on a personal level how the characters names related to my own friend group. Megumi goes my Meg, there is Aiko, and Kai. ☺️🫶

[Beckiezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 even, I liked the direction the story was going in this volume, more main characters' relationship conflict and development, less side characters' relationships. I liked the (re)introduction of Kai to the story, I thought he was just going to be part of a love triangle as a rival for Mei's affection so it was nice to find out he was already part of the story back in Volume 1. The bullying issues were really emphasized in this volume as well and I think there was some good advice for anyone experiencing bullying at school.

[Luna Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short review will be repeated on every single volume. Previously, it sat at four stars; I was young and into dumb shit.

Because it was trendy to like books where the popular guy gets with the nerdy girl, I liked this back then. Now, I’m so over these tropes. He’s not even that great. Hell, just about everyone sucks here.

[Estefany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta Kai y awww Yamato y Mei me tienen empalagada

[Alya Atiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Suki-Tte Ii Na Yo a.k.a Say I Love You

❝A light read filled with positive messages.❞

(The rating and review are conclusion for all of the volumes excluding the synopsis. Beware of spoiler.)

《 Plot 》
The pace of the story is good. Although there are 18 volumes all over, it doesn’t make you lose interest in it. The story starts by introducing Mei who's a bully victim. She doesn’t have any friends because she always distances herself from people. This is because she has been betrayed by her friends back in the middle school. Ever since then, she never trusts people anymore. However, she begins to change when she gets to know Yamato. Yamato is a popular guy that has many friends and is wayyy too friendly with girls. He starts to approach Mei when she kicked him because of some misunderstanding that happened. Yamato pursues Mei every day which eventually leads them being together. The story starts to develop from there and it’s being told from Mei’s POV.

《 Characters 》
❐ Mei Tachibana, the heroine
When Mei starts falling in love with Yamato, she feels scared of showing everything to him. I can relate to that a lot because you don't know how things will be so it's scary. There are other moments that I can relate to but I won't tell you to avoid spoiler.

At one point, Mei begins to change herself by engaging more with people around her. That's what makes her strong and kind girl. She is very observant of people around her and tries to help them the best she can. I love her character development.

❐ Yamato Kurosawa, the hero
Yamato is a typical cool who is popular for his kindness. Despite being a cool popular guy, he still has his own flaws. There are some issues that he struggles with but didn't let people see him in that way. I wouldn't really picture him as a really good guy. He has his flaw but he learns to change little by little.

《 Pros & Cons 》
☑ Realistic & healthy relationship
↳ There are several couples born in this comic and each of them shows what relationship is likely to be in real life especially Mei’s relationship. If you have been in a relationship, several situations that happened will make you go “Omg, I went through that too!”. On top of that, most of them are in a healthy relationship making it enjoyable to read.

☑ Positive messages
↳ It touches the issue of bully and friendship. Although Mei has been bullied, she doesn’t retaliate at those who had betrayed her back then. It also shows that life is more wonderful with loyal companions being by your side.

☒ The art drawn
↳ It’s not that the art are bad or anything. It’s just not really my cup of tea. I noticed that the art was changing slightly as the volume continues on. It got better in my opinion.

《 Extras 》
My favourite manga! I keep going back to this whenever I feel like reading something light and fun. This is my first manga that I read when I first started to read comic. I was so happy when I found out this comic had completed in English version. These are several quotes that I love from this story.

“Nothing makes a girlfriend more insecure than a boyfriend who's kind to everyone.”

“No matter how beautiful you are, when you're dating someone, all of your flaws come out.”

“If you want to move forward, sometimes, you can't keep doing things the way you've always done them. That peace of mind ruins you and hurts people.”

“You can get stronger by loving others and letting them love you.”

⚝ Who should read? ⚝
❥ Enjoy high school story.
❥ Love friendship theme story.
❥ Can tolerate typical “famous guy” falls for “unpopular girl”.

✎ Synopsis Volume 4
After the misunderstanding that happened on Valentine's Day, Mei and Yamato are able to patch things up between them. Their relationships are going strong. But, why Mei is still feeling anxious with their relationship?

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the handling of the big mis with the modeling was handled a bit poorly. For a series that's been about being vulnerable and talking it out its odd Tachibana doesn't speak out about her feelings and instead goes with her friends' idea of handling it in a roundabout way. The roundabout way isn't bad but it feels like the characters are making slightly poor and slightly OOC decisions to extend the plot and go for a more dramatic situation. I wish there was some more reasoning to why it had to be this situation. Its a good situation but leaves Mei slightly OOC compared to how she's been handling others issues. I guess it could be a better at fixing others issues than her own and first love rustiness but idk it still feels off for her decisions. But it works out to establish Mei's growth as having to air her opinions instead of bottling them up and increasing communication and intentions in both sides. So while the set-up is a bit contrived (and bone headed on Yamato's side) it's there to set some stuff up. It also lets us see the girlies help out Mei instead of her help them out which was enjoyable (the bully girl has become a full-time ally and I bop with it). Also it made me like Mei and Yamato as more of a couple. They're still not anywhere near my fave couple of all time but their respect for each other and carefulness around boundaries in showing more intimate forms of love like using first names and kissing is quite cute.
Hopefully it continues mostly tackling high school ills and being a fun healing manga than a more serious romance as I much prefer it that over the romance of Mei and Yamato.
We also get Kai in this volume who I hope stays. He's got a nice design and is a neat foil to Tachibana who hopefully continues to mirror her as I am a bit disappointed with how their ideological differences ended. I hope there is going to be more of a middle ground between Mei and Kai's ideologies. I'm glad he's able to move on but maybe a tad of confrontationality from Kai's view could still fit with Mei's “I want them to understand me” as he could explain to his ex-bully how much his actions hurt him.

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Reihe hat mir damals super gefallen und ich weiß gar nicht warum ich es dann so schleifen lassen habe. Ich habe sehr schnell wieder reingefunden und war wieder begeistert von dem Zeichenstil und den Charakteren.
In diesem Band überredet Meis Konkurrentin, Megumi, Yamato dazu mit ihr zusammen neben der Schule als Model zu arbeiten. Außerdem lädt sie ihn ständig zu Essen zu sich nach Hause ein und er ist so naiv und denkt sich dabei nichts. Dadurch hat er nicht nur weniger Zeit für seine Freundin Mei, sondern bemerkt auch nicht, dass diese das ganze fertig macht.
Dann kommt noch ein neuer interessanter Charakter ins Spiel. Aus Spoilergründen möchte ich dazu nicht mehr sagen, aber warum er auftritt war sehr interessant. Ich hoffe er bleibt weiter in der Story.
Der Zeichenstil ist sehr einzigartig und hat daher hohen Wiedererkennungswert. Ich mag die schlaksigen Körperformen und die Gesichtsmimik. Auch die Kleidung und die Frisuren sind großartig.
Ich habe noch einige Bände im Regal und werde bald weiter lesen.

Story 4,0/5
Emotionen 4,4/5
Charaktere 4,4/5
Zeichenstil 4,6/5
Lesegefühl 5,0/5
Gesamt 4,6/5

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the point where I part ways with this series. I’ve never warmed to this art style and it’s not saving the story when it gets on my nerves, which it did a fair bit in this volume.

The problem is (and kind of always has been) that Mei is a pretty darn good character with a dope for a boyfriend. She’s interesting, snarky, and willing to try to change what she doesn’t like about herself. Unfortunately, it’s all for Yamato, who’s unquestionably not worth her time or effort.

Look, I get that guys are slow to read the room sometimes, but you’d have to be socially inert to miss the cues and traps Yamato stumbles through, making Mei miserable. And what’s his big selling point? Being pushy?

There was at least one perfect scene in this instalment, when Mei’s mom talks to Yamato and Mei; if the whole thing was consistently that good I’d have cleared every volume by now. But it’s not and I don’t think I feel the urge to keep reading this for the one or two parts that are worth my time.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 actually had me shed tears from the emotions drawn out of me. The scenes that played out reminded me of my own past.

The story continues with Mei and Yamato as the main leads throughout this series, but their budding romance isn't without challenges.

The love rival is now a friend to the girl with such low self esteem. This book dives into the importance of communication. If you bottle your thoughts and feelings, especially from the people who care about you and your boyfriend or girlfriend, then no one knows what's going on. People can't read minds. This is something that us adults have a hard time still with... that is trust. Sometimes you have to experience things in life good or bad and just let the chips fall. Learn from it. Grow from it.

New characters introduced in this book that also add some color to friendships, relationships, and how one's actions can give off certain perceptions, intended or not. Lots of lessons that can be learned from this story. Kudos to the author for weaving it all together.

[Amber-Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, aside from the allonormative bullshit, I’ve noticed another slightly irksome thing about these books. Mei (like myself) is very obviously an introvert and, much like her lack of sexual experience, this is treated as something about her that makes her ‘lesser’. The underlying implication being that it needs to be fixed. And again, much like with the allonormative subtext, this is a message I really don’t agree with. There’s nothing wrong with preferring your own company or needing a lot of alone time to be happy and healthy. Seeing Mei and other characters talk about her natural inclination towards solitude as a personality flaw is both sad and also a little insulting. I’m still very much enjoying the story here, but in terms of challenging the social status quo, Say I Love You is far from being the most progressive.

[isrhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I’d like to start off with the fact that I absolutely LOVE THIS COVER!! AHhhhH look at them,, with their matching outfits 🥺

This chapter gave some much needed fluff and some new characters and although there were some stuff that I was feeling a little controversial on I thought it was a pretty good volume.

Mei and Yamato are growing on me more and more. And who can blame me they’re so damn cute! ♥️✨♥️✨

Also I’ve read 4 whole volumes today and honestly didn’t even register how much I was flying through the pages! There’s something oddly addicting about this manga 😅

Also I think this is where the anime ended, not the last volume. But then again I could be wrong again but I didn’t remember Kai-Kun until I looked up the cast on my anime list and saw him there oops haha.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Mei and Yamato had a mature conversation about the dinners with Megumi situation. I loved that he listened to her when she said it made her anxious for him to model. And I LOVED that Aiko spoke the truth and told Yamato what’s up!!! Already, her character is becoming a friend to Mei.

And now about the Kai situation… I liked Mei’s thoughts on bullies. She can be so calm and mature about things. And when Kai went to see his bully, the bully didn’t even recognize him. Kai realized he’s giving so much power to someone who already forgot him. Revenge would be pointless.
Also, Im glad that Kai wasn’t angry with Yamato and they were about to reconnect at the end. Mei makes an impact more than she thinks!

[Tiffany ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the previous volume, the story is getting repetitive and boring to read about. Mei and Yamato have been dating for a year now and they still act like they have been together for three weeks. The communication between the two sucks and it's so annoying to read about. Mei needs to SPEAK UP, and Yamato needs to STOP being so damn clueless. The reason why I'm giving this a two star rather than a one star is because of the simple fact that I like Kai and I'm hoping he becomes a good influence on Mei because I need someone to help Mei with her self esteem because it's not looking good.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always breeze through these volumes so quickly because I love them so much! I literally squealed out loud when Mei grabbed Yamato by his shirt collar and kissed him. This is so much more exciting to read than the anime since it has more sexual content (or at least close sexual encounters). Obviously that’s not the only exciting aspect, but it definitely spices things up. It’s just fun to watch Yamato and Mei learn and grow together as both a couple and individuals.

[MaguiWorld · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Spoiler*

Ugh, no me gusta que el protagonista haya dejado de modelar por una chica, o en este caso por dos chicas. Creo que era algo que disfrutará y creo que dejando en claro las cosas con ambas chicas lo podría haber seguido haciendo. Pero bueno, más allá de esto me gustó el tomo porque vimos las amistades de Mei y fue algo muy lindo.

Y apareció un personaje nuevo!! Espero que sepamos algo más del el ♥️

[𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑟 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 en realidad

Reelectura Vol. 4

Megumi me parece una rival que si le aporta mucho a la serie, que todo el asunto de las rivales de Mei por Yamato ya es algo meh? Si ¿Que ya cansa lo de poner a mujeres a competir mujeres por un hombre? Obviamente, pero el arco de Megumi nos da más que eso, ella es una rival mucho más interesante y que si pone a los protagonistas a replantearse cosas y más, también llega Kai el mejor amigo de Yamato y bueno, las cosas toman más ritmo.

[Anastasia ⋆｡☽˚｡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My goodness this is a fluffly little love story that just about makes your teeth hurt to read it, it's so sweet. But then it comes out and surprises you with some depth, like the whole bullying storyline.
It feels very realistic and insightful into how relationships really work, not just romantic but platonic too and talks about bullying. I really feel like I was there in a lot of Mei's moments so this one hit me hard.

[ais · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mei is my top priority” AHHHHHHH THEYRE SO FREAKING CUTE!!!! once again communication is so important without it all falls apart. I liked seeing the more difficult parts of their relationship and how Mei handled all these sudden changes which wasn’t exactly in a healthy way, but she acknowledged that. Maybe I was too har don aiko I really liked her character this volume and especially how she stood up for mei knowing she wasn’t in a place to do it herself ans explain her feeling to yamato.