Wow, WOW. this is the slowest of slow burns and yes, keep me in those pits!! This was honestly such a beautiful read full of high school love, boyhood, longing, and friendship. I'm just, in tears, no words. I'm really curious about the cliffhanger and where that will lead

Koimonogatari is a collection of short stories on BL. The art is goodso are the stories. The first one was my fav. There is something about love in high school that is so endearing to me, maybe nostalgia but I like these feelings. Also, it's so good to read wholesome BLs.

Bland, boring characters. People getting over homophobia is an important topic, but it's not handled well here, with the gay character treated like an object instead of a character in his own right.

Koimonogatari: Love Story by Tohru Tagura

I did have some difficulty reading the manga because the quality was low. It would be the only thing that I would complain about but I managed. The artwork was lovely and enjoyable throughout the story. I liked the slow build-up and knowing what was going to happen. It still had a lovely charm to the characters. Enjoyed the story overall.

I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I just want to say that the cover is pretty and the art style was the main reason I got interested in this BL manga.

HOWEVER. This might be the most disappointing BL manga I've ever read.

I don't mind a slow burn romance but this one isn't just it. It was just way TOO SLOW. The characters were bland. I just couldn't connect to them most of the times and it's just sad as I think it's kind of an entertaining read but the pacing and characters just put it off and made the story draggy.

I really liked the cute scenes but that just it. I think I'll be picking up the 2nd volume but not too soon.

Digital file was really difficult to read, but from what I could make out, this was a sweet story about being comfortable with yourself. It was a really slow story, so definitely something readers would have to commit to.

The main character pissed me off with his thoughts on the boy. I didn't care much for this at all. The plot was just annoying as well.

It doesnt support or open after I download the pdf version of it. It's also not showing in my shelf in netgalley and I cant open it to read Please look into the issue and if you can send me the pdf in my mail ID- taniagungunsarkar@gmail.com I cant read the book from here. Please look into the issue

When I first saw this manga on Netgalley I was instantly drawn to it. I’ve been trying to get more into manga and after reading the description I knew I wanted to read it.

In this manga we follow Yuji, who, after accidentally overhearing his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Yuji only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.

First I have to make a comment about the format of the manga provided, it definitely was not the best, you could hardly read the text boxes because of how blurry it was, some pages overlapped with each other and you couldn’t zoom in. So it definitely was a struggle to get into.

I am really sad to say that I didn’t quite enjoy this manga as much as I wanted to. It was so slow, it took forever for anything interesting the happen and taking into consideration the format I just wanted it to end.

Another problem I had was the fact that all the characters looked the same to me, they all had similar expressions, dressed similarly and overall I couldn’t distinguish between them. Because of this I couldn’t connect to the story because by the time I was able to tell them apart I no longer cared.

Although I had trouble with the manga I immensely appreciate the message the author is trying to portray. I loved how Yuji was always supportive of Yamato and I really enjoyed the friendship aspect (because even though this is marketed as a romance it was much more of a friendship).

If I find a physical copy of the manga I will definitely pick it up and give it another chance and maybe even consider continuing on with the series. Like I said most of my problems were due to the poor formatting of the copy I received but I was really disappointed with this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I had to DNF this book after 50% I read a good amount of the chapters and to be blunt this manga is homophobic or has a lot of harmful stereotypes in it. Obviously they could be addressed later in the manga but it was too much for me AND the characters/story was not engaging.

Other people could totally like this manga but at the same time this thought process can be very harmful, so want you to be informed.

The main character talked about how he didn't want to associate with a possible gay person just for POSSIBLY being gay. He mentions wanting to beat up the boy if he ever touches his friend.

Then the main character befriends him and realizes he was wrong BUT it's such a slow process and in my opinion his thoughts are harmful stereotypes of people who are gay but instead of accepting themselves they decide to degrade gays.

This could all change towards the end of the manga but the beginning was so blunt with homophobia with very little plot I couldn't continue. I have read plenty of books addressing self-deprecation and homophobia that dress the issues without it being problematic and very engaging.
After reading more than half I'm surprised how none of the problematic comments have been addressed.
I really didn't care for the main character, do to his previous comments, and that's why I decided to put this arc down.

And besides all the internal monologues their was really no plot. They're just kids studying so, it was a grueling read.

This are just my opinions but I wouldn't recommend this book.

The digital file for this manga was not good. I could barely read parts and some didn’t even load. That being said, what I could read wasn’t really engaging enough to keep my attention. I wanted more from the story. I might try to pick this up in physical format to see if I change my mind.

Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book on NetGalley mainly because I was intrigued by the cover of the manga. However, I did have problems reading the manga which impacted my enjoyment of it overall, as well as how quickly it took me to read the manga.

The plot of the manga was incredibly slow which made me not enjoy it as much, and hard to connect with the story. I did like seeing the friendship between Yuji and Yamato develop but I didn't connect with the characters beyond that. The story focuses on Yamoto's struggles being a closeted gay man, and his fears of being discovered. I like that it was the main storyline but I also felt like it lacked good execution of the story, and there was one character who was also gay that did something to Yamato that made me not like the manga as much, and question that subplot. I'm being purposefully vague but I didn't like it. Overall, when I was reading it, I was reading it more to finish it as quickly as possible as opposed to me enjoying the story. I don't think I will be picking up the next volume in the series.

In addition, the artwork made the characters look really similar. I had a hard time figuring out who was who when a character that looks like Yuji was introduced. It made it harder for me to enjoy the story because I spent a lot of time questioning who was talking.

I wouldn't recommend this manga.

This is the definition of a slow-burn - there's not really any romance yet to speak of, but we can see that Tagura is planting the seeds that will eventually grow into one. Right now it's actually a lovely story of friendship - Yuiji is just <i>there</i> for Yamato, who is struggling with being in the closet, and listening to his problems is helping Yuiji to realize what's lacking in his own life, to say nothing of the all-important realization that being gay doesn't make you less human. I'm not always a fan of slow-moving stories, but this one has me hooked, because I genuinely want the two protagonists to be happy, whatever that means.


...even if I can't always tell the characters apart from the art.

3.5

There were no contents in this ARC except for the cover.


Will look forward to read and review it when the contents are available.

Kindly fix this issue.

Hope I get to read it soon.

Thanks.

NetGalley.

This is hard to rate because the copy I received was blurry and difficult to read. Additionally, I had to skip whole panels for this reason. That said - I appreciate the thematic elements of this story and love the burgeoning friendship between the two boys as they work towards understanding each other.

This is a really cute manga! I loved the story line and the characters. This is a slow burn so just keep that in mind if it's not really your thing. Overall a cute start to the series.

This manga tells us about an unrequited love, a romance that in my opinion will be friends to lovers, or at least I hope so.

The story is set in school, where two classmates who have friends in common, but who are not related to each other, however due to life circumstances end up becoming friends.
Yuji who is our protagonist, accidentally hears that Yamato is Gay, which makes him connect everything and realize that he is in love with his friend, despite all he does not treat Yamato differently, on the contrary their friendship grows even more.

The end of the first volume left me with a feeling of annoyance, since I wanted to continue reading, I really hope I can follow the story because the relationship looks very beautiful, since our protagonist does not force romance, nor does he move away from his new friend.

The drawing is beautiful and the story charming, deserves 5 stars and more.

Hello everyone and welcome to Gray’s Nook where I discuss and review manga, short stories, and novels! In today’s blog, I was graciously allowed a copy of “Koimonogatari: Love Stories, Vol. 1” by Tohru Tagura from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am very excited that I was able to review this BL manga as it was on my radar to pick up, and I’m over the moon to have been able to read it. Thank you Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley!

Yuiji Hasegawa is the main character of the story, thus far–As we watch the story progress in his POV. In the beginning of the novel, we notice his character is empathetic towards the second main character of the story. He knows that it isn’t his business to meddle in such affairs, but he can’t help but watch Yamato–or should I say, observe? Yuiji is fairly cautious at keeping his distance from Yamato until an event with a study session allows them to become more acquainted with one another.

After this study session, Yuiji finds himself liking Yamato more and more as a person and good friend. He openly admits to Yamato that he had overheard a conversation between Yamato and a mutual acquaintance about his sexuality. However, Yuiji makes it clear that while he knows about Yamato’s orientation, he isn’t someone who will air something like that out to anyone as it isn’t his business, and that he likes him. As a friend– (BUT NOT FOR LONG >___>//It’s the first book I’m already rooting for this ship to sail okay???)


Yamato Yoshinaga is the second main character of the story, he’s a cool and calm character with a radiant personality. However, behind that placid disposition, he is silently yearning for someone to speak openly with about his truth. He’s a mature character, knowing he likes men–he doesn’t act impulsively on his emotions. Yamato cherishes the feelings he holds for people, and he doesn’t take advantage of his relationships with others he cares for. He’s careful to hide his feelings, and in doing so he’s also struggling with accepting himself.

His character is by all means, noble, even if he states that he feels like he is lying to everyone. Yamato knows that he likes men, and he also understands that his feelings are one-sided, but he won’t just actively jump on anyone offering up ‘services’ to him. I adore his character and morale, as he states to people that he is young, and he is learning still about his heart and desires–and he wants to follow what his heart tells him without being forced by others. However, his greatest hurdle–accepting himself and his own heart.

This is the first volume in the series, and it’s not a jump into the bed and let’s have sex ordeal in this story. It is WHOLESOME, and a slow burn romance. This story is about growing into yourself, learning what you like and don’t want in a relationship. Understanding one another, and learning to face life’s hardships along the way. I enjoyed this volume immensely, and I couldn’t believe how fast I read through it… I’m in mourning.

If you’re looking for a boy’s love romance with two main characters slowly getting to know one another, and developing a solid relationship in the process. I’m very sure this is the book for you, while this is only the first book. I have high hopes for this novel and what will transpire in the future volumes, overall this has been a great read. I can’t wait for the next one!


STORY RATING:
4.5/5 ★★★★⋆


As always, thanks for reading, and see you all on the fictional side~!

the pacing of this was a bit slower than i thought, usually manga goes a lot faster. this is more of an exploration of this teenager's journey of trying to figure out his sexuality and how it affects the friendships and relationships around him. the art style is very manga traditional, detailed and nice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tokyopop for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is about the friendship that blossoms between Yuji and Yamato after they're paired up in a study group. Yuji is cautious and slightly internally prejudiced when he first starts to talk to Yamato because he overheard that Yamato was gay, but soon after getting to know him he becomes more empathetic and begins to realize that Yamato being gay isn't a big deal.

As my first potential BL, there isn't a lot of BL or romance in the first volume, just the start of a very deep and almost relaxing story. The characters just drew me in. I'm not sure if this is typical for the genre, but I really loved all of them. Yuji's transformation was amazing and watching Yamato stress about being in the closet to all of his friends, except Yuji and feeling guilty because he hasn't opened up more.

I really enjoyed the first volume and was honestly sad when it was finished. I'm probably going to pick this up in trade.