A sweet, entertaining, and comical story that grabs you from the start. The characters are a bit cliché, but it is an aspect that plays very well in favor of the plot for its development and sense of humor. Although it could have been longer and I found it unnecessary to add erotic content, it had a nice ending.

Kazuto Muronoi is running his dad’s coffee shop when he falls for his sweet and cute favorite regular, Jun. After six months, Kazuto makes it his mission to get his name in hopes that it leads to something more. Unfortunately for him, it turns out that Jun has been frequenting the shop because he’s crushing on Hisahara, a woman who works at the café. Content with being just friends, Kazuto is determined to help Jun get with his crush even if he gets hurt somewhere along the way.

This is a cute slow burn following Kazuto and his crush, Jun. It’s slow enough that we get to know nearly anyone in the story quite well before it suddenly picks up speed at the very end. I thought it was quite cute with a cast of sweet characters. Though, I found myself thinking some of the supporting characters far more interesting than the leads. As much as I liked Kazuto and Jun, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if we followed Hisahara and Kazuto’s friend, Kyosuke, at some point since they’re more interesting characters.

That said, I had a great time reading the book. It’s cute and short on top of having great artwork and a set of mostly realistic characters. If you’re looking for a slow burn slice of life romance, I think that this will be a great book to pick up.

First I want to thank netgalley for facilitating this manga, and I will give an honest review. The story centers on Kazuto who owns a cafeteria, works together with another girl, Kazuto begins to notice a client who attends regularly, Jun, and falls in love at first sight and thinks that maybe because of Jun's looks he can If he is also feeling something for the truth? However, he is not, apparently Jun would be in love with the girl who works in the cafe, and Kazuto ends up offering his help to conquer her, generating confusion in the story. Kazuto shares with his friend who confesses, causing our protagonist to be confused about what he wants. And here I got confused, since I believed that at that moment the story would take a path totally opposite to what the synopsis pointed out, and I was wrong. In the same way I liked the story, it does not force the relationship, that is, the protagonist does not force his feelings on his counterpart. For me the story deserves a 4 out of 5 stars.

This was just not that interesting. It’s an LGBTQ story. The cover is a major turnoff. I know they are sharing a berry, but it looks like a tongue and just no. I found there to be no heart, and it was just one thing after another that dragged and dragged.

So Cuteeeeee!!

I am over the moon because of the fact that I am reading all the cute mangas out there. I am soo glad I picked up Katakoi Lamp, the characters are super amazing and lovely. There are some bits that I wish were addressed a bit differently but it was still alright how the overall scenario came out to be. Also, I cannot imagine how much of its content can be considered as a spoiler lol, so I am treading the water very carefully, I don't to accidentally spoil it for people. The best thing about this was the conversation that went around, the main characters were once aware of the social conduct they should follow, mainly consent and conversation. This aspect was very well shown in the manga and I am soo glad about it! Furthermore, the characters and the design is honestly too cute for me to handle. Go read it already, hehehe.

** Thank you Netgalley and Tokyopop for the E-Copy for the Exchange of an honest Review.**

Katakoi Lamp is a cute and Funny Manga, It Follows The lives of Jun and Kazuta Base Mainly if a coffee shop as we follow the story of them falling in love.

Overall the Plot of the Story was very enjoyable and Fluffy, There were some intimate scenes but I love that they didn't go over the edge as they were still getting to know each other so the scenes kind of matched the pace of the book. Now going along with that I did notice that the relationship establishment was very slow paced and I would of enjoyed it if it had moved a bit faster or if we would of seen their relationship grow through emotional moments. Without reveling to much I would definitely recommend this book to any one who is looking for a light read.

Katakoi Lamp is a very cute manga set in a cafe. It's an adorable and sweet story about Jun and Kazuta slowly falling for each other.

It's a single volume manga and the art style is really good. I wish it was a bit more longer but overall there's a cuteness overload! Also I'm a sucker for pretend dates and that was my favourite part!

If you're looking for something light hearted and quick to pick you up with great art and also love coffee shop tropes, definitely pick this up!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

The art and style direction in this was 100% entertaining and cute. I especially loved the expressions and the adorable little chibi moments sprinkled in. So I'd most certainly check out more of this mangaka's work.

However, Katakoi as a story on its own felt disappointing to me. I was looking forward to Kazuto and Jun's relationship and any surprise twists or unexpected pairings that the plot would develop as things progressed. But unfortunately, the pacing pulled me completely away from any feelings I might have had for this couple as their time getting together and actually building up feelings for each other felt slow and tiresome.

On top of that, I never seriously felt any real mutual pining or chemistry between the two when they do officially get together. Instead of shy sweetness it just read as clunky and awkward. At one point, when we learn more about Kazuto's best friend, I really started expecting a shift in dynamics. Enough so that I was excited for some kind of change in either Kazuto's relationship with Jun or a realization about someone else. Anything that warranted a whole manga given to this story that felt meandering at best.

So although it was a cute idea and the art direction really worked, I can't say I enjoyed it much more than that.

This was such a cute, quick read! I loved seeing LGBTQ rep in a manga, and thought that the relationship between the main characters was so sweet. What starts off as a seemingly innocent relationship does turn into some sexy scenes though, so fair warning if you're not looking for that in a manga.

I did enjoy that this was a standalone, but the plot did seem a little bit rushed. Overall though, the story comes together nicely. The café setting was wholesome, and I appreciated how respectful the relationships were.

I'd definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy m/m romance, or are looking for a quick, flirty read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC via NetGalley.

This had a great premise but sadly wasn't developed enough. It was far too rushed and while the art is good the main characters did look very similar on some of the panels. Quick and easy but not memorable.

This story takes place following a one sided love and I really did like the idea of this story however I think it could be more fleshed out and have better pacing. I really liked that relationship before they were together and I could see it flourishing into a great a great relationship however the story felt very rushed and choppy with the way it went forward.
Also I found the art a bit hard to understand at times as the two mains looked very simular.

(Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this free arc, this is my honest review)

Thanks to #Netgalley and TokyoPop for making this book available to me.
This is a short manga and I honestly wish it was a bit long then at least the relationship would have been well fleshed out and the abrupt ending would have not been so jarring.
Here we follow Kazuto who runs his father's coffee shop. He notices that one of his customers was a bit too frequent and he thinks that the customer (Jun) is in love with him. However, when he strikes up a conversation with Jun, Jun reveals that he is in love with another female employee (Hisahara) at the shop. This breaks Kazuto's heart and he runs to tell his best friend, Kyosuke. Soon Kazuto agrees to help Jun get the girl he wants, but since Jun is new to relationships, Kazuto tells him that they should go on a pretend date.

After going on pretend dates for a while, Jun is confused as he finds that he is in love with Kazuto! I will stop here. As I said, this manga is not that long and things are very surface level with it. I gave it a 2.3 out of 5 stars, also because the artwork was really confusing, you sometimes could not tell the difference between the characters and it made it really annoying to read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a sweet and fluffy gay romance, this is the manga for you! Kazuto is so head over heels for Jun that I was sad when the story was over! That being said, it does actually feel like the story ended rather abruptly. Either it should have gone on for just a little bit longer, or ended before the vacation, but that's just my personal opinion.
All in all, this was a short and sweet story with a sprinkling of spicy scenes (that aren't wildly graphic). It definitely left me wishing I could have stayed with Kazuto and Jun just a little bit longer!

Like the title suggests, the central theme of this manga is “katakoi” or a one-sided / unrequited love, so all of the characters have unrequited feelings for someone else. The main character Kazuto works at a cafe where he falls in love with one of his regular customers, Jun. However, Jun has a crush on his coworker (who has a crush on someone else). Kazuto then promises to be Jun’s wingman in order to get closer to him. (Why would someone torture themselves like that?)

The story itself was really simple, but maybe too simple for me. Because this is a boys love manga, I already knew there was going to be a happy ending so a lot of the tension surrounding Kazuto’s unrequited feelings was lost for me. I also wasn’t a huge fan of how much they played up Jun’s innocence, but keeping that in mind I’m glad they didn’t jump right into penetrative sex the first time! It made a lot more sense to hold off until they were more comfortable with each other as seen in the special chapter.

Overall, this was an average read for me. It was definitely sweet and low-angst, but it didn’t really stand out to me. Good for a quick and easy read that you don't have to think too hard about.

A lovely coffee-shop BL is bound to be my jam! I loved reading this arc so much I actually had already bought myself a copy when I was about 15 pages in. This is a heart-warming romance that steered away from the typical problematic themes in a lot of the BL that I am seeing out there right now and I AM HERE FOR IT. The story is much more innocent than I was lead to believe based purely on the cover; I was left instead feeling warm and fuzzy and while the mature themes are there, I was pleasantly surprised by how soft and sweet the romance between the main characters is.

Thank you so much to the publishers and author for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.
I just reviewed Katakoi Lamp by Kyohei Azumi. #KatakoiLamp #NetGalley

Review to come March 5th on blog/Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I am sooooo happy that more LGBT manga is added on Netgalley, I am a big fan of Yaoi/Shounen ai and Yuri/Shoujo Ai, so I am hyped to get a chance to read these manga early! *dances*

In this one misunderstandings turn into something adorable. I just felt so much for Kazuto, he was thinking that Jun liked him... but actually Jun was looking at Kazuto's parttime worker, Hisahara. That poor guy, who never fell for a guy, building up the courage to talk to him, and then finding out that it wasn't him he was looking at... but someone else. OUCH. Painful! And to make things more painful, he is helping Jun out... Yep. Which on the one hand gave him the chance to talk, but otherwise made it all the more painful for Kazuto. He has to put a play. And so things continue.... I was a bit worried about things, I mean, Kazuto, I know you like Jun, but he is clearly not into you and this is just not healthy. I get that it will take you a while to get over someone, but maybe that is better done away from that person...

[spoiler]I definitely didn't see that confession coming! But that explains a whole lot about that person's behaviour when Kazuto was ranting to them about Jun. Haha, oh my goodness. I did like the talk they had and how mature they both were (well, with a couple of exceptions, but for most I am happy). Quite often in manga it isn't dealt with right, so this makes me happy.
THOUGH, after that I found it a bit awkward and maybe a tad rude that Kazuto kept going to that person to talk about their romance. I mean, I get you need someone to talk to.. but maybe not the person who you just rejected, haha, that is just too much man. [/spoiler]

The end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6? Squee! Of course, I knew it was coming, come on, just look at the cover. You know how it is going to end so I don't think it is a spoiler.

I love how it ended... though I would have definitely liked to have seen more of our couple! They really are adorable and I love how they are both new to this thing. Neither of them have been interested in boys before, so neither of them have done sexy times with boys. It was just cute and sweet to see them try out things. And they really match well together. I hope they are both very happy!

The art was just so pretty, though I have to say at times I confused Kazuto with Jun. Haha.

All in all, a cute manga featuring two very cute boys finding each other! With mature conversations, jealousy, food, and more! Definitely would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and TokyoPop for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I have to come clean and say that the cover made me want to read this manga. There's strawberries! I love strawberries. It's one of my favorite fruits. It's a tasty looking cover, so of course, I had to request a copy based on that alone.

Katakoi Lamp is a sweet slice of life, boys love story about a so called unrequited love between Kazuto, a young coffee shop runner, and Jun, a college student. There's nothing special about the story, except one thing. Cuteness all over. One is a natural cutie, while the other is falling for his cuteness, turning himself into a sweet bean. It's adorable! That's the series best selling point!

The characters are alright. I think everyone was likeable, which I appreciate. Sometimes, it happens to be that one character that'd annoy me, but not this time. I got to say, I liked Jun most. He's so cute. I think the art is at "fault" for that, especially when he's drawn like a chibi, a little squirrel. I want to keep him in my pocket. ♥ Kazuto was nice too. I was glad to see that he's not forcing himself on Jun, and he's considerate of his feelings. But! Poor Kazuto's friend, Something about that bothered me though. I can't really say what, because that'll mean spoilers. Anyway, it was a short, very sweet and light hearted read overall. I enjoyed it.

Story rating: ★★☆☆☆
Characters: ★★★☆☆
Art style: ★★★★☆
Rating overall: ⭐⭐⭐/5

If there is one thing I love, it’s slice of life mangas revolving around food. So naturally I wanted to snatch this up right away! Katakoi Lamp follows Kazuto, a young man who has taken over his father’s coffee shop as he starts to realize that he has a crush on one of his regulars, a college student named Jun. Kazuto is the perfect amount of idealistic and oblivious that just works so well for romance. And Jun is just the embodiment of being adorable. So the reader is in for a sweet treat right off the bat.

Of course, it isn’t all so easy for Kazuto. While he’s coming to terms with his own sexuality, he starts to realize Jun may not be so into him and might be more interested in one of his employees. We don’t just get a love triangle though, nope, we get a love square, which I found very entertaining. Of note, I was expecting food to have a bit more influence in the story, but mostly it’s just there in the setting. Still, this was a light, lovely read that I think a lot of manga readers will enjoy.

Finally, the art is stunning, and the setting is so cozy. Not to mention that the food looks absolutely delicious! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Content warnings for some internalized homophobia and on page sexual content.

*Thank you Independent Publishers Group (LOVE x LOVE) and NetGalley for the ARC*

This manga was sweet (and I am not just talking about the food at the cafe). This is probably one of the more complicated yet so simple yaoi manga's I have read. I love that there was not a love triangle, but a love square! I thought the way they dealt with their feelings of liking someone of the same sex were just so natural feeling like, oh I have feelings for this person, cool. Definitely a comfort read as it does have a romance novel-esque ending. A great one shot if you are looking for a contained story.

Katakoi Lamp isn't my cup of tea. I love BL, but this didn't work. For me at least. Kazuto Muronoi runs a coffee shop and he has his eyes set on a cute boy. Eventually Kazuto and this boy Jun get to know one another, but Jun is interested in the girl working in the coffee shop. Thus Kazuto decides to help Jun to get the girl and at the same time he wishes Jun would notice him. Also, Kazuto's best friend is in love with Kazuto and the coffee shop girl is in love with Kazuto's best friend. The whole thing is actually juicy, but Azumi doesn't use it well enough. It's just our main pair getting together and all the other characters are forgotten. I rooted for the best friend, since Jun is such a wet rag.

The art looks cute, but nothing phenomenal. The facial expressions are nice and I'm glad we get to see other characters too, although they are soon forgotten. Perhaps the story would've needed more pages to really work and just making Jun suddenly gay just didn't feel right. Objectively this could be three stars if you're into cute BL couples, but if you want more, then perhaps no.