Miscommunication is kind of the main dramatic driver of shojo romances – and of course, those feed directly into love triangles. In My Love Mix-Up, a love triangle becomes something new when crushes shift and teen romance blossoms in unexpected ways. Written by Wataru Hinekure, the series also features art by Aruko. Initially published in Japan in 2019 by Shueisha, the series is published and localized in English by VIZ Media‘s Shojo Beat imprint. The Shojo Beat Edition of My Love Mix-Up Volume 1 features an adaptation and translation from Jan Cash, touch-up art & lettering by Inori Fukuda Trant, design by Yukiko Whitley, and is edited by Nancy Thistlewaite.

My Love Mix-Up is an adorable and warm story about how miscommunication leads to love blossoming between two high school boys names Aoki and Ida. You see, Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, but when he borrows her eraser from his first crush, he sees Ida’s name written on it. His devastation of realizing he doesn’t have a chance with Hashimoto is quickly overwritten by his embarrassment when he drops the eraser and Ida sees his name.

If you’re not familiar, writing the name of your crush on an eraser is a superstitious practice that is supposed to lead to your crush falling in love with you. So, when Ida mistakes the eraser for Aoki’s, the two enter an awkward miscommunication that develops into something more.



Aoki is a character pushed by his emotion. He leads with his heart which at first keeps him from telling Ida the truth. Instead of revealing that Hashimoto has a crush on Ida, Aoki instead chooses to let him think that he is his first crush. But instead of pushing Aoki away, Ida pulls him closer, aiming to be his friend. While Ida doesn’t reciprocate the crush he believes that Aoki has on him, he doesn’t want to hurt him, so the two begin to grow closer. Over time, Aoki begins to realize that the miscommunication may not be a mix-up after all, as he begins to fall for Ida the same way that Hashimoto did.

While there are multiple times throughout My Love Mix-Up when Aoki pushes away all of his thoughts of romance with Ida, but while Aoki comes to terms with himself, Ida is doesn’t have the same response. Ida doesn’t call Aoki weird or say boys can’t like boys, no. Instead, Ida wants to protect Aoki, and in doing so, he extends his hand, his friendship and doesn’t push Aoki away. There is a moment where Aoki is self-deprecating. He’s struggling to understand his emotions and reactions to Ida, and he says, “I never had a chance.” While Aoki meant Hashimoto, Ida took it to mean him and responded with a kindness that is beautiful to read. This is a thoughtful story, a heartfelt romance, and one that doesn’t go like you’d necessarily expect.

By the end of the first volume, it’s clear that the story is a BL and not just a love triangle shojo romance. Instead, it’s clear that the following volumes will focus on Aoki and Ida and how the two of them grow into their emotions. The kindness in this story and the warmth it brings makes it a must-read. Whether you like romance and comedies, a typical high school romance, or BL in general, this adorable and wholesome title is worth picking up the moment it releases.

One of my goals for this year was watching and reading more material that make me uncomfortable and pushing my own boundaries a bit more. Based on the mecha that I watched, I don’t think I did a lot of. I’ve read Blue Flag, which I haven’t discussed with yet but will in the future, plan on checking out more BL and Yuri in the future because I find both pretty enjoyable, and here is My Love Mix-Up!. A volume of manga that I really enjoyed. It’s very soft and good.

My Love Mix-Up starts out simply enough. In the middle of an exam, Aoki asks his close neighbor that he has a crush on, Hashimoto, for an eraser. The erase unfortunately has the name of Ida with a heart on it. Something Ida sees and asks Aoki about it which leads to a scene that may seems like a confession scene. Aoki, of course, tries to deny it and tries to push Ida and Hashimoto together. You know, while Aoki actually does get closer to Ida and Ida actually wants to get to know more about Aoki before turning him down maybe.

This is also a bit of an awakening story for Aoki. While does a crazy amount of things of things for supposedly Hashimoto because he is inside his head like dressing up as Cinderella to replace a nervous Hashimoto during that usually sort of mix up. In the end of this volume, Aoki actually realizes that he likes Ida. Plus, all the side characters we have seen seem to realize that Aoki likes Ida before he does. Lastly, Hashimoto and Aoki have a conclusion where Aoki actually likes Aida and not Ida, so Aoki was doing this all pointlessly. I love it. So good and comedic like the rest of the show.

This manga volume was a lot of fun. It was all very well toned, creative, and just well put together all around here. It obviously knows what its doing and messes around with the cliches in a way that makes sense. Very tongue and cheek, but never mean spirited or anything. The manga itself was was pretty basically paneled and some better then average art here as well. I don’t have as much to say in that regard here because it’s kind of hard to show it when you aren’t allowed to show any sort of screen shots for it here. I think a lot of you guys would enjoy it.

About halfway through this book I was in full eyes-rolling "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER AND IT WILL SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS" mode, but an unexpected second half, some nice twists, and likeable characters redeemed this book for me. The series is not going to go to the top of my to read pile, but it is a nice entry in the LGBTQ romance manga ranks.

Fun comedy of errors about what happens when you mistakenly confess your love to someone. I look forward to reading more volumes in this series.

My Love Mix-Up! was the shojo manga I'd been craving without realizing it, and I'm looking forward to future releases. I wish Hashimoto had more character development in this first volume, but I am glad that Ida and Aoki's relationship was explored so well.

I especially enjoyed Aruko's use of half-tones and page layouts. The expressions were also charming and dynamic. Their comedic timing really solidified this manga as one of my new favorites.

Misunderstandings abound as classmates attempt to navigate the world of first crushes and true friendship in this slice of life comedy of errors. When Aoki borrows an eraser from his crush, Hashimoto, he notices she has done the cutesy tradition of writing the name of the guy she likes on it with a heart after - but the name isn't his. It's their cool classmate Ida. Startled he drops the eraser & Ida himself picks it up for him. Not wanting to out shy Hashimito's feelings, he lies and says the eraser is his. And thus the mayhem insures.

I particularly liked Ida's character. While stunned at the idea that the first person to "confess" their feelings to him is male, he doesn't blow Aoki off or ridicule him. He decides to take the time to get to know the other before making any judgements or refusals. He stands up for Aoki when other classmates make uncomfortable jokes about him, even though it's a total mood killer. He doesn't let peer pressure stand in his way of doing what he feels is right.

Aoki, too, is a forthright and earnest young man who just wants to see his crush happy - even if it isn't with him. But as the story develops, Aoki can no longer tell who, exactly, he is crushing on. He keeps his pinky promise to Hashimoto to not reveal the identity of her crush to anyone, even though it would clear up so many of the misunderstandings and assumptions everyone has about each other. He even goes out of his way to help a relationship develop between Hashimoto and Ida. He's the perfect wingman, and an amazing friend.

The writing is well paced and the art is beautifully executed. The occasional fourth-wall breakage not withstanding, I found myself easily relating to each character as the romantic threads kept tangling and tripping them up. I am eager to read the next volume to discover what new hijinks are in store.

Recommended for fans of Bisco Hatori, You Higuri, Mikiyo Tsuda, and Ngozi Ukazu.

*I received a free eARC from the publisher through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.*

Title: My Love Mix-Up! Vol. 1
Author: Wataru Hinekure (Story), Aruko (Art)
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Yaoi
Publication Date: October 5, 2021

The Story

My Love Mix-Up! Is a story about a convoluted romantic mess between three classmates. Aoki has a crush on his classmate Hashimoto. He thinks the world of her and how sweet and pure she is. One day, he forgets his eraser so she lends him one of her spares. When he goes to use it, he discovers that Hashimoto wrote the name Ida on the eraser with a heart on it. At that moment, he realizes that she likes another classmate of theirs, and his heart is completely broken.

He drops the eraser and Ida just happens to pick it up! Not wanting to reveal Hashimoto’s secret, he lies and says that the eraser is his. He invites Ida to the rooftop in order to explain the situation; however, he just can’t bring himself to spoil Hashimoto’s crush on him. This causes Ida to get the wrong impression and since he has never experienced emotions (let alone romantic ones), he begins to give it some thought about what it would be like to date Aoki but doesn’t really commit to anything just yet.

The volume continues on with mishap after mishap… including the class putting on a performance of Cinderella where Aoki notices that Hashimoto is put onto the prop team. Thinking that he can get the two of them together, he volunteers Ida against his will and ends up getting paired up with Aoki instead!

What makes matters even worse is that Aida, one of Aoki’s best friends, is approached by Ida who wants some help to try and smooth things over with Aoki after a misunderstanding caused Aoki to cry. The worse situation for all of them comes when Hashimoto puts Aoki deep into the friendzone and finally gets the nerve to talk with Aoki about her crush.

Apparently, Aoki didn’t see the full name on the eraser. It’s not Ida that she likes but Aoki’s friend Aida! Aoki realizes that he got the person’s name wrong and he’s beginning to get in too deep with Ida, causing a bit of a quandary for him!

Characters

Aoki is sweet, caring, and thoughtful. He’s also an idiot. By not telling Ida about the mistaken crush Hashimoto had on him, he’s doing a few things here. He’s playing the good guy because he’s protecting Hashimoto from, what he thought to be, an embarrassing situation should Ida find out about the crush she had. This means he’s taking her feelings into consideration and shows that he admires her too much to cause problems for her. On the flip side, he’s also taking his own feelings into account in hopes that maybe he could be a good enough friend to her so her feelings would sway in his direction. Why else after getting your heart broken would you continue to go out of your way to listen to your crush’s problems? That would be torture for just about any guy and, yet, Aoki does it with a smile on his face. Plus, his conflicting feelings through it all clearly show that he wants to try and sway Hashimoto.

When he finds out that it’s Aida that she likes and not Ida, the volume ends but one would think that this would open the doors for Aoki to just tell Ida the truth and get out of this mess but… since the premise of this manga alludes to the two of them becoming a couple, you know as well as I do, that he’s not going to go through with the truth…. And this is where Aoki is an idiot (well, it’s not the ONLY example but it’s going to be the most glaring one).

Ida, on the other hand, for being the age he is, is still rather impressionable only because he admitted that he had never experienced these kinds of emotions before. You get to see the inner conflict in him because he needs to really ask himself if it’s okay to think of Aoki as someone he could date. At one point, he wants to just start out as friends but Aoki flat out rejects that idea. Then, mishap after mishap happens that continually draws the two of them together. All of this could EASILY be solved if Aoki would just open up and tell Ida the truth but we all know it’s not going to happen. It ended up making a lot of the scenarios between the two characters cringe moments.

Hashimoto and Aida are kind of in the background for now. I can understand why Aida was. He’s just Aoki’s friend and helped play a role in getting Ida and Aoki to clear up a misunderstanding but until you reach the end of the volume, there’s not much to him and there shouldn’t really be. To set up a twist like that, you can’t make it glaringly obvious and you’d be surprised that a lot of series make that mistake but this one hasn’t. Hashimoto is as I described her in the story section… just a sweet and pure girl who is completely oblivious to what’s going on around her in terms of Aoki/Ida but she still sees Aoki as a friend and innocently just talks to him without realizing just how much it is tearing Aoki up inside! She’s evil and not even aware of it!

Final Thoughts

So far, I have to honestly say that the first volume didn’t really do much for me. Maybe it's with the way some of the panels/characters are drawn but it seems like a series where the comedy is overexaggerated to the point where it’s no longer comedy but an eyesore. I get the whole angle of Aoki being dense, yet, protective of his crush causing a huge misunderstanding and how that is supposed to lead to a series of comedic events that get him in deeper and deeper but when the solution to the problem is too painfully obvious and the characters don’t go that route just for the sake of comedy, that’s an issue in my eyes.

I found myself more frustrated with Aoki for letting this go on any further than it already has and the situations where he and Ida end up in together are more facepalm moments more than anything. I didn’t really laugh at all that much, to be honest, and when I read the ending, you would think that Aoki has a get out of jail free card but since the entire premise of this series is a yaoi relationship between Aoki and Ida, you know that card isn’t going to get played and that, to me, isn’t really a believable or convincing story plot.

I’m sure there is probably more to this under the surface but this is just an observation based on the first volume alone. First volumes are there to make good first impressions and while I completely understand where the series wants to go and what it wants to be… It just conflicts with my personal tastes in romance series and produces, what I perceive to be, too many flaws to enjoy. Of course, not everyone is me and some people absolutely love this kind of story so if this is your thing, My Love Mix-Up is going to be a great pick-up for you. For me, I think I will wait for a better romance series to sink my teeth into.

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This item was provided for review by Viz Media

This was an incredibly cute Boys Love Manga that I instantly fell in love with! I always want more high school slow burn RomComs and My Love Mix-Up definitely quenched my thirst! I am now in desperate need of book 2.

Aoki N’ Ida 4 Eva!

My Love Mix-Up! is a fantastic and fun classic love triangle romance. Beautiful art, sweet romance, and great story; My Love Mix- Up is a wonderful read for anyone who is looking for a romance that will leave you feeling breathless.

This story had me cackling throughout. I usually hate miscommunication stories, but this worked out in the best way possible. It never felt forced and it flowed so well with the plot. I liked how instead of it causing frustration because of misunderstanding, the characters themselves came to learn more about themselves through this mix-up.

Absolutely cannot wait for the next volume to see where this chaos goes.

Also Hashimoto gets an award for her honesty and supportiveness towards Aoki.

This was such a cute book! So basically Aoki finds out his crush likes Ida by a name on an eraser with a hear. Ida accidently finds that eraser and Aoki takes the blame for it not wanting to rat his crush out and there starts and mix up. This was such a fun read. It was reading every sweet and cringy moment with each pass of the page. There was plenty of mix up and confusion around the place and I enjoyed every moment of it. Can't wait to see what happens next!

"My Love Mix-Up!" by Watary Hinekure is a funny and sweet love story about high school crushes and mistaken circumstances. If high school slice of life stories are your thing this has all the loved tropes of school life, but with a twist. I would recommend this manga to any fans of comedy romance and anyone looking for a more sentimental book. This also has gay representation that is inclusive and normalized. I can not wait for the second volume to be released in 2022.

Hahaha- this book is hilarious! At first it’s just a book about a miscommunication that isn’t set right because Aoki is too much of a nice guy. Instead of correcting the problem and exposing a fellow classmate to their crush, he claims the love confession as his own, knowing that he will be shot down. He hopes after that things will go back to normal. But the object of his friend’s crush is a thoughtful and composed boy named Ida.

So Ida shoots him down, but then gives the situation some thought and comes back to Aoki asking for them to try being friends first before he makes a decision about returning Aoki’s “affection.” Hilarity ensues as Aoki tries to figure his way out of the situation while helping his original crush, Hashimoto, with her crush on Ida. Or is it Ida?

The art…wow. Most of it is standard level manga art. Nice, even pretty in spots. But when you get to some scenes the artist goes all out to convey the character’s (mostly Aoki’s) feelings through art and the effect is hilarious. It actually got me snickering out loud in places and rose my general feeling of affection for him and his situation.

Poor Aoki went from being a normal conscientious young man to this confused mess of a conscientious of a young man who is questioning his sexuality. Fortunately, he has a good friend. Lol

I am heat seeking the next volume and recommending this series for purchase to my local library!

It's cute and I like the artwork. I don't think this stands out as heads above any other story in the genre, but it is a nice read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
My Love Mix-Up was a sweet and hilarious first volume of misunderstandings and shenanigans.
Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the sweetest girl ever, seriously this girl is best girl, the absolute best, and when he borrows an eraser from her and finds the name of another boy on it, Ida, things take a turn, especially when Ida sees the eraser… and thinks it belongs to Aoki. Aoki being the incredibly nice guy he is and not wanting to let Hashimoto get embarrassed claims the eraser is his and tries to get Ida to drop it, *uses narrator voice* Ida does not drop it.
The art is pretty basic, nothing super stand out but for the facial expressions on Aoki, which made me choke on my coffee a couple times from laughing. This story is cute and stress free and I can’t wait to continue this series and see what happens to Aoki and Ida, if anything.

A very cute story about first loves amd misunderstandings. All the characters are interesting and I can't wait to get to know them more

My Love Mix-Up! Volume One sets up a love triangle that’s fueled through misunderstandings.

My Love Mix-Up! Volume One
Written by: Wataru Hinekure
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: October 5, 2021

Aoki is the protagonist of the series, and he’s a high school boy who has a crush on his classmate, Hashimoto. One day in class, he borrows her eraser, and sees that “IDA” is written on it with a heart next to it. Aoki believes that this means that Hashimoto has a crush on their classmate, Ida, who sits in front of Aoki. When Aoki drops the eraser and Ida picks it up, Ida sees what’s written on it, and he asks Aoki why his name written on it. Aoki doesn’t want to reveal Hashimoto’s feelings, so Aoki lies and says that the eraser is his.

What I liked about this part of the manga is that we also get to see the story from Ida’s perspective as well as Aoki’s. As Ida remembers various interactions with Aoki, he believes there was more to Aoki’s being nice than there was. And so this misunderstanding begins.

The humor in this series comes from Aoki and Ida’s interactions, and how what Aoki says to Ida is always easily misinterpreted to mean something that it doesn’t. But since Aoki is trying to be nice to protect Hashimoto and her feelings, he has to word things the way he does.

We’re also introduced to Aoki’s best friend, Aida. He seems like a nice enough guy but has no qualms about teasing Aoki about various things. Aida is important, though, because whenever Aoki tries to set up Hashimoto and Ida, Aida always does something that manages to interfere with Aoki’s plans. Even though Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, he wants to make her happy… even if that means he helps her to get together with another guy. Hashimoto keeps confiding things to Aoki and can talk to him so easily, though, and it almost feels like these two should end up together. Meanwhile, poor Aoki finds himself wondering if perhaps he really has fallen for Ida.

The misunderstandings between Aoki and Ida hit a climax in this volume when they end up playing the lead roles in their class’ production of Cinderella. Aoki plays the part of Cinderella, while Ida is the prince. This is an… interesting performance of Cinderella, although it’s not quite as good as the production Tohru’s class put on in Fruits Basket.

With a volume full of misunderstandings, the ultimate misunderstanding is revealed right at the end of the volume. I have to admit that wasn’t a twist that I was expecting, but it does add an interesting layer to the story, and I wonder how Aoki is going to cope with this plot twist and how it’s going to affect his life going forward.

It should be noted that the art for My Love Mix-Up! is by Aruko, the same artist who drew the My Love Story!! manga. Aruko has a recognizable art style, and it shows here. To me, the design for Aoki kind of made me think it was an updated version of Makoto Sunakawa from My Love Story!! Outside of that, though, none of the other characters immediately made me think of anyone else from My Love Story!! But some of the mannerisms that the characters show here are things I recognize from My Love Story!!

After reading the first volume of My Love Mix-Up!, I thought the series showed a lot of promise. I found myself chuckling at Ida misunderstanding Aoki’s words and actions. Hashimoto is a sweetheart, and I’m rooting for her and Aoki to end up together by the time this series ends.

My Love Mix-Up! is a light-hearted shojo manga, and in some respects, it kind of gives me a similar vibe to My Love Story!!, even though this is written by someone else. While the art helps this series to have that vibe, I also pick up that vibe through the writing. I think fans of shojo manga will find something to enjoy in My Love Mix-Up!, especially readers who already enjoy series like Blue Spring Ride and My Love Story!!

This is a cute and sweet manga that won't challenge any clever story writing notions; it treads a well-worn line. The characters are ones we've seen before (even done better, such as in Blue Flag) and the original premise is extended a bit far. But it has its charm and isn't as inane as so many of this type can be.

Story: Aoki has a huge crush on the girl who sits next to him: Hashimoto. But by accident, he discovers she has a crush on Ida - the quiet and inscrutable guy who sits in front of Aoki. When Ida accidentally comes across a confession of being in love with him, Aoki wants to protect Hashimoto's feelings by claiming he's the one who wrote it. Now Ida, a really nice guy, is confused by this sudden revelation and doesn't know how to take it. Aoki, meanwhile, is stuck between Hashimoto liking Ida and Aoki liking Hashimoto.

The premise of the story is that all three characters are really nice people who are protective of each other's feelings. Ida turns down Aoki (to Aoki's relief) but also wants to be friends because he feels bad that Aoki (supposedly) is deeply in love with him. Aoki, meanwhile, is trying his best to get Hashimoto closer to Ida while also dealing with his own broken heart.

Ida is the prototypical 'stoic' good guy who is quiet and whose feelings run deep. Aoki is more free spirited and impulsive but fortunately not written to be stupid for comedic effect. Hashimoto is sweet and earnest. Add in a curious good friend of Aoki's and you have a good mix of characters.

The plot isn't serious or melodramatic. It is written to be fun and lighthearted with some fun twists along the way. As such, it makes for an enjoyable light read. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A silly, sweet, and a bit chaotic high school romance, My Love Mix-Up! follows the typical romantic tropes. Our main character, Aoki, has a crush on his classmate Hashimoto, but she has feeling for their other classmate Ida. Aoki borrows Hashimoto's eraser. but finds Ida's name written on it. When Ida sees it, Aoki decides to cover for Hashimoto and mistakenly confesses to Ida. Instead of rejecting Aoki outright, Ida wants to start as friends and get to know him. Now Aoki is in over his head just trying to keep Hashimoto's crush a secret. And it seems like he might be developing some feelings of his own?
It doesn't really add anything new to the boys love or romance genre, but My Love Mix-Up! is a fun little read.

YES! This was hilarious, chaotic and simply adorable. I demand more!

For Libraries: Definitely YA appropriate-if not middle grade.