My Love Mix-Up!, Vol. 2
My Love Mix- Up debuted last year to great fanfare. Easily charming, this school life genre manga with story by Wataru Hinekure and art by Aruko features a great misunderstanding, mistaken identity which leads to an unexpected romance blooming. It all starts with Aoki, a young man who has the biggest crush on sweet Hashimoto, the cutest girl in the world that he sits near in class. When he borrows her eraser in class, he sees a name on it: Ida. The real life Ida, another boy in class discovers that Aoki has an eraser with his name on it. It is basically akin to find a notebook of someone at school and finding their crush’s name doodled in the margins of the book. Our protagonist finds out that his dream girl likes his best friend, Aida and to add to the confusion Aoki starts to get to know Ida and the plot thickens!

Volume two establishes the playing field for these teenagers as they start off this volume in school and planning a study session at Ida’s house: Aoki has already confessed to Ida. Hashimoto knows of her budding feelings. Aida thinks something is going on and wrongly assumes that she has a crush on Aoki, unaware that she’s crushing on him instead. As the chapters show us that miscommunications and misread signals are everywhere, the hi-jinks and hilarious moments continue in such good fun. Aruko’s artwork may not be my favorite, most polished pages yet the point gets across with all the funny expressions and body language in the best ways.

It is easy to differentiate the different characters from each other and some pages really shine. One of the best examples early on in the volume is Aida in a state of confusion, trying to figure out what’s going on with Ida and Aoki, he quickly coming to the partially wrong conclusion that Ida is crushing on his friend and that he’s the start of what’s got his friend acting weird these days (again, partially wrong but..) He’s come to the concussion that Ida is the one who has initially confessed or made a move and the artist has a brilliant spread of a puzzle covering the page with missing pieces as Aida slowly comes to a mixed up interpretation of the current events.


As Aida says to his friend, that he though that he got mixed up in one dangerous plot development”, so goes both Aoki and Ida in developing feelings, developing thoughts on romance, teenager woes and struggles and all the familiar beats of a good romance in manga. Is love any different between the same sex, between boys? Can you ignore the earnest confession of someone you never considered? What is love supposed to be like, if you’ve never been in love before? Like ever? What I love about this volume is that beside the laughs, the plot thickens to show us that even with misunderstandings about others, the people closest to us can still very much misunderstand us and hurt us without meaning to. Ties get stronger not just with Aoki and Ida but with his friend initially introduced to us,

Aida. Along with Hashimoto who stands up not just for Aoki but for herself, this volume was another fun one to read and devour.This volume is a lot more chaotic and for some readers that may come off as leaning less in the development of the main set of characters and more funny. I am invested in seeing Aoki and Ida;s relationship develop and very curious how the creative team will handle people and societal expectations that are conservative/less likely to support two boys in love–as this manga so far has been nothing but wholesome and lighthearted.

Gosh I can’t get over how adorable this is.

We get to spend more time with the other characters and their relationship ups and downs while resolving the main characters mix up and the repercussions from it.

It’s such a wholesome read while also being hilarious. The facial expressions our lead pulls have me laughing out loud so much and the tension has me on tender hooks. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

A great follow up from the first volume after as surprising turn of events! More awkward interactions with Aoki coming to terms with his feelings towards Ida. I like how in this volume the reader gets a glimpse of Ida's inner thoughts when it comes to the situation with Aoki. I even enjoyed the friendship development between Aoki and Hashimoto too. So many hilarious and cute moments all around in this second volume.

My Love Mix-Up! Volume Two continues the misunderstandings that were introduced in Volume One.

My Love Mix-Up! Volume Two
Written by: Wataru Hinekure
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: January 4, 2022

Right at the end of Volume One, Aoki learned that he misunderstood the name on Hashimoto’s eraser. It turns out she has a crush on Aoki’s friend Aida, but the “A” had already come off of the eraser. Poor Aoki. His brain basically breaks when he realizes that there was a mix-up and that Hashimoto likes Aida instead of Ida. And to make matters worse, he gets his quiz back and he failed it. This leads to Aoki having a group study session with Hashimoto, Aoki, and Ida. Of course, this creates an awkward situation, since Aida and Hashimoto think that Aoki likes Ida, and Aoki sees his real crush Hashimoto flirting with Aida. After the study session, through not thinking about what he’s saying, Aoki blurts out to Hashimoto that he likes her. Of course, she shoots him down immediately, but he expected this since he knew that she likes Aida. But this now introduces another complication into an already somewhat crazy relationship web.

This volume also continues the awkward interactions between Aoki and Ida, with the both of them trying to figure out if they just see each other as friends or if they think they feel something more for the other. At one point, Aoki finally tells Aida about the mix-up with the eraser (framing it as he borrowed the eraser from someone who likes Ida, and not telling him about Hashimoto liking him). Aida takes it upon himself to have Aoki apologize to Ida and explain the mix-up. By the end of this, the two of them decide to try to be friends. However, this is really put to the test when, through a sheer coincidence, the two of them end up being part of the same group date. There’s a girl who really seems to be into Ida, but as we see, he has no idea what love feels like. And with the tone of this series, it’s not surprising that there’s an interesting twist as to why this girl “likes” Ida. However, it’s through something this girl says to Ida during a conversation that makes him think about how he feels around Aoki.

Aoki also learns why Hashimoto likes Aida, and it involves an incident at the entrance exam for their school. Hashimoto admits that what happened back then may not have been a big deal to him, but it was special for her. Later, after Aida arranges for the apology to Ida, he talks to Hashimoto about what’s going on and kind of talks badly about Aoki due to him not telling Ida about the mix-up. Of course, Hashimoto knows Aoki did this for her in order to keep her crush a secret, and she has a hard time listening to Aida talking about Aoki that way. Hashimoto does something surprising… she slaps him on the face. She feels bad about it later, and she still seems to have her crush on Aida, but I’m wondering if perhaps this interaction could potentially be setting the stage for Hashimoto to develop feelings for Aoki later on in the series.

The interactions between Aoki and Ida are amusing, but the reader can also see that they’re two young men struggling to figure out their feelings and what they’re experiencing. This may sound kind of odd, but a part of me is shipping Aoki and Hashimoto, but another part is shipping Aoki and Ida. However, since this is a shojo manga and not a boys’ love manga, I’m anticipating that in the end, Aoki will somehow end up with Hashimoto and remain friends with Ida. But who knows? Maybe Hinekure will surprise me and actually have Aoki and Ida become a couple.

When it comes the art, I have to mention that one of my favorite panels in this volume is the top one on page 174. Ida and Aoki are on a train, sitting next to each other. Aoki has fallen asleep and his head rests on Ida’s shoulder. Ida’s expression when this happens really catches the eye, and it looks realistic. The top two panels on page 128 also caught my eye, and these particular panels depict Hashimoto apologizing to Aida for slapping him. Their faces are very expressive here, which helped to make these panels stand out to me.

My Love Mix-Up! Volume Two perfectly follows up and continues the story that was established in the first volume. The characters continue to be endearing, and I was so invested in what I was reading that I didn’t want to stop reading. If you’ve read the first volume and enjoyed it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in Volume Two.

OUCH.

When Aoki said: "It's all right. Actually, I think you had a normal reaction."
And Akkun replied: "Then normal is wrong."
!!!!!

3.5/5

My Love Mix-Up! by Wataru Hinekure is a fun romantic manga about Aoki (boy) who pretends to like Ida (also a boy) so a girl didn’t have to confess to Ida… except she actually likes someone else completely?! And so Aoki just has to explain to Ida it was all a misunderstanding, right? Or did real feelings form in this mix-up of love?

The art is great and the story is fun. I love that (so far) there’s no homophobia being shown. I am interested to see if Wataru Hinekure will be tackling this in the future though, and how it’ll be handled.

This story and storytelling was a lot more chaotic than I remember. It’s still cute though. I like the little asides that each character has.

Pacing and personality building is good. This particular volume there was a lot of back and forth though. I hope that in the coming ones there will be more development and assuredness in characters’ feelings.

I’m still hype to read the rest of the series. I’m excited for what is to come.

The first volume of this series really grabbed me with its humor and charm, and I can safely say the second is doing a nice job with keeping me hooked! The artwork continues to delight as our four main goofballs stumble towards progress with their mixed and matched-up shenanigans. The big gag hasn't gotten old yet, and there's some real heart in this volume, too. They feel like an actual friend group might. I want to cheer these kids on, however or if ever they actually pair off.

My Love Mix-Up is a perfect new shojo that is doesn't shy away from being homophobic. In volume one Aoki confessed his love for Ida so his crush wouldn't be outed. Turns out he ended up developing a crush on him even though he didn't have one to begin with. This whole volume covers the will they/won't they between them. The drawings in this are so fun and expressive. The character's are so sweet and I want to read more!

Another cute installment in this romantic comedy of errors—so many good intentions and little (yet crucial) misunderstandings! How will it all resolve?! (Again, I’m looking forward to the next one.)

IT'S SO GOOD!!!! MY HEART!!! I literally feel so emotional because they are all sweet, sweet beans who have no idea what love is and its so pure and wholesome. I'm so happy to keep reading, I want the next book to come out soon!!

I feel like I do not have enough words to describe just have much I am loving this series. The second volume was equally as wonderful, heartwarming, and comedic as the first, and I could not stop smiling while reading it. This has honestly become one of my top series of the year!

The most refreshing thing about this manga is the relatable course of love, emotions, and friendships!
I was graced to continue this series after reading the first volume and loving it, and again with this volume, I would highly recommend it. We have a queer romance that is slowly and realistically growing and friendships thriving during this; it is honestly so sweet!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Love Mix-Up! has cemented itself as one of my favorite series—shojo or otherwise. Characters feel true to themselves, and their immaturity, awkwardness, and hot-and-cold emotions are on full display. The comedic timing in this volume continues to hit at all the right beats. Aruko and Wataru Hinekure have created such a sweet and joyful world that makes me happy to be along for the ride.

Art: Aruko
Story: Wataru Hinekure
Translation and Adaptation :Jan Cash
Touch-Up Art and Lettering: Inori Fukuda Trant
Design: Yukiko Whitley
Editor: Nancy Thistlethwaite

This second volume is filled with just as much shojo fluff as the first. I enjoyed reading it, but I can see myself becoming disinterested in this over time if there isn't more depth to the subsequent volumes.

4.5 stars. Still an extremely enjoyable fun read. This volume continues from the previous one with the story with Aoki dealing with his crush on Hashimoto and all the shenanigans that go along with high school romance. This one gives us a little more of Hashimoto's clueless character in love and more miscommunication. This volume leaves a lot open to continue and I can't wait to enjoy more. As I said in my review of the first volume, this is your sweet standard shojo manga love story, just a little queerer. A super easy, fun read that I will continue to enjoy with future volumes.

I loved volume 1 and was looking for vol 2, this volume follows the aftermath of vol 1. I enjoyed the freindship between the Hashimoto and Aoki and how you get more character development from Ida. Ida spends most of the volume processing his feelings for Aoki. I aslo like seeing more of Akkun and his dynamic with other characters. I love all of the characters to bits and I want more!

Many thanks to netgalley for the reveiw copy!

This series is EXTREMELY cute so far! The art is really soft and evocative, perfect for a high school romance. I genuinely have no clue how the story is going to end but I've really enjoyed how well all the different friendships are developed, especially between Aoki and Hashimoto. I feel like I don't see mixed-gender friendship in manga very often!

It felt like so much happened in this volume!! I'm so excited for the future of the series!! We resolve the initial mix up, but it's also on top of another mix up! The boys like each other, but Ida is super dense. I don't want to say too much more, but I am loving this series. Such a cute Shojo!!!

Oh my heart! This manga is so cute hurts. Even though some misunderstandings are cleared up from the first volume, new ones arise and all our characters are muddling through to clear things up. This is so sweet, funny, and wholesome. Fabulous art, memorable characters, humor, and of course romance! How I wish that the series was complete, so I could read them all one by one! Highly recommended to fans of My Love Story.