This is an adorable title! Shiraishi is invisible to most people, except Kubo. He generally, awkwardly rolls with this invisibility but Kubo won't let him. She gently pushes and helps him along for her own secret (obvious to the reader) reasons. All readers will enjoy this supposedly Shonen but maybe also a little shojo title.

The main character being completely invisible leads to some utterly hilarious situations and the interplay between him and Kubo's smug assurance is cute. The art is pretty and dreamy but I'm a little put off by the fan service (these are high schoolers!) and the total lack of any reason for Kubo to be so into Shiraishi..

Cute slice of life manga about school kids doing school kid stuff; similar to a "Perks of being a wallflower" and other social life of teens books. Pretty fun, looking forward tot he next volume

Quite a quirky tale. Love the concept of someone who goes about unseen and is forced outside of their comfort zone. A lot of teens will find themselves in this one.

For Libraries: Definitely YA suitable.

For lovers of Komi can't Communicate and just lovers of adorable manga, this is for you. This manga hit all the right notes for me. I can't wait to see how the friendship develops with these characters and the interesting story that readers will be sure to be invested in. Did I mention how cute the art was?! Definitely a big recommendation for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and VizMedia for the chance to review this wonderful book

What a cute first manga! I can't wait to see where this series goes. I love the meet cute with an invisible boy! I'll be nominating this for Maverick List.

Shiraishi has a problem; people often can’t see him or don’t notice him. The teacher often skips right over him during roll and never calls on him to answer questions. But there’s one person who can always see him and always finds him; his seat neighbor, Kubo. She teases him about his invisibility and tries to “help” him be more seen by raising her hand and telling the teacher he has the right answer, even if he doesn’t. She also tries sitting on him for a length of time to see if other students notice and speak up. Kubo invites Shiraishi to spend part of Christmas together, which is a romantic gesture in Japan. She shows up with a gift for Shiraishi and gives him time to find her one at a shop nearby.
This is a tamer version of the tropes in Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro! where the girl has a lot of power over the socially-awkward boy. There are still some moments of teasing in this story that kind of cross the line into bullying. Kubo obviously has feelings for Shiraishi and uses her attractiveness to make him a little uncomfortable at times, and it's not always in a playful way that could be construed as flirting. It ends with a pretty sweet Christmas story where the two have a bit more of an equal relationship, so I have a little bit of hope that this will mellow out in future volumes.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This is a work I think would resonate with those who genuinely feel left out in life. Junta Shiraishi struggles to get noticed - classmates and teachers do not see him, clerks mistake items on the counter as returns, and automatic doors do not register him; it is comically pitiful. Nagisa Kubo is that teasing presence who brings much needed attention for our, otherwise, invisible protagonist. Their dynamic is sweet and wholesome and I think it is just right.

It is a cute bubblegum read for those who enjoy works like "Don't Toy With Me Nagatoro," or "Uzaki Chan Wants to Hangout" or general romcom. Personally it may be too light of a read for me to sink my teeth into, though this is nice enough for me to come back to.

Similar vibes to Komi Can't Communicate but also completely unique. I really enjoyed the story and the friendship/developing relationship between Shiraishi and Kubo. They are very cute together and it's just all together a fun story.
Very interested in what happens next.

Thank you to Viz Media and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the arc! I throughly enjoyed reading volume one and will look forward to volume 2. I hope the series stays this cute. The invisible trope has been done before in manga, but I thought this was well done. Loved the art as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC

Really enjoyed this volume really excited for volume 2. Lovely story with cute characters,

I will be honest, the concept for this manga and the main art style was why I wanted to read it. The story was alright, but I didn’t find myself invested. This kind of felt a little like A Silent Voice in that we have a character who is “invisible” and therefore has no real life outside of his friendship with Kubo. I may pick up volume two to see if I like it but for now it’s a no for the library.

I have read so many manga that start out just the way this one starts out. That being said, I enjoyed this one much more than others. There was no insta-love, love at first sight, making out after five seconds of knowing each other, ect. I really appreciate a manga that can take things slow. The two main characters are slowly getting to know each other throughout each volume and I'm really enjoying reading that. I also love all the gag involving Shiraishi not being able to open an automatic door. Best bit in the whole story. I can't wait to read the next volume!

I expected much less of this than what I got. Its premise could very easily have gone in a very mean direction, but instead it reads like a girl who doesn't know what to do about her crush on a boy who's so far off everyone's radar that he's somewhere else entirely. It's cute, and there's also some solid humor to be found as Shiraishi attempts to just go about his day-to-day business while being so air-like that not even automatic doors register his presence.

Shirashi is basically invisible to everyone around him - people sit on him without realizing he's already seated, he has to remind his teachers that he was in fact in class, and automatic doors sometimes don't even recognize him. But there is one classmate of his that notices him - Kubo. Kubo has fun testing his invisibility by making him do silly things in class to see if anyone notices, or making him take selfies to see if the camera recognizes his face. The two clearly have crushes on each other but neither one is convinced the other feels the same way. This was a pretty cute story. Very simplistic. There's some definite fan service when it comes to opening chapter images of Kubo. This was nothing special, but it wasn't terrible either.

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

Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible Vol 1 by Nene Yukimori is one of the cutest comics I've read this year. It captures the awkward charm of high school relationships well, and I'm a fan of Yukimori's humor. Shiraishi and Kubo are quite the odd couple, but I find myself amused with their antics time and time again.

Story and Art by Nene Yukimori
Translation: Amanda Haley
Touch-up Art and Lettering ;Snir Aharon
Design: Alice Lewis
Editor: Jennifer Sherman

I knew nothing about this story going into it, and it's so sweet! What a refreshing and soft story to tell. Poor Shiraishi goes unnoticed by everyone except the titular Kubo - a kind girl who goes out of her way to notice Shiraishi and make him feel seen.
Is it romance? Is it just friendship? The story is vague enough now it could go either way, and I love that about it.

Thanks netgalley for the preview copy to review!

This was a really cute and sweet story. The artwork was pretty and the characters were adorable. I am looking forward to the next volume in the series and would recommend it to those who enjoy sweet and slow high school romance manga.

4, definitely want to read the next one, stars.

My thanks to VIZ Media LLC and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

It's a cute slice-of-life romance that doesn't really do anything to stand out, which might be kind of apropos considering its protagonist. It cute enough that I might stick with it for another volume.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume One tells the story of a boy who is basically invisible to most of the people around him.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume One
Written by: Nene Yukimori
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: May 3, 2022

The volume starts out by introducing the reader to a high school student named Junta Shiraishi who is so quiet and ordinary that his teachers and his classmates don’t notice him. However, there is one exception: Nagisa Kubo, the girl who sits next to Shiraishi in class. At the beginning of the volume, Kubo initiates a friendship with Shiraishi, which includes a lot of friendly teasing. Of course, with Shiraishi being such a wallflower, the idea of being friends is a little awkward to him. As the volume progresses, though, the reader sees that while Shiraishi can be awkward around Kubo as they hang out, it becomes clear that he begins enjoying spending time with her.

But the story and character progression doesn’t just focus on Shiraishi. It becomes obvious to the reader that Kubo develops feelings for Shiraishi and tries to flirt with him. Of course, Shiraishi doesn’t have enough experience and knowledge to pick up on the fact that Shiraishi is flirting with him. It’s an interesting dynamic that’s going on between these two characters, which helps to make the first volume of Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible an enjoyable read.

The manga is done in such a way that each chapter is a self-contained story. However, each self-contained story helps to build the overall narrative of the story. With the way Volume One is done, the stories pretty much have to be read in the order that they’re presented in order for the character progressions to make sense, especially early on in the volume. What I’m interested in seeing with future volumes of the series is if this will still be the case with these self-contained stories, or if the order of the chapters could be changed without affecting the overarching narrative of the series terribly much.

I found that Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible is light, yet fun, reading. Admittedly, the story and characters don’t make you think too deeply about things, but I think that’s part of its charm. It was a quick, yet engaging, read. After reading this volume, I think it’s safe to say that this series would be a good one to read if you’re looking for something light, amusing, and not terribly deep. With the way the world is at the time I’m writing this review, it’s nice to have art that can help to temporarily lighten your mood.

When it comes to the art, the style fits for a series like Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible. Characters like Shiraishi and the first teacher the reader sees in the volume don’t look like typical people. However, Kubo is drawn with a much more realistic look to her. There are times when Yukimori will utilize exaggerated designs for both Shiraishi and Kubo when there’s comedy in a scene, and this helps to accentuate the humor. Although, I have to admit that Yukimori seems to utilize more of a minimalistic look to the art. Sometimes, the use of screentone helps to make the minimal art stand out a little less, but it’s still noticeable. But, considering that this is supposed to be a light and comedic series, I think the minimalistic look works.

Overall, I can say that I enjoyed reading Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume One, and I’m hoping to have the opportunity to read the next volume at some point in the future. If you enjoy light-hearted romantic comedies, then I think you might find enjoyment in this series.