Member Reviews
Rating: 4.13 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4.5/5
Cover: 2.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Seinen/Yuri/Romance
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes!
First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review. Wow... I didn't think I would like this manga as much as I did! I stayed up all night reading it. It is nice to have a nice Yuri story. There were some things that kinda raised an eyebrow for some iffy stuff happening but it was fine. I was so immersed into the story that when I got to the end I was so sad. I need more! I need to know where they end up going. Honestly I loved this manga.
Reading this manga made me quite uncomfortable..
There were a few moments with clear conset issues; the love inerest takes pictures of the main character while she is nakad and shows those pictures to her friends afterwards, a boy thinking it's hot to hold the main characters hand while she is passed out knowing she would be angry if she knew and the two girls listening to a couple having sex. All this taking place in a high school made it extra difficult to read.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
-Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.-
Questionable.
The art and writing were good. It was an interesting, different manga. The story is my problem. Several scenes had unclear consent and were creepy (ex. below). Akari's feelings come off one-sided. The characters had backgrounds but their personalities didn't show well. All-in-all, the photography parts were alright, but it felt like the manga was promoting predatory behavior.
Examples, SPOILERS ahead:
-Both girls listen to someone having sex without them knowing.
-One of the girls goes to take a bath and the other girl barges in and starts taking pictures. Even though she clearly did not want her to. And then later shows it to others at school.
There was nothing here that was for me, and that's kind of okay I guess? I mean there's a lot to say about paedophilia culture in Japan and how it is encouraged by media, but i'm not japanese and there are lots of lots actual japanese people that can talk about that better than me. But even setting that aside, the story was pretty lame, it all feels like it came out of a 40 year old man's head, from the bathtub scene to the scene where they listen to a classmate having sex to the sleeping together thing. Everything reads weird, the art style is extremely amateur, I'm really over the "omg I love her but we're both girLS" discourse, and ultimately the story didn't hold any value to me at all.
I absolutely need more of this series.
Akari and Yuki are both compelling characters and I'm rooting for their romance. This is also beautifully drawn. Rintaro makes for a great side character. Honestly, in a lot of BL manga, the side character of the other gender is usually seen as some huge villain. It's refreshing in this GL manga to have someone genuinely likable.
The photography angle is a nice one as well. There's a lot of poetic panels in this.
🌈A lesbian romance manga for my LGBT+ soul🌈
Akari is a girl who has always tried to fit in with the other girls in her class is fascinated by the distant and elusive Yuki, her classmate who is always carrying around a camera. This is truly one of my favourite starts to a romance manga, and I truly cannot wait to read more. If you like cameras, that is a bonus because you get cool camera facts in between chapters too! I got very invested in the characters and genuinely loved the dynamic between the girls.
I will warn that this may turn into an 18+ [there is slight nudity on one or two pages] so beware if you're underage.
<i>I was provided with a complimentary copy of this volume by Kodansha via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>
Akari is a girl who feels that she has no particular value in her life. Her family is poor, her house shabby, her mother work nights as a hostess and she works at a convenience store. She has no hobbies or interests, and the chatter of the girls around her does not interest her much, although she's able to fake interest. When a classmate takes a candid photo of her with an old camera, Akari's life will change.
She becomes closer to Yuki, a classmate who has a passion of photography, and Rintarou, a guy on the school baseball team. Their lives become entwined and intimate almost immediately, in ways that alienate Akari from her previous superficial friendships. Right from the beginning there is a lot of tension in this triangle. Akari is falling for Yuki, who seems to have a thing for Rin, who is interested in Akari. This triangle will grow tighter and more taught over the next volumes in a way that I found very hard to look away from. ^_^
Really cute! I'm really invested in the romance and I can't wait to see how it develops! The childhood friend character is pretty nice too; I like how he subverted my expectations.
I was surprised at the several sexual references for a high school-centric story. It wasn't bad, just not my favorite. I want to know more about what Yuki is thinking.
Thank you for sending me a NetGalley copy of this book.
This was a sweet story about two girls within a school environment. I really enjoyed it and it was an easy read to consume even though I haven’t read much anime in the past.
I look forward to picking up the next volume in this series.
Thank you Net galley for providing me with a copy of She, Her Camera, and Her Seasons in exchange for a honestly review.
A cute easy read, Id rate higher were it not for some questionable scenes of consent and lack of more relationship development.
The characters was loveable and the love triangle was intriguing. The twist at the end was a good surprise and I'll look forward to checking vol 2 out.
Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
She, Her Camera, and Her Seasons is a sweet story about the earnest Akari and her friendship with the quiet girl in class, Yuki, that slowly grows into something more.
Akari's school life is going fine. She has friends whose company she enjoys, a part-time job that helps with bills, and a normal, if not unambitious, outlook on life after graduation. But she's always wondered about the quiet girl in her class, Yuki, whose mind seems to be in another world. One day, she notices Yuki take a photo, seemingly of her, Akari, so she questions it. One thing leads to another, and the two girls find themselves growing closer and learning more about the other's life that seems so different from their own. But things become complicated when two male classmates enter the picture, one a popular and snarky member of the baseball team and the other, a childhood friend of Yuki's.
I enjoyed this book's quiet narrative and subtle, yet steady world building. Tsukiko's delicate linework elevated the text, and it was an enjoyable read.
Story and Art by Tsukiko
Translation: Nate Derr
Lettering: Salud Campos Blasco
Editing: Sarah Tilson
YKS Services LLC/SKY JAPAN, Inc.
I enjoyed the first volume of it, which I got as an ARC from #Netgalley: the manga hits the spot both in messy little gays department and photography nerd one too. The story tone took me by surprise: I was expecting more of the youthful ~seishun~ sakura petals and overall innocence, based on the art style and premise, but it has a much less metaphoric way of showcasing teenage sexual yearnings. Thankfully it didn’t come too close to “whee boobs” kind of malegazey yuri, even if a few panels made me squint.
Akiko is a relatable confused little gay, and Yuki so far plays into the trope of ethereal, chaotic, and socially awkward - I think a lot will depend on how her character will be allowed to flesh out as the story progresses. Rin is was a pleasant surprise: he comes across as genuinely likeable, which is a big feat in his role. Makes me wish the story treats him fairly, you know!
Thank you Net Galley and Kodansha for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was beautiful. Set in Japan, it follows Akari who for most of her time in high school has been friends with the ‘popular’ girls who sometimes make her feel insecure about her body. One day she sees Yuki, who is different from her friends. Akari decides to follow her and Yuki ends up taking her photograph with a twin lens camera. She, Her Camera and Her Seasons, Vol 1 follows the blooming teen romance between Akari and Yuki.
Thank you for the chance to read this!
I found the plot to be pretty interesting but a little slow paced. It definitely touches on Japans ongoing issues of a 'beauty standard' and what women are supposed to conform to in order to succeed. With the country still requiring photos on resumes so companies can judge your appearance its normal for high school girls to already be feeling that pressure to fit in to the mold of what's currently deemed attractive.
I found the growing friendship to be refreshing and seeing Akari start to grow in to more of her own character and a naturally developing wlw relationship was really refreshing.
The story felt kinda boring, and unoriginal to me. I guess the trope of look at this girl who is different from social norms wasn't my thing. I also feel like the social commentary of, trying to fit the part of the normal girl just didn't resonate with me because some people have a huge time fitting in, so it felt kinda odd to see a girl complaining for having too many friends. Not a manga that I would read, but if you are into those tropes then give this manga a read.
Interesting school GL about a elegant chill photographer x a poor student. They are so cute together 😍😍😍
Btw thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read volume one of this manga!
Thank you for giving me a chance to read this because holy shit I am in love with the story.
Before I delve into that I want to talk a bit more about the technical stuff. I was very happy that they have good quality for each of the pages. I also think that the front cover is beautiful and really suits the story. I think the name is a little long and confusing but again it fits the story so not too many complaints there.In the first few pages I wasn’t into the art style but I think it grew on me and by 20 pages in I was sold - if it was changed I think the story would lose its charm.
Anyway plot wise I think I liked all of the three main characters - Akari, Yuki and Rintaro. Whilst it is being set up as a love triangle , I like how it doesn’t really feel like one because Akari has relationships with the both of them in two different ways and so when she potentially ends up with Yuki I won’t feel any resentment about Rintaro because at heart I feel that friendship works best for them. I also liked the past relationship/ bond between Yuki and Rintaro which I assume is going to make this all the more confusing.
I like Akari’s personal exploration of her sexuality and the portrayal of her friendship group when they seemingly find out about her and Yuki. I would love to see more about this as it was a little confusing as to whether they were secretly homophobic or not . It would be a twist if the girl that Akari was close with before actually had a crush on her and was jealous but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Maybe this is me hoping for a chance for her to keep her old friends.
Anyways this was a really cool first volume and definitely something I would consider picking up in the future when it is released. If the story was fully released I could see myself binging this in a day.
A super cute and endearing story about two seemingly different girls bonding.
I really liked both the girls, Akari and Yuki are interesting on their own, and make an interesting pair when they randomly become friends. I'm really excited to see how their relationship further develops in the next volume.