I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This book is a great read. It was engaging and has multiple discussions about topics of sexuality, gender, etc. I think this book is great for those learning about themselves. It's heavily focused focused on teaching to where it can become a bit academic at times. I think this book does what it sets out to do. It has interesting characters that drew me in. I loved the art style and tone of the story.

Summary:

Chika is a high schooler who has never felt love. This fact has always made her feel a bit alien, especially now, as she’s prepping for college life. But this new change in life could be exactly what she needs—a chance to learn about herself.

After years of misunderstanding, Chika will finally learn terms that make her realize she’s perfectly healthy and normal. Her journey is one that many people will resonate with, even if her terms don’t define them.

Review:

Is Love the Answer? Is the story of one woman trying to understand her sexuality. As such, it’s a great resource for anybody going through a similar journey. It’s an informative read with a plot, essentially.

My reason for not giving this manga a higher rating is that sometimes the plot felt more like a device for the info, so the lesson could have been more carefully worked into the story (translation: info-dumping or out-of-character actions to justify an explanation).

Aside from that, I really enjoyed Is Love the Answer? It has some fantastic representations (including, but not limited to, asexual and aromantic characters). It’s important to feel seen, and there aren’t enough ace books in this world.

Highlights:
Contemporary Fiction
Slice-of-Life Manga
LGBTQ+
Asexual Journey

Trigger Warning:
Attempted Sexual Assault

This was great! I don't usually have the chance to read manga, but I liked the art style! The character development was great to see, and I definitely will be searching for more contemporary manga to read now.

I enjoyed this coming of age story about a NB student who is trying to figure herself out. it was relatable, fun, and sometimes sad. I think many of us can relate to feeling abnormal in a world of people coupling up and settling down. I really enjoyed watching the MC come to terms with herself and her identity and I will look in to other works by this author.

A great read on discovering your sexual identity as an adult. It explained the spectrum of asexuality with a sense of lightheartedness and without it sounding like a lecture. The first volume also laid out the consequences of words and how phrases like "it's normal" can be harmful for those still in their journey to identify their sexuality. I thought the manga did a great job explaining how harmful assumptions and wording can be without coming off as condescending or lecturing to the reader. Would definitely pick up the next volume,

This was a wonderful coming-of-age story with asexual representation. I had a lot to learn about this topic and I thought this handled it well without it being too jarring. It touches beautifully on different forms of relationship and love and how experiences can vary so much. I definitely recommend this to others wanting to explore the topic of asexuality as it is easy to read.

I love seeing asexual representation, and it was great following Chika discovering her sexuality for herself. Not only did she grow and evolve in the story, but also the characters around her. I highly recommend picking up this book if you're looking for more aroace representation.

I want to thank NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with this eARC.

This manga is great. Isaki sensei doing well explaining not just about asexual, but also about how unique every human is. The story is also sweet and heartwarming. I would recommend it to everyone who wants to know more about this topic.

I love that we've finally got a good manga about asexuality.
I often struggle with manga because they tend to include very big and harmful stereotypes about queer people and about the relationships between men and women, it is SO patriarcal it annoys me so much (maybe it's Japanese culture?).
And yeah, Is Love The Answer still had a lot of these outdated representations, but it actually manages to introduce asexuality quite well.
Aromanticism could be developed a little more, and Q in LGBQT+ does NOT been questioning but queer! But other than that we get quite a lot of talks about asexuality, from different perspectives. It's a coming-of-age, and a coming-of-ace story that will be so helpful to many ace people out there.
And the best part is that our ace MC, who feels broken and lost at the beginning, finds a home, friends who understand her, and is happy and proud of herself.

This was a really entertaining and interesting read, I read it in one sitting and the whole story about finding oneself and figuring out your feelings in terms of relationships and love was really good.

I really liked that book ! First, I really loved Chika's personality. I felt she was so soft, nice to others and very open-minded. While she's trying to understand who she is, she also open a space for others to reflect on themselves and tries not to judge anyone. I really liked the way the subject of asexuality was brought up. For once, the pacing was right. The story took the time needed to cover the subject properly.

3.5 ★
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CW: Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual harassment, Biphobia

"Is Love the Answer?" it's a manga with beautiful art and a self-discovery story.

The plot focuses on Chika, a girl who is trying to found her who she is and the people around her. It's nice to see how the friendships between the are created.

At times, the tone feels a little academic. There are sveeral scens where the characters chat about types of romance, types of couples, what they consider to be fidelity, etc in in an unnatural way. It takes away some of the emotion of the story, but I felt like being more educational was the author's intention.

Overall, a good read and with healthy representation. I hope more books like this get publish so we can move from Ace/Aro 101 to full stories.

There are a lot of misconceptions about how Japanese society views queer identities, so I’m always up for a book which takes a more fact-driven approach, instead of a romance-centered one. And this is INCREDIBLY fact-centered, as our narrator, Chika, is a psychology student who is most specifically interested in understanding herself and her own aversion to relationships. With the help of her dream mentor and a small, queer found family, Chika gains knowledge and confidence, leaving us with a cozy “happy for now” ending.

Stars and space feature prominently when Chika attempts to understand sexuality. As an astronaut in space, one star among many, or being lit up by companions. I’d be fascinated to see this artist render some of those images in color, because they’re gorgeous, full of movement and life, even when just in black and white.

Readers should be aware that there is a brief depiction of assault in this book. It is treated seriously, and isn’t dwelled on long or in detail, so it doesn’t feel gratuitous. It feels like a logical danger that Chika faces, and while she isn’t able to get immediate counseling, she has friends who support her feelings, making sure she doesn’t become isolated.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

Themes / Representation:
College
Friendship
Asexual MC
LGBTQIA+ Characters

Content Warning:
Sexual Assault (Once, at the start of the volume)

What a great way to kick off Pride Month! I was excited to see this manga available on NetGalley as I’m trying to read more LGBTQIA+ manga and also read more Acespec books.

This story follows Chika, a student who is trying to find answers about her gender identity and sexuality in college. After moving into a share house and learning from her Professor and peers, she starts to come to an understanding of how she feels inside.

This was a great introduction to Asexuality and other Acespec identities for those who may be new to the term. It acknowledges that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the Asexual spectrum and people who identify within this label can feel differently from their peers.

This is also a standalone volume, so definitely something I’ll recommend for those starting in the manga format and not looking for a long series.

"Is Love the Answer?" was such an endearing story of discovering who you are and not conforming to any boxes the world wants to fit you into. Rather, you should be the only person able to decide that for yourself. I'm slowly discovering more ace-rep manga & novels and I appreciated this one firstly for the heart behind it, but also for the great info and situation examples it provided. I could see how some might look at a work like this as "info dumping," but I would strongly argue that there are still so many people who do not understand asexuality at it's core so it's valid. I felt very endeared to Chika's story and the way they navigated understanding who they are as a person. They didn't want to boxed into whatever "normal" is and that's true for so many of us. Even once they decided on the label of "asexual," they realized quickly that this doesn't answer every facet of themselves. We're all complicated beyond real measure. I loved that this book didn't shy away from that!

I'll be on the lookout for more works from this mangaka in the future. If you enjoyed seeing ace-rep in this manga, you may also enjoy the series "I want to be a wall" by Honami Shirono.

This manga is a cute way to examine what it means to be Aces and that it is not as black and white as it seems. The main character is endearing and a great conduit for guiding the reader through understanding how she feels. The secondary characters off a broad spectrum of the rest of the LGBTQ+ community, and further more that sometimes allies can say the wrong thing with the best intentions. 100% recommend.

I thought this was interesting with good artwork. There were times when I thought it was a bit too much of an info dump and I wanted more action in the story. Overall it was a nice read and a good book for those questioning their own asexuality.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have such mixed feelings with this one. I loved the concept but I didn't like the execution. The concept was sooooo important. But i felt so underwhelmed after finishing this book.
Books are usually either for entertainment or educational but this one was neither. It introduced the topic of asexuality however there was never an ending nor any progress in the story. There were some moments which were so cute but then they story would float to a monologue which would lead to nowhere. Also there was a male roommate whose purpose I couldn't understand at all. It was a very luke warm experience unfortunately.
Thankyou #NetGalley for a free copy to review this graphic novel.

Is Love the Anwser?
By Uta Isaki

4.5/5

The main character Chika is struggling to find her place. She grew up like most of us being told that she should have feelings of love and want to be with someone. She does the thing in high school we all do where she really tries and even forces herself to be in a relationship, and almost makes herself believe that she does in fact like the guy she’s dating but ends up realizing she does not.

We then see her move to college and far away from her hometown in hopes she can either find someone or learn what “normal” is. The rest of the story is her learning that sexuality and asexuality is a spectrum and that everyone’s normal definition is vastly different.

I think this book explains these terms and experiences well. She is still learning and growing, and it is well displayed in the book. I think if someone who is questioning their own feelings but not quite sure what is going on this would be a good book to read to know they aren’t alone and that all of us are trying figure things out. I also enjoyed that this was found family and that the family is helping Chika understand things that if you live in a smalltown you might not get to experience or understand. I think even the side characters are well written to show other sides of being LGBTQIA+.

ARC given by Netgalley.

This manga is one that I still think about as it felt like a warm hug. As Chika discovers more about herself and making sense of a world that seems to make sense for everyone but her, the manga really dives into how sexuality can be different for everyone.

Watching her go through this discovery, there is a wave of relief, not just from Chika, but from me as well. the emotions conveyed really allow the audience to feel just how big of a relief it can be to start understanding yourself.

Is Love the Answer? does a wonderful job of looking into what it means to discover oneself. There is this beautiful exploration of seeing that everyone is different and that's okay.

Please, even if you aren't ace, but especially if you are, pick this up. It's just a beautiful manga.