4.5 stars. I am so surprised at how good this manga is at representing asexuality. In previous mangas, I have read about specific topics like dyslexia or trans identity but this is the first one that seems like they have done their research extremely well. It used the right terms and they even translated it well into English. Besides the accuracy, I found the art very pleasing to look at and the story sweet. Chika as a character is endearing and her struggles with her identity are relatable to people of every sexuality. I hope that someone who is figuring out their sexuality comes across this manga and learns about asexuality and has it fit what they are feeling.

This is a wonderfully personal story that will make any questioning queer person feel seen. I especially appreciated the way different viewpoints were shown to express the variety of ways someone can connect to being asexual.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I had always heard good things about this one shot and the author. After reading this, I can say the good praises were warranted. I thought this did a good job of showcasing the journey of figuring out your identity. The main character progresses at her own speed and by the end, it doesn't feel rushed but rather complete. I do wish the author continued the story because I would have liked to see more of the side characters. Outside of that, I felt this was done very well and would highly recommend checking out especially if you are looking for an aromantic asexual rep.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics, NETGALLEY, and author Uta Isaki for letting me read this. 


Can I just say WOW.This was amazing from beginning to end, and I do this is a  one-shot for those who don't know. Our main character is chika. we first met her in high school in her last year, and she hasn't figured out her sexuality quite yet. We see her friends trying to tell her that going put with boy and other relationship thing people would do when going but something end up happen to chika that  shouldn't have happen at all because he didn't talk to her about it before hand. Her first relationship ends badly, and she doesn't tell anymore what actually happens, and the girl just thinks it badly breaks up. The group of girl try to make it up her by going out and having fun, but they talk about her bad when she leaves to get something. After all of that, chika left her hometown and moved to Tokyo for college and wanted to know more about things that she couldn't talk to her high-school friends about. She ends up meeting a professor and starts to ask questions to try to get some answer but ends up leaving someone else saying something wrong. Throughout we see chika meet knew people and make new friends. Chika starts to learn about herself more and more by getting books from the book store and from the professor to learn more and more on where she stands on the LGBTqai community. I love how the author shares more and more other communities in the lgbtqai+. It is not just one we are learning from our character. Everyone, even the side characters get talk about themselves and how they felt when talking about it. They didn't know how their friends and family would take it, so they didn't want to be judged by them. Getting back stories on people who are in the main character life are very important to the story if the story want to process more if they are introduced. As the story process we learn more and more about chicka how certain things as kids she was told to be more mature at her age because they weren't in elementary store anymore, how chika only care about boys. But she finds people in college who love the same anime she grew up on and have a marathon on it. I am really happy that I got to really this story because I have someone who is close to me who is asexual and I learned a lot more about it ask I went. 


Thank you again for letting me read

I love this book.
Excellent asexual representation. 10/10
Chika's character is very sweet, and even though she calls herself an "alien," she really feels like a confused teenager and not like "a strange entity."
The secondary characters are also very good.
So Thanks

I connect d with this book in such a personal way. As someone who questions whether I am asexual, and who is non binary, I often have to stumble through life, questioning so many things. This book was open and interesting and told a brilliant story, in an easily enjoyed volume. I really liked the flow and pace of the story, and just how the character moved and interacted throughout the book. I liked getting to know the main character and that the author gave us a suitable number of supporting characters. It definitely made for an interesting tale. I also liked how the book came to an end for the volume. It is a great read.

I read this manga to better understand my wife with is asexual. I learned so much and enjoyed the reading experience as well. I highly recommend it!

PS: the characters are kind and genuine and talk openly about deep topics and end up forming a very loving found family 💓

3.75 stars

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

Previous to 2024 I had read zero manga,
but this year I’ve branched out and now read a grand total of 2, both of which focus on queer young people exploring their sexualities - love to see it! Unlike My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Is Love the Answer? is a fictional manga, although the author does mention afterwards that she’s going through something similar to Chika herself.

I liked the art a lot more than MLEWL - beautifully detailed, and then very occasional lapses into simpler drawings where an amusing expression was more noticeable. I particularly loved Chika’s asexual professor’s character - just the way she was drawn made her seem like such a wise, comforting, older queer presence. Plus, her queer platonic marriage?? Incredible, I wanted more of that.

My reaction to this book is similar to seemingly a lot of other reviewers - it’s sweet, but a little basic. It’d be a lovely intro to asexuality for someone getting to grips with the identity, or parents or teachers looking to learn more, but it doesn’t really delve into the nitty gritty and I didn’t feel like we trulyyyy got to know Chika or any of the other characters intimately. Like Ume - I literally couldn’t tell you if he’s a student or professor, and the bond that forms between him and Chika feels rushed.

Despite those criticisms, it is still a lovely piece of work, and I’m always happy to see more asexual stories being told in a world that’s so virulently sexualised.

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: Jan 17, 2023
🌈 Representation: asexual aromantic MC, gay SC, asexual SC, agender/X-gender SC

CW/TW:
Sexual assault, acephobia, homophobia


This was such a lovely manga. It was equal parts educational and engaging, with a beautiful art style. I loved all the character designs and each character was unique and interesting.

There was a wide variety of LGBTQ+ representation, which is so nice to see in manga! I feel like I especially learned a lot about asexual and aromantic identities.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are likable and I loved seeing all the different types of platonic relationships throughout the book.

The Ace/Queer representation was really well done. The author did a great job representing asexuality (and queerness in general) as a fluctuating spectrum. Queer labels are never one size fits all but so often in media they are represented that way. The characters talk about using labels for yourself and not for others. They also talk about adopting a label that feels most comfortable for you, even if you don’t fit into that box 100%. Labels aren’t meant to be boxes but instead are tools that promote self-discovery.

I also really enjoyed the author notes at the end. It was cool to see the connections between the authors own journey and the journey represented in the book.

Be sure to check trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and KODANSHA publishing for the digital ARC.

Is Love the Answer? is an important manga, since it's about being asexual. You hardly see these topics in manga and especially so that they are dealt in a realistic manner. Chika wants romance, but doesn't know what it really means, since she's never felt emotions like that or felt sexual attraction. She feels like she's an alien and tries to find the answer, but fails many times. Everyone tells her she's just not met the one, but soon it's clear that's not the case. The manga deals with sexual orientation and whatnot quite well, though in a philosophical and psychological manner so that the manga is basically just people talking. What annoyed me was the Japanese view on things as well as the weird need for romance, but of course it's a thing there. For me this was a little too superimposed as everything is explained as if Chika is a baby and it was weird she doesn't understand anything.

The art looks nice though and works well with the story line. This is only one book long, but perhaps this would've needed some other content to it too. Still, since this is a rare topic, I'll let many things slide. Wonderful that this has been translated into English.

Rating: 3.83 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Cover: 3/5
-Story: 3/5
-Writing: 4/5
Genre: Asexual, SOL
-Asexual: 5/5
-SOL: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: I suppose

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

Picked this manga up because I haven't seen too many dealing with the asexual scope. Humans are so complicated and as such they make things so complicated. What I liked about the whole story is the simple fact that people outside of asexuality don't seem to understand that people just aren't into the things labeled as "normal". It was a bit over complicating some things here and there which is why I rated it a bit lower.

This is a must read for any members of the ace community. It's one of those books that I needed to take breaks from because of emotions, lol. This captures so thoroughly the sheer /confusion/ of discovering your identity as being ace. This is not an identity I heard about from anyone other than my one ace friend growing up, and even then I didn't hear the term until I was 16. It's less talked about, in part because many people find it so hard to understand, and media sure does love its romances. But this explores love and romance and challenges what life long relationships "should" look like, all the while asking: why don't we just make our own way in the world, living as we want, and loving as we choose? While there is a lot of intro-to-asexualty stuff in this book, I do recommend reading another more lighthearted ace book as well if you've never read any books with ace representation, like Rick by Alex Gino or The Dragon of Ynys by Minerva Cerridwen. But overall, this book had a lot of important messages threaded through a fun main character and intriguing side characters.

Do make sure to check out the content warnings.

Getting a manga about asexuality is truly amazing! I'm asexual myself and seeing asexuality being discussed and explored was really lovely. I think because I already knew so much about asexuality this manga fell a little flat for me. There is a lot of explanation and info-dumps about asexuality and other lgbtqia+ terms, great for someone who is unaware but a little boring for me.
I really enjoyed the art style and the diversity of asexuality. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with any of the characters which is why this is only a 3 star.
I think this is a truly great exploration of asexuality and all the many facets that it entails. If this manga could be widespread it would be an amazing feat for the asexuality community as this manga is great at explaining the different terms and the struggles of being asexual in a hypersexual society.

Before reading this, I thought I knew enough about asexuality, and about my own sexuality. I thought I was probably normal — or, at least, that my problems had less to do with being LGBT+ and more to do with something wrong with <i>me</i>.

I guess it just goes to show that representation is important, because after reading this quick, sweet little manga, my heart felt lighter. Seeing characters struggle with what their desires (or lack thereof) meant about them, and come to realize that 'normal' is different for everyone, as cheesy as it sounds, gave me room to accept that whatever I am is okay, too. Though it may come across as saccharine or simplistic at times, this book manages to avoid being obnoxious by depicting a really honest journey of self-exploration, as well as the complications and differences that can make people feel alienated from mainstream society. This manga isn't just about people overcoming external stigma, but about them overcoming internal barriers to self-acceptance that have been built up over a lifetime of trying to 'fit in'.

It isn't entirely about asexuality, either, but depicts LGBT+ solidarity, friendships, relationship drama, found family tropes, etc. — the works, that you might expect from any mostly light-hearted anime or manga. I especially appreciate that it acknowledges the spectrum of LGBT experiences, how even people who use labels like 'gay' or 'straight' can experience attractions outside of those strict boxes, and it doesn't mean their identities are false or put-on in any way. It also makes the important differentiation between libido and romantic attraction, and depicts characters who experience one but not the other, or who simply have very confusing experiences, in a way that doesn't gloss over the complexity but gives it space to breathe. Interestingly, this manga also differentiates attraction to (or fixation on) fictional characters as kind of a third aspect of sexuality, one that can be both separate from or intertwined with sexual and romantic attraction — perhaps a symptom of the prevalence of otaku culture in Japan.

I also find it interesting that this manga mentions a couple of labels even I'd never heard of — for instance, 'zucchini', which is basically a term for platonic life partners (a.k.a. 'queerplatonic'), and a Japanese term called Kaeruka syndrome, or turned-into-a-frog syndrome, where a person's crush fades once they know the person likes them back (as if the crush was turned into a frog), because they have such low self-esteem that they think if a person likes them something must be terribly wrong. Couldn't possibly be me [it me].

I am a little concerned that by going into so many terminological specifics — this sort of encyclopedic knowledge of every obscure term someone on the internet thought up five years ago, which is only used by about 1000 people total on this earth — this book recalls that very trap of over-categorization, the fixation on labelling every identity and every possible permutation of human relationships. People are complicated, relationships are complicated, sometimes enough is enough and we just have to accept it, not shove it into a box. In fact, that is part of the message of this story, which is why I found it odd and a little jarring for there to nonetheless be such a focus on these labels. Labels can be a double-edged sword; if you box away a specific group of experiences under one term, you may be able to study and understand their similarities better, but inherently in that separation, whether you want to or not, you start to lose some of the greater context and the shades of grey along the borders you've defined, the flexibility to come and go as you please, to filter in and out as you need. But I suppose since part of this manga's purpose is specifically LGBT education, it makes sense for these things people know less about to be included, and especially in this case I would choose to opt for over-inclusion rather than under-inclusion.

Overall — very educational, heartfelt, and accessible to any reader, making for a great tool to learn about or explore asexual or LGBT+ identity. Would recommend to anyone curious.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

--

pre-review:

wholesome; educational; extremely comforting to read, for someone who has struggled their whole life to understand their gender and sexuality. genuinely would recommend for anyone who has wondered if they might be asexual, or otherwise might not fit neatly into a boxed-up identity, whatever that may be. my heart feels lighter <33

I loved how the book explained the aspects of asexuality and how it is a spectrum. The only reason why I rated it 4 stars was because I felt that it could have been more intriguing.

I want to thank NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a copy of this manga. At first, I thought it would be a silly and goofy read about love, but it turned out to be so much more than that.

The story follows a girl's coming-of-age journey, who has not yet fallen in love, does not experience sexual urges, and could possibly identify as asexual. It's fascinating to see her perspective on life and love. I appreciate how Uta Isaki explored asexuality and helped me understand it better. I also loved that the protagonist had friends who supported her and belonged to the same umbrella.

I particularly enjoyed the professor and the guy she called Senpai, as they were great mentors who helped the protagonist realize that it's okay not to be okay and that it's fine to be just the way she is, without conforming to society's so-called "normal."

The only thing that bothered me was that some frames had too many words, and I had to zoom in to read them properly.

Overall, I found this manga to be educational and enjoyable, and I would love to explore the topic more.

This single-volume manga follows university first-year Chika as she realises her identity as asexual, challenges perceptions of 'normal' and forges relationships and friendships her way. I loved this manga!

It is definitely more educational than story-based, but it works- especially since asexual representation is still so limited in the young adult genre- there's such a lack of asexual main characters especially! I loved that they showed different types of asexuality through the side characters as well, and the characters felt whole and not limited or defined by their asexuality.

Chika learning to reclaim her love of things that fall outside the narrow boundaries of normal and accepted that were imposed on her through childhood was one of my favourite parts and I loved that they did this through a magical girl anime watchathon with her buddies.

Overall a super wholesome and informative read! I think this would be. a super valuable and positive read especially for any young teens that are questioning their identity, or anyone that wants to learn more about asexuality in general.

Thank you for giving me this eARC to review.

Sadly this manga had sexual assault in it which was mentioned in the synopsis/notes of the ARC, however it does have the content warning within the book.

I wasn't able to read it due to this but I did have a quick glance to look at the art which is very nice and I am happy that the content warning is at the beginning of the book so it can warn readers. I am giving this a 3 stars as I cannot fully review it but the art was nice and the premise sounded good,

Eye opening book to the Lgbta+ world we live in. Chika feels uncomfortable in the thought of love, not finding attraction or the want for making love, it takes time to come to terms with certain thoughts and feelings for her towards others.

I'd heard of asexual but didn't know what it meant, I now have more of an understanding. I feel this book shows a good understanding of each orientation and wish people well finding love and relationships - if they want them.

Bit of a hard one for me to review as I'm straight and can't imagine the potential upset of coming out/feeling not in the right body/not feeling attractions to others. It's something I will look into more to make my understanding better.