‘Is Love the Answer?’ is an enjoyable coming-of-age manga that explores Chika’s journey as she questions her sexuality identity and how she comes to identify as asexual.

The story begins with Chika in high school where she notices that unlike her peers she doesn’t feel sexual or romantic attraction towards others. She struggles to come to terms with the fact that she isn’t what society considers “normal”. When Chika attends university, there she finds people who help her explore and better understand who she is.

A continuous encouragement in the story is that sexual identity and gender can be fluid; they can change and evolve over the span of our life, meaning just because we identify as one thing now doesn’t mean we could always identify as the same thing later in life.

Another thing i really thought was important was the challenging of the concept of what is truly considered to be “normal”. What one could understand to be normal does not necessarily mean another could think the same. Society’s perception of “normal” has a lot to do with ‘societal norms’, though that is something that constantly changes as society itself evolves.

The character development was lovely, I enjoyed reading Chika’s journey. A complete story that is worth the read, especially if you want to learn more information on asexual and the ace spectrum.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning:
- sexual assault (within the first chapter)

A beautiful look into the life of someone discovering their identity as an asexual person and finding a community that can support them, regardless of understanding. A must read for anyone who feels other than “normal” in the world.

It’s really nice to see aro/ace representation in books or manga and this was a great read.

I liked the main character and her diverse group of friends.

This was such a lovely read .
It does come with trigger warnings though.
I loved the main character.
As an asexual person myself I really connected to the character.
I really liked the gay character too .

Uta really captured what it’s like to be lgbtqia+ and what’s known in Japan as x gender .
I love manga and this was right up there with my favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This short little manga is so sweet! It centers around an aroace character AND includes several queer side characters who are all represented in such positive and authentic ways. It also contains really valuable information about asexuality and would be a fantastic read for anyone wondering about their own sexuality and gender identity.

My only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I would love to read more of Chika's story, or more about the various side characters.

Publication date (English edition): Jan 17, 2023

This was an enjoyable manga/graphic novel. The entire story is contained in one volume so it’s a fast and accessible read. The art was well done, clear, and readable. The story was fun and compelling, if a little rushed and short. A lot of the characters and plot points could have been better developed (overall it would have benefitted from being longer) but at the same time the whole package was satisfying.

The main plotline was about Chika discovering and coming to terms with her identity and asexuality and it was handled very well. This was both informative and also entertaining and succeeded in striking a good balance between the two. Beyond the core story they also tackled a lot of other topics and there was a lot of content packed into these pages.

Other topics covered in addition to asexuality:
-The legal complications of non-standard relationships, a particular issue for the queer community that is often ignored. Marriages being used outside of the expected ways.
-The importance of friendships and found family.
-Dynamics of fandoms and niche interests, and how a person’s interests do not define them.
-The complicated nature of sexual identity (not just asexual) and how many people don’t fit into a neat little box.
-The complicated nature of relationships and how different people will have different ideas and definitions of what a relationship should look like and how it should function.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent manga/book. Chika feels like an Alien at the start of the book. She ends up on a journey to learn more about her Gender and Sexual Identity, Along the way she learns Acceptance, Acceptance about herself and others. This has great LGBTQIA+ representation.

Happy to recommend this to others.


TW: Attempted Sexual Assault

I would like to thank NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this one, and I can easily add this to my recommendation list about queer, specifically aroace representation. The only nuance I can pick up, that might cause some irritation for more experienced readers, is the conflict that our protagonist thinks a lot about asexuality and is experiencing with that label, meanwhile the title suggests aromantic representation having bigger influence.

The main positive - apart from the obvious, giving some needed entry level representation about asexual experience - for me was how much effort the main character, Chika, put into communicating after her eye opening discussion with a university professor and a rash but sharp flatmate. How she handles some conflicts could be a blueprint for irl couples redefining their expectations and reaching a peaceful end goal. I also appreciated the importance the story plays on supporting groups, let it be her new flatmates or university group where she can experience being not only ace, but liking "not age appropriate" anime. How refreshing! Also, incredibly funny at points.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this manga!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐

This was a wholesome manga about asexuality and relationships, encouraging quite healthy mindsets until the end.

😍 The good:
Nice graphics, blending reality with fantasy. This approaches a topic with which some people can relate with, and the conversations surrounding it are great to learn from. The book is also quite inclusive, not being limited to talks about asexuality, but broadening on the LGBTQ+ experience.

😅 The not-so-good:
The characters and their interactions were not that nicely built, it was all so brief that it lacked some background to me. I somehow expected more of a story, but it felt like it leaned towards nonfiction due to the many details that weren't related to a plot.

I really liked the book.
The way the character explored, dealt with the world and how open she was to getting to know herself.
The secondary characters, especially the housemate and friends, were really fantastic. I loved hearing their experiences and understanding them.
I really liked that the main character was not the norm, and that she continues to try to understand herself and accept that she can change.
I thought it was a very good book to read and that it helped to understand this side of sexuality.
It's fun, but it also makes you feel, and the drawings throughout the book are stunning, letting the characters' personalities come through and letting us feel the character.

I recommend it, it was really good.

The asexual spectrum contains many different possibilities (asexuality, aromanticism, demisexuality, etc... some of us are sex repulsed, some are not... and it sometimes comes with a complicated relationship with gender) and representation is still limited, so it is always refreshing to find more of it in hopes more people can see themselves in it. This comic was a light, fun reading for both people looking for more ace representation and people looking for a bit of education.

The use of cute UFO and space imagery is a funny way to convey the feeling of alienation for a-spec people in a world so focused on romance and sex, even though it only lasts for a bit and gets abandoned.

In its core, 'Is love the answer?' is another story about queer people finding each other and creating community while defying assumptions of what is normal in their society. The main character has a whole journey from forcing herself to fit in to actually consider herself and her own happiness over social expectations, not only about her gender and sexuality, but also about her age and hobbies. Even the concept of sexuality being fluid through time and the possibility of changing labels over time is beautifully addressed.

It loses a star for me because at certain points it felt a bit like reading a textbook, too technical and dense, which can drive casual readers away. It also casually name-drops concepts like lithosexuality or queerplatonic relationships, which is a bit of a double edged-sword: it can be seen as normalising, but for people with only mainstream knowledge, it can feel like a lot for stuff that is not even relevant for the plot.

Firstly it’s nice that this exists and there are tons of people who will love this and benefit from it.

I personally found it a bit too info dumpy for my liking, the characters felt flat and there was no real plot outside of asexuality 101.

A lot of good convos around fluidity, expectations etc I just feel like the way it was delivered made it come across entirely educational as oppose to fiction with ace rep.

This manga managed to make a compelling story and be a great introductory look into Asexuality and Aromanticism! At points, it does feel a bit like "Asexuality 101" but seeing as the main character has zero knowledge of Asexuality, it comes off more naturally. The story shows Chika's beginning of her journey of figuring out both her sexuality and her romanticism. She slowly learned there are levels to sexuality, and even in romance, everyone is different. This book was so well written, and every character was believable. I also liked how it made it clear that Asexuality and Aromanticism are two different things! I've read a few other stories centered on Asexuality, and most of them act as if Aromanticism is the same thing. It's not, they are very different. The story also has other characters who have struggled with their LGBTQA identities, and what they went through trying to force themselves to conform to heteronormativity. I feel like anyone who is just figuring out they are Asexual or someone wanting to understand Asexuality better should read this manga! The art style was also so cute, I really loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

The story has good asexual representation and how its more important what you think than what other people say. That theme is also involved in other characters with other struggles. It is also very informative without being too dense so the story has a nice pace.

There is also a nice friend group and a supportive teacher.

Overall a ver good story about self discovery and trying to understand other people.

As someone who is asexual and on the aromantic spectrum, when I saw the synopsis of this I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. In some ways it feels 101 but I think that works really well for the story and Chika’s journey because she is starting from zero knowledge. I love the aspect of community and friendship throughout and the way their support helps Chika grow more confident and assured in her own personal journey. I think this is a great addition to asexual stories/manga and I’m so glad it exists.

Wow! This manga was so much more than I expected it to be! It is such a great depiction of a person coming to terms with their sexuality. I love how asexuality was discussed and how well it was portrayed. I loved all of the main characters and I really loved the little friends group they made and how the MC was accepted by them and not judged.
A brilliant manga! It left me wanting to read more by the author!

Is Love The Answer? was a reflection on what society oftentimes deems as ‘normal’, a depiction of the difficulties many face when feeling like they don’t fit into these perfect little boxes we’ve created.
Chika represents all new adults who, as they grow, try to find their place among others, try to find themselves in this ever-changing world.

I might not resonate with Chika’s story, I don’t identify as either asexual or aromantic, but I can empathize with her internal struggles, with her feelings of alienation from her peers, with trying to just fit in and be ‘normal’.

Although the subject of this visually gorgeous manga is important and relevant, the execution lost me a little. It was very informative, but almost too much so. Chika’s journey of self-discovery gets lost among the plethora of definitions and explanations. As necessary as it is to inform of all the possible sexualities and genders, I came here for Chika’s story.

The moral of this story, the lovely final message this leaves you with is one I deeply agree with, and for that alone this deserves four stars. The message is one of self-love, normalizing not being normal, putting value in our differences, that there is no right answer, and no one can tell you who you are except you.

An emotional and accurate story on what’s it’s like to grow up asexual in a world that will make you feel like an alien because of how love worlds for you. Truly amazing story with beautiful artwork

I've been wanting to read this one for a while, so I was excited to get a copy from netgalley. It is very rare that there's any good, thoughtful ace rep in media, particularly in manga. Ace characters are typically played for laughs and othered, so when something comes along giving an honest, real depiction of an asexual character, it's worth reading. Chika feels like an alien, she doesn't understand her boy-crazy, romance driven friends, and her few attempts at dating tend to end in disaster. Afraid of being abnormal her whole life, she enters college to study psychology and learn to be normal. This is derailed when she finds herself befriending new, diverse, people who help her discover her identity and process that she's not alien, she's just Chika. Like her, I didn't even hear the term asexual until college, and it took many years after that to really fully comes to terms and understanding of a label that fits (like Chika, I am aroace). So, watching Chika's development really resonated with my own experiences. I liked the characters, the art was great, and the handling of LGBTQ topics was done very well. I highly recommend this book.

Is Love the Answer? is a manga about a new college student who realises that she's asexual and aromantic whilst finding friends who understand her. Chika has felt like an alien, and in high school felt the pressure to be in a romantic relationship. When she goes to college, she finally meets people who can understand her differences, and she's introduced to ideas of asexuality and aromanticism, whilst learning to understand that she doesn't have to fit the definitions perfectly as there's many versions of any sexuality.

This is a cute coming of age story set at a Japanese college that explores not only Chika's confusion and desire to understand herself, but also supporting characters and their different experiences of sexuality, desire, and romance. It could delve further into different experiences, but it does work well being short and easy to read in one sitting. The manga offers a range of models for sexuality, whilst also emphasising, particularly in the notes at the end, that there's a plethora of experiences. It's relatable for people who've had similar experiences, especially during life changes like going to university, and ideal for manga fans exploring ideas of sexuality.