This is a really bittersweet and ultimately nice story about a boy who can see ghosts and the ghost you ends up following him home and "haunting" his apartment. The pacing, both storytelling and art-wise could have been better, but it still hit that sweet spot for me. Some of the panels are hard to follow and the dialogue is clunky (combined with some interesting typesetting choices to have to fit with said panels that all together feel jarring), but not enough to really throw me out. I wish there had been more of a leadup to the last couple chapters; we seem to be thrown into the result rather that the slower beginning. I also don't know how accurate it is to say that Iku can see ghosts, since Sei seems to be the only ghost that he really sees. Anyway, a cute oneshot that I enjoyed reading.

23:45 tells the story of certified otaku Iku who one day meets Mimori, a ghost. Mimori comes to hang out at Iku's place every day from then on.

"Loneliness attracts the lonely."

This was a bittersweet BL romance story. The art style is a typical shoujo manga art style which fits the subject. The premise of this is intriguing and I liked how the ending of this was handled.

"...I won't ever let you die again."

However I would have liked the pacing to be a bit more even throughout. The beginning is slower, but then the story really speeds up towards the end and things move very quickly. I also found the dialogue a bit clunky.

Overall the story is quite cute, and I can see fans of BL stories enjoy this. Ohana takes familiar elements, but combines them in interesting ways.

Iku moved to Tokyo 2 months ago, which hasn't given him much time to get to know anyone from work or school. In unrelated news, upon moving to Tokyo, he finds that he can now see ghosts. One of the ghosts he passes by every day is on a bridge, just leaning on the rail and staring out into the distance. As Iku becomes distracted by staring at the somewhat attractive bridge ghost, he runs into someone, scatting his belongings. In the chaos and then the bridge ghost talking to him, Iku runs away and leaves something behind. The ghost follows Iku to his home just to return Iku's comic. It is a simple gesture of kindness and maybe a dollop of loneliness that leads to an unexpected friendship.

#ThxNetGalley #Ohana

Honestly, the premise is promising, a loner otaku boy who can see a ghost, and they start to be friends after accidentally interact with each other. But I feel like the pace is a bit rushed and the timeline is confusing. I had to go back several pages to understand which one happens now and which one happens in the past. I'm an avid manga reader and I think this wasn't done well. I appreciate the drawing style though. But the story could be better in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

23:45 is a supernatural tale about Iku, an otaku, who gains the ability to see ghosts. One day, he sees a ghost named Mimori on a bridge and both realize they can interact with each other. This sends Iku on a journey to figure out what happened to Mimori and help him escape from his endless loop. I felt this should have been two volumes to give the story a chance to breathe. I felt it was very rushed at times and a bit confusing when we kept switching between the past and the present. I also felt the relationship was super rushed due to the lack of scenes with the characters in the present. I think if you like supernatural stories, this might work for you but it did not work for me.

"23:45" by Ohana is a manga about a college student named Iku, who falls in love with a ghost that only he can see.

This manga is heartwarming, cute, and beautifully drawn. The story is engaging, and the characters are relatable.

I highly recommend this manga! I definitely want to continue reading this manga series!

Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha, for sending me an ARC of "23:45"! It comes out 03/11/2025!

*Thanks to Net Galley and Kodansha Comics for e-arc*

This was such an interesting story. This story explores grief and depression and I thought it did it well. I loved reading bls were the boys heal as they fall in love with each other.

A sweet love story between a shy 'otaku' and a 'spirit' he meets on a bridge. This story is not particularly novel or mysterious. In fact, most experienced readers will be able to guess at the 'secret' of Mimori's ghostly nature well before the halfway mark. But what sets this 'ghost story ' apart are the characters and interactions of Iku and Mimori. I loved how Iku is so determined to be a loner, but is defeated by his own kind-heartedness. Mimori's struggles in his former life are also easy to connect with. All in all, I found myself in love with this cute not-couple.

3.5/5 stars

I recall when this book was released in German and I almost picked it up but ultimately gave it a pass. My main reasons were that standalone manga rarely live up to my expectations due to their length and something felt off about the cover. Now with an upcoming English release, I thought it's time to give it a try. My original reasons for not picking it up were partially debunked: I might not be a huge fan of the cover but the art inside is beautiful. There was something very soft with how the gradients were added and it was all around very aesthetically pleasing.

For a standalone, it definitely wasn't poorly done. I liked the general premise of this plot - somewhat socially awkward loner can see a ghost who more or less becomes his room mate. It's quit fun, although the solution of the main issue was quite easy to guess as it seems to be one of the most common ways out for these kinds of stories. It was nonetheless well nuanced in terms of background and issues both main characters face. However, it does suffer from being a standalone [ignoring the sequel which was tacked on later] - the pacing feels a little off and it sometimes read as a fan translation. I don't actually believe that this is a translation issue but rather an issue with how the original is delivered. There's a certain sense of scenes jumping around that can feel confusing.

I was also not entirely on board with the romance. On one hand it was cute and there was definitely a bond growing between the two main characters. But for the short time we see them, it felt more like friendship than romance. There is also an intimate scene comparatively early on which was not graphic at all but still felt very out of place; it didn't seem driven by lust and the romance didn't feel like it had developed far enough for this to happen which made it seem a little random. Despite having a good guess of what the conclusion might be, it wasn't a bad one and yet I felt it was lacking.

Although this may seem like a largely critical review, I do think it's perfectly readable and not a bad manga to pick up for fans of the genre.

It was a cute BL manga with a good ending. Some things in my opinion could have been explained better. But overall, would highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC!

I went into this with high hopes because bl between ghost and otaku sounds right up my street, but unfortunately it did not live up to this at all. There were major gaps between events that meant there was just no context for what was happening and why

I was not expecting this story to be as heavy as it was. It delves deep into so many emotions including loneliness, guilt, and grief, exploring these topics in a unique way. A great read.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

THEMES: ghosts, death, loss, grief, fear of losing someone, mentions of potential suicide and suicide attempt


Iku Kurihara moved to Tokyo two months ago. He's an otaku – an anime fan – and has just started being able to see ghosts! The first ghost he's been able to interact with is Mimori Seo, a boy his age who has somehow found himself trapped in a death-loop, reliving his death every night, and eventually falls into tagging along with Kurihara, to the point where he begins staying in his apartment.

23:45 is a VERY emotional, beautiful story! I was SO invested in this story, both the mystery of what really happened to Mimori and the tentative romance that began to develop between Kurihara and Mimori. I loved the concept of a second chance at life, at love, at friendship. It also felt like they were both getting a second chance at love, just not with each other as is typical.

This book ending was quite open-ended but it felt right and realistic. Although I REALLY hope there will be another volume.

What an absolutely great read this was. I really enjoyed all the silly moments but the undertone of sadness really pulled at my heart strings too. I thought this was so well done and the art is also great. My only complaint is I wanted more, which is always the case with one shot manga for me 🤣

It was a quick and easy read. I liked the story line and plot twist. The art was pretty as well, which might not matter to some, but to me its a make or break kinda thing when picking up a manga. It ends on a pretty hopeful note and I will definitely continue if there will be future volumes.

This is a slow, drifty story equal parts mystery and romance. Focused more on the slow burn of the relationship between Iku and Mimori as Iku comes to terms with his fears about getting too close to real people, with how easily words hurt and how easy it is to to hurt other people back. As introspective as the manga is, it’s very wordy, with lots of introspection on Iku’s part, and long, thoughtful conversations between the two young men.

The ending is hopeful, pleasantly cheesy, and for all that the pace is so languid, it’s easy to read. I’m not sure I liked it enough to recommend it, though, unless you’re already a fan of this author’s other work, or are looking for something a little more philosophical and internal.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was my first time reading a manga, so it took me a while to get into it and even by the end, the page layouts still felt a bit confusing to me; however, that is definitely a me problem.
Storywise I thought it was really cute: a college student meets a ghost and they start hanging out. It was nice to read, but quite a bit of it to me felt like "filler content" that did not add much to the story.
Overall I would still say I enjoyed it, though.