Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this novel.

Ah lads, everything about this manga is honestly annoying, didn’t even realise this is a harem even. It’s honestly the worst 😫😫😫

★★★★☆ (3.95/5)**

Masakuni Igarashi's "Tune in to the Midnight Heat 1" is a captivating journey that expertly blends elements of mystery and emotional depth. The narrative pulls you in from the very first page, with a unique premise that keeps you guessing. Igarashi's writing style is both engaging and evocative, painting vivid scenes that immerse the reader in the story's atmosphere.

The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own complexities and motivations that add layers to the plot. I particularly appreciated how the author explores themes of connection and introspection, making the reader reflect on their own experiences.

While the pacing is generally well-handled, there are moments where the story feels a bit slow, which might test the patience of some readers. However, the rich character development and intriguing plot twists more than compensate for these minor lulls.

Overall, "Tune in to the Midnight Heat 1" is a thought-provoking read that leaves you eager for more. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that combines suspense with emotional resonance.

This was a very cute manga. The characters were fun and cute even when the main was being annoying, which was meant to be. The story line flowed nicely and at a good pace, as well as the characters forming connections at a good pace. I will look into reading volume 2 for sure!

Imagine taking Nisekoi, tossing it into the present day, and sprinkling in some digital-age charm—this is what you get.

Our protagonist? A modern gentleman equipped with top-tier "rizz" skills, charming his way through a cast of girls ranging from VTubers to idols, announcers, and voice actresses. Yes, it’s heavy on the voice appeal—some might even call it a full-blown voice fetish. And honestly? It works.

The real question isn’t if there will be a winner—it’s when. (Spoiler: Probably not until the final chapter. No, this isn't 100 Kanojo.)

If you’re not already hooked, this probably isn’t your thing—especially if harem dynamics or the whole "voice appeal" angle doesn’t do it for you.

But if you're into charming (and obviously legal) boys with that errand-running, do-it-all energy, paired with a crew of adorable and ambitious girls, then give this one a shot. It’s quirky, cute, and surprisingly self-aware.

Off the bat, I think this series has a very interesting premise and explores an underrated art form through voice acting and radio announcements. I also think that the wordplay is successful, considering that this is a translation from a Japanese manga; I found that the puns did come off quite effectively! I also like that there are practical elements such as understanding enunciation and tone from each different character, and I think that each character is well defined and distinct from within the harem. Lastly, I like that it avoids the classic ecchi fanservice tropes that most harem comedies will throw.
That being said, I'm having trouble liking Yamabuki as a protagonist; while he comes across as a genuine fan of the girls and offers critical advice to each of them, he has very weak motivations as a character. It would have been great if he only had a desire to meet Apollo, rather than considering his remarks as a stain on his otherwise perfect career. It's hard to like him when he comes across as a rich Mary Sue (having had money to provide the girls upgraded equipment through his stocks), and how he considers the club and others as beneath him (his opening scene did not leave a favourable impression on any of his classmates, let alone the reader). His toilet-humour quirk is also rather cringey at times, even when he means it as a way to break through to others. While these qualities can be redeemed as the story progresses, it is hard to root for him because of the way these qualities come together as a character.
That being said, I did enjoy seeing the relationships develop, and it was clever how the author progressed each girl's story piece by piece, so that the series becomes more episodic. Ultimately I have mixed feelings about this manga, but I think that there may be enough potential in it to pull off a successful story.

Tune In to the Midnight Heart is a quiet, atmospheric read that mixes soft romance with a touch of the supernatural. Volume 1 sets a mellow tone, drawing you in with its calm pacing and emotional undercurrents. The characters are gentle and introspective, and the art has a dreamy vibe that fits the mood perfectly. It’s not super fast-paced or flashy, but it has a kind of quiet charm if you’re in the mood for something low-key and heartfelt.

Next year, harem rom-com manga Tune In to the Midnight Heart is getting an anime adaptation. Fortunately for curious fans, Kodansha will be releasing the manga in English next month! And we’ve got an early look at the first volume.

Join us as we dive into the story of a boy searching for his lost love. The good news is, she’s right in front of him. The bad news is, she could be any of four girls in his school’s new broadcasting club!

The Setup
Finding the voice

Tune In to the Midnight Heart focuses on Arisu Yamabuki, a perfectionist from an esteemed family. His all-boys high school has just merged with a local all-girls high school. And according to Yamabuki, he’s looking for a girlfriend. But that’s not strictly the truth. Yes, he’s looking for a girl. But a specific one. Whom he knows only by voice.

Several years prior, Yamabuki listened to a webcast hosted by a girl known only as “Apollo.” He was often her only listener, and he fell in love with her from afar. Now, with this merging of schools, he’s certain he’s found her. Sort of. She’s one of four girls in the school’s broadcast club. And it really could be any of them.

Meet the Girls
Who is Apollo?

Four girls also star in Tune In to the Midnight Heart. And between their career goals and respective vocal talents, any of them could be Apollo. Student council VP Shinobu aims to be an announcer. The shy Iko wants to be a VTuber. The outgoing Rikka has plans to become a singer. And the manga-loving Nene aspires to be a voice actress. All four of these paths are careers Apollo has considered. And at least one aspect of each girl’s vocal delivery is a match for Apollo.

To get closer to all four and find out who’s who, Yamabuki volunteers to underwrite the club. Not only will he pay for their equipment, he’ll also set them on the path to success. With close observation, he hopes to unmask Apollo. But Apollo recognizes him. She knows who he is, and she loves him too. But, at least for now, she keeps her secret.



A Secret Romance
Love across the airwaves

Tune In to the Midnight Heart has a lot in common with The Quintessential Quintuplets right off the bat. While our male protagonist is in a harem situation, only one of these girls is the one he’s looking for. Motivations aside, he is going out of his way to help them succeed and grow in their chosen fields. And, as we see at the end of Volume 1, this story is told in flashback. Apollo and Yamabuki will get together. Someday.

This is a very cute series, even if Yamabuki does start off pretty irritating. He’s got the potential to grow, as we see even in these early chapters. And readers who are less into traditional harem narratives might find themselves enjoying this one. After all, it’s not so much about one guy getting fawned over pointlessly. Rather, the couple exists. It’s just a matter of finding it. The manga hails from Masakuni Igarashi, who also wrote Senryu Girl. That genuine earnestness and sweetness carries over, even under a “harem” label.

Tune In to the Midnight Heart Vol. 1 goes on sale May 6.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This was not much my kind of story and when I cannot get into a story at all I really don't have much to say, but i can see others maybe liking this more then me

Boy goes school look for a girl and finds all these different girls

3.5.

First off I enjoyed this more than I thought. My experience with manga harem stories is from like 200 versions of Tenchi Muyo, Love Hina, etc. Quirky humorous stories that are usually lighthearted and kinda middle of the pack manga. I felt Midnight fell into this category. It was enjoyable. I snorted quite a few times with laughter and I’m looking forward to the next book, but it’s not a full captivation where I absolutely have to get my hands on the next one immediately.

What I did like about this is our Mail main character is absolutely a trip. He has such a strange character with no filter and a skewed view of himself as perfect, but he also does have qualities and confidence beyond any normal teenager. At first, I honestly thought this was a bit misogynistic, but in the lit shepherds of the book, the girls absolutely start calling out his nonsense for what it is and I appreciate that. Every time he starts being absurd, they put him in his place leaving him baffled as he seems unable to understand how he can be anything other than perfect. The fact that he does kinda start learning he’s not doing everything the right way was appreciated. And this is just early days in the series AND it’s a comedy. So the fact that he’s kind of book smart but social aptitude idiot makes most of the humor here. I would recommend for people that enjoy this type of quirky harem style manga.

Finally a note on the translation. I have a masters in Japanese and Japanese culture studies but even I really appreciate when publishers take time to note cultural or linguistic points that just translations alone don’t give background on. I think this book did a solid job of that. I recently read another book published by the same publisher that did not have that, and likely the translator with someone different but in that case, it was absolutely awful and I ended up giving the book one star. If I was reading this book on translation quality alone, I would give it five.

Thanks to Netgally for the ARC.

Arisu is on a quest to find the girl behind the radio 🎧 the voice he fell in love with years ago 💘 His interactions with the all-girl broadcast club at school were absolutely hilarious 😂 Watching him go above and beyond to help each girl on the team while trying to figure out which one is his Apollo 🌟 was both heartwarming and funny 🥹 The manga ended on a cliffhanger 😱 and I seriously can't wait to read Volume 2 📚

This is my honest opinion of the ARC I received. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity 🙏✨

Arisu found an online broadcaster, Apollo, who he instantly connected with. Years passed and Apollo stopped broadcasting. But Arisu still seeks her perfect voice everywhere. When the local girls high school conjoins with his and he meets a pro group of broadcasters, he feels he finally has a chance to hear her voice again. I really hope this story pans out and he’s able to find Apollo. I also really hope they develop a relationship. This story is refreshing and funny & I can’t wait to read the next volume. I also really enjoyed the artwork.

the story follows arisu - a rich kid who sets out to uncover the identity of a mysterious girl known as "apollo". captivated by her voice during her live streams, he is determined to find her. his search takes him to his newly co-ed high school’s broadcasting club, where he suspects she might be hiding.

the premise is very intriguing and i was excited to embark on the journey of finding the long-lost voice. however, from the start i was caught off guard by the unlikeable protagonist. he's extremely self-centered and obsessive, and his behavior was kind of concerning at times - such as transferring schools solely to track down a person he's never even seen and constantly overanalyzing the girls's voices. his arrogance was absolutely insufferable. truly a walking red flag. 🚩🚩
maybe at the end of the book I saw a SLIGHT change but still, he needs to get a grip lol

the story jumped between some moments making it hard to follow at times.
i couldn't really connect to any of the characters, but i'd like to see how they develop in the next volumes.

the art was really good. all 4 girls looked completely different, and i had no problems telling them apart.

the premise was great, but the execution of the story was slightly disappointing.
even though i had a few issues with this book, the plot was intriguing, and i'd consider reading the next volumes.



*thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Masakuni Igarashi for providing me with an ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review.*

What a cute story. Arisu is looking for the voice of the girl he's been in love with since middle school. Apollo is keeping her idenity secret at their ne coed high school! At first I was annoyed by Arisu but once I caught on to his pinning over this voice I started to like him. I am excitd to read the next volume to see who actually is our Apollo!

This was a really cute harem romantic comedy involving music.

Rich kid Arisu finds himself enthralled by the voice of an angel "Apollo" he is determined to find the girl.behind the voice. He even goes to lengths of changing highschools just to find her.

A group of girls in broadcasting club have dreams of being idols could one of them be this mysterious Apollo?

I didn't love this one as much as I wanted but I know people who would.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Masakuni Igarashi for providing me with an ARC of Tune In to the Midnight Heart 1 in exchange for my honest review.

Tune In to the Midnight Heart 1 is a charming harem-style romcom manga that follows Arisu as he embarks on a quest to find the voice of a mysterious girl he once listened to during her live streams, known only by the name “Apollo.” Set in a newly co-ed high school, Arisu’s investigation leads him to the school’s Broadcasting Club, which he believes “Apollo” may be a part of.

This manga is a delightful mix of sweetness and humor, with moments that are both endearing and funny. The artwork perfectly complements the lighthearted tone of the story, bringing the characters and their interactions to life in an engaging way. I found the blend of romance and comedy to be quite refreshing, and I’m eager to see how the story unfolds in the next installment.

I don't know if the main character was supposed to be THAT annoying, but he was. I truly don't know if it was intentional or not, but I couldn't stand him.

On a more positive side, the artwork was good and it was a fast paced book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc

Arisu Yamabuki has two things to go by: a voice and a name. At night, he would listen to the voice of Apollo, a mysterious woman with whom he felt a massive connection. But the voice went silent, and Arisu was left wondering where the girl had gone. As Tune In to the Midnight Heart shows, the boy would do anything to find his Apollo.

It’s why he finds himself at Furin High School, which switched to co-ed after being an all-girls academy. Going by the tiny tidbits Apollo mentioned about herself, Arisu knows that she has to be in this establishment. And then, with the morning announcements coming over the PA system, he believes he has finally found her. Rushing to the Broadcasting Room, Arisu swings the door open and finally comes face-to-face with Apollo.

Of course, if Apollo’s reveal were here, that’d be the end of Tune In to the Midnight Heart. No, sitting around a microphone are four girls, all of whom have similar voices. Shinobu wants to be an announcer, Nene a voice actress, Iko a VTuber, and Rikka a singer. All of them have great voices, but Arisu — who likes to think of himself as a perfectionist — already hears plenty of flaws, and not just because of the bad broadcast equipment. With a promise to bring them up to their potential, Arisu joins the Broadcast Club, all the while trying to find his Apollo.

There’s a good balance of humor and sweetness regarding both the story and the characters. Arisu makes what many would be the worst first impression, going so far as to make even the other new boys suspicious. Never one to hold back, Arisu fills the girls’ ears with complete bluntness over the ways they need to improve. Naturally, the members of the Broadcast Club can throw back the insults as well as they can take them, leaving Arisu emotionally and spiritually scarred.

However, it’s when everyone — even Arisu — works on their flaws where Tune In to the Midnight Heart shows its playing hand. In ways similar to both Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister and We Never Learn, Arisu and the Broadcast Club push to be better versions of themselves. In the first volume, we get glimpses of three of the members doing just that. Shinobu practicing her annunciation, Rikka performing in front of a crowd, and Nene going for a voice acting audition show that these characters are committed to bettering their vocal and confidence skills.

The same can be said about Arisu, who often needs to walk as much as he talks. A great example of this is when he’s listening to Rikka sing and perform. He does this not only to see what level her skills are, but also what he himself needs to do in order to reach that same level. It’s why his act of picking up a guitar and singing his heart out (badly, mind you!) in front of students shows that he’s no pushover when a Broadcast Club member throws his criticisms back at his face.

As for the story involving Nene, pretending to act like a couple to better her acting skills is something we’ve seen done in the past. Granted, it’s presented in a cute and funny fashion, a style that author Masakuni Igarashi perfected with his previous work Senryu Girl. Regarding the outcome of the audition, it’s a situation that occurs almost daily in the voice acting scene, which is pretty much a “shoganai yo” scenario. Nevertheless, it doesn’t push Nene off her road towards voice acting stardom; it merely gives her a gentle push forward in the right direction.

How the first volume of Tune In to the Midnight Heart ends is something of a teaser. It’s apparent that Arisu will find his Apollo. The question is, who is it, and how long will it be before that reveal? A flash forward towards a scenario between Apollo and Arisu is a fine hint for who it will be, but until that situation happens, we are still left in the dark over the true identity of Apollo.

Volume One does a wonderful job setting up the premise, the characters, and their goals. It also helps that the story is very entertaining, as it’s easy to see why Tune In to the Midnight Heart has a good following in Japan. (An anime was announced to be aired for 2026.) Simply put, this is one manga series that’s worth listening in to when broadcast time hits!

I went into Tune In to the Midnight Heart intrigued by its premise - mystery, livestreaming, and the search for a long-lost voice? Sounds promising! Unfortunately, the execution left me feeling more frustrated than entertained.

The story follows Arisu, a arrogant high school student whose only comfort in life once came from the soothing voice of an online streamer known as “Apollo.” But one day, Apollo’s broadcasts abruptly stopped, leaving Arisu desperate for answers. Years later, he’s determined to track down the girl behind the voice, convinced that she must be a student at a particular high school. His plan? Transfer in, infiltrate the broadcasting club, and uncover Apollo’s true identity. Simple enough: except Apollo refuses to reveal herself, and Arisu is left with four possible candidates, none of whom have any patience for his pushy and entitled attitude.

Now, here’s where things fell apart for me. From the start, Arisu is an incredibly unlikable protagonist. He’s obsessive, self-centered, and completely tone-deaf to how unsettling his actions are. Changing schools just to hunt down a stranger? Forcing every girl in the club to say “I love you” so he can analyze their voices? Stalking tendencies dialed up to eleven? Yeah... not exactly the charming, determined lead I was hoping for. His wealth and arrogance only add to the problem, as he believes he can buy his way into the club’s good graces without considering their feelings or ambitions.

The pacing and storytelling didn’t help either. The narrative felt scattered and hard to follow, jumping between moments without clear direction or buildup. While the concept had potential, the execution left me more confused than invested. It was difficult to connect with the characters when the plot seemed to lack cohesion, and at times, I wasn’t even sure what the main focus was supposed to be - was it really a mystery? A slice-of-life drama? A character-driven story? It never fully committed to any of them.

That said, there were a couple of elements I did appreciate. The end-of-volume explanations about Japanese words, phrases, and cultural nuances were a nice touch, adding helpful context that might otherwise be lost in translation. It’s always great when a manga provides deeper insight into language and culture, and I genuinely appreciated that effort. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to redeem the overall reading experience for me.

At the end of the day, "Tune In to the Midnight Heart" had an interesting premise but was ultimately a frustrating read. Between an off-putting main character and a messy, unfocused narrative, I just couldn’t find enough to enjoy. I can’t see myself continuing with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read this volume.

The story is about a boy who attends a specific school to find a girl whose radio show he used to listen to religiously. In fact, he was her only listener, so they had many intimate conversations between just the two of them, and he feels there is unfinished business between them. Once at the school he meets the four girls who comprise the radio club. They all have unique voices, which they intend to use in their future careers. But he's not sure which of them is the girl he's looking for, because his memory of that particular voice has been lost to time. So he takes it upon himself to train the girls to perfection so they can attain their future career goals. He feels qualified to do this because of his background: his family is wealthy and every man of his lineage is, in his mind, without flaw.

I noticed in other reviews that people found the protagonist to be insufferable. He does brag a bit, especially in the beginning of the book, but he shows throughout the story that he has heart and is willing to degrade himself to help the girls out. He's more emotionally mature, I feel, than he lets on. I actually liked him a lot by the end of the manga. If anything rubbed me the wrong way, it's that a male character is coaching female characters to be their best selves. But it's a comedy and I don't think it's really that serious, especially given his failures throughout the story.

The art in this book is fantastic. The four girls all look very different so there's no confusing them. They each have a distinct personality and are easy to tell apart. And I'm finding myself really intrigued by the plot, even though it seems obvious which girl is the one he's truly looking for.

I enjoyed reading this and I would read more of the series.

This harem book follows a boy who once fell in love with a radio voice and potentially finds her at the broadcast club at his new high school. The concept of this manga sounds interesting but the execution falls flat. The main character is full of himself and not likeable (and who talks about soiling himself that much?) It just felt like the book needed more editing to be actually likable.

DNF @ 25%