Category: Romance

Manga of the Month: My Summer of You

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My Summer of You by Nagisa Furuya

My Summer of You is a sweet, moving BL romance about two film buffs. The story is set over two volumes: The Summer of You and The Summer With You, each of which are distinct. In the first, we see their connection in high school. In the second, the two boys are navigating their new relationship in college.

Wataru and Chiharu became friends last summer when they discovered each other’s love for film. Now they spend multiple days a month going to the movies together. When Wataru inquisitively asks Chiharu if he has a crush on anyone, Chiharu admits he has feelings for Wataru. But before Wataru can formulate a response, Chiharu suggests he not worry about it and instead asks him to accompany him on a film pilgrimage over the summer. While they visit movie locations, Wataru sorts through his own feelings, but Chiharu seems to be leaving some things unsaid.

Wataru is enthusiastic but unsure of himself, while Chiharu has a quiet confidence. The shared love of movies is more than mere window-dressing for the story, too. Furuya depicts the bond of a shared hobby with charm and authenticity. And Wataru and Chiharu’s personalities come through in their movie discussions.

Depicted through a series of heart-warming vignettes, all set in summer naturally, My Summer of You is a perfect seasonal romance.

-Kate

Manga of the Month: A Sign of Affection

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A Sign of Affection by Suu Morishita

“Ever since you showed up and widened my world it feels like even my breath is a different color. I want this to be love. I choose love.“

Cute and fashionable Yuki has made her college debut. She is spreading her wings, expanding her world, making new friends, and, when she has a chance encounter with friend of a friend Itsuomi on the train, falling in love for the first time. Itsuomi loves to travel, learn new languages, and has a generally curious nature. With a little encouragement, Yuki decides pursue Itsuomi and put in the effort to get to know him. And Itsuomi finds himself more interested in somewhere (someone) closer to home than he ever has before.

Yuki is a Deaf character who uses a hearing aid. The manga incorporates many different forms of communication: sign language, speech, lip reading, writing, and texting. Each way is portrayed in a specific way. There’s also notes from Morishita about the way they’ve depicted sign language, the different forms of sign, and real-life details about living without hearing.

The romance in A Sign of Affection is the swoony, stomach butterflies kind. Every time Yuki and Itsuomi have a close moment, the pages illuminate; the intimate moments are stretched out and indulged in. This is my favorite current romance manga and winter is the perfect time to pick up this cozy love story!

-Kate

Manga of the Month: Kowloon Generic Romance

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Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki

While the story of Kowloon Generic Romance does take place in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City, it is anything but generic.

Real estate agents Kujirai and Kudou work side-by-side day in and day out at Wong Loi Realty Co. dealing with eccentric residents and maintaining the properties around the neighborhood. There’s more than a little sexual tension brimming between the two but Kujirai isn’t quite sure what to make of Kudou or her feelings for him.

Kowloon Walled City is a character itself. Based on the real area which was demolished in 1993, Mayuzuki brings the walled city back to life in vivid detail using a nostalgic 1980s art style. An immensely crowded place filled with shops, restaurants, apartments, vice, crime, and maze-like corridors, it is a place that has inspired endless curiosity. In the KGR version, the neighborhood is also dealing with two corporations trying to exert their influence on it. The walled city is a place where the past, present, and future collide.

From the start you’ll figure out that the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek as little details about the setting are just off. And by the end of volume one the story really starts to reveal itself. Honestly, I hope I have you intrigued because I don’t want to give away too much. As soon as I finished the first book, I wanted to read it again with the new information.

Part romance, part comedy, part science-fiction, part mystery, Kowloon Generic Romance blends so many things that it becomes hard to define but it all intertwines mirroring the walled city’s mesmerizing existence.

-Kate