Koimonogatari
Koimonogatari: Love Stories

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While checking out manga at my local bookstore, I happened to pick up the two volumes of Koimonogatari on a whim. What proceeded was binge reading one of the most enjoyable BL's I have read.

The manga is atypical of typical BL, it doesn't follow many of the BL tropes but acts in a very realistic way. In a sense, it performs more like a Slice of Life with a focus on homosexual characters. While it is probably a tad optimistic of typical real life experiences, it acts for the most part true of life and the characters are true to themselves and their decisions make ... sense. Honestly, I have not seen such realistic characters and character development for a while in Japanese media.

Another plus is the fantastic art style. Every panel is wonderfully drawn and enjoyable to look at, which is also a plus since many BL can have not so great art. I had a great time looking at all the details and how aesthetic the major panels were. Due to the gaps between each chapter, each chapter can also be fairly long compared to typical manga which for me is a plus, but could be a negative if someone seeks a satisfying conclusion and can't wait months for new chapters. This is especially so with this work since it is very much a slow burn.

Overall, I really enjoyed the work and hope good success for the author, and also possibly an anime adaptation as I think it deserves it.

I don't write reviews. In facts, I created this account only to praise this one manga.

This is not your typical BL manga; it's more of a Slice of Life to be honest.
And yet it made me feel a lot more than those fast-paced, sexually connotated BL manga. It felt real. The story unfolded itself naturally.

Now, that would be already good if I only considered the manga style, but I truly believe that this is one of the best depiction I've ever encountered of LGBT representation in literature. I do compare it to Call Me By Your Name and similar titles.

So yeah... that's about ... it.

This manga is weirdly good. I initially thought it would be a quick “MC gets with the hot guy” situation, but no I was completely wrong. Koimonogatari is a slow-burn story of acceptance, friendship and romance, and does all three very well. I rarely give such high scores to manga, but I binged it in one day and immediately reread it, wanting more. However short the manga is, however little chapters are out now, somehow the story stays with you. I really love the wholesome friendship between the characters, but I also love the little moments of fluff or bait the manga throws us. It’s ... a really cute manga.

Some thoughts and nitpicks: the art really changes to a more appealing mainstream style when it changes from the tankoubon to the magazine serialisation, in a good way I guess. Along with the art, the manga is slowly inching towards a typical shoujo/shounen ai towards the end, incorporating some minor tropes (which personally I like, but its up to you).

I like this manga so much I placed it in my favourites after reading it, even though there’s only 21 chapters out… that’s how much it spoke to me.