high school romance

“There’s no special name for events like these, and they’ll never win you a medal. But these ‘stupid things’ and this ‘wasted time’ help decorate the heart. It’s kind of like being able to pick up little pieces of happiness.”

You and I Are Polar Opposites (Volume 8) by Kocha Agasawa

January 29, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Spoilers follow throughout this review! I was sad to see that this was the last volume of this series; while I support not having stories go on past their prime, I feel like there was another three or so volumes left to fully flesh everything out. You and I Are Polar Opposites, as stated in my previous review, follows three pairings of high schoolers who have somewhat opposite personalities, with the understanding that, since this is shoujo manga, they’ll end up together. It’s also about […]

“She’s got a strong will and a kind heart. She’s not just some cutesy princess. It’s as if she sees things differently compared to the rest of us.”

Fall in Love, You False Angels (Volume 4) by Coco Uzuki

January 20, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Light spoilers are in my review below. There’s a bit in a shoujo story where the plot either takes the turn to allowing the main characters to get together or the author decides to string the reader along for an unknown amount of time. We’ve reached Volume 4 of Fall in Love, You False Angels and we’ve entered stringing me along for no good reason territory. The basic plot of this series is that Otogi is the picture perfect, most popular girl in school, but this […]

Some Really Delightful High School Manga

Here and There and Us (Volume 1) by Thanat

January 13, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Futekiya has been publishing BL titles that are only really sold at Kinokuniya (and online), so once a month I wander to the bookstore and see what awaits me. Here and There and Us is a real treat and an example of why I end up buying somewhat random books that fall into my interest areas — this first volume is a real delight, with a compelling narrative and fluid, lovely cartooning. It’s also a thick edition for only $15.99 and the pages are dense, so […]

“I wish times like this could last forever..” — some sweet high school romance manga

You and I Are Polar Opposites (Vol. 7) by Kocha Agasawa

January 8, 2026 by GentleRain 2 Comments

Another series of manga that I really enjoy, You and I Are Polar Opposites initially followed Suzuki and Tani’s developing relationship and has now branched out to have three sets of people we’re following. Suzuki is outgoing and cheerful, while Tani is shy and nerdy, and at this point they have been together a year and are in a sweet relationship. They’re probably my favorite duo just because I like their level of communication and support of each other, as well as Suzuki’s fun character. Natsumi […]

“Better to regret trying something than to regret never doing anything at all!” — Sweet High School Romances

Hoteri Hotette First Kiss by Coco Uzuki

January 5, 2025 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

This is a very sweet volume of four short stories, each centering around high schoolers having their first kiss and first relationships. There is a nice variety of relationships offered here, from two shy nerds to a cool upperclassman and a serious girl in a calligraphy club. Each of them has to work their way through misunderstandings and nerves to get to the first kiss. I liked that after the first kiss, the continuing development of the relationships was shown and the importance of communication […]

At least it was free

Jack and Andrew: Hope (A Southern Thing) by Samuel York

July 18, 2023 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

CBR15bingo: Strange Worlds square – Evangelical Christianity in America and pray the gay away Jack is what his father calls “a man’s man.” Jack is the son of an evangelical Christian preacher and the oldest of ten children. He is terrified of his father and doubly terrified of what his father would do if he ever finds out that Jack likes guys. Jack’s youngest sibling, Billy, loves dressing up in girls’ clothes, wearing his mother’s pink lipstick, and playing ballerina. Jack watches over him, constantly […]

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