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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
This may be my new favorite manga. Is Love the Answer? is a gorgeous exploration of sexuality, gender, friendship, love, and societal expectations. I adored the characters, especially the MC, Chika. The vulnerability and curiosity that Chika experiences in her quest to understand her asexuality was so beautifully written. China's emotions and struggles felt genuine and you can't help but like her and root for her to find some solace within herself. Stunning artwork and brilliant characters. I love everything about this.
This was good! It follows main character Chika as she struggles to understand why, unlike some of her peers, she struggles to feel sexual and romantic attraction. Her friends constantly tell her, "you just need the right guy," and, yet, Chika doesn't share the same feelings as her friends no matter who she encounters (I would like to add that there is a CW for attempted sexual assault during one of these encounters). While I'm still figuring out my own identity, I felt for Chika who didn't have the words to describe how she was feeling. She's constantly bombarded with what are considered "societal norms" with complete disregard to how she would be impacted. It isn't until she attends university, that she begins to explore and understand a little more about her gender identity. One part of this story that stood out to me was the reinforcement that our sexual identities and gender identities are fluid. They change and evolve over time and just because you identify as something one day doesn't mean that you will feel that way for the rest of your life. With beautiful character development and artwork, this is a one-shot that I highly recommend picking up. This is great for readers who have enjoyed the graphic novel How To Be Ace as well as the book Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This manga could have done so much more in terms of adding information, decentralising the "necessity" of relationship binaries and not only add information about the term aromantic in the afterword information. Truly a beginner‘s guide to asexuality without much needed depth.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if I knew less about asexuality. It reads more as an intro to asexuality and could be great if you're new to the topic or as one of your first experiences with an aroace character.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Themes / Representation:
College
Friendship
Asexual MC
LGBTQIA+ Characters
Content Warning:
Sexual Assault (Once, at the start of the volume)
What a great way to kick off Pride Month! I was excited to see this manga available on NetGalley as I’m trying to read more LGBTQIA+ manga and also read more Acespec books.
This story follows Chika, a student who is trying to find answers about her gender identity and sexuality in college. After moving into a share house and learning from her Professor and peers, she starts to come to an understanding of how she feels inside.
This was a great introduction to Asexuality and other Acespec identities for those who may be new to the term. It acknowledges that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the Asexual spectrum and people who identify within this label can feel differently from their peers.
This is also a standalone volume, so definitely something I’ll recommend for those starting in the manga format and not looking for a long series.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this manga for me to review.
College
Friendship
Asexual MC
LGBTQIA+ Characters
Content Warning:
Sexual Assault (Once, at the start of the volume)
What a great way to kick off Pride Month! I was excited to see this manga available on NetGalley as I’m trying to read more LGBTQIA+ manga and also read more Acespec books.
This story follows Chika, a student who is trying to find answers about her gender identity and sexuality in college. After moving into a share house and learning from her Professor and peers, she starts to come to an understanding of how she feels inside.
This was a great introduction to Asexuality and other Acespec identities for those who may be new to the term. It acknowledges that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the Asexual spectrum and people who identify within this label can feel differently from their peers.
This is also a standalone volume, so definitely something I’ll recommend for those starting in the manga format and not looking for a long series.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this manga for me to review.
This was so well written, explained things not in a dry way, the story and the meaning intertwined so naturally, very lovely