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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Information
Genre: Contemporary-Drama
Genre: Contemporary-Drama
Demographic: Older Teen (16+)
Length: Standard (256 pages)
Content Advisory:
Moderate: Ace/Aro-phobia, Sexual Assault and Sexual Harrasment
Published by Kodansha in the US and available digitally and physically in comic shops and bookstores internationally.
Review
Received as an ARC from Netgalley and Kodansha
A poignant coming-of-age contemporary drama that is a celebration and affirmation of asexual and aromantic identities.
Is Love the Answer? is a coming-of-age contemporary drama about a young woman named Chika who after some disastrous experiences dating in high school - including sexual assault - decides to go to university in Tokyo to study psychology to understand "normal" humans. As an Autistic Ace Chika very much gives off Autistic Ace vibes - the author only confirms that Chika is Ace and X-Gender - because it is not just that Chika doesn't experience sexual and romantic attraction it is that she does not fundamentally understand the "normative" human experience even in comparison to other Asexuals depicted in the work. Social "rules" like "if a guy invites you over to his house of course he wants sex" - it goes without saying that this is wrong - which her peers seem to intrinsically understand Chika doesn't understand. Which leads to her feeling alienated from her peers.
In her desperation to understand what "Everyone says is 'Normal'" Chika decides to study psychology in Tokyo where she meets Professor Shinobu Ishii the author of her favourite book "The Dawn of Modern Psychology." Eventually moving in with her and her roommate Mitsuru Umezaki (Ume-chan) as she begins to explore and learn about her own Ace identity in a safe and affirming environment.
The work depicts multiple Aspec characters who are confirmed, questioning or ambiguous in the text. Professor Ishii is ace married to another Aspec professor Miya - this queerplatonic relationship is mutually beneficial even though they hold no romantic or sexual feelings for each other because of the legal protection it provides them to make decisions on each other’s behalf in case of emergencies. There is a die-hard Fujoshi who wants romance someday but not now who could be read as Fictosexual. And finally, Ume-chan whose ace identity isn't revealed later in the book gives Chika guidance as navigates her difficult emotions surrounding all this new information she is learning. Through Chika's interactions with aspec/arospec and allonormative characters, Chika begins to grow and understand her own Aspec identity better. Including a wonderful exploration of the fluidity of sexuality when Chika begins to feel confined by the label of Asexual feeling as though she doesn't meet all the checkboxes.
However, I will note that while I overall found the book a wonderful exploration of the Asexual and Aromantic spectrum it does at times feel like a book that is very much Ace/Aro Identities 101 for both Allosexual/Alloromantic people and those just discovering their own Ace or Aro identities. It is a perfect distils that information in a way that doesn't detract from the fictional story it is telling and is greatly affirming to new Aspec/Arospec people. However, if you are an Aspec/Arospec person with a very mature sense of their identity you might find this work a bit lacking.
Is Love the Answer? is a work that celebrates, explores, and affirms Aspec and Arospec identities with a heavy focus on discovering and understanding one's own identity. Beautifully written it is a work perfect for those wanting to learn about these identities. I highly recommend you pick up this work if you haven't already.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual harassment
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
ARC provided by NetGalley.
This was a sweet book that gave an introduction about asexuality but I found that it was just a great commentary on letting people just be who they are. Our MC is possibly asexual, she states that the term fits for now but maybe in a year she might not want to use that term anymore. You also have characters who are all for romance and sex but are also defining those two things as completely different from each other. The mangaka did a great job in creating dynamic characters and I love the silliness of it as well. Super sweet manga that I think many of our questioning students would enjoy!
This was a sweet book that gave an introduction about asexuality but I found that it was just a great commentary on letting people just be who they are. Our MC is possibly asexual, she states that the term fits for now but maybe in a year she might not want to use that term anymore. You also have characters who are all for romance and sex but are also defining those two things as completely different from each other. The mangaka did a great job in creating dynamic characters and I love the silliness of it as well. Super sweet manga that I think many of our questioning students would enjoy!
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was such a wonderful and heart-warming asexual/aromatic coming of age story. The characters and relationships were really well done and interesting. There was exploration of what being in a relationship meant, what love meant, and that platonic relationships can be just as valid as romantic and sexual ones.
The art style was great and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of the book
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of the book
Oh my god, this manga is amazing. I feel anyone who is questioning their sexuality or gender, even if they don’t think they’re aspec should read this because it does an amazing job at explaining those things. Even if you are straight this is a great book to read to become a better ally because it has great insight on being queer. It was also great to see a character deal with the same struggles as I have as an aro ace person and seeing her come up on top and understanding herself. I’m so happy to see that queer representation is really starting to improve.
emotional
hopeful
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
Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored my time reading this manga! I myself identify as asexual, and Chika's feelings regarding feeling alienated from other people because of her disinterest in relationships and romance really hit home. Since there was no romance, it really gave the author the opportunity to create strong platonic bonds between Chika and her new friends, and they did such an incredible job of it! Chika's bonds with Ishii, Moto, Ito and Ume were developed beautifully, and their encouragement and support of Chika really carried this book.
I also really loved how everyone's identites were never 'perfect'. Even Chika's relationship with her sexual, romantic and gender identity isnt exactly answered by the end of the book, but it's because it's something so personal to her and something she can explore and find an answer to at any time, and everyone around her will support her along the way. This book is only the beginning of Chika discovering herself, and it's handled beautifully. The manga also did a great job at educating the reader in an organic way that never felt forced into the story, and instead helped along Chika understand different identities as well.
I do think the queer-platonic(?) relationship with Ume felt a little rushed, but it could be due to the fact that the author spent all 256 pages fleshing out everyone that it felt very sudden to me, but I appreciate that it's something the two are still working towards and it's very early days for them.
Overall, i really enjoyed this manga, and strongly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about asexuality, or even other identities, whilst also watching the main character learn and grow with them along the way.
I absolutely adored my time reading this manga! I myself identify as asexual, and Chika's feelings regarding feeling alienated from other people because of her disinterest in relationships and romance really hit home. Since there was no romance, it really gave the author the opportunity to create strong platonic bonds between Chika and her new friends, and they did such an incredible job of it! Chika's bonds with Ishii, Moto, Ito and Ume were developed beautifully, and their encouragement and support of Chika really carried this book.
I also really loved how everyone's identites were never 'perfect'. Even Chika's relationship with her sexual, romantic and gender identity isnt exactly answered by the end of the book, but it's because it's something so personal to her and something she can explore and find an answer to at any time, and everyone around her will support her along the way. This book is only the beginning of Chika discovering herself, and it's handled beautifully. The manga also did a great job at educating the reader in an organic way that never felt forced into the story, and instead helped along Chika understand different identities as well.
I do think the queer-platonic(?) relationship with Ume felt a little rushed, but it could be due to the fact that the author spent all 256 pages fleshing out everyone that it felt very sudden to me, but I appreciate that it's something the two are still working towards and it's very early days for them.
Overall, i really enjoyed this manga, and strongly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about asexuality, or even other identities, whilst also watching the main character learn and grow with them along the way.
Learned a lot from this one. It was great to see her slowly grow and understand herself. Seeing her meet people she could connect with had me in tears.
It was really good especially after taking my final map test.
Strong character development:
Yes
Wow!! My bestie recommended this book and I feel like I’ve been on the trend of reading manga about asexuality. I loved this book. Only taking .25 off because I found some of the pacing/art in it too fast/harder to understand.
The main character is very annoying/naive at first ,I think, that comes from her not knowing anything about her sexuality or gender the other part is that she’s annoying. But I think to fully enjoy the book being a hater helps. It makes the ending more sweet/beautiful. Omg the ending is so gooooooood. I highly recommend this book especially if you are an annoying gay person who is questioning their identity.
The main character is very annoying/naive at first ,I think, that comes from her not knowing anything about her sexuality or gender the other part is that she’s annoying. But I think to fully enjoy the book being a hater helps. It makes the ending more sweet/beautiful. Omg the ending is so gooooooood. I highly recommend this book especially if you are an annoying gay person who is questioning their identity.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Is Love the Answer? is a very sweet story about a young woman exploring her sexuality during her first year of college. I really enjoyed the cast and the message that gender, sexuality, and romantic attraction can be fluid and change as someone's understanding grows, which I think is very important and was really happy to see. I think the art was also nice and I enjoyed Chika and Ume's growing bond over the course of the story.
Is Love the Answer? is a very sweet story about a young woman exploring her sexuality during her first year of college. I really enjoyed the cast and the message that gender, sexuality, and romantic attraction can be fluid and change as someone's understanding grows, which I think is very important and was really happy to see. I think the art was also nice and I enjoyed Chika and Ume's growing bond over the course of the story.
emotional
informative
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
This was such a lovely story to read! So much of it hit close to home (I'm pretty sure half of Chika's lines I've said myself). It really does an amazing job at capturing what it feels like to learn about and discover community around asexuality!
Thank you NetGalley for providing this review copy!
Thank you NetGalley for providing this review copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment