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A review by helterskelliter
Love in Focus, Vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri
4.0
After the death of her beloved grandfather, Mako is in mourning.
She used to love taking photos with her grandfather. He was a professional photographer and taught Mako everything he knows about the craft. Without him, she feels adrift and unmotivated.
When Mako’s childhood friend and fellow photography enthusiast Kei invites her to transfer to his high school and join their rather illustrious photography program, Mako believes it may be the new start she needs. So, she packs up, grabs her camera, and moves three hours north.
The dorm she will be living in with Kei and several other roommates is quite quaint. Everyone who rooms there is a classmate and almost everyone is part of the photography club.
Everyone except Amemura—who doesn’t like photos.
Mako is immediately drawn to him. Dour and mysterious, she can’t help but want to take his picture.
Mako has found her muse.
This is such a CUTE story!
Having recently delved deeper into shoujo, I can definitely say I appreciate series that take their time developing a sense of place in addition to setting the stage for future relationships. This first volume does such a delightful job of creating a sense of not just the outside environment but also of developing Mako’s interior self. Her longing and her grief are so palpable.
Further, I like how the author tells us about the other characters in the story through showing us things about them—particularly with Kei and Amemura. It’s subtle but it comes through regardless. We get these very slight, almost ambiguous hints of Kei’s jealousy all throughout but it’s not confirmed until the very last page. That’s such satisfying storytelling.
I’m so looking forward to reading more. Definitely recommend for readers who enjoy a romance series with a compelling love triangle and lots of focus on character development~
She used to love taking photos with her grandfather. He was a professional photographer and taught Mako everything he knows about the craft. Without him, she feels adrift and unmotivated.
When Mako’s childhood friend and fellow photography enthusiast Kei invites her to transfer to his high school and join their rather illustrious photography program, Mako believes it may be the new start she needs. So, she packs up, grabs her camera, and moves three hours north.
The dorm she will be living in with Kei and several other roommates is quite quaint. Everyone who rooms there is a classmate and almost everyone is part of the photography club.
Everyone except Amemura—who doesn’t like photos.
Mako is immediately drawn to him. Dour and mysterious, she can’t help but want to take his picture.
Mako has found her muse.
This is such a CUTE story!
Having recently delved deeper into shoujo, I can definitely say I appreciate series that take their time developing a sense of place in addition to setting the stage for future relationships. This first volume does such a delightful job of creating a sense of not just the outside environment but also of developing Mako’s interior self. Her longing and her grief are so palpable.
Further, I like how the author tells us about the other characters in the story through showing us things about them—particularly with Kei and Amemura. It’s subtle but it comes through regardless. We get these very slight, almost ambiguous hints of Kei’s jealousy all throughout but it’s not confirmed until the very last page. That’s such satisfying storytelling.
I’m so looking forward to reading more. Definitely recommend for readers who enjoy a romance series with a compelling love triangle and lots of focus on character development~