For the moment, this manga is quite basic. It works, but it’s no fireworks.
We have Mizuha who is friend with four handsome boys. Of course, one (at least) of them is in love with her. For his defence, this friend is quite direct and asks her out so I enjoyed this determined side of him. Overall, it is cute and the characters are likeable. It is the first manga that I read where the covid-19 pandemic is a part of it, cancelling events and everything (except masks). I will read the next volume because it makes me smile and I like the characters.
I recommend to people looking for a cute but not extraordinary romance.
3/5

This is the first manga I've read that explicitly references COVID, which is interesting, but the mangaka also only goes halfway. I don't know that it fully captures just HOW traumatic this time period was (and is) for young people, which makes it feel disjointed. There's also no mask wearing, which just feels... irresponsible, even if it's because the mangaka wanted to have artistic freedom.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics and the author for providing an e-ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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This was a super cute shoujo manga with the childhood friends to lovers trope! The art style is absolutely stunning and on its own makes this a pleasurable read, but the story is also quite adorable and well-paced. The characters are given a lot of their own screentime in this and I'm interested to see how they develop in the next volume!

Overall rating: 5/5 stars!

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm 100% in because of eyecandies and trust me, there are lots of them 😳😌. Okay aside from the many handsome guys and gorgeous girls, the story is what most shojo romance like but it still managed to make me feels butterflies in my stomach. Its been a long time since that 😂.

Mizuha reminisce back to her highschool days where she learns about love and growing up. Childhood friends to lovers are something else, I will say, it gave so much depth to the relationship and I found it awkward yet endearing to see they goes from weird bumbling stage of trying to work out the feelings and wanting to maintain the relationship as it is.

So far, one character stood out as a love interest to Mizuha and that's Kizuki who takes more of a direct approach and not feeling shy to said how he feels. I think he is charming yet sometimes a bit pushy and I cringed at some parts 🤧 but man this dude is handsome. Mizuha was obviously confused and taken aback but there are some real swoony moments Kizuki made and got her really flustered.

I have a soft spot for Shin. Oh boy Shin, why must u be the softest boi ever that i know have crushes but only watching from sidelines. You better step up your game or i might steal u first 👉👈.

So if you love and live for cute shojo manga, you would not be disappointed by this. There are so many feast for ur eyes too 😉

4/5✨

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!!

This slice of life romance manga tells us the story of Mizuha, who we meet firstly in her older self just before she starts to remember her youth years. Her four childhood friends called Airu, Shin, Shuugo and Kizuki will be introduced more deeply while the story goes on.

It’s a refreshing teen story with a sweet childhood friends to lovers trope and very likeable characters shown with beautiful illustrations. It has quite funny and beautiful moments between the friend group itself and Mizuha with her love interests; moments which will make your heart flutter for the boys and their determination to make Mizuha like them. Mizuha herself is an interesting protagonist. She’s the only girl in the friend group but she doesn’t desire to receive special treatment for it. Mizuha is a genuine person who wants the best for everyone and doesn’t hesitate to encourage people around her to be the best version of themselves and not let their dreams slip away. We are not given much information about the boys but I’m sure their personalities will be throughout the story.

In conclusion, I would totally recommend this story mostly to teenagers and sweet & innocent romance fans. It’s so easy to read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next part and meet a little more these characters.

In manga the first thing I look at are the drawings and I really like those of this author. The plot is interesting and I'm curious to see how it will develop in the next volumes!
Recommended for those who love the genre.

I really liked this romance (meet sports) manga ! It's a bit like the best of both world to marry romance and sports that way. The drawing were just gorgeous, the story simple yet effective and I really liked the guy group dynamics. The main character isn't very assertive, but still not too naive either. I'll really be looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

When Mizuha confesses her feelings to a classmate on her 17th birthday, they aren't reciprocated. Later, she finds out her childhood friend has a crush on her when he wishes she were his girlfriend. Mizuha toys with the idea of what it would mean to date one of her best friends, while still holding on to feelings for her crush. Cute shojo manga.

This manga is set during the COVID-19 pandemic, and follows a a group of teens who're all childhood friends. It's my first time reading a work of fiction which mentions the pandemic, and to me it kind of took me out of my "reading bubble" and into reality whenever it was mentioned.

The story itself got a bit repetitive throughout the first volume, however I feel like the repetitiveness was also part of the introduction to the characters. So far I don't feel like I've gotten to know that many of the characters, but judging by the authors notes at the end, we'll definitely see more character development.

That being said, certain parts of this made me squeal out loud, because it was absolutely adorable.

Lastly, the art style is so beautiful! I love Shoujo mangas, and this definitely captured the vibe. The kind of artwork you'd put on your walls. Big fan!

Thank you for the ARC copy!! OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MANGA SO MUCH AND CANNOT WAIT FOR VOLUME 2!!! She better end up with Kizuki officially and Saito better back off 🤺
This volume was absolutely cute and made me smile and laugh a lot and I really enjoyed the dynamic between all the characters!
I also love how this had swimming involved and I love how she loves to draw!! The romance in terms of who the ML was obvious but I really loved it!!

Once again, thank you for the ARC!

Such a nice and cheerful read. I can not wait for the second volume!
Sadly I could not remember any names, but I liked the plot and the drawing style. The plot is quite simple and nothing u did not see before. There is this girl who has a group of friends and they are all very close since childhood. One of her friends decides to confess his feelings to her and from here the story starts being even more cute.
Thank you for the arc!

This series has a couple of things going for it. For one, it's current. It's set in 2020 and mentions the pandemic. Big events that might normally have been chapters are getting canceled, and the students have to cope with that. The main draw will probably be the romance, though.

I'll be interested what happens in later volumes, because the general setup reminds me of a reverse-harem with a group of childhood friends. One guy has already confessed to the only lady in the group. This changing relationship with one childhood friend could have carried the series, so, step up, other guys! Let me know why you're a character in this series! Are you all in love with her? Are some of you in love with each other? I have to know!

ARC Copy...I thought the guy's advances were abit on the forceful side but someone the rest of the courtship turn out to be and innocent plus feeling what the awkward female friend is thinking as she is coming of age is interesting.

First of all, I would like to say Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for a giving me a copy to review!!

The manga started out in 2030 where Mizuha became a manga writer. On her way, she bumped into a group of high school kids and begun to reminisce about her high school past during the pandemic...

In the past, Mizuha had a crush on a boy on the swim team and confessed her feelings to him. Unfortunately, she got rejected. Her mood was suddenly lifted when she got surprised birthday party from 4 of her childhood friends. Afterwards, Kizuki, one of them, shared his feelings with Mizuha, which she currently does not reciprocate. This begun the journey of how Mizuha started to falling in love with Kizuki.

If you love cute fluffy high school romance or childhood friends to lovers trope, then this is for you <3

I can't wait to continue reading this in volume 2! The story was well written and continued to keep my attention throughout. The artwork was very well drawn also. Having the story set during the pandemic was interesting to read also.

This is a pretty solid first volume for a manga about high school love.

I did wish that the characters were more fleshed out. Especially the side characters. We are supposed to believe that our main female character has been best friends with a group of 4 boys since childhood, but we don't get to know the ones that seemingly don't have a crush on her.

I also felt that even though the characters were in their 2nd year (or junior year in the States) of high school, the situations that they got into (and the positions they would end up in) were very mature and suggestive. I was a bit uncomfortable because I'm an adult reading about teenagers that ended up in suggestive positions.

I would be curious about where more of the story is going to go, especially since it appears we might get a more complicated plot soon.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gracias Netgalley por el envío de una copia avanzada a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Los enemies to lovers son sexys y adictivos... Pero los friends to lovers te tocan el alma y te hacen sentir muy identificada si alguna vez te enamoraste de un amigo/a.

Este manga nos cuenta la historia de un grupo de 5 amigos: 4 chicos y 1 chica que crecieron juntos pero que uno de ellos siempre estuvo enamorado de nuestra protagonista.

La historia se va desarrollando con rapidez pero no resulta ser abrumadora, ya que se comprende el contexto y la amistad cercana que tienen nuestros protagonistas. Sentí emoción al ver cómo se relacionan entre ellos y la manera en la que la amistad se va convirtiendo en algo más.

¡Espero ansiosa leer el vol. 2!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The art for this manga is absolutely beautiful. The story is a pretty average teen romance with a futuristic twist. The inclusion of the pandemic was an interesting way to mark the year. I’ll be interested in seeing what the author says about the not so distant future in regards to the pandemic.

Okay, this isn't my normal read, it's my 17 yr old daughter's but I was intrigued by how these read. I was lucky to get a copy on NetGalley and have to admit I enjoyed this quick manga read. I read it with my daughter as I wasn't sure of reading directions!

I asked my Manga/light novel addict daughter what she thought and she really liked it and went straight to Amazon to look for a paperback copy and book 2!

These were her thoughts on the book - A really interesting start to a new series. The story captures the emotions of the characters well. It is Entertaining. I would recommend to readers of college/romance manga.

*I received a copy of Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You free in exchange for an honest review*

The book begins with Mizuha having a really bad birthday, which prompts her to remember a similarly bad birthday ten years ago, when she was a second year high school student.

Mizuha grew up with four best friends, all guys, who grow up to be very attractive. On her birthday, she confesses to her crush, an upper class man who harshly rejects her. When she arrives home, she sees that her childhood friends have thrown her a surprise party and she realizes how much she appreciates them. That is until one of them, the youngest, Kizuki, kisses her out of nowhere and confesses!

Aside from the romance going on, the manga takes place during the pandemic and captures some of the feelings children and young adults felt when everything was being cancelled. No extracurriculars, competitions, not even graduations. I wonder if, as the story continues, it will show growing feelings of isolation and possible depression that many have experienced.

There's some serious Ouran Host Club vibes going on with the main female protagonist being surrounded by attractive guys. I will say that it did get a little confusing because the four guys have similar looks besides their hair, unlike Ouran where each male character had distinctive features. Hopefully, as the series progresses and the characters are fleshed out it will be easier to differentiate between them.

I really look forward to where the series goes!