A Galaxy Next Door is a cute, engaging manga featuring a colorful cast of characters. Ichiro, the male lead, is a hard working, dedicated, and driven main character. The thing I like most about him is how much he adores his younger siblings, and how hard he's working to make their futures bright. Shiori contrasted is a sweet young woman highly invested in manga--and also a princess with some unique characteristics.

The narrative of Ichiro and Shiori working together is an engaging one. They're a sweet pair, both innocent in their own ways and equally hardworking. Both have their own goals and wishes, and it very much seems like they can help each other meet those.

As for the romance, it's soft and sweet and slow going which is fine for a volume 1. Shiori is refreshingly aware of her feelings, buoyed by her endless appetite for manga. While Ichiro is focused on so many other things he's not noticing what's right in front of him. It's a good dichotomy between the two that makes you excited to see it grow and blossom into more.

Overall this is a delightful new manga that will appeal to a large audience looking for a soft, gentle, romance that's engaging and sweet.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "A Galaxy Next Door volume 1" by Gido Amagakure
The story centers around mangaka Ichiro and his new assistant Goshiki. It’s a slice of life romance.
I really liked some of parts of this manga, it was a fluffy and easy read but lacks substance. I’m intrigued by thr story but I don’t know if I’ll be continuing the story.
Content warning: brief mention of parental death

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "A Galaxy Next Door volume 1" by Gido Amagakure

This was such a unique concept! The whole plot was based on engagement via a stinger and a manga writer? Genius. The scene with him stinging himself thinking she had a pen stabbed into her back is absolutely hilarious. I truly am excited to see Volume 2.

"A Galaxy Next Door" is a cute shojo manga about a otherworldly star princess who leaves her island to experience what life is like working as an assistant for a manga artist. The story around their sudden engagement is a bit strange for my tastes, but overall it's quite sweet.

This was totally unexpected and fresh. The drawings were cute, the romance swoony, and the story so different and fun!
I think I’ve found my new series!

Very nice introduction to this story. Liked how they showed different aspects of manga making. Liking this take on forced proximity. There was a hint of fantasy that's most likely going to be revealed in the next few volumes. The romcom was good. I'll be waiting for vol 2.

This was so cute! I loved the sci-fi aspects mixed with a slice-of-life story. It's a little weird but somehow everything comes together to work SO well. And the art is really beautiful, too.
Another thing I found interesting was the fact that the story revolved around a manga artist. It's so fascinating seeing a (fictional, in this case) behind the scenes into the creation of manga :)

This was very cute and a little weird. I'm not well-versed in manga, but I liked how this rom-com poked at some of the typical tropes of romance mangas and I really loved the art style. I also enjoyed that the main character was a manga artist.

However, the plot fell flat for me. That is definitely a personal thing though, as I am realizing on my journey of manga exploration that slice of life/romance plots are not my favorite. I think I expected the plot to lean more into the sci-fi side of sci-fi rom-com but it was much heavier on the romance.

This manga was so cute! I really enjoyed the sweet tones and the blushing protagonists. The stinger is a bit weird but I can look past it for the cute vibes. I’m not sure if I will continue it since it seems very slow but I think it can appeal to the Shoujo audience. There’s definitely going to be people who enjoy this odd love story!

I do also love “forced marriage” like this one. It could be very good!

I really enjoy the art style of when they were confessing and blushing. The mangaka makes very lovely characters!

I had seen this title on a list of upcoming manga series to try, so when it appeared on netgalley, I knew I had to try it. In some ways, it lived up to the hype, while in others, it fell a little flat. A big plus for me was the art style. It's cute, it's detailed, and it's consistent. I also felt that the characters were introduced well, and they have the potential to be great, they just didn't reach that point in this volume. Where things kind of fell flat for me was the plot. After his father's death, Kuga is struggling to care for his two younger siblings while working as a mangaka, and since his last two assistants have moved on to bigger and better things, Kuga is at a point where failure is a very real option. Enter Goshiki, a mysterious girl who agrees to become his assistant. Very quickly, and accidentally, Kuga learns that Goshiki is more than she seems after touching her stinger, binding them together. Goshiki says they need to now get married, Kuga says let's be friends first, and that's where they begin. The set-up is a little weird, but not the weirdest thing in manga ever, and the focus is more on how their relationship is going to work out. Things do move really quickly, they go from being friends to mutually agreeing to date in the span of a few chapters, but there is something sweet in their relationship that's nice to see.

This was ADORABLE.

A rom-com where a struggling manga artist who has recently taken custody of his youngest siblings, <b>Ichiro Kuga</b>, hires an assistant in order to make his gruelling deadlines. It is then he meets <b>Shiori Goshiki</b>, a beautiful and talented young assistant who unexpectedly tells him (in the most mysterious of circumstances) they are engaged.

Funny and heartwarming (with a side-serving of wholesome family scenes), this was a fun read and I will be continuing this series.

<i>I received a complimentary ARC of this volume from Kodansha via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my rating.</i>

This book was cute and a little weird.

First of all, cute. The art style is adorable, I love it. The overall story, very cute. How the love interested interact with each other, adorable. The ending, so adorable that I want the next one now.

The story is cool, I like that they're manga artists, love reading anything about people who read/draw books/manga. I feel like the stinger thing could have been different, I like the outcome it produces but seems weird and isn't explained, so kind of threw me off. Either way, still cute.

I do really like the characters and their development though. You can actually see their romantic progression, and already some individual growth.

It's cute, would definitely keep reading it.

A new manga by Gido Amagakure? If you love Sweetness and Lightning, this manga is for you

I can't help but feel giddy that Gido has a new manga about family and romance, I love Gido's way of writing about family so when I saw this I immediately requested a copy this new manga is cute, funny and heartwarming at the same time and I honestly didn't expect the final chapter to happen! I can't wait what unveils in this twisted romance story in the next volumes. The drawings are cute and I love the way the characters are drawn especially Goshiki's unique style of dressing up.

I am familiar with this author's previous manga Sweetness & Lightning so I had some expectations going into this read. It really surprised ,e with the direction the story took and how the romance was handled but I really liked it, if it was a bit jarring at first. Once it gets past the star people set-up the story settles into a really cozy and wholesome pace where you get to see the main characters fall in love in very cute first-time fashion. The family dynamics are familiar from Sweetness & Lightning, where the main character was a widowed father. This time, the protagonist Kuga is taking on the father role of his two younger siblings. I really enjoy the parenting themes very prevalent in this author's works, you don't see it enough in manga! How Kuga treats his siblings shows so much about who he is.
Goshiki is a very unique romantic interest, her dynamic with Kuga is really funny and put a smile on my face so many times. Her unbridled passion and love of manga is so cute, as well as her open mind and candid nature. She is also very quirky as she doesn't understand her own feelings well yet but she will grow, I can tell.
This first volume sets up the growth and blossoming relationship between Goshiki and Kuga so well, making ,e highly anticipate the next volume to be translated!

This felt really meh overall, this is a concept has been done many times before.

Kuga's dedication to his family is incredibly wholesome though.
While Goshiki's clothing style is something out of my dreams.

If you are after an Alien, accidental "marriage", forced proximity Romance you will find it here.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Galaxy Next Door, Volume 1 by Gido Amagakure is a cute and fun rom-com manga that will appeal to fans of Chobits and My Dress-Up Darling. The main character Ichiro has been drawing manga to support his younger siblings. When he hires beautiful stranger Shiori to become his new assistant, he has no idea how strange she really is. Then, she says that they have to get married?

Overall, A Galaxy Next Door, Volume 1 is a lovely rom-com that will appeal to everyone. One highlight is the fun dynamic between the two leads. It reminded me of the dynamic between the two leads in the new anime My Dress-Up Darling. Another highlight is the fun reveal that happens near the beginning of the book. I'm not going to spoil it here, but basically, Shiori isn't exactly who you would expect. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of rom-coms, I recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!