I started out kinda hesitant about this graphic novel, but as it went on, I really got into it. The story flowed really well, and I liked the character development. I am looking forward to reading future volumes to learn more about each of the characters.

Searching for My Perfect Brother is eerie and distant in many ways, I really enjoyed the mystery part of it. Rise is a university student working in a supermarket and there she meets her coworker Kairi. Rise misses her brother and Kairi somehow reminds her of him, but Kairi can't sleep. Rise can sleep anywhere and helps Kairi to sleep, but the reason is that the man has killed a person and could that person be someone Rise knows? The whole thing is interesting and so distressing without actually being such. The contradiction is interesting. We get inside Rise's head a lot and how she starts to lose it and at the same time Kairi feels like an empty shell, but with darkness.

The art looks good in the sense that it works with the plot and atmosphere. Perhaps it isn't super amazing, but I love the facial expressions and such. In a way I wish there was even more of those dark and suffocating feelings, since they would fit this so well. This could work as horror too. The series is only four volumes long, so interesting to see how the story evolves. Finally josei and a mystery too!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I expected there to be mystery and romance but not THAT much.
I like the idea, can't think of how it's going to go from there because of its complication which makes me curious to what path the author is going to choose to what's happened. The pacing was weird, though. Rize and Kairi's relationship development and how quickly things would be revealed.
I really liked the art but found some where I didn't know what's going on but that was only like twice.
Overall, I liked it. Would recommend it but it's not to everyone.

This one is kind of dark and deals with several controversial topics that may be uncomfortable to read.

Rize misses the times when she would be in a warm bed with her brother who is now lost. They were separated because of their parents' divorce and she had hopes to reunite with him again. At work, she happens to get the attention of a co-worker who has insomnia and someone who reminded her of her big brother for that comfort and warmth, but with different feelings. However, when she discovers his secret, everything turned upside down.

It seemed like there were some undertones of incest which I was weirded out by, but the mystery and twists regarding her brother was intriguing. It ends with a cliffhanger and leaves you anticipating for whether it is really true to what the story is implying. After all, it is only volume 1.

Reader discretion is advised for sure, this was something that gave me more than what I expected in the certain topics.

Following her parent’s divorce, Rize deeply misses her older brother. She wants to fill the void he left behind and begins to bond with a coworker who reminds her of him. However, one day, when she's snooping in his diary, she uncovers a shocking secret.

Searching for My Perfect Brother, Vol. 1 by Satoshi Morie paints a dark psychological thriller that’s maybe too fast-paced for its own good.

I typically love soapy melodramas along the lines of Something's Wrong with Us, but this particular one didn't completely work for me.

Maybe I'm the kind of personal who prefers a slow burn romance or a slow burn thriller, but this story had serious pacing issues. The relationship development, the love confessions, and the plot reveals happened way too fast to feel believable or make an impact on me as a reader.

While I found the core premise of Rize dealing with deep-seated abandonment issues and emotional trauma was intriguing and had potential, I seriously wish the contents of first volume had been fleshed out over the course of three of four volumes.

Thank you netgalley for the copy in exchange for the honest review.
Okay to start I just have to say this is a story you need to have an open mind for to understand and appreciate. The main character has had a really hard life and the only good memories she had was her older brother she lived with the first six years of her life. Due to her family separation she didn't get to see him after that so she held onto the safety he offered and pictures a future in which she would be reunited and safe with him again. Current day she is working part time at a grocery store, going to college, and living alone. She has a coworker who is beloved by everyone who is the same age her older brother would be so she looks up to him but it develops into romantic feelings after a while. She learns his secret however and it's hard for her to continue to be close to him. There is elements of mystery and physiological thriller at times that has this being a dark and twisty read.
Also there is some undertones of incest which you have to kinda overlook because the rest of the book was fantastic. The story, writing, art styles and surprises kept me on the edge of my seat and has me so eager for volume 2.

First of all the art style is gorgeous and the story itself is interesting. I could guess part way in what the big secret was and I’m interested in how the story will progress. Will definitely keep and eye out for volume 2.

TW: parental abandonment, neglect, incestuous vibes

This was quite interesting read. Was not expecting a mystery especially from the cover but unfortunately the story is just meh for me. I'm curious about what happened to the main character's brother. The odd thing about how she talk about her brother was very incestuous and the fact the guy that she works who somehow very similar to her is questionable. I'll probably not continue this manga series but this was a interesting concept.

Well... to be fair, I was not expecting that - and I say this in a VERY good way ;) -.

Have you read the title? What did you think about it? In my case, I thought I would encounter a very nice and lighthearted comedy about a big sister and her efforts to make a regular person out of her little brother (FYI, I usually don't read synopsis). But I couldn't be further from the truth.

This manga falls very far from lighthearted, comedy or a normal siblings relationship. It's actually the kind of story that makes you consider how willing are you to ignore society's norms if that meant that the story goes the way you intend it to go. The rollercoaster of emotions and plotwists rendered an ending that left my heart beating and eager for more.

What I liked the most about this story is that the story-telling pace is completely perfect for the topics at hand. You definitely don't get bored but that doesn't mean that the story doesn't takes breaks when needed. Nowadays, in this maelstrom of times, it is quite hard to find a story that knows when to take a break, and that is why I loved this story so much and why I'm eager to see it to the end.

Another thing I really liked about this manga is the depictions of the characters. I'm not sure why but, somehow, everyone looks so authentic... I really liked reading a story with a diverse group of characters (even if they don't have that much "story-time").

Beware of the warning posted at the official website of Kodansha (here quoted): "This series contains mildly graphic depictions and discussions of child abuse, murder, suicide, and sexual violence. It also deals with controversial topics such as incest and occasionally includes non-explicit depictions of sex and nude human bodies. Reader discretion is advised.". Therefore, be mindful before deciding to give it a try (which I still recommend though). Even though the warnings are many, I can assure you that all sensitive topics are treated with outmost respect and it's really easy to sympathize with the characters and their decisions, therefore it becomes a bit hard to judge (especially since it is the first volume and we all know the story still has a long way).

I may have found a new obsession with this one! The twists and turns in this first volume were great. Some predictable, some not. If you like series like Something's Wrong With Us and Yakuza Fiance, then I think this one is right up your alley. Similar vibes, but also different enough that it will keep you guessing. Can't wait to see what is to come in the next volume!

I don’t know what I expected from this, make a cute family focused plot line where a girl loses her brother and makes a new connection that is platonic. BUT I DIDNT EXPECT BORDERLINE INCEST. This wasn’t for me at all, and I didn’t expect a romantic overtone or story line. Not fun.

Well, this was more tragic than I was prepared for. Rize hasn’t seen her brother since she was six due to their parents’ divorce, and even at twenty, she still clings to her memories of him. A coworker, Kairi, reminds her of him, and since he needs her help, she lets herself become closer to him than anyone before. He has a secret though that threatens their relationship, and eventually her carefully built illusion that her brother will return. The first volume ends at a point where I don’t think their relationship can recover from.

This manga was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed the characters and story line. I can't wait to add it to my library's collection.

On va suivre une jeune fille qui visiblement aurait perdu de vue son grand frère. Parrallèlement, elle tombe sous le charme d'un jeune homme qui travaille avec elle, qui lui rapelle justement ce grand frère. Ce garçon a des problèmes de sommeil, et la jeune fille serait la seule à pouvoir l'appaiser.

On apprend cependant que le jeune homme aurait tué quelqu'un, et qu'il pourrait s'agir de son grand frère disparu...

Je suis mitigé sur ce manga. L'histoire d'amour entre les deux personnages est très étrange et ni l'un ni l'autre n'ont l'air de vouloir s'engager dans quoi que ce soir, hormis trouver un peu de chaleur. Le fait qu'il est problablement tué son frère n'a pas l'air de choquée notre jeune fille plus que ça... à voir la suite !

Rize likes nothing more than sleeping, reminiscent of sleeping with her big brother when they were little. Separated by their parents divorce, Rize now lives a normal life studying at university, working late nights at a supermarket while hoping to one day meet her brother again. One day, she grabs the attention of her co-worker Kairi who struggles with insomnia. Thus begins their relationship until everything comes crashing down and there are more questions than answers.

Kairi’s secret is what kept me reading this volume until the end. The relationship between Rize and Kairi as well as the romance developed too quickly for my liking. For strangers who hadn’t met before, and to be able to bond over, simply sleeping is a little surprising for me. Not to mention that as the volume progressed the red flags were growing in this unhealthy relationship. Honestly, Kairi’s secret kept me enticed because he genuinely seemed remorseful, burdened and scared for what he’d done.

I liked the depictions of emotions in this volume. Kairi’s struggle with trying to lead a normal life even though he committed a crime was probably the most intense and emotional for me. As well as Rize’s hope to one day meet her brother and her reluctance to be near Kairi were well depicted. This volume is fast paced so the depictions weren’t very long but sizable enough to get a well rounded picture of how much the characters were suffering.

The artwork is simplistic using a heavy shading technique. I find the latter helped depict an air of suspense, darkness and troubling circumstances, as well as the night scenery. The dialogues are short and to the point with nothing said between the lines. I did, however, have trouble finding when a new chapter started because the chapter numbers were well hidden in the artwork.

A huge part of this volume is the mystery. It’s pretty evident with the overlapping stories, but was executed decently in my perspective. There is a limited number of characters involved, where many play a side role and are not critical to Rize’s and Kairi’s relationship.

Overall, this was a troubling yet interesting read. I liked the artwork, pacing and story. The characters weren’t really my favorite but the depiction of their emotions was clear, which I liked. I’ll definitely be picking up volume two as we ended on a sudden revelation which might just make things complicated.

4/5

Despite being super duper predictable just after a few pages this turned out into a very good read.
I love these types of mysteries, they are lighter than the usual thrillers but very very entertaining.
I'm so looking forward to V2 considering how this one ended and I could tell already that this could turn into a very good series.

I liked the set of characters, I liked the drawings and of course the story.
That's definitely my favorite element. It's fast but easy to follow and it has that perfect amount of surprise effect.

I really hope to be able to find V2 once it's released somewhere.

Absolutely fucking not. It had some weird and gross incesty dynamic. The main love interest isn't her brother, but she keeps comparing them, saying that the guy reminds her of her brother. At one point he kissed her and she was grossed out because she wasn't interested in him because she viewed him as a fill-in for her brother. And then she was totally into him because of it... Ewww. Ew ew ew ew ewwwww.

What an interesting new series! I'm really into this! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this manga volume!

Rize is a college student working at a store to make ends meet. She is caring and friendly and has a real knack for naps. Kairi is a troubled guy with a heart of gold and a big secret. His guilt about his past is haunting his waking hours and his dreams. He enlists Rize's help to get some shut-eye. They begin a relationship that leads them to both face their worst fears. I cannot wait to see how this pans out! What a cliffhanger!

My mind is completely blown by that ending!! What a plot twist!! 🤯🤯🤯

I'll confess that I really struggled to get into this manga at first. I was warned that it wasn't a romance exactly and was dealing more with psychological stuff than love, so I should prepare myself for no fluffy romances. Goodness am I glad I was warned because this is definitely nothing like I expected!

I don't think I HAD any expectations going in as I couldn't even remember what the book was about, but for the story being slow-going, it was still interesting and became more interesting the further I read. While Rize has a very…odd(?)…obsession with her brother and that plays a huge role in her perspective of the male lead, it was probably her relationship with the male lead that had me most disturbed. I'm guessing that was part of the point, but those last 20-ish pages definitely had a lot of emotion behind them that it genuinely left me reeling.

Here I was thinking this whole time that Kairi is not good news, but I think it's only the tip of the iceberg for how unhinged Rize is going to be compared to him. I'm VERY curious as to what happens next and NEED to know what happens because even if it took me a while to get into this volume, I am seriously debating just sucking it up and paying full price for the second digital volume so I can know where the story is going!

Hard to say if I would recommend this, but I'm engaged enough personally to want to keep reading!

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

I enjoyed this story with all the characters within. The main characters were Rize and Kairi.

Rize miss her big brother. She wishes that he would come and live with her. She doesn't know where to find him. She been look for him. All she know is that when their parents separated he want with one of the parent's.  Since she older and is live on her own and going to college. And she is also working.While working there is a guy that keeps wanting to sleep on her shoulder. He reminds her of her brother.

Kairi has trouble with insomnia. While working he get tired a lot and sleep most any place. So when he is sitting and taking a break he falls a sleep on young woman shoulder.  He also has secrets that he doesn't want anyone finding out.

This was a fun graphic story to read. It had action and drama throughout. It had a bit of sadness throughout. But at times there were a few giggles within. The illustrations want well with the story.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.