A quick read manga that had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I immediately liked the art style and it was easy to get into the story. It presents an interesting premise and I definitely want to continue reading to learn more. The characters are extremely loveable and you get to know them quite well quickly.

23:45 is a one-shot, soft paranormal romance BL manga by Ohana, about an otaku university student named Iku Kurihara who can see ghosts. One day, he accidentally drops his new purchase, but runs away in shock when a ghost on a bridge tries to help him. The ghost, Mimori Seo, follows him home to return Iku's forgotten items, and their relationship buds from there, slowly unveiling each young man's fears, hopes, and difficulties navigating society.

This was a sweet, self-contained story with a hopeful ending. While I would have loved more page space at the end, and certain genre elements felt a bit fast-paced because of page limits, I really enjoyed this one-shot and felt that it used its constraints well to tell the story in a concise but meaningful way. Something I also found interesting about this romance was that gender/sexual orientation did not come into play at all--by which I mean there was no declaration of specific identities (ex. gay, bi, etc.), but nor was there the often-cringey "I don't like men, I just like you" trope that can crop up in BL manga. This was simply a story about two people who grew close to and fall for each otehr in a very private space, and most of what they have to worry about is Iku appearing to talk to himself in public. The tough issues mentioned in this book (ex. suicide, family/societal issues) were broached well enough that they weren't uncomfortably cliché, and the book had an open but hopeful ending that made sense with the context of the story. I would recommend this to interested parties.

Readers who enjoy 23:45 may also like: Sasaki and Miyano by Shō Harusono, Semantic Error by Angy and J. Soori , My own Ghost by zucchini-kun, My Boo by Jeongseo, and Out of Sight, Out of Body by Fuzzzzyy.

Always thankful to Kodansha for making their titles available on NetGalley!

I'll write about 23:45 in length on my blog and update with a link when I do, so I'll just briefly summarize my thoughts for now.

My immediate thought on the art style was "Wow, this takes me back!" Especially the character designs, the clothing and accessory choices; everything reminded me of 2010's. Since this is a new license, I don't know why I expected the series to be recent as well. But I was on point!

Art style aside, nothing else gives away that 23:45 is 10 years old. It's beautiful, poetic, gripping, bittersweet. I'm a big fan of ambiguous endings, messy relationships that aren't clearly defined and while I love a happy ending as much as the next person, a part of me constantly yearns for different relationship dynamics or exploration of all kinds of emotions or topics. 23:45 was a title I appreciated in that regard! I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking or experimental, but still it was different than most titles we get.

4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical Comics for this arc!

4/5 stars

This was a sweet, quick one shot manga about an introvert otaku and the ghost boy he falls in love with. I enjoyed this story, however with just a few more pages of explanations it would have made the story a lot more cohesive and impactful. That said, this was still very enjoyable, and only a little heartwrenching!

A sweet story about an introvert who finds himself haunted by a very outgoing ghost. This was a quick, fun read. I wish the story had been a little fleshed out and we got to see a little more of their relationship growing, but a fun read.

It's a nice one shot manga with a semi ghost story.
I enjoyed reading it, though the story felt a little dragging sometimes.
Good choice for people who like yaoi melancholic Mangas with ghosts and more or less hinted happy ends

"most ghost stories you hear about usually wrap up when the phantom gets back their memories, finds some kind of peace, and disappears. but here i am, dwelling on how much i don't want to let him go."

"23:45" felt somewhat flat for me. although the setup makes way for an interesting mystery, it doesn't really deliver very effectively. i'm not sure if it was a matter of the translation or the original text, but the dialogues and internal monologues were kind of hard to follow at times.

the panels were nice, but they didn't stick in my memory very long. i think had this story been fleshed out over several volumes rather than as a stand alone, it would've been more compelling and had given more space to connect with the characters.

1.5 rounded up for Goodreads.

This was.. a bit of a mess, I’ll start with the good first tho. I liked the art. My issue with this book is that it’s extremely choppy and confusing. I’m not sure if this is because the original author or a struggle with the translation but the weirdly flowery language in one line then random dialogue boxes that cut into narration boxes really felt jarring. I have been reading manga since 2002 so the issue definitely isn’t the backwards Japanese reading format, this one just made very little sense.

Plot wise, the story is very thin. Our MC Iku can randomly see dead people when he moves to Tokyo for school, the explanation for why we can see ghosts is never explained. Iku also does not seem to care that much into looking into any kind of reason why he started saying dead people. I say ‘people’, but honestly, it’s never explained if Iku sees anyone other than our other MC. This story could have been fun, but ultimately it was just lack luster bordering on frustrating.

I do want to think NetGalley and Kodansha publishing for providing this manga for review.

An interesting story of a college student and the "relationship" he forms with a ghost who is caught in a loop with his "death" replaying itself every night. I did find it an enjoyable read although for me it was a bit slow to get into and then there were parts that I kind of got lost or it was like some scenes were skipped... Overall I liked it but not enough to read more.

This manga was such a fun story with great characters and a romance I really enjoyed watching flourish. This story was heartwarming with paranormal aspects and was a unique plot that I enjoyed. A great oneshot that I would honestly love more installments of.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This was a lovely emotional story which I felt drew me in and care for the characters and the connection growing, which was lovely and at the same time sad because we get a bit of back story for the main character.

I definitely will be continuing with this series because I loved it ❤️

I really enjoyed the story up until the end. It felt a bit lackluster for what the first 90% of the story was.

Some might love this, but it just missed the mark for me.

Ohana's "23:45" is a sweet and tender paranormal story that explores the relationship between a boy and a ghost. It’s refreshing to encounter light-hearted mangas with character-driven narratives and themes like this one. While the heightened "spice" in manga can occasionally feel distracting, choosing not to go that route allows readers to enjoy the charm of the characters. Ohana does an excellent job developing Seo Mimori (the ghost) and Iku (the human). Their interactions feel natural and genuine, creating a bond that resonates with readers.

That said, I wished for a deeper emotional connection between them to evoke a stronger 'Boy Love' vibe. As it stands, their dynamic feels more like that of a human boy and his ghostly friend. The revelation surrounding Mimori’s death brings the story to a satisfying and poignant conclusion, offering much-needed closure.

I’m unsure if the next volume will continue to explore Seo and Iku’s relationship, but if it does, I hope it dives deeper into their bond, adding more emotional depth to their connection.

A very heartwarming story with some bittersweet moments. This story had a lot to unpack and I found I was easily pulled into the book.

The art style is lovely and one that I enjoy seeing in my mangas.

A young man accidentally forms a friendship (which develops into more) with a ghost that is stuck in a loop and must go to a specific bridge at 23:45 each night. The characters in this manga were very sweet and I loved the art style. A compelling speculative LGBT manga, definitely one to read.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this manga, I think the mangaka nailed that aspect of making it a little eerie, introspective but also hopeful. Reading it almost felt like you were floating through the story as a ghost yourself seeing moments between the characters. The romance aspect was cute but not enough for me and that let it down a little but there's only so much you can fit into a one shot, they always leave me wanting more.

Two people with different issues affecting their lives collide when Iku Kurihara bumps into Mimori Seo while crossing a bridge. The twist, only Iku can see Mimori.

Mimori hasn't spoken to anyone in a long time so becomes attached to Iku. Watch how their relationship helps provide insight on how they should move forward in their lives.

I loved the ending and I can't say more without spoilers! The artist was able to convey the emotions of the characters perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc and this is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this and it was a fun read but I didn’t find the story flowed very well. I enjoyed the character dynamics but I found the story choppy. The illustration are amazing!

It was cute and the end felt refreshing, although it did have the feeling of a debut work... The pacing needs some improving. But the feedback is overall positive.

This was an interesting and cozy story as we followed the main character's relationship and quest to learn more about the other male lead. It overall suffers a bit from being a one shot, as the characters could've been explored more than they were. Overall worth a read if the premise catches your eye!