I bought the Japanese Kodansha edition of Utsukushii Koto so if there's an English Kodansha edition I can't speak for it, but the edition I bought contained neither Itoshii Koto nor Aisuru Koto, which meant that the story ended on a really anticlimactic and very bittersweet note and left me very confused when reading other reviews talking about how "love conquers all" and so on and so forth. Long story short: at least for the Japanese versions, make sure you get the 上 and 下 versions rather than the single volume version if you want the full story (also there's a substory about a watch that I'm pretty sure isn't included in any editions, but I was able to find it online).

Imma be upfront here: I blew off work to straight up devour the last 75% of the story today (I've been reading non-stop for about 12 hours now and my eyes are now e-book reader-shaped). Leaving aside Aisuru Koto, which was almost pure fluff, I thought it was a very touching story (while I love fluff, in some cases - including this one - I do think it subtracts from the impact of the story. Sort of like if Romeo and Juliet had these extra scenes of them just being cutesy and lovey-dovey for the sake of it). The way Konohara writes made me able to really relate to what the characters were feeling in each moment - especially Matsuoka. .
I also constantly found myself needing to know what would happen next (hence the 12 hours). Most of the supporting characters didn't feel flat either, and it was nice in particular to have some sympathetic female characters in a bl novel.

When I don't give the novel a higher rating, it is partially because the language was rather repetitive (in the Japanese version, that is; when I found I didn't have Itoshii Koto and Aisuru Koto I found some fan translations online, and they're frankly much more elegantly written) and partially because some plot points annoyed me:



All in all, a really good read. It's not Hemingway, but it's definitely one of the better BL novels I've read.

... Last updated on October 7th, 2020, 1:54pm

This one had me right from the start. I love a good gender bender, and this one was absolutely captivating. There's really nothing I can complain about: the length was perfect, the pacing was spot on and the characters were extremely well developed. No one's a saint in this novel, especially the two main characters. There were times I grew frustrated with them (Matsuoka's expectations, Hirosue's being past the first volume), but this was one of the best things I've read in a long long time. I'm trying to wrack my head for someone to share it with, but I unfortunately don't know enough people who might be interested in Japanese yaoi. Their loss.

Give it a read, I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.

Seriously, these novels are a roller coaster of emotions! I absolutely fell in love with Matsuoka's character right out of the gates. As someone in sales and who's good at his job, he's very adept at reading other people. He's also the type to put their feelings before his own. It made his point of view so interesting to tell the story from.

Hirosue is a little more simple and it makes him more complicated to like. He's kind but can ignorantly hurt other people's feelings. He also is unattached to things that don't interest him. At times, this aspect of his character can make him heartless. But that's exactly what the author was going for. She wanted to write him that way. But he does get more likeable, you just have to hang on through the roller coaster first.



There's not too many smut scenes and I wouldn't recommend it as a story if that's all you want. The character interactions (including work mates) was what made me love this the most. When there were simple meal scenes or co-worker talks or scenes of sleeping soundly, I couldn't help but smile while reading. On the other hand, it did make me shed tears during some of the heartbreak and emotionally painful scenes.

I truly loved it by the end. It felt like a long journey and in several ways it was. Both main characters had profoundly changed by the end and that made reading this story feel worth it.

On a last note, I LOVED the translation. Isolarium did a better job than many professional novel translations I've read. I normally don't mention translation groups, but I feel it would be wrong not to in this case. I'm only sad they're now defunct.

Yet again, another Konhara Narise great work.

Out of all the novels by her that I have read, this is perhaps the funniest one and has more depth too (like Hako no Naka)

This one has a lot of ups and downs - but then again, so is real life and/or well - love, right?

Some questions that hopefully will encourage you to read this:

1. What will you do if your dream person turned out to be - a dream/fake even

2. Will you change what you know / believed in all throughout your life for the person you love?

3. If the person you're going out with turns out to be somewhat demeaning and insensitive - do you think you'll have to enough patience to bear with the person?

All in all - a really wonderful read; do read it too when you can!

... Last updated on June 11th, 2014, 5:11pm

This novel dealt with a very interesting topic and portrayed it in such an amazing way, that It resulted in me thinking about it for days. We get to know the story of Matsouka and Hirose and how they deal with love beyond gender boundaries. Personally I loved the story, but I couldn't help but dislike Hirose until the end.



Strongly recommended. Wonderful story, and an amazing translation.

... Last updated on April 10th, 2014, 1:11pm

Soo I was reading this yaoi novel and at the start of the chapter it got me hooked already.
I like the plot and how the author delivers the story. You can feel how Matsuoka has gotten head over heels with Hirose. I admit when I was reading the novel halfway, I felt a great sense of irritation on Hirose because he is so insensitive and indecisive but that whats makes it interesting. A unlikable seme from the start but turns to passionate once Hirose realize that he loves Matsuoka.

It truly is a great read. You won't get bored reading this. Every chapter gives you different emotion you can appreciate.

A great story about unrequited love and how the protagonist worked hard for his love to be reciprocated and overcome the barrier of gender issues. I say love knows no gender at all.

I totally recommend reading this masterpiece.
I'm totally waiting for the sequel of this novel >.<

... Last updated on February 11th, 2017, 7:01pm

Okay, first and foremost, Nostalgia on 9th Avenue always does such an impeccable job translating novels- nearly no mistakes, lovely grammar, and the flow of the words remains smooth and natural. Immense props, seriously.
Now, the novel: reading this nearly gave me a panic attack on multiple occasions. Usually, "gender-bending" in yaoi is just a precursor to sex with a super girly uke in a sailor uniform being bullied by the seme. This... this was completely different. Matsuoka is a guy- he's well aware of the fact, too. I really appreciated that. And oh, goodness, how hooked I was on this novel! I was so ridiculously nervous that Matsuoka would be caught by Hirosue, and then I was so ridiculously nervous that Hirosue wouldn't love Matsuoka as a man and.... too many feelings, basically. But too many in a good way. Definitely recommended. It's just a fantastic read!