I'll be blunt and admit that this isn't one of my favorites from Takanaga Hinako. The main story with Nagi and Kaji didn't have enough conflicts, development, or drama to make it interesting, and I even find Nagi to be too whiny for my liking most of the time. Overall, it's just another cute but extremely forgettable BL romance.

However, the reason why I'm giving this a higher rating is because I really like the other story in it called 'Boku no Koi ni Tsuite' (About My First Love). I find this story much more memorable with its mix of angst and character perspective. It has two parts and is definitely a much better read than the main story.

... Last updated on January 19th, 2010, 1:17pm

I liked the main story but the side stories aren't really my cup of tea. Especially chapter 5 & 6. I never like stories like that. I despise it. I hated it. I felt like as if I could just go into the manga and slap the characters awake. Although it shows what reality would be like sometimes, however in this case if one of the main characters in the story confessed their love, they might have a happier ending! And the fact that I hated that story is because of Kamota. He turned his feelings away when he already made the decision to confess! Why?! Why didn't he do it?! Why did he just accept that girl's confession?! It's just pissing me off.

And he dared to say that "falling for a woman saved me in many ways". what the hell. I despise characters like that. It makes me want to slap them. Seriously, Takanaga sensei, you could have done better than giving us some bittersweet stories. I prefer them sweet and fluffy, thank you! You can try reading the first story, but as for the rest, don't even bother. I only gave it an 7 because of the main story. The rest...they are just...bad. Bad for my heart. Might be bad for your heart too if you're not a bittersweet fan like me. Stay away from it. It's poisonous to anti-sad endings people like me.

The last story left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I hated it. Hate hate hate. I know, thats really how things end up in real life, but this is yaoi, this is where guys ALWAYS get together, where guys always solve their problems through hot sex so why? Why did this story end up so sadly? So bitterly?

I hate this feeling. Really hate it. Makes me sad for gay people :'(

The rest was nice and fluffly and then BAM this came and weighed it down. What a cunning mangaka.

story 1: transvestite != transsexual, *sigh*, but one can't automatically blame the mangaka for that conflation because japanese itself is at fault here; the words used in the raw: ニューハーフ (new half) can mean either transvestite or transsexual; オカマ (okama) means male transvestite or effeminate man. i gather nagi's not a transsexual, since in one of his inner dialogues he reveals considering how japan treats homosexuality, that's not as unrealistic as it might seem.

what bothers me about this story is that it only touches on that central issue superficially, and instead a big deal is made of having sex at the perfect time, *rolls eyes*. yeah, right. i also didn't get much of a sense of kaji as a person; he just seemed to be a foil for nagi to react against. and nagi turns into an egotistical little whiner.

boku no hatsukoi ni tsuite is a small gem of a story reminding me that it's better not to let fear rule my actions, because it only leads to regrets. it made me sad, though. my rating reflects mainly that this is a much, much better story than the first and ones.

wish on a star is sweet; nothing special but at least no permanent regrets, *wry grin*.

... Last updated on April 15th, 2011, 1:11pm

I enjoyed the stories, except the wishing in a star probably because it's short and lacking on something interesting well the big deal for me is the story of chapter 5&7 seriously! I was torn, i'm hoping that they will be together at chapter 7 but damn! It is so stupid, it's really sad. Why can it be? Why are they so coward? Why are they so timid about their feelings? Wtf is with that bitter, melancholic first love? Wahhh! I'm so affected!

I thought the first chapter was such a pure love, IMO, one that I've not read about for a while. Wow, it shows how corrupted my mind has become. Lol. The wishing star one shot was MEH. I probably won't remember it after a while. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Now ch. 5 & 7 was only memorable because it leaves a bittersweet aftertaste. It speaks volumes of how people's hearts are. Love and courage. Without courage your love will always be unrequited, but I liked it. I liked the bittersweetness, the tint of sadness, yearnings, and regret. The high rating is for that story alone.

... Last updated on March 12th, 2014, 1:54pm

The main story was nothing special at all.
I found it boring and not interesting.
The two-part oneshot of the first love was a gem though, even if a not very happy one.
If you find the first couple of chapters not your thing, I'd still recommend skipping to the "About my first love" chapters.

The rest you shouldn't even bother reading if you want to read something with a bit of impact.

But Boku.... F*CK. Maybe it's just me, but Torii was an almost exact portrayal of my own first love (except I'm not a guy). It was so heart-wrenching I found myself crying and being overwhelmed with all those bitter memories I have from my own first love.

Just goes to show how you shouldn't let fear dictate how you go about in your life. Never be afraid of letting yourself express your love towards someone. It's the ONLY work of this mangaka that I have enjoyed.

As others have mentioned, this isn't the best manga by Takanaga Hinako, but it's still fairly cute. There was some mistakes in the first story though, concerning facts about painting and croquis. Croquis is when a NUDE model make several short poses that are drawn quickly (range from few seconds to about 15 minuts), and normally you don't have time to use acrylic or oil paint to illustrate these poses, you'd use watercolor, coal, ink, pencils and the likes. If the model poses for longer time, it is just a normal model study. Ah, croquis means 'sketch' in french. Ah, and you normally don't have the subject you're painting placed to your far left or right, since that'd kill your neck if you had to look that way all the time. Especially if you BUY a model for yourself. Ah, these silly things just irritate me.

Another thing that irritates me is Nagi's obsession with getting Even though he is so young. Normally you'd think about that very thoroughly and be really determined when you'd made your decision, but Nagi changed his mind just as Kaji said "oh, but you're pretty enough without them." GOD! Spineless brat.

The two short stories about first love (Boku no Shôkoi ni Tsuite) are really cute. I enjoyed them very much. Seems that others enjoyed these ones too.

The last story was a bit meek.

Well, if you're in the same situation as me (read too much yaoi, hence lacking new stuff to read), it's worth reading... Once.

... Last updated on April 4th, 2011, 4:00pm

Boku no Hatsukoi ni Tsuite is probably the most frustrating story I have ever read. It's realism and bittersweet plot make it a brilliant read but I can't help but want it to continue, even though I know that continuing it would turn it into another generic BL.
As for the other two stories, well, I'll probably forget all about both of them by tomorrow. The first one dealt with a theme rarely seen in yaoi but I feel that the mangaka didn't make the most of it, it was neither funny nor dramatic and its characters were very forgettable. Wish on a Star was the kind of manga that as you read it you feel as if you've read it before even though you haven't. Didn't like it, didn't hate it.

... Last updated on July 22nd, 2010, 12:48pm