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Description
[From DMP]:
At Wataru Fujii's high school, it's all the rage to wear paired rings with the girl you love. Wataru wears one though he is single, and one day inadvertently discovers that his ring pairs up with that of tall, handsome and smart Yuichi Kazuki, the senior classman idolized by the entire school. Though Kazuki has a reputation for being kind to all, when dealing with Wataru, he is strangely harsh. Their paired rings somehow draw them together and the two alternately clash and attract, as they must sort out their budding feelings for each other.
I love this story, all aspects of it: the art, plot, characters. Like others have said this story does not revolve around H(ecchi, hentai) things, but instead it has it's full attention on the struggles that the young teens go through to get together and the inner conflict they do through to finally understand that they like each othe. It is a very sweet and light story I recommend it to any BL fan especially to those who have just stared reading BL, I'm sure you will fall in love with it (and maybe like me you will buy the manga, and the novels)
Honestly this manga is a typical shoujo, but only that it's with guys. The art is nice, characters likeable, but the plot is full of shoujo clichees. That beeing said it was still a good read. And the reason for my rating is the great ending and the small extra, I really loved those.
This manga seriously is the best. I’ve read it countless times before – a billion years ago, the first time – and I can’t get enough of it. From time to time, I re-read it and it’ll never make it out of the top 3.
Every time I read it, I realize something I hadn’t before, like it makes this manga more special every time. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not like this is a totally innovative story that’s never been seen before in the BL world. On the contrary, it’s pretty a common one. But that’s what make it so good, the fact that Kannagi-sensei managed to turn such an ordinary plot into a brilliant one.
The characters grow with the story; they develop alongside their relationship.
Wataru’s quite a normal person – not like all the ukes out there, thank God, but he’s not profound, complicated either. Then again, it doesn’t make him any less complex. He’s got a lot going inside his head, from hate evolving to love, constant pain and a newly found love that he’s never experienced before. As Karin (his sister) said, there’s indeed a cold side to him, because he had to go from being so comfortable as an indifferent person to being in love with someone and suffering.
Kazuki’s not behind him, either. False and fake, he’s always been engaged in this act of being perfect. He is that character that you look at and say “God, how complicated!”. As his whole life’s been a lie to please others, he doesn’t know how to deal with his own feelings when they are forced to arise and does what he does best: makes up yet another act, this time being the opposite of what he normally is. Basically, Kazuki’s never true to himself. When he wants to say “to hell with it” and be himself, he pretends to be perfect, and when he actually wants to be that perfect person because he’s in love, he pretends to be cold. Though some may think Kazuki’s a jerk, he’s actually really insecure, and that’s why he does all those things.
But the character construction isn’t even the best part about this manga. What makes it amazing is how it’s throughoutly thought of by the author. Every single part is needed, there isn’t a phrase that’s not indented to make an impact or isn’t crucial to the storyline. I’ll exemplify that by Kazuki’s behavior towards Wataru. Though it may seem he’s absent at parts, as the story isn’t narrated by him, he’s been there the whole time for us to observe. Kazuki follows Wataru’s every movement:
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
- At first, Wataru shows up and Kazuki panics, which is explained by him later on. - Then, Wataru starts falling in love with him and since Kazuki’s only causing him pain, the seme wants to get away from him (which is shown by his constant remarks about not wanting to see Wataru again). He’s not oblivious to the fact he’s being hurtful, he just doesn’t know it affects Wataru so much, and also, he doesn’t know what to do. Despite that, he wants to be noticed by him. - Then comes that part when Wataru shivers just from hearing his name, and what does Kazuki do? Take the chance to advance. He wanted to kiss Wataru, he was going to. But since Wataru questions him, Kazuki stops and makes an excuse that’ll make Wataru think it’s all in his head – like he’s done several times before and does further on, too. - A few days later, comes the part Kazuki escapes the basketball game and Wataru goes after him. That’s where many readers get lost, since none of it is explained, but Kazuki actually wanted to test if Wataru would follow him. - Since he does, Kazuki then advances again – and this time actually kisses him. In Kazuki’s mind, everything was solved and they’d be a couple already. Of course Wataru doesn’t know that, misunderstands it all and rejects him, which leads to yet another conflict. – Kazuki then closes himself up, because he thinks won’t get a chance. From then on, things are explained cautiously.
You see? “Only the Ring Finger Knows” isn’t about originality as a plot, but about subtleness and details. It isn’t another common shounen-ai. It’s about misunderstandings and unknown mutual feelings. Of course it’s predictable, but you have to pay attention to every detail in order to fully extract everything. That’s why you can read it many times and never be tired of it, but satisfied with what you have every time you do. I also like to call this an “angst producer”, since it makes me cry my heart out every single time I read it.
Finally, Odagiri-sensei’s such an amazing drawer and the art goes along with the story just perfectly as well. It’s delicate and simple, beautifully done!
EDIT: Poorly reviewed by me and it deserver better!
This is a beautiful love story. Very sweet and romantic. Beside the fact that Wataru and Kazuki make a very cute couple. I recommend also everyone who read and likes the manga to go check the novels. They are just awesome!
A very romantic and touching story. Beautiful art work and lovely characters. The only thing that was a disappointment was that it was only one volume. Yes, I read the novels, but I would have liked to see them become a manga too
My first BL manga and it will forever hold a place in my heart.
Of course the art is lovely even though the cover art looks... kinda lame? Now that I've read more BL manga I've come to realise there are better stories out there but there is definitely something seductive about Ring Finger that hooks you even though you didn't think you'd be into BL. Maybe it's the silly convoluted plot (which of course results in a happy ending)? Anyway, I would not hesitate to recommend it to all BL beginners.
Few gripes: Kazuki is really quite obnoxious - I can't see why Wataru would like him (especially since he was straight to start with). He gets even worse in the novels. But I forgive him since he's hot XD
I was looking for this manga everywhere and I could dinally get it today (only volume one though)...I hope I can get to read the 2 remaining volumes, but so far I simply loved the story. As others said, the addition of shonen-ai makes it really cute, and I really like the plot (I get really pissed when I read a yaoi manga and the plot is like...non existent....I mean, I do like BL, but I also want an actual story). This one's definitely one of my favorites.
This is the first yaoi novel I have read and I loved it. The develoment of the relationship between the two boys was bittersweet. I've re-read this one several times. This is the first of 3 novels. It's the best and can be read as a stand alone.
OMG ! My favorite artist is Minekura but now she does have a competitor! This is definitely the BEST Shounen-ai ever! The story is simple, but the art and the structure are amazing. You should know the ending at a glance, but trust me, you can never leave the story line!
I'm currently reading the novel to this manga, and every time I turned a page over there was this voice that said: go get the manga from that dusty shelf. Read it. Read it. And boy did I. I studied it to perfection. I spent roughly fifteen minutes in every page, reading every line time and time again, absorbing the beautiful art work.
The kissing scenes could be a little frustrating. I'm so used to tongues and "saliva everywhere", I really wished they were a little bit more detailed but, well, I guess we have the novel to see that happening.
Which leads me to my title. It would be so amazingly awesome if they suddenly decided to continue the manga, following the novel. And we could really use an OVA or two, just to keep the spark alive.
The manga is so absolutely cute and it deserves to be continued. Plus, there's so much more to Kazuki and Wataru's relationship! No matter how much I adore reading about it, it pains me to know such beautiful pieces are being left out...
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