So far I'm really liking this. I love the setting! Personally, I prefer this over Junjou Romantica big time. The "First love" concept is simply refreshing and sweet.

The only problem i have is the art--- the way she draws older men bugs me a bit how the mouth is so low and the chin is so narrow, but other than that i like the art. This is potentially my second favorite yaoi manga ;D (Yellow being the first) Btw, i also recommend checking out the anime. Its nice to see the characters actually in action, and i went through all 12 episodes in a flash TT.

... Last updated on July 10th, 2011, 1:28am

At first when i saw that this series was an anime (after no liking the anime very much for junjo romantica but still love the series) i wasn't going to give this a shot but after a yaoi friend recommend it to me I finally decided to give it a shot and after watching the Ova i'd die-hard and read the series up to vol 6. ch 11. I have to say that in my opinion that this is better than junjo romantica with the plot and with the characters. Again 3 couples are inttoduce like junijo romatica and are parelle with one another as you see the the main character, ristu is the son of the famous onodea company who publishs usagi-san's(from junjo romamtica) and features isaki(also in junjo romatica that similar to ristu's case in this story) The character's are simialar to junjo romtica with 2 of the ukes (Kisa shouta, and chiaki) who looks like misaki but eye color, and hair style different. Artwork like many 0ther said is better.
Contains SPOILERS
1, (Takano x ristu a story dealing with love in the past but resurfacing again after 10 years)Couple and to me is the best couple Takano x Ristu is a couple who was dating 10 years ago for a short time, and broke up due to misunderstandings by Ristu who would watch Saga-senpai (old name) in the libaray and love him for he saved a cat when no one else would dedpite no getting to know or knowing his personaity. After 10 years later Ristu mets Saga-senpai again but could not reconize who he was because his name name was changed and he had other problems. unfortunately for Saga-senpai who also didn't reconized him at first due to his last name which was “oda ristu” which was a fake last surname he added because he was embarrass to put his real name but want to stay conntect with saga-senpai, finds out who ristu is and plans to make ristu fall in love with again despite ristu. who doesn't want to fall in love with him.

2, couple Chaiki x Hatori (Cute couple dealing with childhood friends)
Chaiki is a male Author that writes shojo manga. He being a male is drawn into his childhood friends who love him but he thinks they're in love with each other. One of his childhood friends hatori is his editor but chaiki takes under a female name due to female fans being dissapoint to find out he is a male (Chaiki thinks thats) tells chaiki that he is in love with him and tells him that they can't be together anymore due to the fact that he spoils him and that he was the only reason to get close to chaiki. Chaiki however accepts his feelings but hatori only thinks that he loves him as a friend. Yuu, another childhood friend is rivals with hatori to win chaiki heart as well.
Sadly this series is in Novel only
3. couple Kisa shouta x Kou Yukina (Another cute story and couple that works on if a beautiful love such as this could hold on) Kisa shouta, who is also a editor like ristu and works with him is a 30 year 0ld man who falls in love at first sight at a man in a bookstore who is get shojo manga that he has read and loves sold to a bunch of girls that love him and find him beautiful, Kisa loves him but it's cause of his face that he loves and believes that a person like him could never be with someone like him. Later he is caught in the bookstore stalking the beautiful man again by Yokazoa (i believe) and introduces kisa to him. Kisa gives the man his card but is sad to find out that he does not reconize him for he has met him before, but finds out his name is Kou Yukina. Later another guy finds kisa, who is about to leave the store in sadness is stopped by him cause he wanted to get back together with kisa. Kisa explains that they'd on slept together once an that was it for them. The man wasn't giving up but is stopped by the beautiful man and is told that there is no fighting in the store. Kisa encounters the beautiful man again in a coffee place (i believe) and turns out that all the books that he'd been selling were from the same editor who is kisa and finds him amazing to make him cry while reading his books. Yukina also asks him for his age which surpise to find out that kisa is 30 and he is 21. He also says that he want to create a fair to sell all his books that he loved to read which kisa is surprise by his kind words and starts to blush because of it. It turns out that his words makes Kisa blush leaving Yukina seeing that and kissing him in the store.
Anime and Manga are just amazing to read or watch.
I have to say these 3 stories a nothing but comdey and hardcore happy scenes that actually leaves hardcore Yaoi fans and guys who actually don't watch yaoi wanting more.

I did enjoy Junjou Romantica but I was totally blown away by Sekaiichi Hatsukoi! I personally think it was leaps & bounds a much better work. I love the settings - the manga publishing industry; it is neat to be able to look at behind the scenes workings of one of my favourite hobbies. On top of that, I simply adore the main couple Ritsu x Takano. I think Ritsu is the most likeable Uke of all sensei's works so far. He is funny, head strong, intelligent & very refreshingly honest with his feelings even though it comes out in blurts of unintentional confessions sometimes. The story is somewhat more realistic too - the fact that both characters obviously dated others during the 10 years break. I am very much rooting for their second chance at this true loves. I also hope that despite the trouble at TokyoPop currently, this manga will get its much deserved English translation, publication & sale in US. Any publisher can't go wrong by hitching its wagon to this series of NAKAMURA Shungiku after seeing the success of long running series such as Junjou Romantica.

It has romantic moments and the characters are likable. Easy to read. But sometimes it gets unbelievable how far into rape territory some of the scenes get into and characters just shake it off as something that happens when you're falling in love saying "oh, we have a normal subordinate-boss relationship" when he clearly forced sex on the guy. WTF? Maybe that's just me. Or maybe it's just "welcome to yaoi" where normal rules don't apply.

A lot of people have been saying that the art has improved - which is true, the art is not what you see in every day standard manga. its got a distinct style and you could spot it a mile away from all the rest, i personally love the style.

the story is great too - the uke is one of my favs too, he stands up for himself

[as of volume 4] i also consider this to be better than junjou romantica, for several reasons: yes, the art is better, and that matters to me a fair bit, because i like manga best when the art and prose are both integral to the story. furthermore, the setting is realistic and really interesting to me -- this gives a better look at the manga publishing business than the highly praised bakuman. and i actually like onodera and takano; they're not annoying, screechy uke and overbearing, kichiku seme. ok, takano is a tad overbearing, but he actually has onodera's best interest at heart, really helps him when it comes to editing, and actually tries to communicate, which is a far cry from usami akihiko. i like onodera's inner dialogue better than misaki's as well; he's not as irritatingly clueless. and the humour is wittier and less obvious, which i like better.

kisa, on the other hand, is already getting on my nerves. his inner dialogue drives me up the wall. he doesn't DO anything for his relationship, but wastes time and energy on angsting, second-guessing, and bemoaning the fact that yukina is so understanding instead of jealous.

as to falling in love with somebody one doesn't know and how realistic that is: very. people do this all the time. they get attracted without knowing much about the person, and then they think that this is love. infatuation isn't really love, at least it's not the sort of love that lasts -- which is obvious when you observe how often "love at first sight" falls apart easily. where BL is pure, unrealistic fantasy is in pretending that this sort of infatuation is always successful, and will result in happily ever after, even if 10 years have passed with the people separated.

and yeah, DP -- fabulous scanlation job. i always hope these guys pick up series i like because they're so professional, so much so that they beat most commercial translations.

... Last updated on March 31st, 2011, 11:49pm

I really love Nakamura sensei's works! and this one is really awesome! the plot is funny and cute^w^..well I think it's not fair to compare it with Junjou Romantica because they are a bit different (and I personally like both of them *_*)
in my opinion this time Nakamura was able to draw a very interesting uke(Onodera Ritsu), I like his personality >w<and I also love Takano san*ç* but I can't stand Yokozawa è_é he's hateful and nasty and he really pissed me off!!!
well I enjoyed it a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the next chapter X3

Wow. I had NO clue that this was from the same author as Junjou Romantica! xD No wonder Takano looks similer to Usumi!

Anyways, I prefer this to Junjou Romantica any day of the week! The drawings are definitely improved and Onodera's personality is more likable then Misaki's(in my opinion). So that's a big plus, I always loved having head strong uke's.

I think the story is great AND realistic, the drawings are amazing, the characters are great, and I cannot ait for the anime to come out this Spring!

... Last updated on February 17th, 2011, 3:48pm

The first time I read this was almost 10 years ago. Since it looks like we're finally reaching the end, I reread the whole thing recently and edited it now to reflect my current opinions, but I still feel generally the same way about it.

My favorite part of this series is how the two main characters actually truly love each other. It's not often that a manga can convey this much emotion, but their love is so pure, so desperate, so real...

Then there's the characters being so likable.
Takano is exactly what I like in a seme. Yes, he's pushy, but it's understandable. He's been in love with Ritsu for 10 years and had no idea what happened between them was just a misunderstanding. Even though Ritsu went through the same experience, it's different for Takano. Imagine how desperate he must be, being so close to getting the one he loves back, and then being so unsure about how they actually feel. Remember that we see Ritsu's POV almost the entire series, but Takano isn't inside his head, he doesn't know what Ritsu is thinking. Ritsu sleeps with him and occasionally shows him some affection, but he isn't very reassuring. So even though Takano has that confident aura around him, he's actually in pain all the time, which can be seen in his intense and passionate gaze that just makes him pathetically and pitifully huggable. I love characters like that. Besides, Ritsu never would've taken initiative, so Takano had to do something to get their relationship started once more, and it's not like Ritsu was actually against it. He even says it himself that he could've pushed Takano away if he really didn't want any physical contact. Oh, also, Takano's he's really hot, but Nakamura-sensei's just not good at making characters look differently, because he looks a lot like Usami Akihiko from Junjou Romantica, but with black hair. With that being said, apart from the few resemblances and references to JR that I've made here, I wish people would stop comparing the two because ones for nothing to do with the other. I like SIH more, but it's got nothing to do with it.
Then there's Ritsu. He's adorable, and I love myself a tsundere, I just wish he'd make up his mind already. I can understand his inner conflicts, his sheltered life, his insecurities and his actual adult thoughts that homosexual relationships are hard...but he's far too in love to try to run away from it at this point. It's something he should've considered before, now it's too late and he should get it over with and confess.
My second favorite character is actually Yokozawa. He pissed me off at first, getting more and more annoying. Then the chapter that explained his point of view came out and I immediately understood him. How wouldn't someone fall in love with a person who is closed off to everyone else, but keeps only them so close? All of what he does is justified by his feelings and I can relate a hell of a lot to him. More than that, I feel bad for him. I'm so glad he got his own happy ending, I just wish it was longer or available in manga format. The little one-shots are nowhere near enough, so I'm happy we at least got the OVA, but I'd like much more.
I also love Isaka-san, always have and always will, since Junjou Romantica.
Even some of the side characters are well developed, like Ann-chan or Mino and his kid's relationship. Yes, they serve the purpose of impacting Takano and Ritsu's relationship, but it was thoughtfully constructed.

So now, the bad parts. The way their relationship has been developed is taking way too long, I think everyone agrees on that. Build up is great, but only if each interaction adds something new, another side to things, not just more of the same. For a manga about editors, Nakamura Shungiku needed a better editor herself. My initial impression was that it would have been better if Ritsu fell in love with Takano when they first meet again, and THEN found out who he was, because the way it actually happened made it clear that he already loved him, but refused to accept so himself, and the story dragged on from that...especially since it shows in the end of the chapter how long it will take for Ritsu to realize, which means we're expecting it. In any case, this seems to be a pattern with Nakamura-sensei's: the uke won't stop pretending like he doesn't want to, even when he does.
Also, I almost rolled my eyes at the "interfering" characters, and it's silly how the manga itself makes a reference to that without fixing its own issue. There's Haitani, Ann-chan, Nao... enough already.
My main problem with this manga, however, is probably controversial. I found myself skipping the chapters about the other two couples, and that's a huge part of the manga. They are cute as side characters, but neither relationship is as interesting as the main one, and I just thought of them as nuisances when their chapters came out instead of the main couple's or when I was reading and saw that the next chapter was about them. I did go back to read their stories once I finished the main couple's, but it wasn't as good. I think both of these relationships should be their own separate mangas, and then I could've read them with an adjusted expectation and not in the middle of Takano / Ritsu's drama. Both of the other relationships could've been one-chapter one-shots and that's that, there's nothing else to add to either of them, they aren't that interesting.

With all of that being said, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi is funny, cute, sexy, and gets my full attention until the end. Each volume makes me crave more - and believe me, that's a tough thing. Yes, SIH does take a little too long to get to the point and the chapters always follow the same format (a misunderstanding that generates a lot of angst, and then a resolution with sweet words and sex), but it's exactly what I look for in a series. A love that lasts for that long is too beautiful to even be put in words and it shows in every expression of Takano's how much he longed to see Ritsu again. It's just a series that makes me so happy to read, and for that I recommend it so much.

PS: I don't get why people complain about the art so much. Like I've expressed here, it shows the characters' feelings very well. Yes, the proportions may not be accurate, but this is just her personal style, haven't you guys ever read CLAMP?

... Last updated on July 4th, 2020, 3:35pm

I personally thought it was better than junjou romantica. The art has gotten better and even the plot is fresh and amusing. In fact, once you start reading it, it'll bring back the old nostalgic memories of your disastrous first love which makes you hope all the more that they'll work their problems out. After reading the raws, I couldn't understand why ppl would call it lifeless and dull, since it made me all giddy inside upon reading their relationship develop. It's funny, witty and amazingly gorgeous. Totally not a waste of your time. Nakamura-sensei truly brings out the best of all her characters!