Flip Flip Slowly: Manga Review

Once in a while, I love reading a one-shot manga, as a big reader, seeing as Flip Flip Slowly was about a romance that begins to blossom in a library, I needed to get my hands on it.

Set in a quaint mountain town in the Japanese countryside, the story begins when a mysterious salaryman begins to frequent the local library. One of the librarians begins to take notice. Slowly but surely, the routine of checking out and returning books allows them to interact and learn small things about each other. But that is not enough. Hagiwara, the librarian, wants to get to know Yabumi better. Thankfully, their shared love of books allows them to connect. Resulting in opportunities for them to build a relationship outside of the library. The atmosphere is quite relaxed and cozy, even if it briefly deals with homophobic situations.

There is only so much you can do in a one-shot manga, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write something memorable.

In the case of Flip Flip Slowly, though it was a pleasant read, it’s quite forgettable. The plot was not unique or particularly interesting. Just a plain story about two gay men who find each other and fall in love. Their internal worlds are barely explored, and the “obstacles” they face to be together hardly cause conflict and are easily resolved. The art is quite nice, but nothing extremely special.

Finally, I should give you two warnings.

First, I am not a fan of the “love at first sight” trope, which might have hindered my enjoyment of Flip Flip Slowly. However, if that’s something you’re into, you might enjoy this. Second, though they are both adults, they have an 11 year age gap. This could either be a hook or a dealbreaker to some.

Kodansha published this one-shot on December 16th, 2025.

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