[This review covers volume 1 of If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love: Manga Review]
Amane Kaidou doesn’t think he’s the type to fall in love.
He messes around and keeps every guy at arm’s length, and that’s enough for him. Or so he thought.
After moving to his granny’s house in Enoshima, Amane meets Ryuuji Yamasuge, an extremely kind (and attractive) boy from his new school. Of course, they end up sitting next to each other in class and find themselves in all manner of situations that bring them closer together. Amane gets used to his new life and his relationship with Ryuuji evolves. He realizes he can definitely fall in love if it’s with him. And he falls hard.
Amane’s personality is very refreshing and instantly charmed me: he’s hilarious, a bit silly, and unapologetically himself. He comes out to Ryuuji almost immediately, who doesn’t seem to mind at all, but under all that confidence and humor there is deep insecurity and a fear of getting hurt. Ryuuji might initially seem like Amane’s opposite, but he doesn’t fall into the typical trope of the broody dark-haired character whose true feelings are difficult to read.
The thing is Amane has such a strong, extroverted personality that Ryuuji appears quiet or shy in comparison, but he’s actually quite expressive and silly himself, not to mention super sweet.
He kind of reminds me of Uenoyama from Given, but less grumpy.
He also almost immediately breaks down Amane’s defenses because he can tell he uses humor as a coping mechanism, so their connection deepens from the get-go. Their bond is palpable through the pages.
As soon as I finished Volume 1, I wanted to find other chapters to read instead of writing this review. The plot is nothing revolutionary and full of the typical elements you find in BL/GL. Such as tripping and being caught mid-air, getting sick and nursed back to health, sun and moon couple, etc. But that’s not necessarily negative if it works! I do think they’re different from other BL couples I know. Both in the way they approach their own sexuality and how that influences their relationship dynamic. I’m really curious to learn about Amane’s past relationships and what really happened to him, and also to see how Ryuuji will grown into his sexuality. Don’t be surprised if by the time this review is posted I have already caught up to it.
Yen Press released Volume 1 of If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love on March 25th, 2025. Volume 2 is coming out on August 26th, 2025.
Poppy Seeds: ●●●●○ (4 out of 5)
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