This was good. I liked the story, the main character and the setting. However, it was a bit confusing at times. I had no idea what was going on, it kinda jumped from one scene to the next and I had trouble with the timeline.
Still, overall, a good, fast read with interesting characters and I really enjoyed going through this journey with the main character.

A wonderful dive in to asexuality and identity in this one!

I've never read a manga that had an asexual main character and as someone under the asexual umbrella I was really pleased with this one! I think this oneshot has an incredible amount of information and exploration in to the differences Chika feels from her classmates and friends. Finding herself a new community and surrounding herself with supportive people as she explores deeper in to herself was so refreshing to see. I think the message, art and overall characters are excellent in this one!

There were some bits in this manga that were a little slow and took me a while to get through, but overall I really enjoyed it. I liked the exploration of sexuality and the discussions had around sexual and romantic attraction. There's also a fun cast of characters and a very sweet found-family dynamic by the end of the story that I really enjoyed.

The way this volume resonated with me...

Chika doesn't get excited about romance the way her school friends do, and their attempts to "help" do more damage than not. When she heads off to Tokyo for university, she's sure the fresh start with change everything - and yet the same assumptions and expectations plague her there. Lost in her frustration and sadness, feeling alienated and alone, she meets a professor who gives her hope and sets her on a path of self discovery.

Reading about Chika's relief at discovering she isn't an anomaly and her excitement to understand more made me tear up with its realness. Watching her grow into herself and bloom with confidence is such a joy. She learns to dig deeper and question societal "norms" for their value and worthiness. She builds wonderful friendships and stands up for herself to others who are insensitive.

This book contains several inserts of detailed explanations of terms, helpful for readers to whom the concepts are new and entirely skippable for those to whom the information is well-known. The art is pretty and the emotion is so clear.

Chika considers herself alien because, unlike her friends and other peers, she never felt any romantic or sexual attraction, while her friends assure her by saying, “You just need the right guy.”

Chika is desperate to understand what “normal” means, as everyone around her seems to be talking about it. She has been on a journey of self-discovery regarding her sexuality, which has been enlightening. In college, she made friends with whom she could openly discuss her difficulties with romantic attraction. Her professor and friends supported her in coming to the realization that she identifies as asexual.

The characters were portrayed in a very realistic manner. I like that the author took the time to explain different concepts. We also get different viewpoints on societal normalcy, romantic and sexual attraction, and sexual orientation.

I loved the artwork; it was beautiful. All the characters were enjoyable.

It was an enjoyable and informative read.

As someone who never read or knew much about asexuality . It was interesting to see a young woman in college navigate coming to terms with her sexuality and different interactioms she had with other people .

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Is Love The Answer? is a manga "collection" of volumes 1-4 of the series.
This manga features a main character that identifies as aromantic & asexual. She explores and comes to term with her identity throughout the series as she goes from high school to college. We see her come into her own, so to speak, moreso in her college years as she starts to feel more comfortable and realize that there is NOTHING wrong with her as she once felt.

The book was great. The sensitive topic was explored beautifully, and I have a feeling many young adults and older adults will relate to her journey.

This was a great manga to read if you wanted to get to know more about aroace as a whole! Really educational and diverse!

Loved the main friend group dynamic! So cute!!

Chika's exploration of what it means to be "normal" in regards to romantic relationships is a beautiful coming-of-age story. When she goes to college she meets many new people and discovers that there is no one correct way to define romance.

Recommended for: readers looking for ace/asexual representation

Content warning: attempted sexual assault

I received a digital copy of this manga from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very happy to see this well done representation of a-spec identity in a manga! Is Love the Answer follows a young person entering college discovering and exploring their aroace identity. The experiences Chika has throughout this manga as she enters college and comes into her asexual identity are things that will likely hit home for many a-spec and queer people. From forming a queer friend group, to meeting an older role model who shares her identity, to the endless self-doubt of whether you are labelling yourself correctly, to finding an identity that fits and then having to figure out what that means for your future. Though this manga didn't necessarily impact me that much, as most of the discussions around asexuality it includes are rather rudimentary, I can definitely see someone questioning or newly coming into their a-spec identity really benefiting from reading this.

My Thoughts:

This manga follows high schooler Chika who feels that she must be an alien. When her friends keep talking about romance and dating, she realizes that she must be from another planet because she has no desire for dating and even touching. She is sort of sure that she is not gay, but she just does not understand why she feels zero desire for anyone. Although her friends tell her she just has not met the "right one" yet, it is not until she goes to college and meets a professor who seems to understand her does she start researching ideas about why for her, love is not the answer.

What makes this manga valuable in the classroom for the right reader to find is that even if this is a coming of age experience from a teen who realizes that she may be ace (part of the asexuality umbrella), through her research, readers also see that there is a whole spectrum, and that even within this definition, there is no "normal."

April 20-26, 2024 is National Ace Week for awareness and celebration. If you would like more information, there are resources on the PFLAG website linked above.

From the Publisher:
When it comes to love, high schooler Chika wonders if she might be an alien. She’s never fallen for or even had a crush on anyone, and she has no desire for physical intimacy. Her friends tell her that she just "hasn't met the one yet," but Chika has doubts... It's only when Chika enters college and meets peers like herself that she realizes there’s a word for what she feels inside--asexual--and she’s not the only one. After years of wondering if love was the answer, Chika realizes that the answer she long sought may not exist at all--and that that's perfectly normal.

Publication Information:
Author/Illustrator: Uta Isak (they/them)
Publisher: Kodansha Comics (January 17, 2023)
Papberback: 256 pages

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

Good read will be picking up volume 2

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is the Love the Answer? This cute manga explored that very question. Chika is in high school and has no interest in a relationship, but to all of her friends that is what is considered normal. Chika tries it out, but just finds that she has no interest in a romantic relationship. She feels alienated from her classmates and conatantly thinks ghrre is something wrong with her. When she gets to college she meets more people who are like her and she begins to understand that there is a term for what she feels, aromantic asexual. However, one term doesn't fit all of her. This story is an exploration of gender, sexual identity, and different relationships.

This coming of age story of self exploration was eye opening. I gave it 4.5 stars. As Chika explored her identity and learned more about herself, the reader got an in depth look at what it means to explore identity and gender. Chika makes friends and forms other relationships as she continues to understand herself better. She also realizes that the term aromantic asexual doesn't fully encompass everything that she is. The story was very well done and has the reader understanding the struggles that Chika is facing. The art was nicely done as well. Tgis is a beautiful atory that I would highly recommend!

I’m not the target audience for this - I am not ace but I am part of the LGBTQAI+ community - and I really enjoyed learning more about this.
The art work was great and the story was good. I enjoyed the explanations.

More Accurate Rating: 4.5

A fantastic introduction to the label of asexuality which is often not acknowledged as a part of the queer or LGBTQ+ community. To me the definition of queer is as so: anyone who doesn't fit into the cis-hetero-alloromantic or allosexual norm that society views as "normal". And it's this word "normal" that is challenged in this beautifully drawn manga with delightful pacing. Asexual and aromatic people are part of the queer community 100% and this manga is a wonderful introduction to those who may be unfamiliar with the concept of asexuality because of how sex-focused society is. Personally, I am a part of the aro-ace community because I identify as demiromantic and demisexual, and while my specific label isn't one that is discussed much in this manga, it is mentioned which is delightful in and of itself. I enjoyed the multi-faced approach that Isaki took toward discussing asexuality and how vast and complex an identity it is.

My only criticism is that the characters feel a bit flat outside of their sexual identities, which is not to say sexuality isn't a big part of who we are but more that outside of her asexuality, I don't know anything about Chika or her interests outside of the one anime/manga that is used to comment on the affection asexual people can have toward fictional characters and Chika changing herself to fit into other's perceptions of what is "normal".

But overall, I had a lovely time and learned a lot! I highly recommend this manga to anyone who might be questioning if they are aro or ace, but also to those who aren't aro or ace at all. It's never bad to learn about others who you cannot directly relate to. Reading about the experiences of others is how you build empathy, after all.

"Is Love the Answer" is a manga about a girl named Chika who is figuring out herself and her sexual identity. I enjoyed reading this book because it really shows people’s perspectives on different sexual identities and such. I love that it shows that if you’re surrounded by the right people, you will learn how to accept yourself and fully understand and get to know yourself. I also appreciate how this book explains very well what asexuality really is since it is not really talked about a lot. Thank you, NetGalley, for this copy. If you’re interested in reading a lighthearted manga about a high school/college girl who is trying to understand and discover more about herself, you should definitely read this. I’ll give this book 4 stars.

2.5/5 rounded up!
This took me quite a while to read through. Oftentimes, I will breeze my way through a manga however this manga felt less like a story but rather a 101 guide to asexuality. The book started off strong but there was lots of info dumping afterwards which made it unbearable for me to continue reading it in one sitting.
The characters also felt flat as their personality seemed to merely revolve around their sexualities only. I would appreciate it if the author also explored other aspects of LGBTQ like the prejudice or discrimination faced by members from this community. It was mentioned but it was mostly glazed over. In my opinion, Our dreams at dusk did a better job at exploring the mental struggles of the characters and it was more nuanced.
The art had so much potential and I was really rooting for the space theme. However, the art ended up more telling than showing. It lacked it's initial charm rapidly. Honestly, this manga had so much potential but I think the main problem was how the story struggled to show more instead of telling.

I don't usually read manga, but I made an exception for this one because it tackles a topic that hits close to home for me: asexuality and aromanticism.

The story follows our main character, Chica, in her daily struggles with her life, her feelings and her interpersonal relationships.
The narrative focuses on the girl exploring her sexuality and romantic orientation through her own research, talking to other characters and her own thoughts and opinions.
The main topic is touched gently and in a positive way, without infodumping too much.

In my opinion, this manga is clearly written to introduce readers to the topic, but it made me feel very seen nonetheless.

The drawings, as always with most mangas, are top notch and I personally enjoyed the author's drawing style.

Overall, I very much enjoyed it and I would highly recommend this comic to anyone who might be wondering about their sexuality or wants to know more about this topic in particular.

I thought this was a beautifully told coming of age story about a young woman finding her identity! I haven’t read about a character who identifies as an asexual before and I thought the story was really well done and the art was gorgeous too. I like that you’re learning along with Chika during your read I feel like it gave me some new perspective and the characters were all so lovable! The author also touched on the discrimination and pressure that can happen within the groups you identify as. I really enjoyed reading about the author and the inspiration behind the manga in the afterword!

A coming of age story following Chika, a girl who doesn't understand herself or why she's different from her peers and aims to find herself. This is an amazing dive into the topics of asexuality and the general sexual/romantic non-conformity, and I would have loved to read this in my youth. Growing up, I felt like I had to do certain things to "fit in" - even if I didn't entirely understand or want it for myself. I struggled with similar questions and doubts as Chika, and I loved watching Chika become more self assured and finding a place where she belongs