This was a cute romance, but I didn't dig the hesitation and the characters thinking what they are doing is wrong.

While another reviewer gets the pleasure of writing this one up for ANN, I definitely envy her - the story here is thoughtful and sweet and has a point to make (in a relatively gentle way) about how getting stuck on ideas of what "normal" is can lead you to jettison happiness. Kyousuke's ingrained belief that there's something wrong about being gay causes him to push away the love of his life for too long out of a dual belief that Kasumi is straight and that there's no way being with him will bring happiness to the one person he wants above all to be happy. The story is fairly angsty (not always my favorite flavor of romance), but the ending is rewarding, especially the final wordless pages, which drive home the fact that happiness is where YOU find it, not where society tells you it is.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

This manga follows the story of two friends as their grow up as well as their relationship. They are both very different but their complement each other.

The story and the art are pretty cute, it talks about depression, internalised homophobia and parental abuse. i love how it builds their relationship and the flashbacks of when their were kids. We have the points of view of this two characters.

It was a really lovely story and the first yaoi that i read so i´m looking forward to explore more this genre.

[ESP]
There Are Things I Can't Tell You es un manga tierno y sentido. A través de la vida escolar de Kyousuke y Kasumi vemos cómo su amistad se convierte en algo más.
Con bastante drama y un desarrollo de personaje interesante, este manga se me hizo como una suerte de hermano mayor de You Are In The Blue Summer.
Personalmente las escenas gráficas sexuales no me incomodan, pero esta historia no parecía que iba a tenerlas y... las tiene. Así que ¡advertencia! si te incomodan los mangas con escenas sexuales, este lo tiene.
Pese a eso, es una historia bonita aunque no enamora.

*Muy pronto reseña completa en el blog

[ENG]
There Are Things I Can't Tell You it's a lovely and emotional story. After years of pinning in each others, Kyousuke and Kasumi's friendship becomes something more.
With two childhood friends, angst, drama and a beautiful artwork, There Are Things I Can't Tell You it's kinda the big brother of You Are In The Blue Summer. Mature content included...
However, it's a beautiful story that I enjoyed.

TW: adultery,cheating, neglectful and emotionally abusive parents, internalised homophobia, graphic sex scenes.

*eArc provided by ToykoPop in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a very soft, simple and quick read.

The characters, Kyousuke and Kasumi are pretty generic and cut-and-dry but that's not necesarrily a bad thing. They are still very fun characters to follow. Kyousuke's work journey made a good parallel to follow with his love life but I wish we had gotten to know Kasumi's life more as well.

The plot is simple - though very very cliched. But that makes this a rather fun read overall. It is easy to follow as well. It also helps the art-style which is pleasing and I like the dialogues.

Overall, this is a fun manga to read, especially if you are looking for something fun and harmless for a weekend evening. Do give it a try.

Alternating between perspectives and timelines in the boys’ lives, this story is about Kasumi and Kyousuke becoming friends, growing up, and falling in love. Throughout the story we learn more about each boy’s emotional struggles to be who they are and mature as they get older. It’s a cute story with a good message about how you should do and be who you are to be happy.

Warning: two very graphic (consensual) sex scenes

4 stars

Kasumi and Kyousuke’s story was so emotional. Kyousuke is the typical popular boy that everyone likes because he’s cheerful and always in a good mood. Kasumi is the introverted outcast that has no friends because he doesn’t think anyone will ever like him. They start up a friendship when Kyousuke confronts Kasumi. And as they spend more and more time together, emotions start to blossom between them. But from a young age, Kyousuke thinks that having feelings towards men is a “wrong” path so he rejects Kasumi’s confession.

Both men choose “wrong” paths in their lives but eventually they come to realize they’re in love with each other. Kyousuke’s revelation that he loves Kasumi had me tearing up because he finally realizes it was completely okay to love a man.

I definitely plan on picking up other works by this mangaka. The artwork was absolutely beautiful.

** ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review **

***eArc provided by Netgalley & ToykoPop in exchange for an honest review***

This has been a good year for queer one-shot manga translation brought over to the US by TokyoPop. Soft, emotion, and sexy when it needs to be, There Are Things I Can't Tell You is stunning display of internalized homophobia, friendship, and love.

The first thing cought my eyes is the beautiful cover. The actual illustration is really nice too.
This was my first bl manga experience. I didn't know it has adult contents, but loved the story and characters! They are so cute.

Thank you so much for the ARC, I really enjoyed this comic!

I enjoyed this book! I think it would be a really good manga for anyone dealing with internalized homophobia or if anyone just wants a super angsty romance with a little smut on the side. I did notice a couple of translation errors that didn't match up with what was drawn, but other than that the translation was great. I loved the characters and story. The art style was really pretty and engaging.

This Manga explores the topic of discovering yourself and the graphics shown are quite explicit but I think it's needed for the message of Manga. The exploring the sexuality was a bare and raw story of the two boys. The artwork is clear and has clarity. I believe that the way to read manga could be easier for the readers if it's in the beginning of the Manga Comic.

3.5 stars // Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are unbiased and are my own.

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Things I Can’t Tell You is a standalone graphic novel/manga by Edako Mofumofu that is about two best friends mutually that are pining after each other even after all the time that has passed since they saw last saw each other.

I initially found it quite hard to get through – which is something I would never have expected from a manga. I think it was due to flashbacks, change of perspectives, which I didn’t pick up upon straight away, and the fragmented narrative. When I thought that something was happening ‘right now’, a few pages later it would refer to it as if it was quite a while ago.

However, the flashbacks were really insightful and I’m glad they were included. They gave me lots of backstory of the two protagonists, Kasumi and Kyousuke, that really made these characters stand out.

In order for me to give this manga 4 stars, I would have liked the beginning and ending of the flashbacks as well as scene and time skips to be more recognisable. I would have also liked if there was less of a focus on Kyousuke’s work as an illustrator and more on Kasumi’s problems and internal conflict.

Overall, I definitely grew to like this manga the more I read it! If you’re looking to get emotionally invested in a re-blossoming relationship between two unique characters, who prove that opposites do in fact attract, then please give THERE ARE THINGS I CAN’T TELL YOU by Edako Mofumofu a chance!

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Warnings Include: adultery/cheating, neglectful/emotionally abusive parents, internalised homophobia.

Thank you to NetGalley, Edako Mofumofu, Diamond Book Distributors, and Tokyopop for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely yaoi/boy love for adults.

I thought this was an interestingly presented story as it follows Kasumi and Kyosuke in their adult lives struggling with their feelings of love for each other. The story jumps back in time to when they first met and shows the development of feelings they have for each other and when they first realize it, even if they can't tell the other or if they feel ashamed of their feelings. Kyosuke knew he liked boys long before he met Kasumi, and with Japan's societal perception on gay couples, the feelings of both boys are tried as they learn what love truly means.

I enjoyed this one-off manga and found the overall story to be a nice reflection of more adult life issues, such as relationships and work. I just wish there were more romantic moments and fewer childhood memories and struggles in the workplace. At least there are a few people I know who I already plan on recommending this one to! ;p

Oh man, this was such a cute, quintessentially yaoi manga. I could have done without the angst-y, miscommunication-filled drama, but it's yaoi and at least it was handled and then resolved well. I liked that the story followed Kasumi and Kyousuke over multiple years--it provided the character and relationship development that a lot of manga fail to establish in their limited six chapters. I would have enjoyed a few (read: a lot) more pages in the epilogue because I'm a sap and I wanted to see more happy moments, but maybe there'll be a sequel? A fujoshi can only hope.

4/5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-arc.

I really liked this novel! Didn't realize it was explicit yaoi tho so that was 🎇interesting🎇

This was a sweet graphic novel.
Both the art as well as the plot as beautiful!
Hope to read more from this author soon☺️

This was such a good BL novel. I was happy to see there wasn't any dubious consent. The story was sweet but also addressed some good topics with a decent amount of angst.

This was so amazing, I loved the love story and the drawings, and I liked that it was so graphic and we had sex scenes between them. I wish it was longer because I read it so fast...

Hello everyone and welcome to Gray's Nook where I discuss and review manga, short stories, and novels! In today's blog, I was graciously allowed a copy of "There Are Things I Cannot Tell You..." by Edako Mofumofu from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I went into this novel with high hopes as the vibe from the cover and overall summary implanted the seed that this is going to be a wholesome yaoi manga. 

The story has a narrative where we flip back and forth between the memories of both main characters, as they come to grips with their childhood traumas and the shadows that stop them from moving forward with their lives. It's a bittersweet beginning as we meet Kyousuke Shiina and Kasumi Amemiya, both have known each other since the fifth grade. Both are in love with each other, but.. certain circumstances keep them from admitting to each other truthfully about what they really want from one another. 

Kyousuke Shiina

Kyousuke is a graphics art and advertisement director hopeful, he's hardworking and seems to project an outward personality much like the sun. He seems jovial and put together, and he portrays someone who is self-confident, however, that is a guise to hide the fact he is actually deeply flawed. Due to the fact he feels he lacks the self-confidence to go after what he really wants in life and love, which causes him to be self-deprecating and pushes his ideas onto his best friend, and secret love of his life, Kasumi. 

Kasumi Amemiya

Kasumi is a cute but introverted type of man, he's usually aloof and tries to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. He does this due to his sad upbringing with a family that never even showed an ounce of love towards one another. While Kasumi is shy and reserved, he does speak his mind when it comes to certain matters even when he feels he doesn't have the self-confidence to do so. A situation in the past between Kyousuke and him has guided Kasumi to stray into the arms of a married woman, causing certain issues between the two. 

The story is a slow burn pacing, where we follow both characters as the narrative is divided between the two of them talking about the past and bringing the story into the present. Many life lessons are brought up in this manga, which I appreciated as many others can relate to the deeper subjects that the book discusses in the conversations that the characters talk amongst others. What is right, isn't always right, and what is seen as wrong isn't always wrong. 

This story is wholesome, loving, and most of all a great addition to the Yaoi mangas out there. Placing real-life hardships and thoughts into a BL comic is hard, but the execution in this book was done well. Overall, I'm looking forward to more works of Edako Mofumofu in the future and waiting to buy a hard copy of this book to add to my collection. 

As always, thanks for reading, and see you all on the fictional side~!

This was such a cute book! I loved the characters and the story was really good. It was fleshed out nicely and there was enough detail that I felt very drawn into the story. Sometimes with one shots I feel like things can get rushed and then parts of the story don't make sense but that wasn't the case with this one shot. I liked how everything was wrapped up in the end as well. It was super cute! I would highly recommend this to fans of BL or romance manga in general.