There Are Things I Can't Tell You is a stunning work of art. Mofumofu gives us a beautiful story that deals with some significant issues. The art is gorgeous, and the story is gripping. The only critique I have is that the timeline jumps around a bit and can be difficult to follow until you are well within the story.

It's important to note that this Manga is not for children, and is for mature audiences only. There are some explicit m/m scenes.

If you like romance, m/m, steam, and gorgeous art in graphic novels, this graphic novel is for you!

Thank you to Edako Mofumofu, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

This was a surprising read! I think if you're into m/m romance comics on lezhin then this comic is perfect for you. I also loved how the author brought up relevant issues in Japan like the taboo around discussing mental health, and the still very present homophobia.

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with an E-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

"There Are Things I Can't Tell You" by Edako Mofumofu is a manga follows two men who were previously close friends in school, but eventually grew apart. However, they find their way back to each other, and both of them struggle to deal with romantic feelings that they have for one another. There is also a side plot of one of the main characters trying to excel in his workplace as a graphic designer. This manga is full of mutual-pining, the exploration of toxic masculinity, and trying to overcome internalized homophobia. Besides the romance plot line, it also tackles the idea of the fine line between being a hard-worker and over-working oneself.

This story is very well-rounded, and I finished it feeling like I really understood the characters and their motivations. I thought the romance was lovely and realistic, and I loved the incorporation of the workplace setting for the main character.

However, there were a couple things I wasn't a fan of in this manga. First, I thought the timeline was a little confusing, especially once nearing the final conflict. I also just didn't fully understand why that conflict needed to happen, but I did appreciate the resolution. Additionally, there is a very fine line between fetishization and inclusivity when it comes to queer sex in books., and I'm honestly not quite sure where this manga stands on that spectrum. There are two very graphic sex scenes that seemingly come out of nowhere, and without knowing much about the author, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. I have tried researching information about the author (i.e. their gender, and sexuality), but I can't find anything. So, if anyone can enlighten me on that, I would really appreciate it. Until knowing more, I can't say whether these sex scenes were done with good intentions or not, so please just be cautious of that if you plan to read this.

Besides those two points, though, I really did enjoy this. It was a quick read that sparked my emotions, and I am glad I picked it up, "There Are Things I Can't Tell You" is a solid 3.5/5-stars. I'd recommend it to anyone interested!

Advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book from NetGalley because Tammie loved it and I wanted to see if I would like it 😂 Link to Tammie's review: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/57571473-tammie-c
Link to Tammie's July Wrap Up where she talks about this manga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-LpRu19-jo

I'm really glad that I ended up picking up this manga because it was cute. It's got childhood love, a lot of angst, both of the characters trying to put the other's happiness first, and some sexy times. It also deals with internalised homophobia and coming to terms with that, so it's not just a light read. It's probably one of the best one-shot romances that I've read because it's cute and not problematic! The art style is also incredibly beautiful.

I would definitely recommend this manga. It's a super quick read that will leave you feeling happy with the ending. I almost want to read more from the characters but I know that if we got more mangas, then their love would be tested and I'd rather not watch the characters go through trials.

Es una trama bastante simple, con un buen balance de momentos tanto tristes como felices. Los personajes se me hicieron sencillos pero entrañables, me gustó el desarrollo que tuvieron a lo largo de la historia y el final me sacó una pequeña sonrisa. El estilo de dibujo también me gustó bastante.
Lo único que quizás me estresó un poco fue que el gran problema de la historia era la falta de comunicación, y realmente me estresa cuando eso pasa, pero aparte de eso el resto está bastante bien. Realmente lo disfruté, es un bonito manga para pasar el rato y sin duda lo recomiendo.

This novel got good graphics and I cannot lie at it, it got a good plot and I really enjoyed it but I didn't really liked the decision some of them made like I didn't really say what I felt because I thought I was wrong about it, and I did that with you just because of pity. So the character that got hurt didn't make the right choice for me to love it.
I loved that in some point there's the point of view of the other boy and tells us his version of the story and I completely loved some of the flashbacks.

The other personal problem was that this is completely different and when I started I didn't know that you got to start reading in the first image from the left side and in the start I was confused..
Sometimes I think they filled up the story with parts of the job of one of them that were unnecessary, despite that, I thought some parts were really romantic and some others that got into my heart but I cannot live with the final decision of Kasumi.
I wish it would have ended up differently but it didn't, life sometimes can't be what we always wanted.

So, thanks Netgalley for providing me this "romantic" graphic novel

This was such a good manga. It was short so I was able to get through it pretty quick. The relationship between the two was so frustrating because they both had such strong feelings but thought the other would be better off.
I definitely recommend this one for a cute and heart warming story.

So beautiful art and powerful message indeed in this manga.
This was just amazing and beautiful. I adored the ending!

Kyousuke and Kasumi have been close friends since they met in elementary school. Complete opposites, the pair were drawn to one another and quickly became friends. Now out of college, their friendship teeters on the edge of becoming something more as they struggle to define their feelings for one another. The only problem is that they are both too self-conscious to put their feelings on the table and clear the air.

I thought this was a realistic plot about best friends who have feelings for each other struggling to figure out what that means on top of talking about them. It was quite realistic to see them struggling with their sexuality, especially during a flashback sequence where Kyousuke overhears a conversation between his parents where homosexuality is described as disgusting. Starting to realize that you are attracted to the same gender and beginning to learn that people are against it is an unforgettable memory.

I think that the story does a great job at bringing depth and realism to the story in many ways. It’s quite heartbreaking to watch these two characters struggle with their sexuality, grappling with how society views same sex couples, and remembering their own hardships from their upbringing. Kyousuke is a well-developed character and majority of the story is told through him and his experiences, so I understood him well.

At the same time, I think the story is lacking in other areas. I think that there are parts of this story that are not very memorable and will easily be forgotten as time goes on. Kasumi is not developed well, and I feel like I only got to know him on a superficial level. In fact, Kyousuke is the only fully developed character in the story. I wish that we got to learn more about Kasumi outside of what we did learn. He was a little too glossed over, which made him a little hard to follow at times.

I also think that the flashbacks and the overall timeline could have been handled better. There were a couple flashbacks that threw me through a loop because I couldn’t tell if they were a flashback or taking place in the present at first. Because of this, I honestly thought the story was going to reveal that Kasumi was dead at some point because of the way the timeline was handled.

While I do have a few complaints, I think that the overall story itself is good and I’d like to read more from Edako Mofumofu in the future.

This is a romance about two friends pining for each other over the long haul. It features mutual pining, super angst energy, and a dash of internalized homophobia keeping the two from consumating their obvious love for one another. If you're into those things, this is definitely the manga for you. The art is also a pleasant soft style.

It’s rare to find translated standalone BL manga, so I’m super happy that I was able to read There Are Things I Can’t Tell You. This is a story about two childhood friends that are in love, but have to go though a very deep evolution before being able to be together. The story touches many hard topics (there’s a content warning list at the end of this review!) and can be a little bit shocking with the big amount of internalized homophobia the characters have, but it does it best to show that this thoughts are the product of growing up in conservative, masochist, and abusive families and NOT the truth. Following these two idiots fall in love, come to terms with the fact that being in love with someone of your same gender isn’t wrong, and getting together was extremely satisfying.
The art style of the mangaka is just gorgeous. Sometimes it felt like I could stare at some of the pages forever.

This is an adult romance and there are some explicit scenes, so keep that in mind if you’re not comfortable with them.

CW: cheating, parental emotional abuse, parental verbal abuse, internalized homophobia, homophobic comments

[ 4.5/5 ]
Kyosuke and Kasumi have been friends since childhood but they couldn’t be more different: one is the golden boy, extroverted, confident in himself and good at pretty much everything; and the other is more introverted and kind wary of people’s intentions. Thus, even as friends, they complement each other.

You have to be aware that in Japan, being queer is almost a crime, so a lot of folks have internalized homophobia, and are not as open as we are in the west. Normally, it’s hard for them to accept the fact that they are not straight. With that being said, they both have feelings for each other but they can’t confess what they truly feel ‘cause then their friendship would end.

I think their background stories are important in this manga because I know what it’s like to question everything about yourself (and sometimes hating yourself in the process), wondering what’s different from being right or wrong, and ultimately, be capable of just being you, without care for what other people may think.

This author has a beautiful art style and it really shows the drama when needed to. The expressions give you the best context and the length (normally a manga volume goes from 150-200 pages) helps building the story of these two characters that deserve nothing but the best.

I strongly recommend this manga since it is a stand-alone and for those who are wondering, they do have their HEA, but frist Kyosuke and Kasumi will have to go through a lot in order to understand that they’re better when they’re together, when they let themselves be loved.

‘There Are Things I Can’t Tell You” is a beautiful story that deals with difficult themes.

Although Kyousuke and Kasumi are polar opposites, they’re childhood friends that have been close pretty much from the moment they met. ‘There Are Things I Can’t Tell You’ does a good job of showing us their personalities right from the start. Kasumi is klutzy and reserved while Kyousuke is detail-oriented and sociable.

Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes and it was interesting to see how the one suspected to have particular characteristics belonged to the other. I loved how both characters have their own issues they’re dealing with outside of the other. Kasumi is dealing with his feelings of isolation and an affair. Kyousuke is dealing with stress from his job as well as internalized homophobia. They’re not pretty issues but they’re real issues.

While it was nice to see these characters come to terms with themselves, ultimately it was unsurprising. The story itself is nothing new or groundbreaking but the characters are good and the art style is solid.

This had such a charming story.

It's a one-shot, so the quick pacing used made sense. The story was laid out in a logical way that worked with the characters. I'm glad they showed the character have weaknesses that worked with their personalities. The art is enjoyable and easy on the eyes. The location of the flashbacks were kind of confusing, but otherwise it was pretty good!

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Tokyopop in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published after the release date (July 21st, 2020)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Adultery, cheating, memories of parental emotional and verbal abuse, parental neglect, internalized homophobia, homophobic comments, abandonment

“And then, like tumbling down a hill… I fell in love with Kasumi.”

I loved this so, so much! You hear me talk about manga so much and I can honestly say this is a new favorite. I love how there’s so many important topics mentioned throughout this book and these two boys, these two cinnamon roll boys are so precious! I just really enjoyed this manga so much and I’m low-key hoping we see more.

Kyousuke Shiina is a talented and ambitious graphic designer who’s secretly in love with him childhood friend. When this perfectionist of a hard worker isn’t pulling all nighters at his office with his team, he’s whipping up delicious food in the kitchen or spending every moment with Katsumi.

Katsumi Amemiya is the polar opposite of Kyousuke; quiet and shy, klutzy to a fault, and disorganized like a whirlwind just flew through (not even joking, those rooms are pure chaos). Katsumi has been friends with Kyousuke ever since grade school, when Katsumi had no friends, nothing to live for, and by some miracle, crossed paths during after school hours and a wishing tree.

“If I’m going to share my life with anyone… I wish I could be with someone who really loves me.”

I loved both of these characters so much. Thanks to a very dear friend of mine, I’ve fallen in love with the grumpy-sunshine love trope and that’s exactly what this relationship is. Katsumi is always feeling the weight of abandonment and lonliness, always in the darkness that his life has given him. While Kyousuke tries to always forge ahead with charisma and determination, always trying to make everyone happy and smiling at what he does. Though these two may be opposites of each other, they balance each other’s personalities so well and work beautifully together. We also have the friends to lovers arc with these two and I loved it so much especially due to some of the time gaps.

With all of this being said, Kyousuke grew up in a household that was very homophobic. Due to the way his father continuously says how wrong it is for someone to be gay or how it’s “gross” leads to Kyousuke internalizing that homophobia against himself. Kyousuke ends up grappling with some deep feelings and grapples with the thought that he’s leading Katsumi down the “wrong path”. So he tries to avoid leading Katsumi on as much as possible. On the opposite side of things, Katsumi has always been open about his love for Kyousuke since the beginning. After Katsumi confessed his love to Kysousuke in the past, Katsumi has no reason to believe his charming best friend could ever find a reason to love him back.

“Maybe the love I’m feeling… doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

I was fully wrapped up in my feelings. I ended up crying during the entire ending of this book and my heart broke repeatedly for these two cinnamon rolls. When they’re together, they just ignite in the most precious way and they deserve all the love. This was a story line that I loved and I appreciate so much. This addresses how there countries out there that still don’t accept anyone who is lgbtq+ openly and how the homophobia is laced all throughout society (even in the homes you grow up in). There’s also an underlying topic of adultery that isn’t often discussed and how media can sometimes encourage that kind of behavior in relationships. I also appreciate that the topic was handled with a woman being the adulterer when far too often we see men being the ones who commit adultery in literature or films. And I have to talk about the fact that Katsumi is bisexual character! I live for books that have bisexual representation in them especially when it feels like literature often forgets about bisexuality and pansexuality (sometimes).

I also want to take a moment to remind anyone who decides to pick this manga up, that this is an adult romance. Yes, there are explicit scenes between both the characters. If this is something you’re not comfortable with this or you’re not sure how to feel, I recommend picking up a different manga. And if you’re someone who is comfortable with graphic yet brief depictions of sex, I definitely recommend this manga! Those scenes were a solid ten out of ten!

“But just seeing him and shooting the breeze and laughing together… That’d be enough for me.”

Overall, I loved this. I sobbed, I died a little inside, and then I was cheering. The story line moved at a solid pace and it was hard not to get wrapped up in the story. I mean, I had to pause my reading to remind myself to hydrate because I was so eager to find out what would happen. And as I mentioned, this book has some great topics and this book also shows that those who feel they’re too broken to find love, can find love. I truly enjoyed this and I think many other manga readers will enjoy this book. A soft reminder, this is an adult romance and there are explicit scenes. But I can’t recommend this manga enough and I’m eager to see more work from Edako Mofumofu.

The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Yo, this was way more graphic than I expected from a manga. The story itself was sweet, and these two tragic idiots were adorable. It was a very quick read, but an enjoyable one all the same

Excellent standalone BL manga with two great main characters with excellent chemistry! That art was gorgeous and the story was well-paced and did well interspersing backstory and dual perspectives within the main storyline. I found the main character Kyouske relatable in how he keeps his personal life in check with a rigid right versus wrong path kind of mindset; it was cathartic to watch him dismantle that uncompromising, fear-based kind of thinking. Kasumi, our other love interest, was also compelling, I love how strong and resilient he revealed himself to be despite first being introduced as a messy, emotionally fragile type of character. The ending was very satisfying and I would have loved more little extras with these two, but the way it left off was perfect as well.

Well this was heartbreaking. I mean, not actually. It has a happy ending. But the whole thing was just. My heart. When one person thinks the best way for the other to be happy is for them not to be together? Be ready to do some book flinging, some frustrated flailing, some "oh, my heart" gestures. But it was also super sweet and angsty and beautifully drawn. So there's that.

CW for internalized homophobia, emotionally abusive parents, sex on the page, undiagnosed depression(?), adultery

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy and their new app, which makes it so much easier to read.

Ok, so disclaimer but I thought when I got it from Netgalley that is was a teen title - however there are some pretty graphic sex scenes in this one, so it's definitely an adult one.
Other than the unexpected doinking, it was a really sad, sweet beautiful story about two boys trying to figure out their feelings for each other in a society that is very much behind the times when it comes to acceptance of the LGBT community. Because of this, the two men (they are adults, fresh out of college) go through so much hell trying to reconcile the fact that their childhood friendship is so much more... and it doesn't help that one of them is trying to recover from a very traumatic childhood and some serious depression - two more things that are simply not acceptable to discuss in Japanese society.

Trigger Warning: internalized homophobia, parental abuse, depression, emotional neglect

This book is about Kasumi and Kyousuke, two boys who love each other since forever but are scared to express to each other due to abuse in their past. They need to deal with their individual pasts to move forward in their lives.

Kyousuke is a version of boss babe, complete confident and exuberant outer character with dedication and driven young mind but inside he is flawed and scared of pursuing what his heart truly desired.

Kasumi is a complete opposite of Kyousuke coming from a family where the parents didn't love each other at all, he didn't have confidence to share his personal feelings and thoughts with someone.

I enjoyed their character development and relationship development and man the art was great in the book(totally into manga, will try and pick few more novels with art in it ). The sex in the graphic novel, did turn quite graphic (wasn't accepting it, since this was my first manga) I am yet to decide if I actually liked that part of not.