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.

I've read a few of Edako Mofumofu's manga in the past and enjoyed them immensely "There Are Things I Can't Tell You" was the same.

Compared to some of her other works this is more mature with more realistically flawed characters and problems. As the story progresses more and more of the characters' shared history, their bagged and their feelings are unraveled giving the story more depth. There are soft and sweet moment but there are also painful and deeply moving parts. The characters both go through growth as well as heal during the course of this novel.

I loved reading it and will like to read it over and over again.

Highly recommend!

A sweet, sometimes angsty yaoi manga about two best friends who keep convincing each other that they cannot make the other happy. The characters are likable and the art is very beautiful and neat. Unlike many yaoi manga, their dynamic is not forced or nonconsensual but healthy and believable, though they keep separating because of their own internal issues. I would've liked the manga more if it had explored different conflicts between the main characters instead of dragging out the 'I'm not good enough for him' conflict throughout the volume. It got slightly repetitive by the end. However, it did end with a happy ending and the characters communicating their true feelings to each other. A beautiful slice-of-life manga that will be loved by fans of yaoi.

This was a cute graphic novel about friends that become lovers. I loved their friendship and the relationship progression seemed natural.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Parental abuse, depression, internalised homophobia

This is a very deeply emotional story that is full of drama but with a very sweet love story at it's center. There is a lot of angst, and a lot of mutual pining. Be very aware of the warnings because there is a lot within these pages that might trigger someone.

Kyousuke and Kasumi have been friends since school, ever since Kyousuke saw Kasumi writing a wish to have a 'happy family' and then tying it to a wish tree. Kyousuke doesn't make fun of him as he suspects and fears, but instead smiles and tells him it's a great wish. And so starts a friendship that will build throughout school until it evolves into a mutual love that is buried before it can become fully realised.

I really loved how you find out how both the character's fell in love with one another. The first chapter is dedicated to Kyousuke in the present, and then it goes back to the past and explores how he fell for Kasumi gradually over time. There is a lot of internalised homophobia when it comes to Kyousuke whose parents are <i>awful</i>. He buries his feelings deep inside and denies himself the happiness he could have with Kasumi.

I also felt so bad for poor Kasumi, worse in fact. He had a rough childhood, with truly despicable parents. His present isn't great either, he's currently having an affair with a married women, an affair that Kyousuke does not approve of and constantly tries to get him to rethink his actions. It makes you really feel for Kasumi, his desperation for someone to care for him is heart wrenching.

It's hard sometimes to read what happens between these two. Most of their problems are caused by their own issues, and there is a lot of sadness and self-disgust.

The art is <i>gorgeous</i>. I love the way the mangaka draws the emotions the character's go through, you can clearly see their suffering on the page and it's wonderful.

If you're looking for a beautiful, yet sad, BL manga you definitely can't go wrong with There Are Things I Can't Tell You.

Almost a must-read

Story: 4*
Art: 4*

Since I read Dramacon last year, I've been wanting to read something else from TokyoPop. And I finally did it. And the wait was worth it

The cover is amazingly good and probably one of my favorites book's cover ever. That’s what got my attention in the first place. Yet I was unsure because sometimes manga covers are tricky. Well, this isn’t. The art style is really great. There are some specific pages that are breathtaking of cuteness and I do think it is one of my favorites drawing styles ever.

In the other hand: it has some explicit scenes that could have been better. They were a bit underwhelming.

"Don't be so kind to me. Just push me away. Be cold to me. Abandon me. If you don't... then I won't know how... I'll never be able to forget about you"

The story is enjoyable. It isn't as deep as it could be, but both main characters are adorable and relatable so it is a nice reading. They both have an interesting background story and their relationship is dramatic enough to keep us interested.
However, I think there are some pages with an excessive amount of text. I am not an expert but I guess that sometimes text is not necessary to explain some aspects we are already "feeling" with the drawings.

The Best: Art and Story work perfectly together.

The Worst: It could’ve been better to see more about Kasumi’s problems, and less about Kyousuke’s work.

I received this for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

So i got this copy today and i started reading immediately and a could not stop reading.
I really enjoy the story and the characters are so well writting, i mean we can see that the are not flawless, the love story is really complicated, its not as simple a some manga or book make it seems, we have an unriqueted love by both sides, but in reality its much complicated.
One thing that i enjoy its that the autor could show us a developed in his character even tough that its only 6 chapter long, we could see how the main character grew up, from one who tough be in love with other boys was wrong (mainly because of what he hear from his father´s when he was a little boy).
Other things that i enjoy was the draw style, the esthetic it was nice to see.
For me it was a good manga to read, the love story was well writting we get the chance to see a story that was not forced, i mean the main character did not force himself in the love interest, he learn to accept his love and also he learn that what he was fealing was not wrong.

For me this manga deserve a 5 star of 5 stars.

I finished this in no time. Awesome !! A beautiful story, Kasumi and Kyousuke are opposites and friends through junior and high school. Still are, even with different majors and art school. Until there is a break-up.
Alternating between past and present we get to know them. They love each other.
But life doesn’t seem to work that way. Choices aren’t always the best.
It isn’t simple but they get their hea

Great art I love good manga and Boy's Love even more! This one was really good.

KASUMI and KYOUSUKE are very different people, but also so much alike. They are both driven by the things they grew up around. Kyousuke is determined to be number one at everything (because of his dad). When he does not succeed it weighs on him heavily. While Kasumi grew up unwanted and unloved by everyone in his life. When these two meet it helps place a balance in both of their lives for the better.

This book gave me such conflicting feelings. I was slightly confused the first 10 pages, but when I caught on I was hooked. I finished this in less than an hour. I was so invested in the lives of the boys. One of my favorite things was seeing their relationship and friendship from their point of view. It shined a light on how they thought and what they actually wanted in life.

On the opposite side, I did not understand the reason to constantly read about Kyousuke's Job. it seemed like a filler in between all of the relationship stuff. Maybe it was to show us how he put his all into something and still failed and persevered, but that did not seem too essential to the story. However, I did love the side story of Kasumi sleeping with a married woman. It just proved how desperate he was for anyone to love him and it just broke my heart.

I was surprised at the sex scenes. I think they fit very well and were also quite tasteful. Overall, I enjoyed this and would love to read more about this couple.

Overall, I enjoyed There Are Things I Can't Tell You. Kasumi and Kyousuke were both engaging characters with distinctive personalities and flaws. I liked the way the story moved between past and present to show their history and how they reached their current point. The only thing that didn't quite work for me was their co-dependency, which felt a little too extreme at times. In terms of the artwork, I had no complaints. The panels were clear and the drawing style appealing. Recommend for fans of Boys Love manga.

Thanks to NetGalley and TokyoPop for allowing me to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartfelt one shot manga about being a closeted gay man in Japan, showing the prejudice that a young man would have to experience and the limitations he puts on himself thinking he's "wrong." It follows Kasumi and Kyousuke, two young men with different backgrounds. Kyousuke is more of a career driven extrovert, and he takes care of the messy Kasumi who is currently chasing a married woman he believes that he loves.

Their relationship spans from middle school well into their adult hood, showing two men who care for each other, blurring the line between friendship and love and the things that get in the way.

The title is mature. I didn't realize until I got to the mature bits, and it was all done fairly tastefully.