I received an e-arc of this manga from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

content warning: emotionally abusive parents, extra-marital affair, internalized homophobia, explicit content

This manga had a full story that it was perfectly crafted in regards to plot, the characters had the depth I enjoyed and the drawings were so cute and heartwarming. The story and illustrations really knew how to combine and come up with something angstly beautiful.
A heartwarming story of friends to lovers that will move you and want you to root for Kyousuke and Kasumi to finally get their happy ending even after so many misunderstandings and inner struggles. We get to see two boys that are totally the opposite find calmness and a safe home in each other's company.

Much to the chagrin of my students, I don't typically read manga, so I was excited to read this through @NetGalley.

There Are Things I Can't Tell You by Edako Mofumofu is a sweet story about two childhood friends who spend years pushing each other away for various reasons. With some childhood trauma and (undiagnosed, but pervasive) depression/low self-esteem, it got a little heavy at times but I really appreciate the well-developed characters. By the last chapter, I was really cheering for Kyousuke and Kasumi's happiness.

One of the biggest changes as I've gotten older is always reading the introduction and endnotes I used to always skip. This copy included a behind the scenes from the author which I loved. I liked seeing how the author envisioned his story, especially the minor characters.

I wouldn't recommend this for students (it does have mature content) but I definitely recommend it for manga readers looking for a sentimental, character-driven romance.

Beautifully drawn in many senses of the word, this was a delicately told, gentle love story which navigates some very difficult issues around self acceptance. when you're not accepted by those around you. There is both internal and external homophobia in this story and it's not the brightest of tales, but there's a quiet warmth to it, and I became fond of both main characters.

The book follows Kasumi and Kyousuke. The two men grew up together, and their story is told through flashbacks to childhood and flashforwards to present day.

Without using many words, the author was able to show a conflicted love story, where both people thought they were protecting each other and letting each other have happy lives by not being together.

I did get quite attached to the characters, and the author was able to show many issues well, from depression and anxiety to low self esteem and the struggle to accept oneself in many different ways.

I felt like some parts were a bit off-kilter i.e. it's quite a sweet story of pining love, but there were some sudden, graphic explicit scenes. I had no issue with the scenes themselves, but I felt like they seemed quite sudden and thrown in as opposed to woven in with the story around it.

I liked this book, but there was something missing for me; there wasn't that overall click where all the pieces come together and form an image you can't take your eyes off. That said, it was a sweet story with a sweet couple I'd like to see again.

Received a copy from netGally for an honest review.

Kasumi and Kyousuke are really cute. I really love how their relationship started.

The representation of the BL relationship here and how the society views as well as the people close to us is really well done. Like how Kyousuke’s father reaction when his mother thought that Kyousuke is in love with that boy and that his father replied that she shouldn’t say something like that as it is wrong or bad.

That scene in the manga did a very huge impact in Kyousuke’s life and how he views himself that he is somehow corrupted because of what he feels for Kasumi or for that boy.

I really love how the manga shows the possible problem that every or maybe not every LGBTQ relationship are facing and how they struggle because of it and how they’ll face it.

I just wanted to say to everyone, straight or not that love has no gender. And that you should love freely.

Overall. I did really enjoy the manga and I totally recommend this.

I cannot review this, as it's a protected pdf, and I can't get it to my kindle.
It sounds great and I will read it if I can get a mobi file.

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

TW: abusive parents, homophobia, depression


Kasumi and Kyousuke are very different from one other. Kasumi is shy and reserved, while Kyuosuke is popular, strong-willed and outspoken, but they connect right away, becoming best friends really fast, liking and trusting one other. But something happens between them and for years they don't see one other, until they meet again and reconnect. Becoming adults and facing the world is already difficult, but they will be able to be honest with one other about their feelings?

I really loved reading There are things I can't tell you. First of all the drawings are amazing, the art is really gorgeous, able to express their feelings and emotions really well. The story is intense, full of angst and mutual pining and it deals with so many important themes, from abusive enviroments, homophobia and the difficulty of understand, explore and accept one's sexuality, the complexity of being a closeted gay man in the modern Japan.

Kasumi and Kyousuke are complex and interesting main characters. Both of them have to deal with difficult and abusive parents, above all Kasumi who always felt unloved and undesired, until he meets Kyousuke.
Their relationship is also complex, full of misunderstandings and things (like the title) they won't or can't tell to one other, afraid to make mistakes and ruin everything. I like how the author develop their relationship, underlining their struggles to be honest about themselves and each other, about being adult and love one other.

The story is full of angst and romance, cute and sweet moments and I really like it!

I like the amount of angst that this story gave. The back story of the characters filled in the gaps of their personalities. However, the ending was quite rushed for me.

Unable to download and review this book, not sure what the issue is.

Disappointing that I am unable to read and thus review this book.

There Are Things I Can't Tell You is quite refreshing and full of sadness. It's about going back and forth, how the happiness you think about isn't necessarily the happiness the other wishes. Kasumi and Kyousuke have been friends since kids. Kyousuke was the outgoing type and Kasumi clumsy and shy. Eventually Kasumi confesses his love, but Kyousuke cannot reciprocate, since Kasumi cannot have happiness in a homosexual relationship even when Kyousuke loves him back according to Kyousuke of course. I really liked the setting actually, since it shows how hard it is to love someone so much that you have to remove yourself from the picture. At the same time the blindness of choosing someone other's happiness for them is well, very humane. The story is small and takes time, but is full of emotion and even annoying, which works well.

The art looks good and is light and soft. Mofumofu's line art is at times sketchy, but it's a good counterpart to the atmosphere. I love realistic stories like this that are suffocating even and how the characters have to work for the happy end and even still, it's not guaranteed. Nice one, this.

I got the ARC of this book from Netgalley! This doesn't affect my review/thoughts about the book.

If you're planning to pick up There Are Things I Can't Tell You soon or when it releases, please prepare for A LOT of emotional constipation and mutual pining!!! Although given how short one volume is to build character development and flesh out further Kasumi and Kyousuke's relationship, Edako did an amazing job showing how complicated a gay relationship could be when one has a really hard time accepting who they are which just leads to a lot of hurt along the way. Both characters were flawed - realistically and rightfully so, given their complex personalities and backgrounds.

If you're looking for a story with fantastic art that is heartwarming and endearing but would make your eyes sweat at 12 am, I recommend this one!

Trigger/Content Warnings: homophobia, internalized homophobia, bullying, adultery, neglectful/emotionally abusive parents

There Are Things I can’t Tell You is a BL manga that follows Kyousuke and Kasumi. Best friends in school they went there separate ways awhile back and reconnected at a class reunion and been reshaping their friendship ever since... while longing for one another.
The story isn’t very original: miscommunication happens, and a lot of low self-esteem is involved. Not a bad story, just not a very original story as far as BL goes. The art is nice and very enjoyable though.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4

There Are Things I Can't Tell You is quite good. It’s not bad by any conceivable measure. However, it isn’t the absolute best BL manga I’ve read and that’s perfectly alright. The story is succinct and paced well. And although it plays with some common tropes such as miscommunication, and one partner feeling as if they’re not good enough for the other, the author doesn’t allow them to run away and bog down the story. If anything, they seem to fit in well based off the way the characters are designed. The characters have fleshed out back stories, shown via flashback, that help to inform their current actions, motivations and thoughts. With that said, the characters feel like they could be real and that makes the story very enjoyable. However, if you’re looking for a BL manga that has lots of fluff and sweetness to it, then this may not be for you as the story can feel a little heavy at times. Though, the author does handle the heavy moments and themes well. The artwork is also quite alright and the individual designs of the characters are well thought out. All in all, its an enjoyable short read.

I received an e-ARC of There Are Things I Can't Tell You from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


There Are Things I Can't Tell You is a manga that follows two friends as they grow as people as well as their relationship. This was pretty cute but honestly nothing really special. The art was cute but again nothing really stood out me. Even though both characters were supposed to me main characters it definitely felt like one of the characters was explored more deeply than the other.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Kasumi and Kyousuke are childhood best friends, they got separated after college and now are hanging out again. What Kasumi doesn't know is that Kyousuke has been in love with him since forever but he's terrified to tell him. So, what will happen when they find themselves spending more and more time together?

It's a BL (boys love) manga with some explicit content so it's recommended for mature audience.
The story is really interesting and catching but the parts in the office seemed really boring to me. Fortunately, the parts that both boys are together were really cute and beautiful, especially when they realise what they feel for each other.
I didn't like that Kyousuke was somehow stupid and a coward but his father was really homophobic so he thought that what he felt was wrong.
It has 6 chapters and a really cute bonus comic.
I recommend it for manga lovers who like cute boys romance.

This book was unoriginal, and line after line was a cliche. I wanted to enjoy this, but everything about this book felt empty. I received a free copy of this from NetGally.

Merci à NetGalley pour m’avoir permis d’obtenir ce manga en l’échange d’une review honnête.

J’ai demandé ce manga car c’est un yaoi et que ça faisait très longtemps que je n’en avais pas lu! Je n’ai pas été déçu de ma trouvaille, car, bien qu’en « libre service », ce manga est très bien écrit, les dessins sont à mon goût et modernes.

L’histoire qu’en a elle traite de la peur de choisir le mauvais chemin en vivant sa vie avec un homme car nous sommes dans une famille homophobe. J’ai bien aimé également les clichés qui ont été « détruits ». C’est à dire que le garçon populaire est celui qui fait à manger et qui au final a de l’insécurité vis à vis de ses choix et qui fuit quand des problèmes surviennent. L’autre garçon est celui qui n’est jamais assez bon pour ses parents et qui est très très maladroit. Mais qui au final, sait dès le début ce qu’il est et avec qui il veut être !

Vraiment bien aimé ce petit manga tout cute, c’est assez slow burn mais avec des scènes érotiques quand même.

2.5 stars

In general, it was relatively enjoyable but not anything unique. I didn't really get to know Kasumi super well at all and though Kyousuke is a little better described, even he seems a little flat as a character. Because of this being a manga and a short one at that, I made allowances for the characters. It was still a nice, quick story with relatively likable characters.

representation: gay Japanese male main characters

content warnings: emotionally abusive and homophobic parent, internalized homophobia, extra-marital affair

rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

~~

In There Are Things I Can't Tell You, Mofumofu has presented the reader with a beautiful and realistic relationship between childhood friends Kasumi and Kyousuke that I absolutely loved!

First off, I want to say that, despite the fact that the description had assigned stereotypes to both protagonists, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the more the story progressed and the reader gets the backstory of these characters, the more the characters' complexities could be observed and the characters distanced themselves from those stereotypes, becoming three-dimensional in the process.

Moreover, I loved the way the depiction of internalized homophobia was represented in this book, as well as the different ways it affected Kasumi and Kyousuke! Being a major part of the conflict, had this portrayal been badly-written, it would have resulted in a weaker story, thus getting a lower rating from me.

All in all, it was a great comic and I'm happy to have read it!
I'd recommend it to (queer) young and new adults alike who are looking for a realistic book which is, ultimately, about what it means to fall in love with your best friend.

There Are Things I Can't Tell You is a graphic novel from Tokyopop. Kasumi and Kyousuke have polar opposite personalities. Kasumi is quiet, shy, and reserved while Kyousuke is energetic, outspoken, and popular among peers. They were best friends as children and have since rekindled their friendship only to find that the feelings they felt about one another have evolved into something much more complex.

My favorite thing about this book was that the characters were flawed which made them real. Their struggle was relatable and the situations they faced were plausible so that the story never felt fake or exaggerated. The time jumps and sequences got confusing at times and I did have to go back to try to make sense of them. Other than that this was a deep and engaging read that I enjoyed. I recommend if you like stories about LBTQ+ or complicated relationships.

I received an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley in exchange for my review.