There Are Things I Can't Tell you doesn't do much to stand out within its genre, but at the same time, it's a perfectly lovely story that I enjoyed reading.

It tells the story of two men who have been friends since school. The outgoing workaholic Kyousuke and the messy introverted Kasumi. Kyousuke has been in love with Kasumi for a long time, but he believes that Kasumi will find happiness elsewhere and so is hesitant to act upon his feelings. Little does he know Kasumi's happiness is more entwined with him that he thought.

The art style was lovely, and I enjoyed reading this story. It was very typical of the genre, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I wholeheartedly believe that if you like mlm manga you'll enjoy this.

There were some thoughtful themes surrounding happiness, homophobia and working hard to overcome mistakes. I wish they'd engaged with them a bit more, but as something relatively short it was enough.

Overall I didn't rate this as highly as I could because it didn't bring anything new to the table for me, but I do recommend this to people who like this genre as it's a beautiful, feel-good story with the perfect amount of drama.

I just finished reading my first ever manga. The story was really cute and the art was wonderful and well executed. I really enjoyed reading it and it was really easy to get through.

There are a few graphic sex scenes which i personally don't mind, but some people might want to know about it before going in.

Very readable and highly recommended.

Honestly the story line was fine, a lot of yaoi is built around homophobic themes/tropes and I feel like that definitely was the case here (I'm usually able to look past that because I'm aware of the problematic aspects of the genre in and of itself) and up until a certain point, I was willing to rate this book two stars because while I was pretty uninterested in the story, I didn't hate it. Then wham! A Rape Scene That Was Played Off As Being Consentual (when one character was literally begging the other one to stop too...!) and my rating went doooooooown. Needless to say, this wasn't for me, but if you're into reading yaoi I guess you could give this a try, just beware of the rape scene.

I liked the art style just fine though.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review</i>

This is a short, cute story about childhood friends to lovers. Kasumi and Kyousuke, two boys with very opposite personalities, struggle to come to terms with their feelings for each other. There’s a good mix of angst, sweet moments, and smut.

I really thought I would enjoy this more—I always love the trope of lovers who are polar opposites. However, I ended up finding the story quite boring. I’ve read enough romance to say that this was not unique at all and was way too cliche and predictable to keep my attention. The characters weren’t as interesting as I thought they would be and quite honestly I found them to be a bit annoying at times. I also thought the timing was confusing.

I do think others who either don’t heavily read romance or don’t mind cliches would find <i>There Are Things I Can’t Tell You</i> enjoyable. But if you’re looking for something fresh and new, this isn’t the story for you.

There Are Things I Can't Tell You
by Edako Mofumofu
☆
A beautiful story. Kyousuke loves Kasumi but is too afraid to admit it because he was raised to believe those feelings were wrong. Kasumi tries to fill the void with an equally shattered person commiting infidelity.
We watch them struggle with the social expectations and feelings for each other.
It was a very compelling story about the struggle of growing up with confusion about your own sexuality. Definitely a good gateway to BL Graphic Novels.

I received the arc from NetGalley.
This one came across suddenly. I have not read yaoi or LGBT manga in a very long time because they started to cater to a certain audience. So, I never paid much attention. This one, the cover especially, was what made me want to read it. This was a heartwarming book regarding real struggles of the two characters. Kasumi and Kyousuke just wanted to be together, but before that, they had to answer some questions they have been holding on to for a long time in their hearts. I would love a sequel, to see how they continue their journey balancing their relationship and work. This was a good start. I really enjoyed it!

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

There Are Things I Can’t Tell You is a boy love manga about childhood friends Kasumi and Kyousuke as they navigate adulthood and their complicated feelings towards each other.

First things first, this is a mature manga with explicit content in it. So if that is not something you want to read, this comic is not for you.

The story is really good and these characters feel like real people. Kasumi and Kyousuke as characters are developed really well and they are both complex and multifaceted which is awesome. They are polar opposites that fit together and you can’t help but cheer for them. The highlight of this manga is the character development.

The plot is also really well done with twists and turns I definitely was not expecting. This isn’t a simple happily ever after story, and that makes it more realistic and interesting to read. I was visibly reacting to this manga as I read it, cheering the good things and being shocked by the unexpected. I would have enjoyed this as a longer series because the plot and characters are that good.

I am not a member of the LGBT community, so I don’t 100% know what the experience of being gay is like. I did appreciate that this manga explored the complex nature of being gay in our current world where it is considered taboo and “wrong” by many. This is a driving theme of the manga and it is interesting how these characters approach and overcome this.

Overall, if you enjoy LGBT love stories, particularly boy love, and want complex characters and an unexpected plot you will enjoy There Are Things I Can’t Tell You. Again, however, it is a mature manga with sexual themes so keep that in mind before reading.

This was super cute! I liked how each of the characters had things they needed to overcome, and progressing through the volume felt like peeling back layers of each character and a little bit more of their past together. A very good one-volume story!

Wonderful art style, heartfelt storyline, and loveable main characters. This was a fast and enjoyable read that deals with heavy topics while also managing a nicely developed romance.

~★~ What is this manga about? ~★~

There Are Things I Can’t Tell You follows best friends Kasumi and Kyousuke through dual timelines. As a kid Kasumi was mainly reserved and shy, without many people to turn to. Kyousuke was like a storm that demanded the attention of all around him, though he somehow chose lonely Kasumi as his preferred companion.
An incident causes the childhood friends to separate for years, though they meet once again at a high school reunion party. In no time the two boys are closer than ever, trying to manage the mutual feelings that ended their friendship in the past. But they’re adults now, and will have to make choices that could follow them forever.

~★~

While I really loved both Kasumi and Kyousuke as characters, the author definitely paid more attention to the latter. We received incite into both boys’ family life, though as a reader I definitely felt more attached to Kyousuke because of the extra attention. His emotions were more forthfront along with his past and backstory. It was great to see the two learn and grow from the past that previously shaped them.

There were a few moments and important subjects touched upon by the author that were handled really well. The internalized homophobia within Kyousuke inspired by his parents was looked at with great care. His development in overcoming these notions was wonderful.

The romance moved at a good pace, with necessary complications due to the characters’ backgrounds. My fondness for both protagonists came with added patience, which heightened the reading experience for sure. This was a really good manga!

This just made me really really happy. I planned on just reading a little bit and go back to doing other stuff throughout the day, but I immediately got sucked into it. It's so good, and sad, and cute. The sex parts weren't as good as they could be but I loved this manga overall!!!

I enjoyed the character development between the two leads. They felt genuine and I could relate to the parental woes. In the end, it was not super different from other romance titles I've read. I could see myself recommending it and potentially adding it to our collection. There are very explicit love scenes that appear abruptly, so warning if you are doing RA to someone with conservative tastes in romance. Overall, a fine, quick read.

I overall really enjoyed reading this book. I think this explores ideas of sexuality, homophobia very well while still maintaining being a romance book. The art was very well done in this book and conveys a lot of emotion. I personally enjoyed the first half of this book more than the latter half. I think it tricky balance between romance and dealing with these heavier topics was unbalanced.
This graphic novel also has graphic sexual scenes in it which I thought could have been dealt with better.

I really enjoyed this manga! I enjoyed the time lapse and watching the character development between the two lovers. This book gave me reactions and pulled at my emotions, but all in a good way that authors strive to have their readers feel. Good job Edako, keep on creating and I'll keep on reading!

I liked the art a lot ! And even though the story was a bit too angsty for me, it was a quite a nice romance.

I loved this so much. It pulled me out of my slump. I would really recommend it.
I lived the Characters and I really rooted for the relationship.

There Are Things I Can't Tell You by Edako Mofumofu and Christine Dashiell is a LGBTQ+ graphic novel / manga. This talks about gay love, acceptance, societal pressure, taboo, etc.

Kasumi and Kyousuke both are opposites, former one is subtle, reserve whereas the other is energetic and the popular guy. They have been friends since childhood and Kasumi always adored and looked up to at Kyousuke.

The beautiful manga is their love story, their struggles, accepting eachother. Friends to lovers is always beautiful and less cheesy which I enjoy. The graphics are beautiful. The cover is gorgeous. The story is heartwarming. What else does one need? Pick this one up now.
_________

Thank You to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange of a honest review.

I was actually completely blown away by "There Are Things I Can't Tell You." Mofumofu writes a beautiful story about two young men battling with their emotions. Kyousuke loves Kasumi but is too afraid to admit it due to an upbringing that made him think being gay was bad or corrupt. Kasumi tries to fill the void of not having Kyousuke by seeing a woman who is married. The tender moments and storytelling were so LUSH and RAW it was incredible! A lot of older adult manga (the stuff that has sex scenes) always seems to base it around the carnal relations, but this was a gorgeous story that also just happened to have a few very sexy and steamy scenes!

I'd recommend this to any adult lgbtq manga fan. It deals with so much while telling an interesting and sweet story. I wish our library had an adult manga section that I can buy this for but I'll just have to grab a copy for my personal collection for now!

This was a fun and cute read. I enjoyed the angst between the characters. The push and pull of wanting to be together, but not being sure of self was well done. The romance was beautiful! I enjoyed the art style as well. I definitely would love to read more by this author.

"There Are Things I Can't Tell You" is one of the sweetest mangas I've read this year. It's got the perfect mixture of angst and fluff timed perfectly within the plot. I enjoyed the dual timeline with the flashbacks to their younger years and thought their relationship was explored pretty well considering the length of the story.

I was a bit disappointed with this manga. The story felt very disjointed and the relationship progression didn't feel natural. There should also be a content warning in the description as there were a few very graphic scenes.