This looks to be a pretty decent manga about a college lad trying out ink painting, which it was all thanks to a old man who was known to be a popular ink painter. He then meets the granddaughter of the old man in which she is considered a cold one to hang with lol. I would recommend this to Blue Period fans since there is a lot of nice art of lilies especially in this so yeah totally check this out!

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha comics for allowing me to read volume 1!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this manga to read.

This is a wonderful book about a lonely male lead who suffered a loss of his parents two years ago and is going through finding an outlet for his loneliness and finds ink art, after being asked to be an aprentice by a popular ink artist he comes out of his shell, grows a passion and the main male and female lead grow towards each other smoothing each others rough edges and sharing emotions and experiences. This is beautiful and I loved it.

A promising start to a touching story about loss and art. This reminded me of a mixture between March comes in like a lion and also Blue Period. Sosuke Aoyama, our main character, is seemingly uninterested in life until he meets a mysterious older man, Kozan Shinoda, who invites him into the world of ink painting. There, he finds himself unwelcome by Shinoda-sensei's granddaughter, another painter who seeks to be recognized by him. I will admit the first few chapters were a little slow for me, but as Aoyama-kun is sucked further into the ink painting world, the story picks up. By the end of this first volume, I'm invested in the characters and curious to know what the next volume holds!

A really cute manga!
It's different from any other manga I've read, and I love that!

The story feels a bit rushed in places though, so it isn't a full 5star for me.

This is the beginning of a wonderful series, I just know it.

One: it's beautifully drawn.

Two: it lovingly details an aspect of Japanese culture. It reminds me of Chihayafuru in that way, except that instead of karuta, the characters work with suiboku-ga (sumi-e) or ink painting. However, there is still a little spirit of competition in this that's sure to come up later.

Three: This is going to be heart-wrenching and meaningful. I get the sense from this first manga that this will be a deeply emotional series. It will pair well with the art being discussed.

I will also say that I love that ink painting is being shown in a manga. It's a wonderful contrast and comparison between the two mediums.

I recommend this series for anyone who enjoyed Chihayafuru and Shigatsu wa kimi no uso.

THE ENDING 💔 I ALMOST CRIED

Aoyama-Kun finds himself being toured an art gallery by a guy who is unknowingly an great ink paint artist. Then offers him an apprenticeship along with his granddaughter.

I usually stick to shoujo but I found myself really like this manga! I loved how it was drawn! I found really relating to aoyama, who really seems to struggle with self doubt. I also loved how quickly he grew to loving ink painting. I loved this manga so much it was so cute. I can’t wait to read the next one!!

Chiaki- HOT 🥵 I love her. Hates Aoyama and not at the same time.

Aoyama- sad boy, cutie

A brand new and refreshing series about chance encounters that lead to a less lonely life. When Aoyama meets Kozan Shinoda his life will never be the same and his journey in ink painting has just begun. A stand out first volume that draws you in to the characters as well as the ink paintings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha USA for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sosuke Aoyama is an ordinary university student going through life without purpose. Then he meets reknowned suibokuga artist Kozan Shinoda and is thrust into a new world of drama, and beauty, he never knew existed.

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The Lines that Defne Me was a visual treat, and the story, although tense at times, made me hopeful and left me with a sense of optimism.

The Lines that Define Me would be great for fans of Blue Period.

Art: Atsunori Horiuchi
Story: Hiromasa Togami
Translation: Kevin Gifford
Lettering: Arbash Muhal (this might be a typo in the book, it might be Arbash Mughal instead)
Editing: Jesika Brooks

This volume really drew me in. The art of the mangaka was really beautiful as well as the ink art being depicted. It gave us just a hint of digging into what deep secrets have made these characters who they are. More slice of life and ink art for this volume. Hoping to see more of their back stories and college life.

This manga is not for me, I don't like the protagonist and I don't understad art art and the meaning behind it.

The art style was simple but some panels where much more detailed.

5/5

*A big thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha comics for the ARC!*

Passionate characters should bring passion to the reader. The good news is that the characters from The Lines that Define Me definitely bring that passion to the art of ink painting. I still don’t understand much in terms of technique or anything like that, but I really admire the way these characters talk about art being a reflection of an artist’s mood and personality. It almost makes me want to pick up a kit and learn the basics. Like Kozan-sensei said, “It’s fun to learn about things you don’t know. Not knowing something can be a truly splendid thing!”

We learned a bit about each of the main characters, which is enough to get us invested in them, but there wasn’t enough information for us to get the full picture of each of them. The characters, the plot, the art style—they were good and made the story great. There are a lot of things that are probably going to be expanded on more as the series continues, and I can’t wait to read the future volumes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I enjoyed everything about this manga. The story, the characters, and the art style all worked together to create a story that left me wanting more. I can't wait to read the second Volume!

“The Lines That Define Me” is a lovely Manga. Having read “Blue Period” this too I find artistically that it brings art into a light, that inspires others on how emotion can be expressed. I love the flow of the story, and the character’s progression not only with art, but also the small changes to themselves. There isn’t a fast pace to the change, but enough that, I want to know more, and see the characters succeed, and become their full potential. I would definitely check this manga out, especially if you want to dive into a great story! (Thank you to NetGalley, and the Publisher)

The Lines that Define Me is a story about a college student, Aoyama Sosuke gets introduced to the art of Ink Painting by a world-renowned ink master, Kozan Shinoda. He gets taken in as the newest apprentice and from then, Aoyama meets Kozan’s granddaughter and fellow ink artist, Chiaki.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and to Kodansha publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

I can already tell that this manga is gonna be one of those heart-wrenching stories. The art is so well done that I could feel the atmosphere and the emotion the artist and the author is trying to convey. Japanese culture has always had a special place in my heart and I am so happy to be introduced to another piece of Japan. The art was just mesmerizing. It is also so remarkable that the manga artist was able to convey so much emotion through the panels while Aoyama is also figuring out how to express feelings onto ink painting.

I honestly cannot wait for the second volume. I want to continue being a part of Aoyama’s and Chiaki’s journey of ink painting. There is so much more to learn about Aoyama’s past and I am looking forward to seeing his growth not just as an artist but as a person.

Let’s face it, India-ink painting is not something we read about often—which is too bad—so doesn’t this look like the perfect chance to expand some knowledge on the topic? Something that could very well be more fascinating than you might anticipate!

The Lines that Define Me takes you to a wonderful journey where the characters don’t simply draw, but self-explore themselves through art. We can perceive their personality emerging from their ink paintings thanks to Sosuke’s views, so vivid and well explained that, in the end, it’s like looking at his clear vision more than the painting itself. Which is exactly what we are supposed to see since he gets both meanings and personalities behind each piece in such a perfect way. The strong and unexpected connection Sosuke finds with this art not only opens a new world to him, but it also opens the reader’s mind over quite an interesting subject. Also, the art style is so beautiful that sometimes simply staring at it can’t be helped. I’m in love!

A manga that most definitely catches your attention from the very first (brush) panel! Whether you are into arts or not, I would recommend you to read it, your curiosity will be sparked and your heart will be overwhelmed with lots of emotions. And the journey has just begun . . .

3 stars

An unexpected meeting between a college student and a famous artist proves to be the start of something new.
When Sosuke Aoyama met the artist Kozan Shinoda, he quickly became his apprentice and soon enough developed some interest in the art of ink painting.

Unfortunately, this manga lacked story. The whole volume evolved around Sosuke meeting the famous artist and becoming his apprentice. There was no obvious reason for why he was chosen as an apprentice other than the fact that he holds chopsticks in a specific way. Towards the end o the volume we get a small hint about Sosuke's life but, without further elaboration. All of this made me feel like the volume ended too quickly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself really getting invested in this one by the end of this first volume. What starts out as a story of a young man pulled into the world of ink painting to basically motivate an old man's granddaughter, Throughout the volume, the rivalry turns into a more towards genuine admiration of each other's work. I want to see that kind of healthy competition continue between our two leads as they strive to be the best artists they can be.! This was a very calming read that I ended up liking very much!

Probably a bit mature and it took me a while to get into the story when compared to other manga but i love the concept of following these artists, the way the professor explain the art and what the student must learn i think is very well done and i am really interesting to see what happens next!
I have a full review here: https://youtu.be/Y4tSrfntfWI

so cute, and THE ART ??
EXCUSE ME??? It was so well done!
I can't wait for volume 2!
thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for providing me with an EArc of "The Lines that Define Me" n exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5 🌟
First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-ARC of this manga.
Now, this is a 5-star manga read to me. From the first page till the end this manga captured me. I really loved to read every single character's story and its developments.
The author implies that your artwork reflects your feelings and it somehow hits different to me. It's really an undeniable thing that words and drawings had been used to convey your feeling. IT'S ALL THE LITTLE THINGS.
Last but not least it was really a heartwarming read to me 🤍