[Thank you to Kodansha and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a voluntary, unbiased review.]

This was a quick read, but was very moving. I'd give it a 4.5.

The character development was gentle, mature and enjoyable. I almost cried when Aoyama made himself vulnerable in a scene near the end. I was disappointed when I got to the end because I want to know more!

The artwork was lovely with distinct character designs and "clean" lines that enhanced the story. I'm glad I picked this up and am looking forward to the next volume.

An interesting manga about a college student who stumbles upon the art of India-ink painting while working a part-time job one day. He is taken in as an apprentice by a master of the art and the story is mostly about him getting to know the master's granddaughter and other apprentice and the reader getting to know him in turn. It's cute and interesting enough for me to want to read the next volume.

Who is this for? - If you enjoy more quiet, sensitive plots, slice-of-life, and character driven stories with tons of emotional potential, I think you'll love this!

Reading The Lines that Define Me gave me a simple sort of happiness that felt almost nostalgic in a way! The plot is very straightforward, and it seems as if it's going to be more character driven- I enjoy that, and I think anybody who enjoys more 'slice of life' type material will as well! It's slow, but not in a bad way- this first volume gives us time to get acquainted with the characters, get acquainted with their feelings about one another early on, and also provides hints to things brewing beneath the surface, particularly with the protagonist. Scenes are generally fairly short, keeping things from ever dragging while also allotting enough breathing room that it never feels like a whirlwind.

Speaking of Aoyama, there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about him, and he's not a breakout prodigy- he's just stumbled into something he enjoys, and it's refreshing to watch him light up as the story goes on and as he learns! He's not professing his interest in being the very best- he's doing it because he enjoys it, and as a reader, it felt really relatable, like I was gaining a new passion and hobby right alongside him! He's got a quiet, endearing charm as an MC, and even his 'rival' warms up to him quickly. Along with said rival, the supporting cast of characters is, by-and-large, all very likeable! The cast is kept relatively small and mostly feel like they have more substance to explore in future volumes.

Finally, the art- I think the art suits the vibes of this story perfectly, it feels soft and sentimental and although the characters have simplistic designs, the way each one is drawn really feels as if it captures their personality. The style looked consistent and good quality, so no complaints here!

There's no one 'standout' feature in the first volume of The Lines that Define Me, and I think that's okay! Instead, it's done a fantastic job at establishing a solid foundation where story, characters, art, interactions, and plot threads are all handled with care, and I think that suits the story perfectly.

Aoyama meets legendary India ink artist Kozan Shinoda while being paid to set up an art exhibition. At first Shinoda just seems like a nice older gentleman and Aoyama has no idea that he is a famous artist. He’s even more surprised when Shinoda asks him to become an apprentice!

Next we meet Shinoda’s fierce and beautiful granddaughter Chiaki, also an apprentice. Shinoda wants to set them up to compete against each other for a prestigious award! Chiaki is not happy about it.

Aoyama seems to be a damaged person, and I have the feeling we are going to be in for an emotional read, and I’m here for it. I can’t wait to learn more about the mysterious Nishihama. From the ending, it seems like we will in the next volume.

I loved the art, the characters, and the set up of the story has me really interested. I also love the character designs and how much emotion they portray with their expressions. The only negative I have is that It seemed really short and I wasn’t ready for it to end.

The Lines That Define Me is an art manga about ink painting and thus very refreshing! I'm glad this and Blue Period have been made, since art as an theme should be used more often surely (manga is art too). Sosuke Aoyama is a student who happens to meet a famous ink painter, Kozan Shinoda. The old man takes our boy as his apprentice and wants him to be the rival of his own granddaughter. She is also an ink painter. It seems Aoyama has some talent, but it's realistic and not some super power. All in all the series is very normal and mundane even, but still has the finesse of the best brush strokes. Interestingly so this series is only four books long, so the pace is fast, but works still amazingly well.

The art looks good, although slightly bland as there's not much happening in the background. We don't get to know the characters well enough yet, so that's the downfall of the tightly packed first volume. Plot-wise this is great though and Togami surely knows how to move the story. In a way I kind of wished we'd get to understand ink painting better though, as it's not very common in the Western world. If you like art series, then do try this!

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 . . .