Cute romance manga about a girl who has sworn off beautiful men. She reluctantly strikes up a friendship with an idol who visits her family restaurant. A simple, cute story but nothing that stands out as particularly special.

4.5/5 rounded down!

This was a quick and pretty cute read! Unlike other shojo manga set in high school, I really found Sahoko to be a believable teenager, with all of her rules for herself and how scornful she is towards attractive men. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I was her age, but it was still a cute read! I like her character progression, and can't wait to read more!

I loved the art style in this as well, Sahoko looks so tiny in her big sweaters!

Thanks so much NetGalley and Viz Media for this arc!

The characters are all lovable. The dialogues are well-crafted. I am looking forward to the next issues. I want to see how Sahoko grows. I did not expect the ending. It added depth to Kouta's character. Loved it!

After a confession gone wrong, Sahoko has sworn off beautiful men. Yet, after a particular biting take-down she attracts the attention of top idol Kouta Kirigiya. Kouta returns to her family restaurant driven to change her misconceptions about him and Sahoka inadvertently finds herself falling for him! But if falling in love with her school's top beauty went badly, how much worse can it get when she's pining for the nation's teen idol?

This was pretty cute! I think I would have liked more development of Sahoko's feelings before she went straight from refusing love to going all-in on it. That said, it seems we're moving more into a place in which Kouta will be the barrier to our main couple getting together. The art is great and this makes for a quick, fun read.

This was such a cute read! I loved how adamant Sahoko is about not falling in love. I think every girl has been in her place at one point in their lives. Kouta is so likable and I can’t wait to see more of him. I did not see the twist at the end coming and now I need to read more!

A young girl scorned by love once dares to fall in love again, with a J-Pop Idol.
It's an enemies-to-lovers but only one person thinks their is an enemy! It's hysterical, it's cheesy, it's romantic. It's every middle school aged dream to fall in love with a celebrity. This story is reminiscent of back in the peak of One Direction fan-fiction. Harry Styles looks out across the stadium and locks eyes with Y/N in the last row. I ate that type of story up so I devoured this volume with equal gusto!
Don't even get me started on how the first volume ended on such a plot twist! It wasn't fair! I hate the book, I love the book. Much like how the main character feels about the dream J-Pop idol eating at her family's diner.
This sweet story with be an excellent addition to my middle school library. I have a group of kids who love manga and LOVE a good romance story. I won't be able to keep this book on the shelves long enough for pages to cool down!

This is a pretty darn cute little manga so far!

The synopsis is actually what caught my attention when I was cruising for a new book. See, Sahoko Wakaume made her first (and only) love confession to a beautiful boy back in middle school. He completely and soundly rejected her and she was humiliated. After that she vowed to live her life alone and never fall in love again. Very tween of her. lol Up until she meets Kouta she's kept that vow, often cursing beautiful men, mostly in general, to become fat and bald.

But Kouta Kirigaya is no ordinary beautiful guy. He's part of one of Japan's top boy band, Like Legend and his goal in life is to make everyone smile. So Sahoko inadvertently gets on his radar when she tells him off in her family's diner. But Sahoko is doing her best to keep her defenses up against his shining efforts to win her over. He comes in with albums, concert dvds, etc in an attempt to win her over. He even gives her two tickets to his next concert. and slowly he starts to chip away at her armor...

What did I think?

Well I must say at first I thought Sahoko was still stuck in her middle school mentality, hating pretty boys because one rejected you is a very childish thing to do. But as she moves through this volume I started to think that maybe she was just so incredibly naïve that she didn't know how else to move on from the rejection. Someone literally has to point out another alternative to her trauma and it's like a small revolution happens in her brain. Suddenly she can move forward. Kinda a huh moment for me.

Kouta is the ultimate Asian popstar. He literally will take any criticism to heart and try to change himself to better suit someone else's idea of what he should be. Maybe it's the western thinking I was brought up in, but it annoyed me how he would let an offhanded jeer from a total stranger alter who he is as a person. It's like he's trying to be putty for everyone to mold to keep them happy instead of just trying to be a better person because that's what he wants for himself. He wants to make everyone else smile (or he said something to that effect). Overall that makes him a nice guy, I guess, that he's always trying to make other people happy. But how exhausting.

And then there's a minor twist at the end. I figured that one was coming.

The art itself is very well done. I liked the author's style and the pretty boys are VERY pretty. lol

Conclusion

Super cute! Great artwork. Reminds me a little of that anime about the track girl getting a job as a manager in training for the rising boy band duo...only I can't remember the name... but no matter.

I loved this and can't wait to get my hands on the next volume!

After being completely humiliated by her crush, Sahoko Wakaume has sworn off all pretty boys. "May they all get bald and fat!"
But a chance encounter with a famous idol at her family's restaurant puts Sahoko in a dangerous position. Super idol Kouta Kirigaya is not only absolutely gorgeous, but he just won't leave her alone. Once Kouta finds out Sahoko isn't a fan, he's determined to change her mind. Sahoko better watch out as Kouta seems determined to break down her walls.

Sahoko is quickly finding herself falling for Kouta as he pulls out all stops to get her attention. A slow simmering teen romance with a tsundere flair. I will say Sahoko's abrupt change in feelings over the course of one volume feels a little too quick, but don't think things will be that easy for her. We'll see how it pans out in book two.

Sahoko is a young high schooler who has sworn off love and spends her New Year cursing all beautiful men with baldness and obesity. In junior high, she had a rather traumatic first crush that just really caused her to draw back and keep herself from getting hurt again.

Then Top J-Pop Idol Kouta waltzes into her family's restaurant... And she makes him cry. Instead of hating her, he actually starts coming in more frequently not only to understand WHY she hates him so much, but also to see if he can't make her a fan of his group. (BTW, I think there's a bit of a mislead in the marketing for this manga. He is only trying to get her to be a fan at this point. He is not trying to win her heart romantically.)

This story is as funny and sappy as any other Shojo, and I actually really appreciate Sahoko's rapid character growth in this one volume. Once she becomes aware that her declarations of singleness isn't because she's not interested in love, but comes from a place of fear and hurt, she very quickly acknowledges her growing attraction to Kouta. She's still scared of getting hurt, but the courage she shows in this volume is really making me root for her as a person. Not as a romance. Because I have questions. Please keep reading.

Kouta... On the other hand... He doesn't seem to have a good understanding of how his words can affect people. He says all these flowery things, flirts with her, sweeps her off her feet in a social rescue, and then is surprised that she likes him more than as a fan?

NOW FOR MY QUESTION. HOW OLD IS KOUTA. Because he ordered a lager at her family's restaurant so he has to be AT LEAST 20 (Legally. Unless for some reason pop stars get a pass on alcohol) and Sahoko is only 16??? Just like. Creepy. But this is not the first manga with relationships like this, and it won't be the last.

Momoka Koda's Kimi Ga Tokubetsu, (lit "You Are Special") translated and adapted by Adrienne Beck here as My Special One, is a manga currently running in the shoujo magazine, Margaret, first serialized in 2019.

After an attractive boy cruelly publishes her confession of love to him online, sixteen-year old Sahoko Wakaume comes to detest all beautiful men as arrogant and shallow. Then her mother's diner, where she works, is visited by Kouta Kirigaya, a pop idol with the boy band Live Legend, who is shocked when she rebuffs him for believing she's a fan. Kouta decides he'll do everything in his power to turn her into a fan. Sahoko resists, but as it turns out, Koata has his own issues with love.

Though it was first published in 2019, My Special One could have come right out of the late '90s - '00s era of shoujo romance manga, from the character design to the framing, and the sight-gags. This isn't a negative, though the story and characters lean heavily into tropes, Koda's execution of them is excellently realized. Sahoko's reaction expressions are particularly well executed, and I laughed out loud at a scary expression in one early sequence that managed to evoke a horror comic visual while still living in the semi-chibi cute shoujo style.

Unsurprisingly, Sahoko's mid-book turn to acknowledging her crush on Kouta feels entirely expected, but his sudden, cliffhanger declaration at the end that he refuses to love anyone sets the stakes for the rest of the series clearly. This is one where I'll definitely be reading future volumes.

AHHHHH THIS WAS SO CUTE! It reminded me of Horimiya in the best ways. I need to read more cause that ending????

Momoka Koda seems to specialize in stories that are <i>just </i>this side a feeling universal. Her previous work to see English translation,<i> No Longer Heroine, also features a heroine who is really caught up in the way she thinks things are supposed to be. Saho, this heroine of this piece, has the opposite problem than the protagonist of the former story; she was once hurt by a beautiful boy whom she had a crush on and has since decided that all gorgeous men are untrustworthy, and she regularly curses them to become fat and bald. Naturally this means that she has a run in with the hottest jpop idol out there when he comes to her family diner looking for a home cooked meal. Saho's early interactions with him definitely come off as being a little bit mean, and not just because he has paper thin skin. Her abrupt shift into liking him feels, well, abrupt. He is a really nice guy, but her change of heart is really almost too fast and feels that it owes at least a little bit to him being kind of condescending to her. Not that he means anything by it, but there's just this sort of uneasiness the emotional through line that doesn't entirely sit well with me. I'll probably give it a second volume, because it isn't without potential. But if you didn't like <i>No Longer Heroine</i>, you ought to think long and hard about whether or not you want to pick up another book by the same creator.

I'm such a sucker for cute fluffy romance and this one fit the bill! It was such a fun and quick read and I look forward to the next volume!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Thou shalt never allow thyself to be tempted by false idols.

This manga was absolutely hilarious and wonderful. The story centers around Sahoko, a young girl who refuses to fall in love with pretty-boys after having had her heart shattered by one in the past. Of course, her yearly prayers go astray when Kouta (an idol) from Like Legend appears at her family's restaurant. Their meeting leads to chaotic, humorous, and emotional moments that will have you continually wondering what's next.

The amount of character growth that this one volume manages to achieve is truly astounding, and I absolutely loved how the story took no prisoners and barreled through what most manga would take four volumes to do. Additionally, the art is incredibly enjoyable and reminiscent of a lot of the earlier shoujo manga that I love. I'm really excited to see where the next volume goes, and look forward to picking up a copy of the manga when it drops.

Thank you VIZ Media and Netgalley for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Special One, Volume 1 was such a lovely read. The two main characters had such great chemistry, and Momoka Koda's writing and art is natural and charming. The twist at the end surprised me (in a good way), and I'll definitely seek out volume 2.

Translation and Adaptation: Adrienne Beck
Touch-Up Art and Lettering: Brandon Bovia
Design: Alice Lewis
Editor: Nancy Thistlethwaite

I loved "My Special One" but it also kind of made me mad. I will explain.

Sahoko swears off love and beautiful boys after a hurtful rejection happens to her at school. Though she may take it to the extreme, I admire Sahoko's dedication to herself and her beliefs. Her best friend is a huge fan of a popular J-Pop group but Sahoko doesn't allow herself become obsessed (though she is very supportive and caring of her friend and her friend's interests). That is until she meets Kouta, the nations biggest idol and a member of her best friend's favorite group at her family's restaurant. Kouta mistakes Sahoko's request for an autograph as her own personal interest in himself and his group but Sahoko sets him straight. The two become sort of friends and its really cute.

What makes me mad is that Sahoko tells Kouta about not falling for beautiful boys and not falling in love and he kind of makes it a mission to get her to become a huge fan and to believe in love. In some ways its cute...until she falls for him. She finds the courage to confess only to be told that Kouta won't allow himself to fall in love. Its not the same thing she said to him, but its close enough that it makes me mad he would get her to fall for him only to let her down.

That being said...I am looking out for volume 2 and will be happy to read it as well and give my feedback. The story is overall cute and the characters are relatable and adorable. You can't help rooting for them.

Such a cute manga. I loved seeing the main character change as the story went on! Was a super light hearted and easy read that I am looking forward to a second volume!

After experiencing a childhood heartache, Sahoko has vowed to never fall in love. When a popular idol starts visiting her family restaurant, Sahoko begins to develop feelings for this pretty, sensitive boy. Will Sahoko hold onto her fear, or will she let herself experience having a special one - and what will happen if she is brave enough to confess to Kouta.

This is a sweet light romance about a girl discovering love for the first time. It was a too sugary for me - Kouta's idol personal was a little much (but then I am not the target audience for this story.) I enjoyed the art.

4/5

Solid solid start to the newest series of Momoka Koda. Sahoko is an introverted high school who has sworn off of love and pretty boys in general. Then why is it that when she comes face to face with a nationally loved J-pop idol, she can’t help her heart from fluttering?!

As far as first volumes go, this one was pretty standard. It was funny to see Sahoko’s inner turmoil because it was so relatable even as an adult.

The art was excellent and I liked the character designs. I really like Sahoko’s face. Is that weird? But I just think it was really cute.

As for the plot, I am intrigued to keep reading this series. I feel major love triangle vibes for the future, but who knows, the ending of this volume surprised me a little.

Side note, it wasn’t until I read the authors note at the end of the book that I realized they’re the author of one of my favourite manga of all time?!! No Longer Heroine?!! I was shocked and so happy. If this manga gets me crying at 4am in my kitchen like NLH, then I would call it a success.

An enjoyable shojo manga with main character Sahoko initially swearing off love but slowly opening to the possibility as she gets to know Jpop star Kouta. Sahoko's experience was relatable and you were rooting for her. It was refreshing to have a considerate love interest who is able to communicate their feelings and is open to criticism without being overbearing. Natural pacing, nothing felt too rushed or inexplicable. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, look forward to Volume 2 explaining more of Kouta's side of the story.