Childhood friends Miku Skura and Yukiya Asagi constantly try to fluster each other by playing what they call the love game. It is when they tell each other in the most convincing way possible that they Love each other. Now in middle school they both are finding that they have feelings for each other and the love game takes on a whole new meaning.

Background

In Japan, I Want to End This Love Game is serialized in Shogakukan's online manga reading platform Sunday Webry since December 2021. Viz Media announced that they licensed this series for an English release June 2023.


The series was nominated and ranked 12th in the NEXT Manga Awards under the web category in 2023, which is a feat since it's very difficult for series to get in the top 20. Usually titles that rank in the top 20 are top contenders for getting licensed in English. Recent titles that were in the same situation include Dangers in My Heart, Oshi no Ko, Spy x Family, and most recently, After God.


This was a series I heard a lot of praise for when Viz announced the license. I was curious to see what the big deal was and if it lives up to the hype.


Review

I Want to End This Love Game is a rom-com that has the romantic leads trying to "win" by making the other get flustered after saying "I Love You". If this sounds similar, you're not alone. This series definitely seems to be Shogakukan's take on Kagua-sama: Love is War.


Yukiya and Miku are the story's romantic leads. While the two have been playing this game for years, it seems like the actual words have affected them. Both are in love with one another but still want to win.


Yukiya realizing that he has fallen for his childhood friend Miku

You're given the background behind the game's origin and why both continue to play, which gives the reader context and hope that their favorite (whether it's Yukiya or Miku) will win. You begin to see how both go even further where the game becomes secondary and the focus becomes wanting to give the other a romantic experience to express their feelings.


For Love is War fans, Yukiya behaves similar to Miyuki Shirogane. When Miku isn't around, he gets frustrated and frantic about his feelings towards her and how he's close in losing the game. he can't deny how he's fallen for her after all these years.


While he wants to win, he also wants her to fall for him so he tries to change his appearance just for that. It's not just about winning anymore but actually getting the girl. and he'll do everything he can to get her!



His attempts at keeping himself composed are funny because he caves so easily. He's fine as a lead but nothing to write home about. Since he is nearly a one-to-one clone of Shirogane, I haven't seen anything that makes him unique.


Miku is fine as the other lead. Unlike Yukiya, she is different from her Love is War counterpart (Kaguya) because she is approachable to anyone. Miku embodies the fun, "girl next door" archetype that many of her classmates like.


She is in love with Yukiya, but the reason for wanting to "win" is different. It's not that she wants to get him flustered to win the game; she wants Yukiya himself to confess to her. That key difference is why she continues to play.


I enjoyed the comedy in the series. Yukiya doing a wall slam (a traditional move from anime and manga that has the girl immediately fall for the guy) but causing both of them to freak out had me laughing. The mangaka continued to add to the humor by having Miku state how outdated that move is.


I like that the series has the two interact with their classmates. They have their own friend groups (well, Miku does at least) and are engaged with their other classmates. It makes the world seem bigger and more "lived-in".

Yukiya imagining Miku making fun of him for losing the game. This is similar to Love is War where Shirogane would imagine Kaguya doing the same thing to him.


What I don't like is that you might have seen a lot of these situations before. Whether it's from Love is War or another high school romance manga series. The author doesn't do much to make these situations or tropes their own. He doesn't give them a unique flavor.

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you are a fan of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, this is the perfect series for you. For others, this series is fine but you won't see anything that will pull you in.


Verdict: Pick it up on Sale

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.

This is a me issue and not a book issue, but one of my big pet peeves is the "lack of communication" trope. I absolutely LOATHE it. I think it is sloppy writing, as the lack of communication is usually what moves the plot along in a very forced and inorganic manner, rather than good plotting, pacing, interesting characters, etc. I feel that is what happened here. I understand that is LITERALLY the hook of the series and I tried to get out of my comfort zone, but this didn't convince me to love that trope.

It isn't poorly written and I do think the characters are cute, if completely misguided and immature, but it wasn't enough to save this for me. I can see others really liking it though and actually most of my GR friends really liked it, so I am clearly the one who read this wrong.

2, I read this wrong and admit it, stars.

Cute start to a series really liked it. Deff feels like a slow burn where a lot of misunderstanding is gonna happen until we see some confession. Would definitely continue the series!

I thought this first volume was a really cute introduction to the series. I did feel Yukiya got a bit more personality/character development, but hopefully Miku will in future volumes. It reminds me of a more realistic to everyday life Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Both characters are trying to get the other to admit they're in love first, but in this plot it's more overt and playfully teasing since they're childhood best friends. I definitely am looking forward to reading the future volumes.

I didn't finish this, but I did enjoy the back-and-forth. However, I think it unfortunately pales in comparison to the most obvious title to measure it against, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, which is a shame because it's quite different in tone and style. Still, It wasn't compelling enough for me to keep reading to the end of the volume.

I thought the concept was a bit odd, but it was a cute romance story. I wasn’t sure if it was shoujo or shounen, in some aspects. I think all readers could enjoy it if they’re looking for a light-hearted romance manga.

A fun book with a great concept and cool characters. It might turn some off with the constant will they or won't they but the concept works very well for the cliche.

A less ridiculous and more slice-of-life "Love is War". The premise is almost exactly the same, but it still is enjoyable. The artwork is cute, and I liked the characters. Will definitely keep reading into the second volume.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A cute manga about childhood friends who grew to have feelings for one another but refuse to admit it.

This book is like the spiritual opposite of Kaguya-Sama: Love is War. It's cute, but I'm not entirely sure I would want to read the second volume.

Yukiya and Miku have been friends since childhood, when they started playing the Love Game. They act romantically towards each other and whoever's heart flutters first loses. This was a super cute start to a series, with each character being too caught up in their own feelings and plans for the game to notice how the other person feels for them. Anyone who enjoys shojo manga will love this one!

Childhood friends Yukiya and Mika have been playing the "I love you" game since childhood, both "confessing" to feelings that they don't really understand. As they enter high school, this game takes a turn as each gains an understanding on love - even if it's straight out of a shoujo manga. Who will blush first?

This is an interesting premise for a novel - both characters are so busy trying to win, that they are not really paying attention to one another. There is a strange level of innocence here that will lead to shenanigans. I look forward to volume 2.

Thank you to Netgalley and Viz for this eArc in exchange for review.

Childhood friends Yukiya and Miku have a unending game between them called the "love game." It started when they were just children, but now entering their first year of high school, the "I love yous" have taken on a new meaning. The problem, however, is that neither of them want to admit they actually mean the things they are saying. From the not-so-subtle flirting, to the jealousy of new classmates, the pair find themselves struggling to get their true feelings out there. In the end, will Yukiya's elaborate date be enough to finally "win" against Miku's advances?

This shojo story is a classic high school romance. The game itself does kind of get old after the first two chapters, however with other "firsts" happening, the story has a decent amount of flow to it. I do think a lot of this could be resolved in just 1 volume, but with it being a true Shojo, that doesn't remove any points in my book. Solid 4 stars from me.

Yukiya and Miku have played a game since middle school in which they never admit to one another that they have embarrassed the other through flirtation. It's now their first year of high school and Yukiya finally admits to himself that he has feelings for Miku, but can he get over himself and admit this to her?

This was cute, but the antics between the two got old kind of fast. They both use different ways of flirting with the other to make them flustered, but neither will admit to having feelings for the other or being affected by the flirting. The entire time I read this, I kept thinking to myself that this couldn't go on for very long, there is only so many scenarios this mangaka can come up with for them to flirt right? Well, probably, but we didn't see the end of that in this first volume. We see that both have feelings for each other, but won't admit it and it is frustrating as the reader. It doesn't really feel like slow burn because they are already in love with each other and everyone around them knows this already. I also don't exactly see what they see in each other. I, as the reader, fell in love with neither character. I can tell you a little about Yukiya's likes and habits, but I feel like Miku is still a stereotypical cheerful girl that you see in a lot of Japanese manga, and nothing about her has really been distinguishing to me as a character.

The art style was appealing and pretty easy to read/follow along. The panels were not laid out in a manner that was difficult to follow and there was not an overabundance of small text conversations that you sometimes see in romantic comedies. I did find myself chuckle a couple of times, and that's why I'm giving it a higher review than I would have otherwise.

I don't see myself continuing the series, but I could see younger readers/teens finding the plot charming. I am probably too old of a reader to get enjoyment out of a pure love story such as this one. I could find myself recommending this to middle and high schoolers as I did not see any objectionable content for younger teens.

I’m so glad to finally read volume one of this series. I was waiting forever for Viz to backload the chapters on the Viz manga app. The start to the series is adorable and so are our leads. I’m looking forward to their high school life and who’ll crack first.

VIZ Media provided an early galley for review.

Two things got my attention with this manga: the colorful cover and the premise itself. The latter is a great springboard for a teen romantic comedy/drama. Take a simple idea like a childhood game that has gone on for years and see where it leads when the kids have now grown up into hormonal teenagers.

The black and white artwork with occasional texturing in grays (on clothes, on walls, etc.) contributes to that classic manga style which I like. The story has good beats with classic tropes (first day of high school, new friends, new opportunities to make one's self into a different type, etc.). While the story takes its time to unfold, it really needs to in order to explore that uncertainty and awkwardness of coming of age and realizing one is in love for the first time.

The collection ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Miku discovering the source Yukiya's "new moves". How this will play out in volume 2 will be interesting. It is important, after all, for the story to have progress and for the characters to grow with it.

This is for shojo lovers, of course. The storyline (in my opinion) is a little silly, as it features this ‘love game’ but I can see it having a lot of adorable scenes in the future. Both leads have feelings for each other but refuse to admit them, instead trying to fluster each other until they’ve ‘won’ and can confess their actual feelings. It’s cute, but it does seem a little bit forced. Slice of life, school, a little comedic. It does seem like it might be quite sweet in the future, but at the same time, it seems like it might be a few volumes before they progress in any way. I don’t like stories that are drawn out simply to elongate a storyline.

The title immediately grabbed me and the first half of the book was great but unfortunately it got very old very fast.

It’s my same problem with love is war, the concept does not last very long and by the end of this book I was thinking, how long are they going to keep this up?

I’m saying that there is a lot of humour in it. If there aren’t some changes to this concept though I might not be continuing the series

The art is cute and the premise is fun! It's a manga where you get what you think you're getting but it's not anything groundbreaking for me and I probably won't read the next volume.