Ohana has broken my heart with this one that I couldn’t put the book down for even a minute.

23:45 is a BL manga with beautifully illustrated artwork focusing on Iku, a college student who can see ghosts. One ghost in particular, Mimori, catches his eye.

Every night at 23:45 Mimori is drawn back to the bridge he died out, replaying his death. Iku befriends this high spirited ghost, hoping to figure out who Mimori was before he died.

Opinions
I started reading 23:45 on a whim and it didn’t disappoint.

The chemistry Iku and Mimori have throughout the manga was adorable and beautifully portrayed to the point the ending broke my heart.

We learn so much more about Iku than Mimori yet I didn’t mind. Mimori wasn’t the main focus, Iku was. It was refreshing to learn how much Iku wanted to help Mimori without knowing how Mimori felt about everything. It was the lack of overload that I loved from Ohana

It was 188 pages of a pure masterpiece

When I was younger I did have few BL manga but haven’t picked up any recently but that is about to change with 23:45 I loved everything about this one from the characters, the storyline and the touch of supernatural about it. It’s gentle and rather sweet but does have an air of mystery too. The art is beautiful and clear and matches the story perfectly. The panels are laid out well with a good ratio to text and image and the text is translated wonderfully too.
As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

THAT WAS SO EMOTIONAL.

I kind see the plot twist but the writing was smart enough to make me doubt my idee, but I was right eheh.

I really enjoy this kind of trope in the story I read, so I was happy to find it on this manga too.

Let's see what other stories this mangaka will create!

Loneliness attracts loneliness. An otaku man meets ghost and when he follows him home, the two become close. I enjoyed this sweet paranormal romance. This graphic is not graphic. The MM romance includes nothing more than kissing and hand holding. But the story has some depth, with discussion of an attempted suicide in the past.

A lovely short read with just enough angst and stakes to keep you reading.
I liked the art and the author's take on a ghost story, but overall it was meh.
The ending is not what I predicted and while I think it won't work for everyone, the way we left these characters really worked for me. While I would love if we had had a HEA, I finished this story with a smile in my face.
I love that the main guy is a geek and the back and forth between the two men..
Thank you to NetGaleey and Kodansha for this DRC.

Thank you, Ohana, NetGalley, and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Final rating 3.5/5.0

I have to say that I certainly didn’t hate this book, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. I read this one twice just to see if I missed something on the first go-round. I think the art style is great, as most manga’s are, and I could certainly understand the story, but there was just something about this one that didn’t linger or wow me when I was finished with it. Perhaps this particular story just wasn’t for me, but I do recommend it for those who wish for a poignant stand-alone to spend an hour with!

Thank you against, Ohana, NetGalley, and the Publisher for his Arc.

I enjoyed the art and the concept here, but I think the author pulled their punches with the story. There were some serious aspects touched on: the mother's possible suicide attempt, Iku's avoidance of engaging with people out of fear of hurting them, Mimori's poor treatment and accident, discussions of death and what it means and there were some very poignant moments. However, we gloss over so quickly that these moments don't get to linger or develop. They're not given enough time to struggle so that the outcome is earned.

The same unfortunately can be said for the romance. As much as I liked the characters and the possibility of a relationship between them, there was little meaningful development leading up to it, and that lack unfortunately undercuts the bittersweetness of the finale.

That said, this was a fun read with some interesting concepts, even if it went for a lighter tone than it could have. I think this author will be one to look out for in future.

*Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Such a beautiful and heartfelt story about a shy guy and a ghost trapped in the loop of his tragic night c,: (I loved how the title actually plays a role in the story). Rather than focusing purely on romance, it’s more about how their connection helps them change their perspective on life and grow. Their deep conversations about it really stand out! But of course, as a romance fan, I wish we got to see more of their relationship develop. Hopefully, since there's a sequel, we’ll get to see more of them!

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review

this was such a neat and interesting concept. iku and mimori will leave a lasting impact on me. i’d love to see a continuation of their story, but i also like where this ended as well. this was beautifully done

Ahhhh I really enjoyed this manga volume and can't wait for more! It was so cute and I loved the plot.

Thanks to both Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC copy. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

Recently moved to Tokyo, college-student Iku lives by his rules: reading manga, watching TV and not much socializing. Until he starts seeing ghost, one in particular. Mimori, who haunts a local bridge and looks like sunshine in person due to how super friendly she is. They start sharing space and oxygen, their lives (and dead) mingling in all aspects. Except, every night, at 23:45 Mimori replays his dead at the bridge.

This manga was a bit of a bad surprise, because the premise sounded reaaally good and the art that accompanied the story is visually stunning, but the story and the characters didn't deliver at all, disappointingly.

The romance was sweet and the characters share a lot of moment, which is something I think a lot of romances sometimes lack, instead forcing itself onto the pages and the characters involve without been developed properly and forcing the reader to believe it. That said, even thought Iku and Mimori share all types of moments and are good for each other, the story was rushed in all aspects and the romance didn't feel well-developed for what the story demanded and wanted to deliver. And so, the emotional impact the manga wanted to make, didn't gave me a punch as it wanted.

There are manga that can benefit from being shorter. "23:45" is the contrary case: it could have benefited from being longer, maybe even from having two or three short volumes. I think that could have helped to it all be better and not feel as rushed.

All this into account, I did enjoy this manga, laughing with the characters, admiring the art and trying to decipher the truth behind the paranormal aspect that haunted the pages; just like Mimori. But, at the end of the day, this manga could have been more developed, better paced and with an ending that satisfied me. Pros and cons, really. Bit of both worlds.

I didn't write this review on my website, mostly since I don't have much to say. This volume was underwhelming and hard for me to follow personally. I really enjoyed the art, but couldn't connect with the story, so it was a pass for me.

The premise made it sound interesting but it's just average overall, he wasn't even an actual ghost and most of the story is about them living together watching tv and reading manga.

The ending happened out of nowhere without anything leading to it, while reading I was confused on whether I should take the scene at face value or if there was something going on since it's a paranormal.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics for the e-arc of this manga. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Iku and Mimori growing closer and trying to figure out what happened to Mimori (that made him a little ghost-like). If you’re looking for a melancholic but hopeful story of two lonely people finding each other at
the right time, look no further. The ending made me definitely excited for the next volume. 4.25 🌟

23:45 by Ohana, which was recently released on March 11, 2025, can be considered a one-shot paranormal, BL manga, but there is a sequel manga out there. I read this as an ARC from Kodansha on Netgalley. 23:45 centers around Iku Kurihara, who has recently moved to Tokyo. Before his move to Tokyo, he had never seen a ghost, but is able to see them now. Or so he says. The only ghost we, the reader, knows he sees is Mimori Seo.

Iku finds Mimori to be an interesting ghost as he is able touch and hold onto things compared to a regular ghost. Or at least he is able to do all of this around Iku. We do see early on, as Iku does as well, that people are able to walk through Mimori. The two start to talk and hang around one another when Mimori follows Iku to return a fan comic(dounjinshi). Yes, Iku is an otaku. This begins the friendship and potential relationship for the two.

I did enjoy the friendship that occurred and deepened between Iku and Mimori. You could tell that Iku began to worry about Mimori, especially after finding out what might have happened to him. Mimori, for his part, seemed to be worried about Iku’s cooking skills. The one part that I will never understand is where everyone in the manga gets the idea that Iku is a perfectionist. We really don’t seem to see any evidence of this. And how does it deal with cooking?

What we do get to see is part of Iku’s past. We get to understand why he is withdrawn from his fellow classmates, and I guess the reason for him becoming an otaku. I am not sure that the two points really connect, but I guess if you have enough time to watch TV compared to before, you can become a fan of anything. Iku’s is anime.

I found it interesting that while Iku was curious about why Mimori was drawn to the bridge he first found him at, he is not curious enough to research Mimori right away. Mimori introduced himself right away, and even though Mimori did not have memories of much else, it would have been enough to go off of to research into him. I found myself questioning about Mimori, and wanting to tell Iku to start searching right away.

I do appreciate that while this was a one-shot, and a BL manga, we have hints to a developing relationship. I imagine that the sequel will go more in depth as to what could be a proper relationship for them. Some parts of the development were a bit rushed, but I feel that it will be more believable when the sequel comes out. I really am looking forward to the next volume, and I did really find this book to very cute. I enjoyed my time reading it, and I liked the idea of how people view the different types of relationships as well as the paranormal aspect to the story.

***ARC from NetGalley***

This is a haunting story that I hope has a sequel.

Iku is a university student in Tokyo. Shy, reserved, living in his own world. And he can see ghosts. Or can he.

What a follows is an unusual love story between a damaged and lonely young man and the ghost he takes into his home and his heart, Mimori.

I really enjoyed the story. However, I feel like the story is rushed and would have benefitted from a few more pages in areas to help develop the tension/storyline/emotional payoff.

That said, I would recommend this story and hope that it continues.

I liked both characters but I feel like there was something missing from the story. It felt too rushed. The two plot points in the middle made me feel like I missed something. I am curious how the next volume is going to go so I will be picking that up.

Iku is a first year college student in Tokyo who splits his time between studying, a job at a grocery store, and his mangas and animes, which he prefers to human interaction. The reason is given in the story. He’s an otaku and a bit of a shut-in.

Lately, he’s been seeing a ghost of a young man on a footbridge that no one else can see. They learn by accident that Iku can talk with him and touch him, and since he’s lonely, the ghost moves to Iku’s place. He remembers his name, Mimori, but he has no memory of his life or how he died. And every night, at the same time, he’s pulled back on the bridge to die again.

The two bond over manga and anime, and a friendship and then love blooms. Iku knows they’re on a borrowed time, because ghosts leave when they have fulfilled their purpose. That doesn’t stop him from trying to learn who Mimori was. What he finds out changes everything.

This was not as sad a story as it might seem. With Mimori’s help, Iku learns to let go of his trauma and to interact with humans again. And when the inevitable time comes that the ghost goes away, a new thing begins that is different and yet the same. This is a stand-alone story, and although the ending isn’t a happily ever after but more of a new start, it still feels complete and satisfying.

This is the artists first solo manga and they did a good work. The story is lovely and the art is good.

3.5 rounded up

23:45 is a sort of melancholy book of post-trauma: Iku, a young who moved to Tokyo alone after a harrowing incident with his mother, and Mimori, a... ghost?? Since Iku's the only one that seems to be able to see/touch him, they start to become friends and get to know each other and start to mutually understand each other despite their personal circumstances and what they keep from the world.

There's a point most of the way through where, no spoilers, two (unrelated) things happen rather quickly, both of which had me going back a few pages to see if I had missed something (no), which had to knock my rating down a bit, but I see the second book/sequel is coming out in July so I'll definitely read that two-- I liked the characters, and I wonder of course if these two quick-occurring things were a fault of trying to condense a story into one volume... well! Enjoyable anyway.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

2.5 ☆
23:45 tells the story of an otaku who moves to Tokyo to study, and there he realizes that he can see a ghost.
It's not bad, but it's not good either. However, it had a lot of potential.
I liked it enough to look forward to the sequel. Which I hope is much better.
I didn't understand half of it. I don't know if it's the storytelling or me.
It's okay, but it could be better.