I really liked this Manga. As someone who doesn’t always “get it” I felt seen in this book. I loved the friendship the two boys had, it was a pretty wholesome story.

Spacewalking with You by Inuhiko is a shonen manga series that will appeal to all types of readers. The unlikely friendship that develops between the two lonely protagonists is both sweet and engaging. Readers will want to read the next volume.

3.75⭐️

I've been binging mangas lol, anyways,
despite the fun cover, this was amazing.

We follow Kobayashi, former 'bad' boy, whose life changes when Uno, a sensitive (possibly neurodivergent) person, joins his class.

They become acquainted and eventually friends, Kobayashi learns a lot of different things that I absolutely loved!

I didn't mark any quotes but some people have left one of my favorite quotes in their review so I'm copying it (sorry not sorry);
"Sometimes people just need a little something extra so they can live like everyone else."

I think Uno's autistic so love the neurodivergence representation. His struggles were shown clearly, his overwhelming, shutting down, struggling with upfront confrontation and sudden events...

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy of this manga.

Spacewalking With You has the kind of "boys will be boys" energy that we need more of in the world. This is a slice-of-life/character-driven story. You've got Uno who's on the autism spectrum somewhere and Kobayashi the delinquent-coded guy who comes to terms with the fact that he's not that smart but is definitely gaining emotional quotient points as he somehow befriends Uno. This sets off a chain of events such as Kobayashi's newfound self-awareness affecting his current friends, meeting Uno's older sister, and even these two getting involved in a club at school. The supporting cast is also very promising and I look forward to how things work out in volume 2.

I really wasn't sure what to expect based on the series' title (would it be like Space Brothers? Laid Back Camp? Insomniacs After School?), but was happily charmed by the book's content and now see why it was the recipient of the 17th Manga Taisho award.

This volume covers the budding relationship between Kobayashi, a high school student struggling both at school and his part-time job, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the neurodivergent-coded (although I don't believe it's ever explicitly stated) Uno, a astronomy fanatic who has struggled to connect with his peers in the past and, as a response, has created a detailed notebook of best-practices to navigate social situations. Although Kobayashi is initially put-off by Uno's straight-forwardness and lack of social decorum, watching Uno develop coping mechanisms to overcome hurdles in their life encourages Kobayashi to be more proactive in asking others' for help and to find success strategies of his own.

It's a unique narrative in manga and its presentation is top notch (one standout moment for me is a full one-page spread that visualizes an anxiety attack expertly). Spacewalking’s tone is also an incredible tightrope act of buddy comedy, teenage angst, intergalactic awe, and mental wellness exploration, which makes it a major recommend for any library looking to expand their manga selection beyond action shonen fare and include something teens and adults will both get something out of.

Thank you to Netgalley, Inuhiko Doronoda, and Kodansha Comics for this early release!

This series follows two boys who feel out of place and struggling with the social aspects of life. Despite being very different, they quickly grow to understand each other and become friends who grow with the help of the other.

This introduction to the series was so so good. Yes I might’ve teared up a little at one point. The author did a great job interpreting the characters struggles and their frustrations while connecting the reader to understand and feel what they felt.

Overall I really enjoyed this and am excited to read more of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me with a digital arc. All opinions are my own.

"...sometimes people just need a little something extra so they can live like everyone else."

Life is too hard for Kobayashi, so why should he bother to keep trying? He should really just give up, but that's hard to do now that he's seen inside of new student Uno's worn-out notebook. It's filled with notes and tips for everything from riding the bus to emotional regulation during conflict; it's Uno's 'safety tether'. Since seeing it, Kobayashi finds himself beginning to be able to name the emotions he feels when he fails and choose to work to overcome them. Life isn't suddenly easy, and there is a lot more to learn, but a friend like Uno certainly makes it easier to try.

This is excellent. It's a joy to see neurodivergent characters depicted in a non-pathologizing way, and with a strong visual language to lend weight to the mental and physical experiences of existing in a world that isn't built for you. I appreciated seeing accessibility depicted as also being personal actions you take and accommodations you request for yourself; realistically, there are not always structures in place that can be relied upon. The emotions feel earnest, and the laughs feel earned. Story beats felt well-paced, and the art and paneling assisted with that flow. I adjusted to the art after not liking it initially and found myself enjoying the distinct style, especially in regard to character design.

I would recommend this to younger teens, late middle to early high school, especially those who like realistic fiction and comedy. I cannot wait to get this on our shelf!

A really sweet story about trying to navigate life when you don’t feel like you fit in. I loved this and I can’t wait to read the next one. The art isn’t especially pretty but the story has a lot of heart.

Such a sweet story!

Spacewalking With You is a coming-of-age story, with beautiful friendship, neurodivergent representation, and a bit of humor.

Love the art!

A beautiful graphic novel that was almost perfect. The ending because it is a volume 1 left some to be desired, but the relationship is so sweet and perfect. I have very few complaints. Can't wait to read more.

Spacewalking With You is an interesting manga as both of the main characters are neurodivergent. That's rare in manga. Kobayashi has hard time concentrating and because of that he kind of just stops caring and is on his way to become a dropout. His class gets a new student, Uno. The guy is weird and no one seems to know how to act around him and people try to scam him. Kobayashi helps Uno and eventually they become friends and they start to understand each other better and thus help each other to navigate in life. The manga is quite realistic and handles well the situations without undermining anything or trying to teach the reader. In a way Spacewalking With You feels very wonderful and explains things in an imaginative way. Like the floating in space part.

The art looks a bit childish though and the lack of practice can be seen in Doronoda's style. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope the line art gets steadier along the way. Uno feels really childish compared to Kobayashi, which eats some of the credibility and makes you wonder whether he can even make it in a normal school. This hinders the series a little. Still, awesome that we finally have neurodivergent characters! Wohoo!

This read was so cute and fast paced! The background each character has makes their actions and reasoning to act the way they act so understandable and each and every one of them extremely likable. The immediate impact Uno has on Kobayashi is so well done and shows that sometimes you just need the right person to discover who you truly are. Their friendship is wholesome. If I had to say something bad it would be that it seems like Kobayashi has to take care of Uno but since Uno helps Kobayashi so much just by helping him discovering himself, the relationship between the two of them is still balanced.

Thank you to Kodansha for the e-arc of this manga! This is a sweet story of a friendship between a “delinquent” student and the new kid in his class. It seems to tackle topics of neurodiversity too as Uno presents to be on the spectrum. I liked how Kobayashi is very open-minded and kind regarding any differences between him and Uno. One thing that I didn’t love was that Uno seemed a bit infantilized through the writing and the art, but I could be reading more into it than I need to be. I like how he’s so passionate about space and Kobayashi is trying to learn about his interests. Overall, a 3.5 🌟 read

It's super refreshing to read a manga where the characters are neurodivergent coded. I am neurodivergent myself and could very much relate to the characters. The story is heartwarming and funny and I love how awkwardly loveable the characters are. The art style is not one I typically gravitate towards, but I ended up enjoying it by the end of the novel. I'm very interested to see where the story goes.

So glad I was able to read this, thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha!

I found myself immediately endeared to the two leads, which usually doesn't happen when I read new manga series. The art style is distinct and right up my alley, and the facial expressions especially were a standout. I will be following along with future volumes -- looking forward to seeing how Uno and Kobayashi develop!

5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an arc. All opinions are my own.

It took me a little while to really get into the story, but I ended up loving it! The facial expressions are very over the top which makes the style feel a bit old school (which is fine, but not my personal preference!). However, I loved how all the characters learned to ask for help, and I love the way that manuals and guides are treated as accessibility tools. I also really appreciated how part of Kobayashi’s struggles come from the fact that his friends have a pretty poor opinion of him, even though they do genuinely care.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This reminds me of a few Western movies and TV shows that involve someone who is a seemingly ordinary person who is impacted by someone who isn't due to their mental health, etc. It also involves space travel like Insomniacs After School, which is awesome. One of the best things about this is that there's some exposition involving how friendships work and how to learn how to ask for help. Also, just as fyi, this is NOT a BL. it's a friendship story. Overall, I am curious to continue on. Because of these points, I have to give this 4 out of 5 stars

"Sometimes people just need a little something extra so they can live like everyone else."

Man, I love reading manga. I can just pick up a random volume without expecting too much from it, and then it completely blows me away. This is the story of the unlikely friendship between high schoolers Kobayashi and Uno – one with absolutely no energy, one with always all the energy. It's never specified in this first volume, but it's heavily implied that Uno is autistic. Kobayashi on the other hand usually sleeps in school and is often labeled a delinquent, but he is actually always overthinking and struggling with completing tasks. Both are realistic, layered characters who have much more going on in their heads than they can communicate to others. Unexpectedly, they turn out to be a positive influence for the other, and their friendship develops. They also start to share astronomy as a hobby, and the series will probably lean more into that theme considering the title. This first volume made me extremely emotional. It just hit. The way it showed how people may be silently struggling and how difficult it can be to ask for help was very relatable, and it was great to see how the characters started to learn how to deal with it. The art was mostly simple and nice, but it would get super intense when depicting stress or worries. It was impressive, really. 5/5, 10/10. Would recommend to every manga reader.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

"When I don't understand something, it feels like I'm floating in space."

Spacewalking With You follows Kobayashi and Uno, two very different personalities that sparks an unexpected friendship.

This is a wholesome and seamless representation of neurodivergence and mental health. It makes me as a reader feel completely seen.

At its heart this is a coming of age story about finding your place in a world not very friendly to neurodivergence people as our two protagonists learn to tackle life. Had me tearing up on more than one occasion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"When I don't understand something, it feels like I'm floating in space."

Spacewalking with you was always been on my radar when I was surfing the internet. Then, I found this arc and immediately downloaded it.
What did I expect? A slice of life, school setting, friendship. BUT it was better than my expectation! It was so touching and heartwarming.
Kobayashi has difficulties on focus -not on studying, not on work- and the adults thinks he's not trusthworthy and not eager. Then, Uno transferred in Kobayashi's class and, after Kobayashi saved Uno from some bullies, started their friendship.
The manga focusing on neurodivergent characters (though in different ways) and how they can cope with everyday life. I really loved how they help each other overcome obstacles and how they already made some progress with their anxiety or fear of being judged. Thanks to Uno, Kobayashi discovered that maybe he needs a different way than most people to function.

Can't wait to see where this story goes!