Shout Loud, My Heart is a gentle, music-filled love story that explores the blossoming relationship between two young men whose paths cross through the world of college rock bands. At its core, it’s a manga about connection – not just emotional or romantic, but also artistic, creative, and deeply personal.

The story centers on Gen, a somewhat reserved college student and guitarist in a band called Eve. After a performance one night, he meets Mike – open, charismatic, and blessed with a voice that immediately draws Gen in. There’s something about the way Mike speaks and carries himself that leaves a lasting impression. As chance would have it, they meet again the very next day and realize they both attend the same college. Slowly but surely, their paths begin to align.

What starts with admiration soon develops into something deeper. Gen finds himself drawn not only to Mike’s voice, but to his presence, his energy, and the ease with which he navigates the world. And as their friendship grows into something more, the story unfolds with a steady, quiet warmth. There are no major twists or dramatic obstacles – just two people gradually discovering each other through shared moments and the mutual language of music.

This simplicity is both the manga’s strength and, for me personally, its slight weakness. It’s undeniably a sweet and wholesome romance, but it lacked that extra spark or tension that might have made the emotional beats hit harder. I kept hoping for a moment that would surprise me or pull me in more deeply, but it never quite arrived. Still, it’s a story that treats its characters and their emotions with great tenderness.

One of the most refreshing elements was the reason behind their attraction. So often in stories like this, characters fall in love at first sight, with little explanation beyond physical looks. Here, however, Gen falls for Mike’s voice – not just the sound of it, but what it represents: confidence, vulnerability, and passion. Mike, in turn, admires Gen’s musical talent. Their connection grows out of artistic respect and emotional resonance rather than surface-level attraction, and that adds a thoughtful layer to their relationship.

Although the manga is rated PG-16 and does include a romantic and physical relationship, it’s never explicit or gratuitous. Everything is handled with care, focusing more on the emotional intimacy than anything else. Any moments of physical closeness are quiet and meaningful, grounded in genuine affection rather than pure desire.

By the end, Shout Loud, My Heart leaves you with the feeling of having witnessed a soft, genuine romance unfold between two kind souls. It may not be groundbreaking or heart-racing, but it’s honest and comforting in its own way – like the last few notes of a mellow song that lingers in your chest. Perfect for readers who enjoy music-themed stories, slow-burn connections, and the quiet courage it takes to say how you truly feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to the author, Kodansha, and Netgalley for the digital ARC!

Whether it's through the act of listening or playing itself, music is a hobby that can universally bring people together. So what happens when two college students are brought together by their active involvement in rock bands and fall in love because of it?

Shout Loud, My Heart is a one-shot manga volume that centers around Gen, the guitarist for the band Eve, and Mika (aka Mike), the lead singer for the band Adam. The two meet at a live house where their bands play on the same night and an unexpected connection forms when Gen and Mika make eye contact during Gen's performance. What follows is a heartwarming story of two individuals, opposite in personalities, who grow closer and learn to open up to each other despite their social reputations at school and in music.

I enjoy a love story with a classic "opposites attract" romance trope. Gen and Mika's banters came off as naturally realistic, and for a single-volume story, their relationship still managed to feel like a slow-burn romance. I also liked seeing the different ways that Gen and Mika interacted with their friends and bandmates, including an additional layer of showing just how different they approach life.

I did sort of wish there were more pages dedicated to developing Gen and Mika's romance and highlighting various supporting characters. With the number of side characters that were featured, I think this manga could've benefitted from being a short series so there was just a little more character and relationship depth given to all the characters.

Nonetheless, I still recommend this manga if you're a fan of rock music and BL couples that resemble a grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Here's to hoping for a potential sequel volume!

Shout Loud, My Heart is a cute and inoffensive book. It hits all the right notes but not much more. I believe that it being a one-shot is not to its benefit. The characters are sweet and sort of interesting, enough for me to finish, but a little one-note. The conflict is pretty standard but not super dramatic, which I liked. The drawings are one of the highlights of the book for me, you can tell Youga Rayri is talented. I would maybe like to read other things from this author, they have potential.

Short, stand-alone and slow-burn, but really sweet. Gen plays guitar in a band, Eve. Mika—Mike—is a singer in a band Adam, so named as a counter to Eve. Mike admires Gen’s guitar playing, but the other guy isn’t even aware of Mike, until he heards Mike sing, which blows his mind. Then it turns out they go to a same college and share classes too.

Gen’s a bit grumpy, but he allows Mike to pull him into his company, and little by little, he realises he has feelings for Mike. The other guy has maybe had them longer. A small misunderstanding almost ruins everything, but they work things out. There’s some spice and a couple of short extras at the end. This could’ve been longer with more drama, but it’s fine as it is. I liked the art too.

My heart is full, my chest still feels the intense moments after reading this wonderful story. It's so much more than an awakening, it's love, freedom and so many new emotions. I truly felt for these boys, and I'm impressed with how well the translator made the dialogue flow naturally, hopefully just like the author intended. This was refreshing, and the ART, my god, THE ART. Chefs kiss. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me give my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Shout Loud, My Heart was a lovely oneshot manga between two opposing rock group members who seem different yet find themselves entranced by each other. Despite the short length of the story, I really believed the chemistry and liked Gen and Mika's dynamic. The art was gorgeous, and it captured the emotions and feel of the music well! I would have loved more development of the characters (especially the other bandmates) but as it stands I definitely recommend this for BL fans :]

I love music themed stories, and this story of competitive bands was very good. There is a lot going on in this one-shot manga, so I kinda wish there was going to be another volume. I think now that I know this is the complete story I will go back and read it again before I lose access to the digital file.

I received a digital ARC of this manga from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Three and a half stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Youga Rayri for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shout Loud, My Heart is a standalone slice-of-life manga about twenty year old Gen Utashiro. By day, Gen is a university student, and by night he's the lead guitarist for the band Eve. Eve is playing in the Battle of the Bands against local rival band Adam, fronted by fellow twenty year old university student by day, and lead singer by night, Mika 'Mike' Itemadani.

As Gen and Mika cross paths as students and musicians their relationship becomes one of friends and eventually lovers, and that journey was very cute. Although I found the spicy content quite out of place with the tone of the rest of the story. I'd have liked more story and less spice for the sake of spice, but that's just me. It should also be mentioned that there's not a single female character of note. I realise that may be standard with BL/yaoi, but I still think it's worth stating.

Overall, this is a quick little read and a fun one. I wish I had more time with these characters. This would have made a fun series rather than just a one-shot. I'd recommend it to manga enthusiasts.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read an ARC of this manga!

I enjoyed this bl manga. The dynamic between the two leads provided an interesting contrast and the art was detailed without being overly crowded in the page. I appreciated that every band member had a unique style and look so it was easy to tell who was who. I would be happy to hear the songs from the two bands and see how they fare in the future.

Common tropes of the genre are used, but they are also a reason why people, like myself, continue to pick up bl manga, so I didn't see them as anything negative.

Cuuute this is really cute, I'm a sucker for a down bad black cat (actually both of them are down bad but of course it's more fun when it's the grumpy frowny one). Love a music story, love a character just so into a singer's voice or some other sort of music they make. The side characters, the bandmates from both bands, were of course side characters but each of them had different looks and vibes that they were enough separate characters to both tease and encouraging both of these dummies into their relationship. And it was refreshing to get a story that wasn't, "but we're both guys??" and also that the bandmates not only picked up on the chemistry between Gen and Mike but basically pushed their faces together (with verbal support).

Thank you Kodansha for the eARC! Loved it.

Shout Loud, My Heart was a sweet story of two different band members, each called Adam and Eve, falling for each other.

I've always loved stories with bands and I liked how this explored music.

The art was absolutely beautiful.
I especially loved the part where Gen pictures himself underwater while listening to Mika singing to show how his voice makes Gen feel.

Speaking of Mika's voice, I love how it was described. The author made good use of words to help us imagine how he sounds.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"What I'd give to be on stage with that voice." - Gen


Gen is the guitarist of Eve. A college band that sells out at their events! At one of the gigs, he meets Mike who's in another band called Adam. The two are complete opposites of one another but their respected talents draw them both in. Mike's voice sends Gen to another state of mind as he listens to the songs. Mike can't help but be captivated by Gen's guitar skills and sound.


The closer the two get and connect over music and gigs the more feelings grow. Some not spoken aloud because their songs translate everything for them. But is it okay for them to be involved since they're in different bands? Friendly rivalry and all that.


This is a quick, one-shot BL manga. I was drawn into the scenes of when the two experienced the others musical talents. The way the artist captured the feeling of hearing certain songs and being transported away. Inspiration blooming and feelings coming to the surface.


Gen's very much a black cat! He tunes out things and people that aren't relevant to him or interest him. When he first met Mike, he brushed him off until he heard the man sing! He soon can't avoid Mike because of their bands and also Mike goes to the same University as Gen!? I could relate to Gen a lot!


Mike is the big golden retriever who just wants to be around Gen. Neither of them fully addressing the feelings that have grown for one another. It was cool seeing how Gen's sound changed, and the other members catching on to it. Akio being very protective of his "precious guitarist" and not down for Mike and Gen hanging out. It was really sweet, and Akio is definitely a favorite!


Quick read not a whole lot of depth with things. I wish there had been more depth and a little more buildup to the two's romance. This being a one-shot I understand why the pacing was fast. Language is present along with fun band rivalry. The bonus stories at the end are a must read to help give some more insights to characters. Rayri provides character cards that breakdown the two bands and their members!


Little bit of a buildup and miscommunication/none. The two finally having a conversation toward the end! We do get one uncensored MM action scene. No lightsabers with this read! There's prep work and Mike takes care of Gen. The two are sweet together and I love how all the bandmates support the two. Akio secretly approving as well but will never say it aloud!


HEA for story but maybe more to come for the other bandmates. I enjoyed the read and would be interested in seeing what else Rayri comes up with!


Enjoy the quick, lighthearted read with rival bands! Don't forget to give the author some stars!


Thank you, NetGalley! And thank you, Kondansha!


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This was so cute! The whole time I was smiling while reading, giggling and kicking my feet. Loved the main characters and how the chemistry between each of them grew within such a short expanse of pages. Am definitely going to be rereading this soon. Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha for an early copy!

Music for the eyes ;)
This was my first comic, and it's was so fun!
Really liked the drawings- and the grumpy/sunshine duo!
Perfect for pride month!

I really enjoyed this, the art of the panels was lovely and the storyline felt very nicely paced. I loved both Gen and Mika. And liked how it ended in a very neat way, I look forward to seeing more from this author.

3.5 I liked a lot about this story. The art is okay. Its a pretty sweet, easy to read, about a musician that is inspired by a gutarist that he watches play and eventually they fall in love. I like that the friends are supportive. I thought the orgin of the band name Adam was really cute.

However, there was a wierd comment in the story about just forcing someone to have sex that rubbed me the wrong way. Le sigh, why in such a green flag story does that have to exsist?

this is 18+

I really liked the story of Gen and Mika. This is a one-shot manga so of course the speed of the story is high and some situations felt a little hurried but I definitely enjoyed how the two connect with each other via music and then get to know each other better over time. I liked the display of the two bands and the music competition they were in. The other band members were also well introduced and had defined characters. The very spicy twist at the end was very surprising for me as the rest of the story felt more like a cozy boys love romance with a focus on the music setting as well. So that caught me off guard. I didn’t mind it and enjoyed reading the scene but still the switch was a drastic one. The drawing style was detailed enough and I loved the little chibi versions in some panels in between. Overall I think the story is nice to read and I enjoyed it, while a true depth of the characters was missing. I would still recommend the manga if you’re interested in boys love and rock band settings.

Two musicians inspire and push each other to make better music before they even meet. But is it more than just their musical talent that they're attracted to?

It's a very sweet story of two college-aged musicians whose deep admiration for each other's talent slowly turns into more as they get to know each other. It's adorable to see them fumble with their emotions and express them in their music. And they're surrounded by interesting characters that show they have full lives.
I was a little surprised by how the final chapters suddenly transition from sweet to uncensored steamy, but it works for the characters. It makes sense for them to advance their relationship and you are warned ahead of time that it's an 18+ read.
The art is a little rough draft-like. It works for the tone of the story, and you can easily tell characters apart, so you can't ask for more.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the wonderful read!

This manga about two boys in different bands was pretty decent! The art was gorgeous and the characters are multi-dimensional. My only complaint is that it's a little tropey--so many Yaoi manga do the whole "You kissed me and ran, so you must hate me" subplot, and I honestly find it pretty annoying. Still, yaoi is a genre where many people are looking for the same tropes repeated over and over. This is going to be great for somebody, just not me.

Thank you for the early copy. I enjoyed the plot and the romance but could have done without the graphic nudity.