MINIS — graphic novels! (a little MG & a whole lotta gay babies)

 

That was super cute and fun. More of a 4.5, but I rounded up because it makes my heart happy to see SO MANY gay girls in one place. <3 This series has loads of sapphic rep, POC rep, QPOC rep, lighthearted talks about serious topics (like being ready for sex, etc.), and jokes, all wrapped up into a team of cuties kicking the patriarchy’s ass and saving the world, one mixtape at a time. The 90s setting is SO much fun and I loved the addition of the Y2K subplot!

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Almost all of the main characters are queer, multiple characters are Black

Coming from someone who genuinely enjoyed this manga, it’s probably fair to say you should know what you’re going into before picking it up. How Do We Relationship? isn’t your typical new adult romance; in fact, the author’s note at the end even explains how Tamifull intentionally wanted to write something very different from the norm by depicting two women who get into a relationship before falling for one another.

Instead of having a lot of sweet, caring moments or angsty revelations, this first volume relies heavily on showcasing how people can work through disagreements or conflicts in relationships, with a lot of those conflicts revolving around the dynamic of two people who have very different views on sex. Saeko is active and very, er, physically motivated (heh), while Miwa is new to this entire aspect of life and wants to move slowly.

While the words aren’t used on page, it’s evident that Miwa has a lot of inner conflict surrounding trying to decide if she’s asexual or not, and in the end, it appears that she may be demisexual (I’m very curious to see if we’ll see this label used in future volumes). While there are definitely some acephobic comments made, they’re more or less challenged, and Saeko is forced to recognize that sometimes compromises need to be made when people don’t feel the same way about their sexuality in a relationship. I personally thought it was all very true to life, which might honestly make it tough for some readers to enjoy, but I liked that Tamifull didn’t really pull punches.

Aside from aaaaall of that, the artwork is super cute, the characters are fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. I’ll definitely be continuing the series!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

homophobia, acephobia, one partner being pushy about sex with other partner

main characters are queer, all characters are Japanese

In NO WAY was I even SLIGHTLY ready to say goodbye to my perfect, soft little gay hockey boys. I’m so emotional right now. I wish this series would go on forever, but at the same time, it ended so sweetly and I adored every single damn page of this beautiful book. Not only the cutesy romantic bits and the baking and the hilarity, but also the social commentary on being a queer athlete and coming out to your family, for better or for worse? Ugh. FEELS™.

coming out, fear of homophobia, brief homophobia (challenged)

Bitty is gay, Jack is queer (undetermined — presumably bi or pan), several side characters are POC, a few side characters are queer

This was honestly so adorable and I loved every single page. The art is cute and colorful, the storyline is delightful, and Aster is a protagonist you can’t help rooting for. She has her moments of ridiculousness as any kid (or person in general) does, but for the most part, she’s witty, hard-headed, capable, and a ton of fun. I absolutely loved the side characters — especially the Chestnut Knights! — and think this would be a big hit with a lot of MG readers regardless of age. I especially recommend this if you like Adventure Time, because something about the art and story style reminded me a LOT of that show and made me want to go back and rewatch my favorite episodes ASAP.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!