I have finally begun to realize that contemporary manga titles are some of my favorite kinds of reads, and with Shojo Beat’s recent release, it confirmed that contemporary romance is among some of my highest favorites! Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love is the beginning of a new shojo manga series (manga geared towards girls) about a young woman, Satomi, who finds herself in a very uncomfortable situation on a train when a young man (and schoolmate), Yagyu, “saves” her. Since she missed her chance confessing her feelings to her crush in middle school, she decides after seeing Yagyu’s kindness (in a few different situations, not just this one) to tell him that she likes him. Much to her surprise, they enter into a relationship, but she has no idea what to expect or what to do after they start dating!

ADVENTURE: This was such a wholesome adventure! I found it extremely refreshing that Satomi was not “familiar” with dating and boys as a whole. She seemed like a genuine young high school woman who is naive and innocent in regards to being in a relationship. I in no way mean that negatively as it was nice seeing Satomi not sure what to do and ask her friend questions as well as her new boyfriend.

ACTION: One of the fun qualities about Satomi is while she is a “chill” person, there are times we see her to be quite daring and almost reckless. When she realizes that she is about to let her crush, Yagyu, walk away without confessing, she makes the bold move to jump off a stairwell so she can quickly reach him! Yagyu of course tells her to never do something so dangerous again, but while I think some readers may think Satomi predictable in her actions, I found her to have just the right element of surprise to keep me leaning forward in my seat.

ROMANCE: I feel that in shojo manga it can be a common theme to have miscommunication as a way to cause “drama” for the main couple or even conflict as a whole. I mentioned that part of Satomi’s adventure is asking questions and that was one of my favorite parts about Satomi and Yagyu’s relationship. They start dating very early on in the story and don’t know each other well, but both of them make it known to the other that should they not know what the other is thinking, say something. I was completely (and excitedly) for that! Yagyu is very respectful of Satomi and appreciated that while there are a few sweet kisses, there seems to be unspoken boundaries in place.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love is a manga that I see myself calling a favorite this year. I came into this story unsure of how I would feel, but it was so wholesome and was such a great “friends”-to-lovers where communication is essential and the romance is sweet. I would highly recommend this story to romance readers!