Ima, Koi wo Shiteimasu.
Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Finished this one last night, and found it a very chill and enjoyable read. It's a fairly lighthearted and simple romcom, but it doesn't really need to be anything more than that.

The story is mostly straightforward, and thankfully it skips a lot of the more predictable set-up that most romcoms suffer from by having the main couple get together very quickly. This isn't a "will they/won't they" type of story, and I think that only works in its favor. That said, it can feel a little formulaic at first since a lot of the earlier chapters just feel like fluff that doesn't really add much ... to the characters. Thankfully it really finds its footing in the latter half of the story when Miria is introduced, and I have to say she adds so much to the manga. She's not only a very fun character, she also adds a lot to the group dynamic of the main cast by having great chemistry with them. I have to admit that I found her romance with Tenma a lot more engaging than the main romance, though that is par for the course for me since I nearly always get more invested in the side-couple than the main one.

My only real complaint with the manga other than the slow pace in the first half is that I found the main couple to be a bit too idealistic at times, mainly because of Kazuma who is just way too perfect. Don't get me wrong, he and Satomi do make for a very cute couple together, and I didn't find him unlikable or anything, but his behavior throughout a large portion of the plot can feel almost satirical in how he always acts like an ideal boyfriend would. Thankfully this is actually addressed later in the story by having Satomi pointing out how it can actually feel a little lonely to be in a relationship with someone who never acts selfishly or makes any real mistakes, which I very much appreciated. It's handled in a pretty mature way and not as something to just be fixed with an apology, which was refreshing and added some much needed layers to their dynamic.

Overall I'd say this is absolutely worth checking out for anyone who is looking for a solid shoujo romcom. It doesn't break any new ground and is pretty light on the drama, but that's only really a negative if you need that sort of stuff in your stories. If you want a chill and wholesome story about two couples who find their way through life together this is certainly worth checking out. Just be aware that it can get a little stale before the second heroine is introduced in chapter 17, so if you don't find the manga too engaging you may want to skim through the chapters leading up to that.

Love is in the air, my friends, and for once, I’m here for it.

Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love, is a high school romance manga I picked up on a whim. Why? Simple—as a long-time reader of almost exclusively shonen, I wanted to expand my horizons. It’s a story you’ve heard a thousand times: while I love manga dearly and read it every day, I’ve never read a shojo title. Shocking, I know. Not that I’ve never held one in my hands, or read a tankobon or two, but it definitely has never gone beyond that. This is the first shojo manga I’ve read ... to completion.

And I enjoyed it! A lot more than I expected to. I can’t exactly give a fair commentary on how this manga compares to others in its demographic, because my knowledge is only cursory. I did notice that it has many clichés, but they never took away from how easy it was to fall for the characters. Satomi and Yagyu are adorable and I loved them. They (and their friends) are teenagers of course, so it goes without saying that they can often be shallow. However, even with this lack of maturity I found myself very willing to “buy the illusion,” so to speak; to get invested in the first-crushes and first-kisses of high schoolers, even though I am now quite removed from this stage of life. Seriously! I’m not used to stories where the romance IS the plot, and sometimes it bordered on being a little bit much, but then I’d sit back and find myself smiling that Satomi got flustered, or that she and Yagyu hit a milestone in their relationship, and I’d happily keep reading.

Now, as a grown ass man, I couldn’t help myself from wanting to see this relationship develop into adulthood, reaching deeper depths, more road bumps, stronger dedication to one another, etc, but I accept that this is not really the product I paid for. It’s a story to sit down with after a hard day and get lost in. Escapism in its purest form, because altogether it is VERY low on drama.

There was a bit of a curveball though, because a little more than halfway through the story the manga shifts focus onto a different couple, which I actually had a hard time settling into. The dynamic of the main couple is very standard, the heroine a goody two-shoes and the love interest a bit of a gentleman, so it was fun to see something cheekier with the second couple. Their dynamic was more about conflict, miscommunications and teasing. However, I can’t help but wish the manga had just picked a couple and stuck with them the whole way through. At nine short volumes, it felt somewhat like Miria and Noda took up time Satomi and Yagyu could’ve had instead, ESPECIALLY considering one of the last chapters… but I digress.

The art is standout to me. I’ve been so trained on harsher/more action-focused styles that I tend to shy away from the light, flowery linework of most girl’s manga, but the character designs in Ima Koi were top notch. The girls are cute and the boys are handsome, and they’re drawn expertly. Basic, yes, but it had a sort of versatility to it that wasn’t too bubbly or feminine. (Which are not bad things to be, but I won’t pretend like it’s necessarily for me).

Altogether, this was enjoyable. The cute moments of each chapter are great fun, and while it may have sometimes been a bit uneventful or had a hiccup, it never took too much away from the journey. Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love, is nothing life changing, but I wish it were longer, which is a high compliment indeed.

Ima, Koi eo Shiteimasu stars high schooler Satomi, who is protected one day by a boy named Yagyuu from a molestor. She's determined to get closer to him because she missed her chance to get to know her middle school crush, and the two end up dating.

This is an incredibly superficial manga. Literally the only thing going on is the two are dating, though they and the audience know basically nothing about either of them. Yagyuu finds all these reasons to compliment Satomi anyways, which just feels extra weird to me because he can't compliment her on anything of substance. Perhaps in the author's mind ... these characters do have personalities that may come out as the manga progresses, but that doesn't fix the fact that they've already confessed their love for each other, which just comes off as ridiculous when at the moment they're basically blank slates.

Also there's really no plot to speak of. It's just, first they go to a cafe, now they're going on a beach date. And it's all ignoring the reality of things like school and the fact that they're high schoolers, which is typical for manga set in high school, but this manga takes this problem to the next level. Satomi even spends the night (and for like their third date mind you), almost completely ignoring how that'd be at least somewhat of a conflict in reality since kids have PARENTS. There's a couple of cursory panels for Satomi to ask her friend to be her alibi, and her parents still have yet to make an appearance, though Satomi must have them because why else would she need an alibi? Also despite her spending the night, the subject of actually sleeping together never comes up, nor does seem to ever even enter anyone's minds. It's just so weird, I can't even.

If you want to read about cute fluffy dating, there's surely plenty of shoujo out there that has it, and also characters with distinct personalities, and an actual story with no bizarre leaps of logic.