Archive for the The Guy She Was Interested In / KiniOto Category


Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 3 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)

March 23rd, 2025

On a bright neon green background, drawn in black and white, guitar picks flying around as in a high wind, two girls look at us. One, in t-shirt and jeans, holds a guitar, the other in blouse and skirt, their hair and clothes flying wildly.

Up until this volume, there has been almost no conflict of any kind in Arai Sumiko’s school and music Yuri series. In Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 3, (気になってる人が男じゃなかった), we are now meant to take this story seriously enough that there are several situations that pass for conflict.

But first! A music festival. Aya, Mitsuki, Narita, Jo and Kanna all got to Fuji Rock, and have camping/festival fun and trauma. If you have ever done a massively large camping/event all of this will be so familiar to you that you, like I, smiled – and grimaced – with renewed memories. It rains. I remember that.

The music festival is the catalyst for everything else in this volume. Mitsuki, enamored of the acts on stage fantasizes about joining them. Aya is of course egging her on, as she too loves to see Mitsuki on stage. This precipitates several crises. I will avoid spoilers here, as this is the plot, but the crises are, simply, Mitsuki shedding her “school” persona for her truer self which then reverbs into a crisis for Aya who is 10000% Mitsuki’s fan and friend and also disproportionately jealous about Mitsuki in a way that causes her to create distance between then in order to preserve their “friend”ship over the “relation”ship they were building.  This all builds up to a very funny scene, in which Narita narrates “Narita Geographic.” I laughed out loud at that.

The other crisis is…the prom. Narita comes across the school principal crying at a movie that culminates in a romantic prom scene. In one of those moments where the series chooses to 86 reality for plot sake, Narita encourages the idea of prom at their school and the principal, says, “Great, you handle it.” Thus, a prom will happen. There will be yet another conflict, exacerbated by all the previous conflicts. If you are concerned at the outcome, I suggest you follow Arai-sensei on one of her several socials. The spoiler is worth it. I amend that to, the spoilers are always worth it. ^_^

I have mentioned several times that my wife and I do not like the same things much of the time. Even when we like a thing, it is often for different reasons. In the case of The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All, she reads Volume 1, then Volume 2, then starts again and is impatiently waiting for Volume 3. I, on the other hand, am impatiently waiting for Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 4. YES, I know what happens. I want the whole book anyway.  We must both wait as Volume 2 in English and Volume 3 in Japanese are recent releases, but we can foot tap if we want. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 3  Mitsuki being cool is still this series’ service
Yuri – 7

Overall – 9

As I pointed out upon returning from New York City, knowing that mid-town Kinokuniya is fully decked out in green advertising for this series is nice, but actually *seeing* how much expensive retail space this series is taking up, is something else. Like, a whole order up of “holy crow.” Kino, Kadokawa and Yen are advertising this series in a way I have never, ever, seen for a Yuri story. As the series in question is lovely and sweet and charming and fun, it feels extra wonderful. No “yay for Yuri, but ugh, what a shitty series.” We can offer this our full-throated, full-hearted support…and we can get merch! By buying a copy of this volume at Kino, I now have an adorable standee and a rubber bracelet “signed” by Mitsuki, as well as a wonderful volume of a delightful Yuri manga. ^_^





Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Drama CD, Special Edition (ドラマCD 気になってる人が男じゃなかった)

September 30th, 2024

Pictured: On a green background, a person in a hoodie, glasses and a mask, with a wrist tattoo of a musical frequency, crouches down to look at us, while a high school girl with long, wavy hair stands above them, looking down at them with a shocked expression.Last week, I was able to review the upcoming Yen Press release of Sumiko Arai’s popular manga The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All. It was a pleasure to share that review because Yen had done a very good job.I hope you’ll all read that review, and pre-order the book.

While I was on vacation, I took the Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Drama CD (ドラマCD 気になってる人が男じゃなかった) with me to listen to on the plane.  And it, too, was fun. The cast did a terrific job, with the OTT reactions of the story. Ise Mariya as Mitsuki and especially Kito Akari as Aya really carried the narrative.

Going into this, I was very interested in how they would handle the issue of the music, since 90s 00s music are at the heart of this story. As popular as this series is, there was no way they were going to license every song mentioned in the manga. The approach they took was interesting. We mostly hear the music as if we are listening to someone else listening to them on earphones, so the notes are muted and the tune is implied by a short riff or a bass line. It worked well if you are familiar with the songs in question.

At the climax of the CD, they did license one song, Radiohead’s Creep – a great choice for the story and for Ise’s voice.

The Special Edition includes an booklet with a new, short manga showing us little Aya’s discovery of western rock, and a cute scene between her and Miysuki in story time.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Music – 9 The climax is on point
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7

Overall – 9

Like most Drama CDs, nothing new is added to the story, but it gives us a new perspective on the characters as we hear them now as they torture themselves. ^_^ It was a fun time with characters we’ve already grown to like, which is what we want from a CD. And if Ise and Kito are the voices used for the anime…they’ll be great. 





The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All, Volume 1

September 22nd, 2024

Because Sumiko Arai’s school life rom-com is absolutely one of this year’s most-anticipated Yuri series in English, I’m going to give it straight to you right up front. You know I have never pulled punches when I review Yuri before and I will not now.

I have read this edition through twice now and Yen Press did a REALLY GOOD job.

I can say with absolute conviction that you should run right out and pre-order The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All, Volume 1, which will be headed your way one month from today. ^_^

Aya is a popular and fashionable young woman, who has a secret. She finds comfort in listening to western rock music of the 1990’s and 2000’s. When she’s by herself, lost in her music, she finds her own rhythm. She can’t share her musical tastes, they are too obscure and she kind of likes it that way. One day Aya walks into a grungy CD store and is blown away by the cool guy behind the counter. As days pass they share music and Aya realizes she’s got a full-on crush. But she’s not the only one with a secret. Sitting next to Aya at school is nerdy background-type Mitsuki….who is the “guy” in the CD store. It’ll take some intervention, but Mitsuki and Aya will start to open up to one another in the first volume of this popular online Yuri manga.

What most first-time readers will notice right away is the unique color scheme. As I noted in my review of this volume in Japanese, “With its uniquely visible color scheme of black, white and a vivid green, new pages of this comic were always super noticeable whenever they came across my feed. The art in this manga reflects the online sensibility too, I think. With unique perspectives on panel structure, body language and expression, this comic feels somehow grounded in street art and manga art at the same time.” You can see how the angles (what we in my house refer to as “Batman angles” after the kitschy 1960s television show) and the breaking of the panel walls, create a dynamic feel to a story in which, realistically, people are mostly not “doing” anything. It’s a great look that I’ve already seen adopted elsewhere.

The plot is not new, but the handling of it is gentle and kind-hearted. Nosy classmate Narita is rooting for these two just as we are – he pushes them into each other’s way in a fun way. Both the angst and the comedy notes hit just right. As the volume comes to a close, a classic plot complication is revealed, which is resolved in a not-classic way, thankfully.

Volume 1 is a fun read that leaves you wanting more. As I said, Yen did a terrific job reproducing the story. The color is vivid and so is the language. Ajani Oloye did a fantastic job on the translation, really nailing the core concepts in English. It felt natural and fun all the way through. I have no criticisms except Yen’s house style for lettering. Brandon Bovia does amazing work and should have been give the chance to retouch more. That’s an ongoing whinge though, nothing to do with this book, particularly.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9 Even the side characters are fun
Service – Admiring the cool onii-san that turns out to be a chick is always great service.  Oh, and page 49. ^_^
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

As highly-anticipated series go, this may well be Yen’s best effort to date. Fun, colorful, charming, you’ll definitely want this book.





The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All Cafe, Report by Miguel Adarlo

July 17th, 2024

An image of a window on a second floor of Tower Records in Ometesando in Tokyo featuring a cafe for Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakkata by Arai Sumiko.Hello, this is Miguel Adarlo, also known as an overachieving potato from the Okazu Discord. This time, I’m sharing my visit to the Tower Records Cafe Omotesando during their collaboration with The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All.

During my trip to Japan on July 7th, I had initially planned to visit Yuri Cafe Anchor. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations. However, I discovered an alternative that was just as exciting.

For those unfamiliar, The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All is a yuri manga series posted on Twitter and serialized in Pixiv Comic by Arai Sumiko. It’s known for its striking aesthetic, the leads’ choice of music, and its general vibes. (Volume 1 and volume 2 of Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta.have been reviewed here on Okazu.)

I had previously purchased some merchandise from the series during a visit to Kinokuniya Los Angeles in June. Imagine my surprise when I found out from the Okazu Discord that there was a concept cafe, named Moonlight Diner, for the series at the Tower Records Cafe Omotesando. I just had to go.

Tower Records is an interesting yet appropriate partner for this collaboration. As implied by its name, Tower Records deals in selling music records of all kinds. Although somewhat anachronistic in today’s music landscape dominated by digital downloads and streaming, it’s fitting for Aya and Mitsuki’s choice of music, which mostly comes from bands that were popular when discs were king. Plus, Mitsuki works at her uncle’s record store.

According to the website, I was supposed to make a reservation, but I wasn’t sure how to, especially since I only found out about the cafe the night before. I decided to take my chances and show up without a reservation. I went to the cafe at 2 pm on July 7, only to be turned away initially because they were full. Thankfully, the staff were kind enough to give me a ticket for a later time slot, 4 pm. The staff were very accommodating, despite my limited Japanese. Given the series’ popularity among international audiences, I think they expected visitors like me.

While waiting, I walked to Shibuya to visit a pop-up store for another anime and Mandarake, then I went back to Omotesando. I arrived back at the cafe at 3:40 pm, just in time for the line to form.

Placard for Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta Cafe in Omtsando. Picture by Miguel Adarlo.

Upon entering, the vibes were immaculate. The cafe was homely, with dad rock playing in the background. The cafe had a wooden floor, some chairs and tables, and an open kitchen where you could see the staff preparing the food. It felt like the record store Mitsuki and her uncle were minding during the series. The only thing missing was an old uncle minding the vinyl collection.

The cafe’s theme was tastefully applied. There was art on posters attached to the walls, drawn for the collaboration by Arai Sumiko, along with an apron signed by her. Two TVs were playing a mix of music videos, ranging from Nirvana to Bon Jovi. They also played a PV of the series, set to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” rotating with the music videos. Aya and Mitsuki were drawn wearing Tower Records threads and diner clothes too.

I ordered a burger, a fizzy drink, and a parfait. The food was fine, but I was really there for the vibes. I was thrilled when Bon Jovi started playing. Along with the food, I received postcards from the collaboration. These postcards came with the food, so I ended up getting three, two of which were of the Moonlight Diner, and one of which was Mitsuki working at the Moonlight Diner, serving Aya her meal.

Finally, I bought some merchandise, namely the Aya and Mitsuki Tower Records acrylics, and paid for my stay. It wasn’t as long as I would have liked, but I’m just glad I got the opportunity to visit a collab cafe for a yuri series I liked. I often miss these sorts of events, so I’m glad I caught this one during the push for the series. They had a Spotify playlist of music Aya and Mitsuki would listen to and a music CD that could have been my parents’ rock mixtape from the ’80s to early ’00s. They even sold a CD of Nirvana’s In Utero at the cafe! Oddly, they weren’t selling copies of the manga, but they had pins, acrylics, posters, tote bags, and even CDs related to the series.

Items from the Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta Cafe in Omtsando. Picture by Miguel Adarlo.

As a fan, seeing the immense support this series has gotten fills me with hope. Yen Press licensed the series for an English release, and this collab cafe isn’t even the first the series has had. Maybe, as Erica stated earlier in a separate Yuri Network News Update, there might be an adaptation in the works. With this series still updating and continuing its publication, all the more we can hope for support.

I’m not used to rating cafes, but here we go:

Art: 9 – Love Arai Sumiko’s work.
Story: 9 – The vibes were very good.
Characters: 8 – Could have added the uncle browsing Tower Records, but I understand focusing on Aya and Mitsuki.
Service: 9 – The staff at Tower Records Cafe were great and communicated well.
Yuri: 2 – Low on sapphic romance, but there was a postcard of them sharing a parfait.

Overall: 7.5 – A pretty good collab cafe. I would have liked more items related to the manga, but I trust the organizers knew what to sell with the limited space they were given.

The collaboration cafe runs from July 4 to July 29 at Tower Records Cafe Omotesando. You can find the website for the collab, along with the menu, here.

(no other pictures of the cafe. photography was not allowed inside.)





Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 1 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)

August 14th, 2023

Black art and letters on vivid green background, a girl with curly hair sits next to an androgynous, masked, hoodied girl, while sitting on a guitar amp.Aya is a high school student who loves music of the 90s-00s. She’s content to sit and listen to the Foo Fighters in her ear buds, but when she see an old CD shop, she pops in and is awestruck by the cool guy behind the counter. She keeps dropping by to see the cool “onii-san” who share his musical tastes with her, but she’s still pretty tongue-tied when trying to talk about anything with him.

That onii-san has a secret, though. “He” is not an older cool guy, she is the girl who sits next to Aya every day at school, Mitsuki. Mitsuki works at her uncle’s CD shop, and he stresses about her constantly; everything from her loner life to her old guy taste in music.  Mitsuki is not terribly interested in being cool, or being friends with cool girls like Aya, but she is worried that Aya might figure out what is going on.

Aya eventually figures out what is going on.

So does a classmate who is, thankfully, more amused than anything else. He’s kind, sort of trying to get them together.

The thing is, when Mitsuki isn’t thinking about it…she really is pretty cool. ^_^

Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta (気になってる人が男じゃなかった), subtitled in English “The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All,”  by Arai Sumiko began life as a comic distributed online to instant approval by an international groups of fans who clamored for more. Luckily we got more and here we are with the first print volume of this manga.

With its uniquely visible color scheme of black, white and a vivid green, new pages of this comic were always super noticeable whenever they came across my feed. The art in this manga reflects the online sensibility too, I think. With unique perspectives on panel structure, body language and expression, this comic feels somehow grounded in street art and manga art at the same time. The change in artistic confidence from beginning of the volume to the end is visible, but the art solid all the way through.

The plot idea isn’t the first of it’s kind, but I am hopeful that it will be better-handled than others, given that we address the assumption here in volume one. Also dealt with is the jealousy of old friends when a new friend/interest appears, a story that will bleed into the next volume. Everything about this book gives me the sense that Arai-sensei has complete control of the narrative. I wasn’t entirely sure how the “he’s a she” was going to be played, but so far, it’s pretty solid, especially for a manga that was online first.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8 I think I kind of like the uncle, even if he is a bit extra ^_^
Service – 1 The setups for Mitsuki and Aya are like 5/10ths kabedon
Yuri – 4 Getting there, no question

Both Aya and Mitsuki have recognized attraction for each other, where will it go? How many other 90s bands will be name checked? Tune in to Volume 2!

For free sample chapters in Japanese, you can check this manga out on Comic Walker!