A Condition Called Love, Volume 1 Review

Kodansha has a lot of digital shojo releases, but it is rare for these titles to be released on the physical market. This only happens when there is an anime. Shojo fans rejoice when a long-running series makes the leap to paperback. A Condition Called Love is just one of those mangas that has found its way into a Kodansha paperback. Is it a delight? Find out now!

Hotaru Hinase is a 16-year-old first-year high school student who believes she will never experience love. Hotaru enjoys her days spent with her family and close friends. She doesn't mind if her friends get into relationships as long as they are still around her.

But fate had other plans. She finds Hananoi sitting in the snow after he was publicly dumped by his girlfriend. Hotaru, who is always nice to people she meets and offers her umbrella to him to help him out. She is shocked when he shows up in her class the following day to ask her for a date!

Hotaru, as you would expect, politely declines him, noting that they barely know each other. Hananoi, however, has chosen Hotaru as his woman of destiny because she didn't treat him differently than an ordinary person. Hananoi isn't deterred by Hotaru rejecting him once. He continues to ask her to lunch and helps her around the school.

Hananoi is a man who has a lot of time for our heroine. She begins to think that she's falling for him. So, she agrees to date him for a short period. He must be okay with her not having romantic feelings or seeing him as such. Hananoi, who is thrilled to hear that she said yes, does all he can in order to get her to see him as romantic - even changing his appearance!

The shojo film A Condition Called Love doesn't do anything innovative, but the main characters of this movie are relatable and likable. Many of us can relate to Hotaru's concerns about not understanding love and thinking we'll never have it.

Her friends portray a life where a relationship is the center of everything. I don't agree with this, but they are teenagers, so such statements can be expected. Hotaru doesn't know that everyone experiences love differently and it's not necessary to conform to what she sees her friends doing. But being with Hananoi is helping Hotaru slowly figure out how to find the right relationship for her.

Hananoi, on the other hand, struggles in an entirely different way with love. He says he understands it but because he only dates girls that are interested in his looks, and tries to make them happy by doing anything he can, he is always dumped and told he will never understand love. We can see this in the way he treats Hotaru. Hananoi is not himself. He will change himself in order to suit his partner. Hananoi even cuts his hair to fit Hotaru's liking (she meant her hair, not his). He does this in order to become the ideal boyfriend. Hananoi doesn't realize that he is preventing his partner from seeing the true Hananoi, his interests, and likes.

Hananoi has much to learn as well about what being in a new relationship means. I like that they are both approaching it as equals. Although they may not have the same confusion about love, they still both face problems if they hope to succeed.

Hananoi's eagerness to please sometimes comes across as stalkerish or overbearing. He's especially noticeable early in the book when he is so desperate to convince Hotaru that a relationship will work. It's a clear part of him and his issues with romance. But I can see how it could turn off some readers. By the end of volume 1, his behavior is already improving. The series has twelve volumes and a large fan base, so it wouldn't make sense to dismiss it.

This series is published in Japan's Dessert Magazine, where many of Kodansha Shojo Hits are sourced. Mangaka Mei Morino's (Wake Up Sleeping Beauty), has an art style that is simple but captures emotions well. The story is told in a series of half-page and full-page panels, some of which are very charming. It's easy to see why the art and story are so shojo-styled. But there is a charm that makes it appealing even to those who know the genre well.

A Condition Called Love Volume 1 is now available in the West, thanks to Kodansha. It has been translated and lettered by Jacqueline Wee. It is a good translation with no major issues, however, it could differ slightly from the digital version since it was given a second edit for the print edition.

Kodansha already has all 12 volumes in electronic format. The series will begin in the early part of 2020. The print version of the series releases two volumes every month. Volume 2 is already out and volume 3 will be released in May. It shouldn't take long for the e-books to catch up. The story is ongoing and there are no signs that it will end anytime soon in Japan. If you enjoy it, then it's likely to be more in the future.

A Condition Called Love Volume 1 is not a standout when it comes down to the premise. However, the stories of the characters are very engaging. You'll be interested in the outcome of this relationship if you sympathize rather than dislike Hananoi. You'll have the opportunity to read their story over a period of time, which is rare for Shojo novels that are published.