The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All Volume 1

Review Date: 2025 May 27 19:09

Reviewed by: Joe

Released by: Yen Press

Publishing Country: USA

Author: Sumiko Arai

Age Rating: 13 and up

Page Count: 184

ISBN-13: 9781975399689

ISBN-10: 1975399684

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Summary

Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya loves listening to rock, but no one else seems to share her interest...until she meets a cool, stylish employee at a CD shop. Dressed in black from head to toe, he has this air of mystery about him, and his taste in music is impeccable. Aya falls hard for him-not knowing her crush is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! For her part, Mitsuki generally keeps to herself and avoids standing out at school. But given that she sits right next to Aya, Mitsuki's all too aware of the other girl's feelings, and she's afraid to reveal the truth. So why does she find herself talking with Aya more and more...?

Review

It is affectionately known as the green yuri manga in some circles for its bold bright green detailing! The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All started off as a series of textless Twitter posts, before becoming a Pixiv Comic. Later it got serialised as a tankobon and then picked up by Yen Press for us all to enjoy.

The story revolves around a classic case of mistaken identity. Popular fashionable high school girl Aya enjoys rock music. On a visit to a local grimy CD shop she notices the store clerk, dressed all in black who wears a face mask and a hoodie, covering most of their face. The clerk exudes an aura of being cool and stylish, with a great taste in music that makes them an instant crush for Aya. However what Aya doesn't know is that this cool store clerk, with tattoos, black nail polish and lots of ear piercings, is actually Mitsuki the introverted girl who sits next to Aya at school.

The setup of mistaken identity and romance has been done before in many a tale, but it's the execution of this manga that makes it so good. The pacing is perfect to a beat. Both Aya and Mitsuki are given decent character development, while new characters are introduced at the right time to keep the story moving along. The supporting cast are fun too, especially Mitsuki's uncle, a middle aged man who is still very much part of the rock lifestyle.

The first few pages are in full colour, and then it drifts into a tricolour set up of black white and green. What's clever is the way the artist uses the third colour. Sometimes it's used to make the monochrome manga pop more, as a background colour. Other times it's used for emphasis, especially with Mitsuki's eyes. The green isn't always a solid colour; often it's paired with screentones, and sometimes it's used as a way of highlighting the monochrome details even more. It's all very inventive and playful.

The artwork has lots of detail that gives depth to the characters and their world. There are lots of details with the character design; their hair isn't fixed, it flows and changes. The main characters all have a variety of different outfits, along with accessories to bring to life the world of run down little music shop. The characters are very expressive becauise when the manga started out on Twitter it was wordless comic, so extra detail was put into the characters expression and you read what they feel. This has carried onto the full manga and it just adds even more depth.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All is such an enjoyable read, a lot of it has been done before, but it's more the execution that makes it feel fresh and original. The first volume lays the foundations for what should be a great girls love manga series. It's fun, it's fresh, it's exciting. There are a lot of manga out there that feels generic, but this title has a great raw energy, and has rightfully earned its place as a fan favourite.

Rating: 10/10

Notes

Translated by Ajani Oloye

Links

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