Glass Syndrome

I started reading this on my laptop, I thought "I have to be missing pages somehow, I'm not understanding this", so I moved to my phone... It's the same thing. Pages end with the top of boxes that go nowhere. I have no idea if part of the story just didn't make it in, but I felt so lost half the time. Then before the first story even feels remotely resolved, a new one starts. Only after that story do you get a semi wrap up of the first.I feel like, if you're looking for the bare bones of a story for yourself to get lost in making your own in-betweens, this is a great story. It has bits and pieces to feel connected, but overall it's lacking a lot of substance

The art was nice and the story wasn't bad. I felt like there wasn't much depth to it and really never got invested in it even up to the end. It seemed flat and forgettable. Not the worst I've read, but certainly a lot better out there.

Was expecting a more in depth story, but it was cute

This manga has two stories. The first story, and titular story is Glass Syndrome.“Toomi’s hand is like glass. It’s cold to the touch and it feels wonderful.”Nijou, is the perfect student, perfect class leader, perfect sportsman but is silently being crushed under the weight of it all, the need to please everyone and the burden of their expectations. He’s alone in a hell of his own making.On the other hand, Toomi, is living in a hell of his gambling-addicted father’s making. Abandoned, with no safe habour to turn to in the storm his life has become, after weighing his options, he decides to support himself by being a cam-girl. A secret he guards closely. A secret that forms a boundary between the regular, average lives of his classmates and his.“For some reason, when I’m with Toomi, it’s crazy how easy it is to breathe.”Two lonely hearts are placed on a collision course. Toomi sees through all of Nijou’s pretense and Nijou is someone who came to Toomi when he was at his lowest.This is no happy, high school boys falling for each other fluff, this is angst and pain and a life that seems too real. Beautifully written and with a lovey-dovey epilogue that soothes and satisfies after all the angst of the main story.Similar Figures of LoveIt starts with the familiar refrain of an unrequited love, BL manga style.“I’m in love right now, and it’s a love I can’t tell anyone about.”Kasumi is in love with his childhood friend Chichiro. It’s a fruitless love as his friend is just that, a friend, who is straight and has a crush of his own. Kasumi tries to distance himself from what was once sweet, that has now turned bitter and painful so he takes up varied and contrasting activities to his friend. Anything for a bit of distance.It is while attempting to play a piano in a hidden away room, Saiki comes in and in the next breath confesses. He has fallen in love with the figure Kasumi makes while staring at his unrequited love from the second floor balcony, a study in painful longing.Saiki just wants to be close to Kasumi, so they strike a deal. Kasumi gets a talented pianist to teach him the ropes and Saiki gets to be beside him.“How can you stay so calm when suffering the same thing?”A sweet, short on unrequited love.In the end, I really liked both stories with the theme of the fragility and loneliness held within the human heart. The art was pleasing to the eye and the way the tears were drawn was beautiful. A truly angsty read, prefect for a moody, rainy afternoon spent curled up on the couch.I’d definitely recommend this and I can definitely see myself reading this again!I received this manga from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

4/5 stars!Nijou is a people-pleaser that is secretly overwhelmed while Toomi is an abandoned lonely boy who is paying off his father's gambling debts by performing drag at an adult cam website. The two met when Nijou was asked by a teacher to see if Toomi is alright since the absent boy hasn't been in school for a while. Also included in this book is a short story featuring a boy with an unrequited crush.This is a nice and entertaining manga. I enjoyed both stories, especially the main one. I liked both boys and how they started falling in love with each other. I did wanted more details for certain parts, but that's a personal preference of mine. The short story was also nice, though it also needed some more details for my own preference. Overall, an enjoyable read.**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

Big thanks to Netgalley, LOVE x LOVE, and Tokyopop for sending me (my very first) arc!First off, this is my first time reading any sort of manga, so any tropes that may have been overused or commonplace within the genre likely went over my head.That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I felt it was a little too shallow at times - I would have liked to see more character development for Nijou, more backstory about why he's such a people pleaser and if he ever gets more comfortable saying no, etc. I felt like the development was focused a little heavily on Toomi. It's not necessarily a bad thing - I really loved what the author did with Toomi's character over the course of this read - but I'm also left wondering about Nijou as a person. I think if Eiko Ariki would have done more with Nijou's character/dove a little deeper into some of the serious issues that were briefly touched on, it could have been a 5-star read.The hurt/comfort was really well done in this one, which I am a total sucker for. I read the vast majority of it in a single sitting.The second story (Similar Figure of Love) was cute and fluffy. However, it felt a little... out of place? And a bit shallow. There was barely any development or depth to the characters. It was a good idea that I think Eiko Ariki could have done more with if given the proper time and space to flesh it out. It wasn't bad by any means, but it definitely could have been much better.

The art style is very normal for manga and works well with the plot.Story Number One (Glass Syndrome): This was a very lovely tale. I enjoyed how organic the relationship between the two characters was. It was very endearing to see them together and sharing an apartment in the end.Story #2 (Similar Figures of Love): I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite of the two. The plot appeared rushed, particularly when it comes to the chemistry between the characters. The finale was a letdown.Thank you to both Netgalley and Tokyopop for letting read this manga.

This is a gift ty