Manga Review: Love in Focus, Volume 3, by Yoko Nogiri

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love In Focus manga volume 3 features story and art by Yoko Nogiri, the creator of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! Mako has lost someone dear to her, and she clings to her love of photography as a relic of the close relationship she once had… Luckily, her childhood best friend Kei encouraged her to join their high school's prestigious photo club. With nothing to lose, Mako grabs her camera and a fresh take on life - plus a mysterious new muse! Everything's coming into focus in this latest volume!

Review:

Mako doesn't know how she feels, so she tries to give Kei a try. He's a sweetheart, but it's not a surprise how this turns out. It gives Mako the chance to really understand her own feelings, though, particularly regarding Mitsuru, now that he's pulling away from her so that Kei can have her.

It's a bittersweet volume, really. Poor Kei, really, as he tries because of his feelings for her. He's really a sweet guy, too. Mitsuru is, too, though. They're both really great, and neither causes much drama between themselves or for the household. But no real bromance here.

I like how this all plays out. Despite the mix of feelings, it's all handled really sweet and relatively maturely, too. No big drama, but good and honest communication, instead. And the ending itself is really nice, too.

I definitely preferred this series to her previous one, and I'm really quite happy with how it all played out.

Manga Review: Love in Focus, Volume 2, by Yoko Nogiri

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the creator of New York Times bestselling manga That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! comes a feel-good romance about a teenage girl whose passion for photography leads her to a new school, a new dorm, and a new love triangle!

ALL MIXED UP

After earning Mitsuru's trust, Mako's beginning to get the hang of living in Lens Inn with the high school photo club. Behind the scenes, however, Mako's best friend Kei warns Mitsuru to keep his distance. This ominous message exposes Kei's feelings for Mako, but Mitsuru is the only one who knows! Later, when the club members all go on a field trip together, a sudden downpour strands Mako and Mitsuru. What will the two do?!

Review:

After warning Mitsuru away, Kei very quickly regrets his decision, thinking he was being hasty, but also realizing he's helping put those thoughts in Mitsuru's head. Mako is oblivious to all of this happening—at first, because very quickly the boys start making moves.

I liked getting to see Kei's point of view—how he grew close to Mako and his feelings for her. It's really too bad for him, too, because it's clear Mako and Mitsuru are already growing closer despite his attempts. He's a sweet guy, too; I like him.

I enjoy the characters in this series, the way the photography is used and the boarding house setting. I like the side characters a lot, too; though I'll also admit to some disappointment regarding Lucas' secret, as it would have been nicer to make it more unexpected and diverse.

But so far, I'm actually enjoying this series more than her previous one, and I'm curious how it'll wrap up in the next volume.

Manga Review: Love in Focus, Volume 1, by Yoko Nogiri

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mako's always had a passion for photography. When she loses someone dear to her, she clings to her art as a relic of the close relationship she once had...Luckily, her childhood best friend Kei encourages her to come to his high school and join their prestigious photo club. With nothing to lose, Mako grabs her camera and moves into the dorm where Kei and his classmates live. Soon, a fresh take on life, along with a mysterious new muse, begin to come into focus!

Review:

I enjoyed That Wolf-Boy is Mine!, for the most part, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. So I was intrigued by this series, but a little hesitant. It starts off pretty good, though.

Mako moves to live in a dorm with her childhood best friend, because there's a prestigious photo club at the school he goes to, and she wants to pursue photography. After her grandfather passes away, she's having a hard time moving on, but they always bonded over photography.

Once she gets there, she's welcomed for the most part. There's an interesting group of students staying at this house. Firstly, there's Kei, her childhood best friend. She's never thought of him as anything more, but it's clear he's trying to stake his claim on her. Then there's Amemura, the quiet boy who lives in the house, and who seems to dislike having his photo taken. Him and Mako get off on the wrong foot from the beginning, but because of Mako's persistence, seem to be forming a friendship.

I was a little iffy about this series, and am a little bothered by Kei, at this point. But I'm also really interested in the relationship forming between Mako and Amemura. I'm definitely going to read more, because I'm intrigued, and I want to see where this goes next.