Is it better to hide your feelings and pretend they don’t exist or take a chance that might change everything?
About What If I Said, “I Love You”?
What If I Said, “I Love You”? is a boys’ love manga by Kumosoku, published in English by Kodansha. In it, Kazuho and Tokio have been friends since elementary school and have been inseparable. Piggyback rides, always standing shoulder to shoulder, and just carefree friendship. However, now that they’re in high school things are changing. Kazuho realizes his feelings for Tokio run deeper than friendship, and Tokio’s carefree affection is sending his heart spiraling. Every look, every touch, every word has Kazuho on edge, and he realizes the only way to get past this is to confess his feelings. But what if that confession changes everything?
My Thoughts
There’s so much I love about What If I Said, “I Love You”? that I don’t even know where to start. From the story, to the characters, to the progression of the friendship to relationship, it’s just all great. The art work makes you feel the longing and love between the characters. The subtle glances, the tinges of blush. What they don’t say out loud is said in between looks and actions. Since it’s a childhood friends to lovers story, I knew I’d enjoy it no matter what, but I was surprised at how different this story feels compared to other ones. A big part of that is due to it’s main character, Kazuho.
Growing up, Kazuho and Tokio were inseparable. A big part of their friendship dynamic is how much Tokio dotes on Kazuho. When they were younger, Kazuho was so much shorter than Tokio, so it was adorable how much Tokio took care of him. Now in high school, Kazuho isn’t this cute little guy anymore but Tokio still wants to dote on him all the same. Kazuho initially wants to create some distance because all of the doting is driving him crazy, since Tokio isn’t aware Kazuho’s feelings. When that doesn’t work, Kazuho reaches a point where decides it’s now or never, and acts on his feelings.
Kazuho is scared to ruin things between him and Tokio, but at the same time so embolden to go after what he wants. I love how much we see him shift in these first four chapters. He’s torn between taking in Tokio’s doting and pulling away when it becomes too much. He wants to act unaffected by Tokio’s popularity but is incredibly jealous inside. Finally, he decides that even though he’s afraid, he will still say “choose me.” Stepping into the unknown is scary, but never knowing is scarier. It’s rare to see someone take this chance instead of just waiting for the other party to make a move and that’s what I love to see.
I’m excited to get more of this story because we barely scratched the surface. We see a lot of Tokio from Kazuho’s perspective, but I’m interested in knowing if we’ll get more of his point of view later on in the story. Especially because we know he’s this super popular guy everyone wants, yet he always thinks of and puts Kazuho first. What’s going on behind those glasses, big guy!? I can’t wait to find out!
Where to Buy What If I Said, “I Love You”? 1
What If I Said, “I Love You”? 1
Mangaka: Kumosoku
Translator: Diana Taylor
Letterer: Jamil Stewart
Editor: Tomoko Nagano
Publisher: Kodansha
What If I Said, “I Love You”? 1 is available now.
Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC!
