The guy she’s interested in isn’t a standout guy by all accounts
With any story, you need a compelling story. What keeps you coming back? Why do you want to continue reading, playing or watching. In the case of manga, it can often be related to the story or main character. In case of first episodeSomeone’s immediate impression might be of how good Sumiko Arai is at fleshing out all the characters, from the main ones like Mitsuki Koga and Aya Osawa to the supporting characters like Mitsuki’s uncle and Their classmate Megumu Narita, both left a strong impression. Although it started due to the limitations of original sharing methodit continues even now.
Editor’s note: There will be some spoilers about the first episode of the series. The guy she’s interested in isn’t a guy at all below.
Aya is the first main character we meet in The guy she’s interested in isn’t a guy at all, and she is instantly identifiable and likable. She is presented as a complex character that someone might consider a “popular” or “beautiful” girl. However, she begins by talking about her love for music as well as genres that her peers may not easily pursue. But it’s actually not just that there’s more to her than meets the eye that makes her so fun. Those are her expressions and reactions to her lover. Every interaction with the person working at the record store was a real pleasure. Plus, as the story continues, seeing her acceptance and behavior towards others is also quite good.
Naturally, Mitsuki became the remaining featured star. In case of The guy she’s interested in isn’t a guy at all, it seems like she has two personas at once. The girl at school wants to avoid attention, avoid being noticed and just wants to get through the day. The girl at the store wants to be herself and enjoy the music she loves. But when we see her interact with Aya, and eventually her classmate Narita and her uncle, we see how similar these aspects of her personality are. She is open and mature.
Narita also surprised me with Arai’s humorous description of him. He is initially portrayed as a player type trying to find “input” to potentially attack Mitsuki. She rejected him! When he reacts a bit silly, Aya rejects him too! Even though she’s not even really close to her classmates yet and doesn’t know her secret. Then seeing him recover from that, then become a supportive friend to both Aya and Mitsuki was a storyline I wasn’t expecting considering how the story would play out.
And then there’s Mitsuki’s Uncle Joe. Of the characters here, he kind of sticks with Narita for a while and is really more of a background character. But even so, we see his love and support for Mitsuki right away. When he saw Aya walk in and their reactions were the same, he was happy that Mitsuki had a friend. When he paid closer attention to how they related to each other, he Okay that this could be mutual love and potential relationship, is accepting it and continues to support them throughout the first episode.
Arai makes the most of the time spent with each character in the story The guy she’s interested in isn’t a guy at all, and as a result, all of us who read manga benefit. It is very detailed and clearly defined. We can know exactly who these people are, get a clear impression of their personality, and form an immediate connection with them. It’s quite impressive!
Volume 1 of The guy she’s interested in isn’t a guy at all currently available via Yen Baoand Volume 2 will be released on February 18, 2025.