How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 1 (2024)

Coming from someone who genuinely enjoyed this manga, it's probably fair to say you should know what you're going into before picking it up. How Do We Relationship? isn't your typical new adult romance; in fact, the author's note at the end even explains how Tamifull intentionally wanted to write something very different from the norm by depicting two women who get into a relationship before falling for one another.

Instead of having a lot of sweet, caring moments or angsty revelations, this first volume relies heavily on showcasing how people can work through disagreements or conflicts in relationships, with a lot of those conflicts revolving around the dynamic of two people who have very different views on sex. Saeko is active and very, er, physically motivated (heh), while Miwa is new to this entire aspect of life and wants to move slowly.

While the words aren't used on page, it's evident that Miwa has a lot of inner conflict surrounding trying to decide if she's asexual or not, and in the end, it appears that she may be demisexual (I'm very curious to see if we'll see this label used in future volumes). While there are definitely some acephobic comments made, they're more or less challenged, and Saeko is forced to recognize that sometimes compromises need to be made when people don't feel the same way about their sexuality in a relationship. I personally thought it was all very true to life, which might honestly make it tough for some readers to enjoy, but I liked that Tamifull didn't really pull punches.

Aside from aaaaall of that, the artwork is super cute, the characters are fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. I'll definitely be continuing the series!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is one of those books that I respect and appreciate without actually liking. I love how it doesn't treat a lesbian relationship any differently than a heterosexual one - that's pretty uncommon in yuri (and BL, for that matter) manga. I also like how it deals with both women's insecurities and allows them both to be valid. But I find that I really dislike Saeko, and that's a pretty big hurdle in a romance. I can't quite see her and Miwa having a healthy relationship. Maybe that's going to be the point. I guess I'll find out.

This was a solid Yuri title. I didn’t realize that we were going to get not only the backstory of Miss and Saeko, but also the timeline of their relationship. I’ve loved getting the chance to how they met, how they got together, and the ups and downs they faced once they got together. There were many aspects of their relationship that felt realistic to me as a reader which made me enjoy the story more. This one is text heavy, but it made me feel like readers were getting the opportunity to truly get to know the characters and understand the dynamics of their relationship. I could this series possibly going in a direction that I won’t love but I’ll have to wait and see.

A really sweet, slightly sexy manga about a budding college-age lesbian relationship and what happens *after* the relationship starts. There's a meet cute, but where a RomCom would spend the whole time exploring how the couple gets together, this focuses on the exploration, bumps, and milestones of relationships. The main characters are engaging and make an interesting couple and the supporting characters are well fleshed out and fun. I've never read a manga about a lesbian relationship before, but it turns out there's a whole genre of it (called yuri), and I like how issues of coming out, discomfort in public, and discovering oneself are handled. Sweet and worth reading.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Saeka is open and lusty. Miwa is shy and reserved. These closeted college students meet cute and decide they should date when they luck into realizing they both happen to be attracted to other women. But now they need to back up and figure out minor things like whether they even like each other, sex, and coming out.

In the afterword, the author notes that a lot of yuri romance manga come to an end when the characters finally realize their true feelings and decide to start dating. Tamifull wants to explore the real relationship work and anxieties that come after the characters have their first kiss, but with a generous dollop of humor.

Romantic and funny, if a bit absurd at times, I like the energy and already have a library hold on the second volume scheduled to release this December.

SUPER Cute and really fun.

You have two main characters here, Miwa and Saeko. And they are just trying to figure out this dating thing. It's nice that they kind of skip the whole "will they won't they" dating thing. Saeko and Miwa start dating right away and while Saeko has experience dating both male and female, this is all pretty new to Miwa. You get hints of the past for both, some mystery there, while also some great situations where the characters have to be understanding of their partners needs while also respecting their boundaries.

It's really cute how they interact. It helps the side cast from Mikkun, Lucha, Tsuruta and more are all really great additions that add to the conversations and stories. I love that they talk normally, with some really funny lines, and also sexy moments when they do finally get it on.

Overall, I'm def into this series, and can't wait to read more. A 4 out of 5.

Because they have this contrived beginning to their relationship, they take nothing for granted, which I really liked. They have frank discussions about their relationship--and particularly about sex. I'm used to yuri manga that has a lot of blushing and hand-holding and meaningful glances. This is one of the few that I've read that has sex scenes, and they don't feel like fan service or the male gaze to me. Whether it's in sex or conversations, I appreciated that they're often realistically awkward. This is not a romanticized relationship: they are both complex, flawed people, but they are trying to improve.

Overall, if you like yuri manga, I highly recommend this series! I'm excited to see queer manga become more common: series that deal with real-life LGBTQ issues and not just subtext or schoolgirl stories.

Full review at the Lesbrary.

2020 Read #460

This was wonderful! I love, love, LOVE the representation of lesbian women who clumsily fall into dating after meeting in college and joining a band. I’m not a lesbian myself, but I really appreciated that these women felt much more realistic in their characterizations than the female characters we usually see in yuri manga. It was just really great, and I hope volume 2 is just as good!

This got me laughing and wishing for a relationship in all of its chapters. I love the art style, it feels bubbly and cute. I can't wait to read more about their relationships and experience their firsts with them.

3.5 / 5.0

It pains me to give this such a low rating because I've been DYING to read this since I ordered it, but this was really disappointing.

What drew me to this series was lesbians dating in college because most yuri either has school-age protagonists or working-adult protagonists, so reading about a couple in college sounded great. And I will say, the college experience and dating challenges are represented really well. In fact, that and the hardships and struggles gay people go through are the best aspects of this volume. That would be because the romance is easily the weakest element and for a ROMANCE manga, that's pretty bad.

First and foremost, Miwa and Saeko have zero chemistry. I get that this is started out as a "dating out of convenience" scenario, but still. Even as they started working through their problems, I didn't feel like they were a couple; in fact, if I was an outsider observing all this, I would think their friends with boundary issues. Speaking of which, one of the biggest issues I have with this pairing is that Saeko shows little restraint with Miwa and only stops when Miwa asks her to. Which Miwa does. A LOT. You'd THINK that Saeko would put two and two together and realize, "hey, Miwa seems uncomfortable when I do this. Maybe I should ASK her if it okay rather than just assume it is cuz we're dating". To her credit, Saeko does ask a couple of times, but that's usually followed by Miwa looking distinctly uncomfortable but going along with it because she doesn't want to her Saeko's feelings. Yeah, that's not a healthy start to a relationship, folks.

Not that Miwa isn't to blame for any of this, though. I understand that this is her first relationship, but if Saeko's doing something that bothers her, she should use her big girl words and say, "hey, that makes me uncomfortable," and actually TALK about this in a CIVILIZED DIALOGUE rather than just sputtering incoherently, getting flustered, and going along with it until the inevitable fight occurs. And when it does, it DRAGS ON for f*ckING EVER. I finally got fed up with it and started skimming towards the end cuz I just didn't give a f*ck.

Okay, rant over. So, would I recommend this? To a certain degree, yes. Considering how popular it is on Goodreads, obviously I'm in the minority here. I'm sure most people will enjoy this more than I did and I hope they do. That being said, I won't be continuing with the series which is truly a shame because I was really looking forward to this, but it really disappointed me.

4.5 ⭐️ ngl...... i loved this...it was perfect brainrot material...,

A buddy-read with my friend Leah! And recommended by Dean. Super adorable (even though my copy has a printing error! But we fixed it!) Just perfect and wholesome.

Thoroughly charming first volume! I love the dynamic between Miwa and Saeko and I’m already rooting for them :3 It’s also just enjoyable to read a yuri manga where the main relationship is established right from the start instead of a multiple volume build to that point; I haven’t read many like that so this is a nice change of pace.

Actually it’s not bad

How Do We Relationship? Vol. 1 is a really, really excellent Yuri manga about two girls deciding to date and falling in love along the way. Its presentation of sapphic and queer women feels genuine, and the relationship between leads Miwa and Saeko feels authentic to reality. Not only does the manga depict sexuality in a quite frank and very earnest light, it also depicts female desire -especially romantic and sexual desire- in a way that feels true to life for those who engage with sex and romance, especially in the case of cisgender wlw.

Tamifull has done a wonderful job with the story, as has the English translation and localization team. Abby Lerke’s translation is stellar, and the title choice is just *chef’s kiss* superb. This is definitely a manga that all Yurijin should be engaging with, and hopefully, raving about. It’s just. that. GOOD! I can definitely say that this earned every star, even though naturally, there were some hiccups here and there. Still, How Do We Relationship? Vol. 1 is easily my Yuri Manga of the Year: it’s more than earned that.

Read My Full Review Here: https://bit.ly/2LqwDIt

This was so cute! The art was such a joy to look at - it's nearly retro, very similar to late-90s manga with the overwrought expressions, but clean and modern looking, and the artist has a great handle on panel layouts. (My only complaint: The occasional tiny baby hand.)

The developing relationship between Miwa and Saeko felt organic every step of the way, despite the forced nature of their hooking up, and their struggles came across as natural. Some parts were actually funny enough that I laughed out loud, which is rare for me. I really look forward to reading the next volumes.

Felt like it was written by man excited about lesbians. That's all. Kinda unnatural, and annoying that author was aware of that, but still made it that way. I guess i just gotta accept that ... maybe was part of character development - to show how one of the girls rushes too much. Overall it was kinda boring. Won't read the second book.

English translation of 付き合ってあげてもいいかな（１）.
*sigh* why are these books separately listed??

Advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this manga because I was intrigued by the cover. I'm so glad that I did because this story is super duper cute. In the beginning, I was taken aback by the sex scene, but then the story proved to be a super cute coming of age romance between two girls at university/college. You see the relationship between Miwa and Saeko begin and how their relationship develops and the obstacles that they have to overcome being gay, with coming out to family, and friends. I really loved the way their relationship was explored. In the beginning, it's quite casual but by the end they do like each other and it was really nice to see the friends and family be supportive. I'm so excited to read the next volume! I also liked the chapter at the end where the author explains that she wanted to write a manga on a relationship, and not end a manga when the characters get together.

I would highly recommend this manga. The only thing I would say is that this manga does have an 16+ rating due to the sexual content. I loved how cute this manga was and how it tackles the topics of being in a gay relationship. I can't wait to see what happens next and read more from this author!

This may be the best LGBTQ+ manga out there!

What happens when two friends realize they're both lesbians? They date, obviously. While that may seem absurd on the surface, there is so much heart and love in this relationship that it works out great for reserved Miwa and outgoing Saeko.

The different struggles couples have to go through, jealousy, why do they like me, am I being a pain, when is the right time for the "next step." And it gives an extra kick with the LGBTQ+ element of, is it ok to tell this person we're dating, how will they react to me dating a girl, will we be outed, and so forth.

Everything is illustrated beautifully and it's great that the side characters get chapters from their point of view, so we not only see the main couple's struggles and successes, but we also get closer to their friends, and see how they feel in their life. Oh, and did I mention there's a music club? I had no idea that there was a music element to this book which just makes it an even more incredible read.

I love this series so much! I'd recommend this series to anyone who'll listen, but especially folks that like romance, realistic couples and storylines, slice of life genre, and a comfort read with some drama.

Check out my bookstagram! @Witchy_Bookish_Otaku

This Yuri title is really sweet!

I love the dynamic between our ladies, and the fact that they take their time in the relationship. They don't just jump into bed with each other. They take some time to get to know one another, and explore some actual relationship dynamics before they do that. Having it be college girls made it fun to read as well.

I love the supporting cast of the band members a lot in this one. It added another element to the story where they had a group of friends that they needed to "come out" to and thankfully, they were accepting of it.

Giving us some back story on Saeko, and why she has a hard time being out publicly with Miwa was really refreshing, as it feels very realistic! I'm excited to see where the relationship between these two ladies progresses to!

This was really good! I like that it focuses on the aspects AFTER the couple gets together because often the whole arc of a manga is getting them to that place. They became a couple relatively quickly, but it felt authentic and there were some relationship stumbles on the way but they actually talk to each other (WOW) . I think they make a cute couple and can't wait to read more :)

3 stars. I really liked the artwork but something about the main characters I just didn’t click with. Their relationship starts up out of nowhere and I wasn’t really buying their chemistry for majority of this. However, the ending was pretty good and I can see the potential so I’ll definitely continue on. Plus, the side characters were a lot of fun.

Not the vibe...

Let me explain...
1) I waited forever to get my little goblin hands on a copy.
2) Did I really just waste 45 minutes of my life that I'll never get back reading this? Yes.

I was super excited to read a manga with adult lesbian representation, however this wasn't quite what I was expecting. Miwa and Saeko's relationship was awkward and uncomfortable to read. And heck, it made me uncomfortable- which is the main reason I put it down.
ALSO. Also. Saeko's guy friends were soooo freaking creepy.

I literally thought about this all weekend...

A refreshing manga that looks at relationships that realistically have struggles and drama that differ from typical romance manga. Their relationship is messy, difficult, heartwarming, and delightfully awkward.

I really liked this manga. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling like when you’re done with all your work then you go out with friends. You just feel so carefree and happy 😊

lowkey banger tbh

Oh my goodness, this was such a delightful read! I haven’t seen much queer manga so I was excited to find this at my local library. So many manga feature big romances full of will they/won’t they yearning, but this one is so different! The girls choose to start dating before falling in love. It’s fun to see them start to fall for each other while also navigating logistics and arguments, normal couple stuff. There are so many cute moments and it’s super funny throughout. Will definitely continue the series!

TW: hom*ophobia, some ace-phobic comments, sex

❝ I want to live my life out loud.

5 stars | This was so adorable oh my GOD. I cannot wait for volume two. These characters were so charming and funny and sweet and the communication within this relationship was sooo nice to see. So much consent and love and fluff, gah! I just love this gay ass story, man. I also saw myself so much in Miwa so all the love to her and ahhhh SAEKO is the love of my life she was the cutest bean omfg. READ THIS MANGA. Please 😩🏳️‍🌈