Jiang. Volume 2 Cover Art Cropped, Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko!, Tokyopop.
Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko – Information
Author of Story: Sal Jiang
Chapter Count: 3 volumes, 24 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Homophobia
- Sexism
- Mature content / suggestive jokes
- Mild nudity, fanservice
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Plot Summary
Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko is a GL manga that follows a fun workplace romance. The main character, Ayaka, is a hard worker at her company job. She has always done her job right, but recently has something to look forward to every day—and that’s her crush, Hiroko.
Hiroko is Ayaka’s reliable senpai and team leader, to whom Ayaka is determined to properly relay her feelings. However, it seems her efforts will have some big obstacles to overcome, as Hiroko acts completely oblivious to Ayaka’s advances!
Why I Enjoyed Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko
This dramatic and whirlwind of a GL story is an engaging and slightly suspenseful read, featuring a romance full of obstacles. This story may be on the shorter side, but I actually enjoyed the pacing and was happy to have a manga that I could binge.
So, let’s talk characters! The first lead of Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko is, of course, Ayaka. She is a determined and cute character, who has a strong heart. Although it takes trial and error for her to understand others, she has only the best of intentions and is sure to never dismiss her own feelings. I really liked her open-book personality, confidence, and even her flirty side, too.
Hiroko, the second lead, is the reliable team lead who everyone looks up to. As a romantic prospect, she is a bit more frustrating—but she is frustrating for perfectly acceptable reasons.
As you learn more about her and her backstory, you begin to really understand her and why she acts the way she does. Hiroko has a big wall built up around her, especially in the office, but her character becomes more and more likable as that wall comes crashing down.
Jiang. Volume 1 Cover Art, Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko!, Tokyopop.
The romance in this story is fast-paced and slow-paced at the same time. It feels like progress is happening with every chapter, but nothing truly official occurs for much of the story. It’s very much a push-and-pull sort of romance, that leaves you in suspense as you wait for a resolution! I was so desperate to know how things would be solved for main couple.
I’d also say this romance is on the mature side as it occurs between two working-age adults, although it isn’t extremely explicit or anything. The more “mature” scenes are rather infrequent and short—mostly some light fan-service, and some suggestive jokes.
Overall it was a tame adult romance that had a lot of cuter aspects to it as well, but was not necessarily what I’d call a “fluffy” read.
One thing I really liked about Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko is that it includes some really important topics involving the LGBTQ+ community, their experiences with romance, and how society’s opinion affects their daily lives. I really enjoyed the way this GL manga approached these topics and how they were portrayed through these expressive characters.
The characters take on their struggles in their own way, and I think many readers will find those experiences relatable. Whether or not you think they dealt with them correctly, it still represents the struggle that many people face in romance!
Although I wouldn’t personally consider this story a comedy, I do think some of the more humorous aspects in the plot helped balance out the more serious topics very well.
Lastly, I did enjoy the art for this short series. Although it wasn’t always extremely detailed, it was never really lacking, either. It looks pretty consistent throughout the entire series and has its own charm to it. The character design is also very cute (although Ayaka’s hair reminded me of Princess Peach, haha).
Jiang. Volume 3 Cover Art, Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru, Futabasha.
Any Cons?
Firstly, some of the characters in Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko may seem very pushy. Many readers have understandably expressed a distaste for this, as you can’t really force love.
However, I don’t think it plays out as badly as it could’ve, and I think the purpose of those intense character personalities or actions is simply for more interest or humor in the story (and maybe to help speed things up).
Because of these pushy personalities, in addition to a character that is very avoidant or reluctant, many readers have described this story as exhausting or frustrating—things really take time to progress in the plot.
I’d recommend that readers who hate prolonged misunderstandings sit this one out. However, if you choose to read it, please finish it rather than dropping it halfway. This is one of those stories where if you drop it too early, you could be missing explanations that come later. The resolution is saved for last!
Additionally, there’s a big age gap, which I know many people don’t enjo—but honestly this one was so mild. Both parties were working adults; although I don’t think their ages were ever explicitly specified.
Outside of the character’s ages, some readers seem to think that the ship wasn’t one that could or would actually “sail” properly. In other words, they didn’t think the characters were a good match for each other due to the way each character approached their own struggles. I personally disagree, but read it for yourself to decide!
Lastly, there are just some comedic gags in the story (especially the beginning) that weren’t horrible, but I just personally didn’t care for. ╮(￣▽￣”)╭
Final Thoughts
Although Ayaka Is in Love With Hiroko was a short read, it was actually pretty well done. The characters are intense, but it allows for the story to grab your attention and hold it from beginning to end. The plot also touches upon some difficult yet very important topics that many people can surely relate to.
Even though there are some aspects that could use some improvement, I still enjoyed this exciting, suspenseful GL romance manga and the portrayal of the characters’ personal struggles. The romance is very sweet, yet also mature—and the resolution at the end was great! It also has a J-drama now, so check that out if you are interested.
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Jiang, Sal. Ayaka Is in Love with Hiroko!, NTT Solmare MangaPlaza, Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru, Futabasha, 2021.
