Iwashita, Cover Art, Choking on Love, Dessert, Kodansha.
Choking on Love – Information
Author of Story: Keiko Iwashita
Chapter Count: 4 volumes, 15+ chapters
Status: Ongoing
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Mature content
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.
Choking on Love – Plot Summary
Choking on Love (Museru Kurai no Ai o Ageru) follows Hibari Akanishi, a busy art college sophomore who is taking extra shifts at her job—while also trying to juggle her school work. While on her break, some rowdy band boys accidentally spill a drink on her laptop.
Hibari doesn’t hesitate to reprimand them and takes out her frustrations on them for ruining her only tool to do homework on. She is later cornered by one of them when her shift ends; a guy by the name of Gaku Sousei. He happens to attend the same school, and brings Hibari to his home so she can borrow his PC.
These two have immediate chemistry, and in this mature college-life shoujo, we get to see them grow closer while improving their artistic skills, too!
Iwashita, Volume 1 Cover Art, Choking on Love, Dessert, Kodansha.
Why I Enjoyed Choking on Love
Firstly, I love this modern art style. The way the author draws the ML and men in general is so gorgeous and fitting for a university love story. It’s very refreshing to have a shoujo without baby-faced characters, and with a more determined, stubborn FL. The art style is pleasantly clean and very modern!
Choking on Love (like many modern manga lately) includes music in the storyline. It also includes art in a few formats, and it’s a very nice addition to the story. The author slips in the best clichés for both art and music, bringing the main two together in such classic, romantic ways.
I personally really love clichés, so this story was especially enjoyable for me. If you don’t mind clichés in romance, definitely give this series a read!
The characters are also very likable. As I mentioned earlier, Hibari is stubborn. She isn’t super rude or annoyingly hard-headed, but has much more personality than what you often see in shoujo FL’s. I really love her attitude. She works hard, and doesn’t fall for the ML’s smooth moves too easily.
The other main character, Gaku, is a fantastic ML. He’s attractive and super smooth. He seems to easily turn any situation into a romantic moment! I love his spontaneous and straightforward personality that mixes so well with his handsome band-boy persona. You’ll fall for him quickly!
The progress of the romance in Choking on Love is great, too! Readers won’t have to wait agony for something interesting to happen or for the characters to recognize their own feelings.
It’s so satisfying to see the romance happen quickly! After all, the characters are in university and are a bit more mature than what you typically see in shoujo. If you enjoy these more mature, college-life romance stories, check out A Sign of Affection, too!
However, if you don’t like fast-paced romances, this story might feel just a little rushed. Hear me out though: these two have such great chemistry that it makes up for the slightly quick pacing. Hibari is a slightly stubborn, in-the-box graphic designer struggling to come out of her shell.
She’s got the determination and dedication, though! Gaku, on the other hand, is very outgoing, impulsive, and spontaneous. He’s also a bit unserious and pretty laid-back. I think that the contrast in their personalities will allow these two to compliment each other well; both romantically and while supporting each other’s careers!
Iwashita, Volume 2 Cover Art, Choking on Love, Dessert, Kodansha.
Choking on Love is also kind of comedic, with all the sporadic events and sudden choices the characters make. It makes for a very fun romance! It helps balance the cheesy romance and dramatization of the story. The side characters are all nicely designed, and a few of them even offer some comedic relief of their own.
Lastly, there is a second ML that many readers seem to hate, but I actually like him. He’s gorgeous, cool, and sassy. He doesn’t try to barge his way into the relationship (so far, at least); so I don’t really hate him. Who knows what’ll happen in future volumes, though! What I can tell, though, is that his character has pushed some important development for the main two characters.
So far I’ve really enjoyed Choking on Love, and hope to see a lot of progress in the future! I love when romances add some interest to the story outside of the actual romance; it allows us to see even more character development and sometimes see these characters be in love through all stages of their lives!
Therefore, I hope we get to see more fun romance and career development for these two interesting characters.
Any Cons?
Many readers may not like the second ML. I know many readers find the introduction of a second lead pointless, but at least this one does serve a purpose in this series.
The other con that some readers may find is that the story is a bit cheesy. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of cliches used in this story. Personally I love cliches, but I know not every reader will enjoy them! Other than these two small reasons, I haven’t seen much that I would consider a con in this manga.
Final Thoughts
Choking on Love is a super romantic shoujo that’s a bit whimsical, but very fun. I love the artistic elements included in the story, and have especially enjoyed the chemistry between the main two characters. I am looking forward to even more story and romance in future volumes!
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: Iwashita, Keiko. Museru Kurai no Ai o Ageru, Dessert, Kodansha, 2023. Choking on Love, Seven Seas Entertainment, 2025.
