Hinekure, Volume 6 Cover Art, My Love Mix Up, Viz Media.
My Love Mix Up – Information
Author of Story: Wataru Hinekure
Chapter Count: 9 Volumes, around 35 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Mild depictions of homophobia
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.
My Love Mix Up – Plot Summary
My Love Mix Up (also called Kieta Hatsukoi in Japanese) is a silly high-school shoujo manga that gives off a lot of romcom vibes; thanks to its lighthearted plot and enthusiastic characters. There are a lot of jokes and hilarious faces throughout this series, especially revolving around the main character, Sota Aoki.
This story starts with Aoki expressing his interest in a girl named Mio Hashimoto, who sits next to him in class. One day, she lets him borrow her eraser, which happens to have “Ida” written on it with a heart. He realizes Hashimoto must have a crush on the classmate who sits in front of him, named Kosuke Ida.
Aoki is heartbroken, but determined to keep her secret for her like a good friend. Unfortunately, by accident, he drops this eraser and Ida picks it up for him; mistakenly (and hilariously) thinking that Aoki has a crush on him!
The My Love Mix Up manga series will warm your heart and give you a lot of laughs. This adorable story is so full of hilarious misunderstandings amongst these students.
I loved seeing the friendships grow in this series, as well as the romance! I personally think it is a great starting series for readers who want to try BL mangas.
Why I Enjoyed My Love Mix Up
The first reason I really enjoyed My Love Mix Up is that all the characters are so likable. Aoki is a very caring and selfless person, often putting others before himself. He is very expressive and really captures the youthful personality of a high schooler.
Hashimoto is a very supportive friend and a very headstrong character. And lastly, Ida is a very forgiving, understanding, and gentle person who doesn’t judge others. He has a very open mind and a kind heart. All wonderful characters!
Another reason I enjoyed this series is that it’s so funny! The characters are a bit immature and very reactive to everything around them. They are still in a pretty awkward stage of life, and still trying to understand their own feelings.
During all the confusion they experience, these characters are very dramatic and kind of eccentric. Plus, there are a lot of misunderstandings in this manga that happen for the silliest reasons! I think the author has done a fantastic job at capturing the awkwardness and silliness of their age group.
Besides the actual comedy shown in the plot itself, the art style also plays a big part in the rom-com feel of this manga. My Love Mix Up often switches between a very cute and clean shoujo-style art and a hilarious, dramatic, and comedic art.
If you have ever read No Longer Heroine, and loved all the crazy expressions the heroine makes, then you’ll probably love that aspect of this series, too.
Hinekure, Volume 2 Cover Art, My Love Mix Up, Viz Media.
This adorable BL series has quickly become a favorite of many readers for its endearing and lovable characters. It is just so full of personality; you’ll experience a whirlwind of emotions alongside these hilarious characters while you root for their romances!
It also has that classic shoujo feel that many other BL’s don’t typically use. It also stays very sweet, youthful, and appropriate, which is why I mentioned that the My Love Mix Up manga series is a great starter BL.
This manga also does a great job portraying LGBTQIA+ characters, their self-discovery, and even their struggles (both in their own hearts and with those around them).
It’s so sweet, and really well done in this cute series. I especially love how Ida handles this new emotional discovery! He doesn’t outright insult Aoki, and actually keeps a really open mind to this new possibility.
Another reason I loved My Love Mix Up is because it definitely fits the shoujo manga vibe. The romance is fluffy and sweet, even among all the silliness.
The author even takes common shoujo tropes and makes them work throughout the story in a fun rom-com way, which makes me really happy. They also created a variety of character types and personalities, for both the main duo and multiple supporting characters.
Also, this manga has two really nice messages (at least that I noticed). Firstly, it does an amazing job at showing how important effective communication is, in all types of relationships. That goes for all social relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships!
Secondly, this manga reiterates how important and valuable your feelings are. The characters (especially Ida) often assert that your feelings matter and you deserve to feel them. I love it!
One great aspect about My Love Mix Up is that the writing is very good. I know I’ve mentioned the “funny misunderstandings” that are found in this manga earlier, but these misunderstandings actually push the main relationship further in a very creative way.
What one character actually means, isn’t exactly how the other character interprets it. While I say this helps the relationship progress, the true push for the main relationship is the obvious good intentions and kindness of the main characters. They notice these good points about each other, and slowly grow feelings because of it!
Hinekure, Volume 4 Cover Art, My Love Mix Up, Viz Media.
The romance is just a very cute and comedic slow burn. I say slow burn, but with a completed story in 9 volumes, it isn’t too slow. The manga has a good pretty good pacing in terms of the romance.
The story mostly focuses on the main two, and how they decide to deal with their new feelings. We also get a cute little side story for Hashimoto, so she isn’t completely left out of the plot!
I also love the relationship dynamic between Aoki and Ida in My Love Mix Up. Ida is straightforward, kind, and unafraid of going headfirst into things.
He seems to be a cool, calm, and collected guy who takes things one step at a time in order to better understand them. Aoki is a bit eccentric, expressive, emotional, and more hesitant with new experiences. They compliment each other well, and their interactions are so fun!
Any Cons?
The My Love Mix Up manga doesn’t have many cons; after all, there’s so much to like about this story. However, if you are someone who really hates misunderstanding tropes or common shoujo tropes of any kind, this story may not be for you.
Also, if you are the kind of shoujo enjoyer who only likes beautiful, romantic art, and don’t really like any form of unserious plot in a romance, you may not enjoy the very common comedic story aspects / art styles of this manga.
One other con I have is small and sort of understandable, given the fact that this story takes place in high school. I found Aoki to be just a bit frustrating in his character at times; he is a good person but also has no faith in himself and gets down in the dumps easily.
This aspect of his character sort of halts progress a little in My Love Mix Up. It feels as though he creates problems for himself by getting into his own head too much. This is understandable behavior for a high schooler who is still maturing, but it also got just a little repetitive in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
My Love Mix Up is a very sweet, whimsical, and fun rom-com shoujo manga. The characters are so cute and likable, and the plot was super silly and very engaging.
It’s also a bit of a shorter read, so it can be enjoyed quickly! I loved the comedic parts of this story, and how the more romantic portions could be a bit more serious when necessary. It’s a very well-rounded, enjoyable manga series!
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: Hinekure, Wataru. My Love Mix-Up, Viz Media, 2021.
