New BL Manga ‘My Love Mix-Up’ Hits All the Right Spots

MY LOVE MIX-UP is an adorable manga about an accident, a promise, and the start of unexpected love between two very different types of characters. With a story written by Wataru Hinekure with art by Aruko, the first volume of the popular manga series was released by VIZ MEDIA on 10/05/2021. 

Aoki is an average, somewhat lazy, high school student with a crush on Hashimoto, a girl whom he believes is an actual angel on earth. This point is proven (once again) when he needs an eraser for a pop quiz, and Hashimoto lends him hers.  When he goes to use said eraser, however, he sees it has another student’s name on it surrounded by hearts. The name is Ida, a stern, smart, and incredibly handsome boy who sits at the desk in front of Aoki, and he is heartbroken. His crush loves someone else. Things go from sad to worse when he drops the eraser and Ida picks it up and sees his name in hearts. Mistakenly thinking Aoki has a crush on him, which puts him in a confusing situation he never thought he’d find himself in, but also, not one he’s sure he wants to run away from. As the plot continues, it’s thickened by a comedy of errors that makes these characters relatable and real.

WHAT’S TO LOVE: Hinekure’s story is simple and sweet in its innocence. The truth is, high school is weird – especially when you’re just starting to realize that who you are might not be who you’ve always thought you’ve been. It’s a honest (and comical) look at the ups and downs of first love. Aruko’s art is second to none and the characters are so beautifully drawn it’s impossible not to fall in love with them. 

WHAT’S MORE: A live-action adaptation of the series (Kieta Hatsukoi: Vanishing My First Love) premiered on October 9th and currently airs on TV Asahi in Japan. The cast are literally human versions of Aruko’s drawings. They’re perfect and the two leading men are also part of Japanese boy bands. You can see the music videos for both the opening and the closing themes of the series here: 

Beginner Lover by Naniwa Danshi which includes Shunsuke Michieda (who plays Aoki).

Secret Touch by Snow Man featuring Ren Meguro (who plays Ida).

But be warned though, if you’re a fan of J-pop, both of these songs are going to get stuck in your head, where they will reside, rent-free, for the foreseeable future.

The second volume of MY LOVE MIX-UP will be released on January 4th, 2022 from VIZ Media and available on all online retailers and wherever books are sold, including VIZ directly.