Manga Monday: When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Vol. 1

Series: When Will Ayumu Make His Move
Author/Artist: Soichiro Yamamoto
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Released: September 21, 2021
Received: NetGalley

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Vol. 1 caught my eye as the cover and title are actually pretty cute! This is perfect for readers who love it when romance and humor come together in manga, as there is undoubtedly a fair amount of both. Also, it’s from the creator of Teasing Master Takagi-san.

Yaotome and Ayumu both have feelings for each other. Yaotome is perfectly fine with doing something about those feelings, but she wants Ayumu to make the first move. Unfortunately for both of them, Ayumu has made himself a promise.

His promise is that he will not declare his feelings for Yaotome until after he beats her fair and square in a game of shogi. This might not ordinarily be a problem, but Yaotome hosts a shogi club (a two-person club, mind you), and she is extremely talented…where Ayumu…well, let’s just say he’s still learning.

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Vol. 1 is a quick, fun, and charming read. It doesn’t take much to understand the core concept – where this series shines is with the characters. Ayumu and Yaotome both have strong personalities, not to mention strong feelings for one another. And yet they keep dancing around and around, neither being fully willing to share how they feel.

In Ayumu’s case, his unwillingness to share his feelings due to a promise he made (to himself) is pretty comical at times. It’s cute that he’s trying too hard with Yaotome, but sometimes it feels like he’s lost the forest for the trees.

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.