Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: There Are Things I Can't Tell You by Edako Mofumofu

There Are Things I Can't Tell You
Edako Mofumofu
Release: July 21, 2020
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Trigger Warnings: Themes of Depression and Neglect and Internalized Homophobia

Kasumi and Kyousuke are polar opposites when it comes to personality. Kasumi is reserved, soft-spoken and shy; Kyousuke is energetic and has always been popular among their peers. As the saying goes though, opposites have a tendency to attract, and these two have been fast friends since elementary school. To Kasumi, Kyousuke has always been a hero to look up to, someone who supports him and saves him from the bullies. But now, school is over; their relationship suddenly becomes a lot less simple to describe. Facing the world -- and one another -- as adults, both men find there are things they struggle to say out loud, even to each other.

Review:

Before I even talk about my thoughts on this manga, can we talk about the art style? This is my first Edako Mofumofu manga and the art style alone makes me want more volumes by this mangaka. It was very beautifully drawn and the illustrations really lent themselves to telling the story which was an angsty yet sweet friends-to-lovers romance.

Friends-to-lovers is always a trope I'm up for reading and There Are Things I Can't Tell You is a great example of two friends finding their way to being together. This is an angsty but touching read about confronting internalized homophobia and choosing your own happiness. I really enjoyed reading this manga!

I'm a sucker for an opposites attract romance and the two main characters are so very different from each other. Kyousuke is popular, outgoing, and creatively driven while Kasumi is shy, disorganized, and a bit of a klutz. They've known each other since they were young through high school but an incidental confession in high school causes them not to see each other until they meet up at a school reunion.

The amount of yearning and wishing for the other's happiness is palpable from the start. These two are in so in love with each other but neither will act upon it for different reasons. In classic Boys Love manga style, they think they're doing what is best for the other. I firmly believe that they would have gone on hurting each other in the name of having the other's welfare in mind if things hadn't come to a head.

I enjoyed watching Kasumi and Kyousuke work through the issues that were holding them apart from each other to finally get to the point where they chose to be together even though being together scared both of them. It was sweet and just the kind of story I needed when I picked it up.

While I really enjoyed this, I did have one issue with it. I felt that it ended too soon after they got together. I needed to see more of them being a couple. What we saw was adorable and heartwarming, but didn't feel like enough of a payout after all the angst in the lead up to them ending up together. I really feel like this would have been a five star read for me if it had had twenty more pages of them being in a relationship after they finally got their act together.

Overall, this manga was a delightfully emotional read that provided a nice break from the current reality. I'd would recommend giving it a try.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley