The Guy She Was Interested Wasn't A Guy At All
The green yuri manga that rocked the manga world.
During my time reading manga, I honestly cannot recall when a yuri manga was so internationally hyped as The Guy She Was Interested Wasn't A Guy At All by Sumiko Arai or better known online as the “green yuri.” I kept seeing so many panels posted online, playlists inspired by the series, and posts from fans months before it even got announced for an English release by Yen Press. Despite all the hype, I knew very little going into this series. All I knew was the cover was Brat green, it was a yuri, and that music played some importance to this series. As soon as I dove right into volume 1, it was like I was taken back in time to my youth as someone who felt like an outsider for loving rock music. I don’t think I was quite prepared to relive parts of my youth when I purchased this series.
Genre: Slice of life, comedy, yuri
Age Rating: Teens 13+
Publisher: Yen Press
Synopsis: From an outsider’s perspective Aya, the fashionable gyaru at school, has it all- good looks, an infectious upbeat attitude, and a group of friends but despite all of that she feels like an outsider because no one else shares her love for rock music. In fact she mentions that “music is best when you listen to it alone,” but that soon changes for Aya on the day when she stumbled into a CD shop and met a mysterious guy dressed in black from head to toe with piercings working there… or so she thought that was a guy.
As the title of the series suggests… the guy that Aya was interested in was definitely not a guy at all, it was actually Mitsuki- the quiet introverted girl who sits next to her at school. On paper these two girls couldn’t be more different- one loves to express herself loudly with her style and personality, while the other prefers to blend into the background and would prefer if no one paid attention to her. Despite their differences they share the same love for English rock music- something that their classmates just do not understand at all. Through that shared interest, these two girls embark on a journey of self-discovery and forming new relationships as they head into their last year of high school.
Favorite Things:
Music: If you’re a millennial that grew up with rock music from the 90’s and the 00’s, this series will take you back in time to when you discovered songs like Loser by Beck, Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana, or Reptilia by The Strokes.
Character Design: Mitsuki, the tomboy rock enthusiast is probably everything I could have dreamed of when I was a younger teen. Reading this story makes me envious to see a teenager have such an effortlessly cool appearance and sense of style. Her androgynous style is just so cool to put it in the simplest terms! But it’s not only Mitsuki’s design that drew me in, Aya’s cute modern gyaru style and her flowy curly hair are a treat to see from page to page. Literally every character you meet in this series has their own unique look and style.
Comedic Timing
Lettering: Brandon Bovia did such an incredible job making the lettering in this series so dynamic. The lettering added so much personality to the series and the characters.
The Iconic Green: The green yuri in fact does have green plastered as the background in many of its panels, but it is also cleverly used occasionally on other details and also the character’s eyes. You can really tell when Aya’s feeling lovestruck or when Mitsuki is having a eureka moment by seeing that pop of green in their eyes.
Notable Things:
Uncle Joe: Mitsuki’s uncle is every millennial who refuses to let go of the good old days. He deeply cares for his niece and occasionally loses it whenever he sees the youth enjoy rock music just as much as he did when he was their age. He’s definitely very relatable.
The ultimate shipper, Narita: I cannot emphasize how much I love Narita in this series! He’s a classmate of Aya and Mitsuki who is the biggest shipper for these two girls. Seeing him fangirl whenever we get sweet moments between Aya and Mitsuki is such a mood. Narita is me- we the readers are Narita.
Mitsuki: I’m a huge fan of outcast Mitsuki because in a lot of ways she reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. Her using music as a form of escapism from a young age, shutting herself from the world by just putting on headphones and getting lost in the music is something I did a lot as a child and still do till this day. She truly tries her best to care for others, and although sometimes her attempts to show that she cares don’t exactly go as planned- I do see that she means well and will be gaining a lot of life experience now that she’s allowed Aya and her friends into her world.
Rating: ★★★★★ / 5
This series is 100% worth the hype and the praise it’s been getting. It has me laughing out loud and reminiscing on my younger days when I would stay up late listening to albums from front to back with my friends. It’s such a nice throwback but set in present-day Japan. Two volumes into this series and I’m obsessed! I honestly cannot wait to see this series and the characters come to life in the anime that just got confirmed.
If you’ve read this series, share your thoughts in the comments!
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