New Series from Horimiya Artist: Daisuke Hagiwara’s Cohabitation Story
The fans of the super popular Horimiya series have some great news to celebrate! The first volume of Daisuke Hagiwara's latest manga, titled "It's too small to call it love" (Koi to Yobu ni wa Sasayaka desu ga), has finally been released in Japan. This new story is a very sweet and slightly complicated tale about living together. It focuses on a young girl who moves in with an older boy she really looked up to when she was just a small child. The series describes their relationship as something that is "more than first love, but less than real love," which honestly sounds very relatable for anyone who has had a childhood crush.
The story follows Umi, a high school girl who finds her life turning upside down quite suddenly. Because of her mother's unexpected long-term business trip, she has to stay with the Hiroi family, who happen to live right next door. Umi is actually quite excited about this because she gets to see Shoya again. Shoya is eight years older than her and was the kind "big brother" figure who used to play with her years ago. However, when she actually meets him, he is not the "honor student" she remembers from her childhood. Instead, he has become a worn-out adult man with messy blond hair and shabby sweats, looking quite different from her memories.
Plot Twists and Serialization Details
As the story progresses, Umi discovers a surprising secret about the man she admired. It turns out that Shoya actually works as a manga artist for adult audiences! This adds a very interesting dynamic to their living situation. The series is currently being serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan by Square Enix. Many readers are saying that why it’s too small to call it love is the must-read rom-com manga of the season because of how Hagiwara-sensei handles these delicate emotions and character growth.
To celebrate the big release of the first volume, several special things are happening for the fans:
- Commemorative PV: A special promotional video has been released to give everyone a glimpse of the art and vibe of the manga.
- Bookstore Benefits: Some specific bookstores in Japan are giving out exclusive purchase benefits for those who buy the physical copy.
- Electronic Version: If you prefer reading digitally, the electronic version of the book comes with special illustration data as an extra treat.
- Monthly Serialization: Fans can catch new chapters every month in the Gangan magazine.
A New Direction for Daisuke Hagiwara
This project is quite special because it is Hagiwara’s first original serialization where they are handling the story too. Before this, Horimiya was an adaptation of the webcomic by HERO. Seeing the artist's own storytelling style is very exciting for the community. The way the relationship between Umi and Shoya is evolving shows a lot of heart. If you are looking for a story that feels both nostalgic and fresh, then why it’s too small to call it love is the must-read rom-com manga of the season for sure. The art is as beautiful as ever, and the character expressions really make you feel their awkwardness and affection.
