Manga Review | A Galaxy Next Door Volume 1

Ichiro Kuga is a mangaka struggling to keep up with deadlines and care for his two younger siblings, so he decides to hire a new drawing assistant. Her name is Shiori Goshiki, and she's incredibly beautiful and talented. However, she may not be from this planet.

A Galaxy Next Door, Vol. 1 by Gido Amagakure is an out-of-this world, oddball romance comedy.

First off, I did like how meta and self-aware this manga is since Ichiro is a shoujo mangaka and the story uses and discusses classic shoujo romance tropes throughout the story.

However, the first volume felt incredibly rushed and I wished that the romance and Shiori’s character progression had taken longer to develop.

I also want to point out that this story is definitely a fluffier, lighter read. This might be a bonus for some readers, but I generally prefer stories with more emotional depth. For instance, within the first volume, it barely touches upon Ichiro coping with his father’s death, so I do really hope that this is further addressed in future volumes.

Overall, this is a sweet and charming manga, but I unfortunately didn’t feel invested in the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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