aromantic and/or asexual rep

Is Love the Answer?

Status: completed (1 volume) ┃ MAL

Chika Hanai has always struggled to comprehend love and feels alienated from her peers. After enrolling in university, she meets a plethora of people with different perspectives on love and begins her journey of self-discovery.

I've got a soft spot for this manga. I read it during my senior year of highschool, around the same time I was coming to terms with being aroace. This was just a really nice manga that made me feel validated in my identity. I could easily connect to Chika and her experiences, frustrations, and confusions.

I Want to be a Wall

Status: completed (3 volumes) ┃ MAL

An aroace women (+ massive fujoshi) and a gay man (in an unrequited love with his childhood friend) decide to marry to appease social norms. Fake marriage trope, but without the usual “falling in love with each other” part. However, it doesn’t matter that they’re not “in love” in a traditional sense, because their emotional closeness still stands. It’s a healthy and wholesome relationship, with the two of them being very supportive of each other and their identities.

While I initially didn’t really care much for the fujoshi aspect of Yuriko’s character, I thought it was an interesting angle how she liked BL because she could completely detach herself from the romance. I hadn’t really thought of that perspective before, and it made me contemplate my own obsession with yuri. It also just felt nice to see a piece of media demonstrate that aroace people can still enjoy romance media and can still form close relationships with others.

Watashi no Astilbe

Status: completed (1 volume) ┃ MAL

A oneshot that deals with the complications of figuring out your identity. Aoi is an unconfident girl who struggles with the concept of relationships and love. While attending a party, she meets Kanade who tells her that she might be aroace. This is a short read that thankfully has a happy ending (the middle part had me sweating). Plus, it ends off with a nice message about the fact that being aroace does not mean you’re resigned to a life of loneliness or sadness.