MM Romance
Battle of the Bands
3 Stars ⭐️

Ok I’ve never read manga before and figured why the hell not? This is why I love netgalley because it lets me try all kinds of different books I’d never pick up otherwise. It was a bit of learning curve for me ngl because I’m not used to reading comics right to left but once I figured it out I mostly enjoyed this. Gen and Mika are in rival bands cheekily named Adam & Eve. They each get asked to do battle of the bands but both bands are so popular that it becomes just a battle between them. I thought this was cute at times but also a bit too surface level for me. I had never read sex scenes in comic form before and I thought it was hot. The attention to detail? Loved it. I was auto approved by this publishing house so I look forward to reading more and also finding some other manga I will enjoy more.

I received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute BL one shot. I very much enjoyed the dynamic between the two main leads, and would love to see more of them, as well as the band.

Shout Loud, My Heart is a wonderful BL manga. Gen, the guitar player for the band Eve, is asked after a show to stay and listen to the band Adam by their singer Mike. Gen is awed by his singing and quickly becomes infatuated with Mike as the two spend more time together. There is a miscommunication that gets resolved through performing together, which was my favorite part of this one-shot. Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 4.25 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

"all the words i know aren't enough to express how i feel. so just listen. i really like you."

this one-shot manga was so sweet and i really enjoyed it! i absolutely loved the art in this, the attention to detail is beautiful. the band setting was so fun and unique! basically gen and mika are from different bands and they end up falling in love, how cute! you could really feel the chemistry between these two. i really wish there was more though, but i'll be keeping an eye out on future works by the author. overall, highly recommend!

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Youga Rayri for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

Gen is EVE’s antisocial guitarist. He keeps to himself and does not interact with people much. Mike is the lead singer for ADAM, EVE’s rival. They two meet at a joint gig, where Gen becomes fascinated by Mike’s voice. Their paths continue to cross frequently which leads to feelings developing between the two. Will Gen’s sound evolve thanks to Mike’s influence? Is it a good thing? Or bad?

Gen and Mike are complete opposites. Mike is like the day in appearances and personality to Gen’s night. These opposites balance the other.
I like that Gen calls Mike by his given name (Mika) and not the nickname saddled onto him. And I love how Mike is not put off by Gen’s loner personality.

GIVEN and PINK HEART JAM started my enjoyment for music/band-oriented mangas. This one, SHOUT LOUD, MY HEART, did not disappoint. A one-shot – which is a bummer. It had potential if it would go further. There is a spicy scene near the end. I will be purchasing this manga when it releases for my collection.

Another great publication by Kodansha, it was a super fast, easy, and steamy read. I loved the slow burn, the denial, and then the love! Also, the spicy scenes were perfectly executed—not too much, just in the right amount! Also, a dive into the music industry is something that I really like!

Looking for a short and sweet BL read? Kodansha has something new for you next month! Youga Rayri’s one-shot Shout Loud, My Heart is getting an English-language release. What happens when members of rival bands find out it’s not just each other’s music they’re into? Read on and get our first thoughts on this single-volume release!


Adam and Eve

Shout Loud, My Heart stars with a band… or rather, with two. Adam and Eve are rival groups, with Eve having been formed first. Adam takes their name specifically because they came into being to compete with Adam. And when Eve guitarist Gen meets Adam vocalist Mike outside a gig, the rivalry really heats up.

Before long, Gen notices that he’s really into Mike. And not just his singing (although that’s incredible, too). It’s to the point where even Gen’s playing sounds different. A certain encounter leads Gen to believe his crush is firmly unreciprocated. So, with a battle of the bands on the horizon, he decides to put his feelings behind him… or try, at least. Before long, two things become clear. One, this battle is going to be solely Adam vs. Eve: the competition the bands have been craving. And two, someone is misinterpreting something about what’s going on between Gen and Mike.


The Romance

First things first: Shout Loud, My Heart is definitely an explicit manga. The later chapters show everything. If that’s a deal-breaker, you’ve been warned. If that’s a deal-maker… well, now you know.

While the manga wraps everything up in a single volume, there’s plenty of slow-burn romance for BL fans. We stick closer to Gen than Mike, seeing his uncertainty at every turn. It’s also great to see Gen’s turbulent feelings showing up in his music… and not necessarily in a bad way. It’s a small plot point, but one that stands out. It seems being in love has an audible effect on Gen’s guitar, taking it from technical excellence to something more. And when Mike and Gen are together on stage, real musical magic happens.


More to the Story

Even when Shout Loud, My Heart ends, it doesn’t really end. There are pages of prologues, bonus comics, character profiles, and more. We get to see Gen and Mike once all the uncertainty and miscommunication has passed. We also get to see how their bandmates deal with their relationship. Best of all, especially for a manga that ends rather quickly, we get to see them as a couple for more than a few pages.

If you’re a BL fan, and either don’t mind or actively seek out uncensored manga, give this one a try. It’s a quick read, but one that doesn’t feel rushed or prematurely cut off.

This was sooooooo cute!! I love music-based manga, and this one really didn't disappoint! I loved the art style a lot - I think the characters were really pretty and the way their expressions were drawn didn't take away from how gorgeous they were either. Mike and Gen, the main characters, really felt like the sun/moon trope but in a much subtler way personality wise (though, its a bit obvious in their looks). The main thing I appreciated about the way the story was told is that the characters never really put down their band members in any way. Despite Gen wanting to play for Mike, he directly mentions that he likes playing for Akio's vocals too which is a really refreshing representation of emerging love in rival bands. I loved the way the bands were called Adam and Eve too; very cute and foreboding!

I do think the story could've been fleshed out a lot more, but I do acknowledge that it's a one-shot and I don't think penalising it for that reason would be fair!

Overall, I really liked it! I'm looking forward to the author's next works! 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.

this was a very cute story about two people from two different bands falling in love. I really enjoyed the love story, wish there was more

Just your typical golden retriever/black cat relationship with music thrown in.

Gen is a guitarist and is newly inspired when he hears Mike (Mika) sing for the first time. They each grab one another's attention for their talent but the interest grows from there.

It's a sweet relationship. Was kind of expecting it to be pg13, but y'all it's fully uncensored.

Given changed my brain chemistry so if I see a rockstar/music BL, I obviously need to read it immediately. First and foremost, this is a standalone and is pretty short. When I saw it was under 200 pages and that included bonus scenes and epilogue, I adjusted my expectations accordingly. Obviously I wasn't going to get a ton of angst, character development, or plot building in a short manga. And because I went in with that mentality, I really enjoyed it!

I absolutely loved the art. I thought the characters were so beautiful. And I enjoyed the plot too, though its not a plot heavy manga. I read a lot of bi awakening stories where the main characters struggle to come to terms with their sexuality and it was kind of refreshing that these two just fell for each other and there wasn't any angst or "omg I cant have feelings for a guy" type drama.

All in all, I would recommend this to BL lovers who want a quick read they can finish in a day!

Really cute story about boys in bands, who start with a mutual fascination of each other. The art is beautiful. Sometimes the story moves a little fast, but that's typical when the author is trying to fit everything into one volume. If you like Given or Pink Heart Jam, you should give this a read!

The characters are quite straight-forward and blunt which makes them quite unique in the manga-genre category. Its a refreshing aspect to the manga world where, as a reader, you don't have to comment the characters to just do the thing all the time like in many other mangas. The shyness of characters in other mangas get tiring, sometimes so this is a good change. I have been looking for so long for another good rock-band-styled manga that is enjoyable and I believe this is it.

Representation: queer Japanese protagonist, bisexual Japanese protagonist, Japanese secondary and tertiary characters.

Content Warning: alcohol.

Shout Loud, My Heart was such a cute story, sparked out of a chance encounter between a sultry vocalist and an introverted guitarist. Beautiful illustrations and both main characters were so sweet.

Short but sweet band member love story. I felt that the story moved a little fast/didn’t make it super clear where there were time skips, but I was reading it digitally so it’s possible that affected my reading of it. overall, I had fun and enjoyed some hot boys kissing!

🎶🎸🤘🏼🎤

A short and sweet BL oneshot! Gen, a guitarist in a band called Eve, meets Mika, lead singer of a group named Adam at a gig one night. The plot is pretty straightforward and involves a lot of familiar tropes; friends to lovers, black cat vs. golden retriever, and grumpy/sunshine. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this rockstar romance, and look forward to seeing more of the author’s future work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!! 🫶🏼

This felt very wholesome! It was a one shot so of course quick paced but I loved Gen and Mika, their adoration for each other was cute.

Honest ARC Review: This one shot BL manga was sweet and I really enjoyed the band aspect. Gen is a grumpy guitarist who is balancing making music, going to school, and work. When a fan approaches him after his set he doesn’t think much of it until he hears his voice. Gen is struck by the voice singing and it kinda blows his mind. Mike is the lead singer in his band and is a total fanboy of Gen. He is giddy after making eye contact with Gen only for Gen to not even notice. Mike bumps into Gen at university and takes the chance to get to know him more. As Gen and Mikes bands get ready to battle the tension between them heats up. After the intense battle and drinks together with friends the two find themselves finally baring it all for each other. This was a sweet romance manga with both boys secretly pining for each other. I really enjoyed the grumpy and sunshine dynamic. It was so entertaining reading Gen discover his feelings and not know what to do with it. Mike was such a sweetheart and I loved that he wanted to be gentle with Gen. Overall I enjoyed the manga but wish that it dug a bit deeper. I got some of the emotions that these two were feeling but wish that I would have felt them even more. There wasn’t a whole lot happening in the manga and I would have loved to see Gen and Mike in a few new situations or environment’s. Check out this manga if you are looking for a BL with band players, a silly group of friends, secret pining, and using music to express feelings.

Thanks to Netgally and Kodansha for the ARC
2.5

Shout Loud My Heart has great potential but the length of this and the kinda stilted translation holds it back from being too remarkable. The story isn’t too important here let’s be honest, when you go in for a short BL single volume read the focus is usually the romance. Here the music plot was somehow the central focus but also took away time to develop the two MCs as a couple.

The art is nice, but I’ll be real, the fact this is uncensored was the most pleasant surprise. Nothing crazi detailed but still more than you would normally expect in this type of read.

Overall I enjoyed this but it won’t be the most memorable. I would have loved a longer series about these two.

EN Title: Shout Loud My Heart
JP Title: シャウト・ラウド・マイハート
Author/Artist: Youga Rayri
Publisher: Kodansha
Publisher Rating: 18+
Status: Complete (1 Volume)

Content notes: Explicit sexual content

University student and guitarist Gen rarely notices the people surrounding him, uninterested in most people outside his friends. But when a vocalist from another band captures attention, Gen finds out that he's actually one of his classmates! Mika, who's known as Mike to most, and Gen quickly become close despite Gen's grumpy attitude and technically being in "rival" bands. When he notices his music changing, he begins to realize his feelings run deeper. Meanwhile, Mika finds Gen's blunt honesty and demeanor refreshing. With the two falling for each other but not knowing what to say, it's through music that they are able to convey their honest feelings.

I absolutely love band stories! There really is something so special about connecting and communicating your feelings through music. In the scene where Gen checks out Adam's (Mika's band) performance, Youga Rayri wonderfully depicts how Mika's voice charms him. Despite being a single volume BL, we a glimpse into the characters' lives and friendships of the characters, which I found really nice. It's actually through a lot of interactions Mika and Gen have with their friends that help push them to recognize their feelings for each other. But because it's a single volume BL, the development feels extremely quick! A second volume would have been really nice to give it a bit more depth. I also want to note I that really enjoyed the localization of the dialogue! While I haven't read it in Japanese, it felt very natural to read and suited the characters given their ages in their early 20s.

Overall, I do recommend the story for those looking for something light and who love band settings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC! Shout Loud My Heart releases on June 17.