Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC to review.

I think this would have been a lot better if the obsession wasn't as big and if it was set in college/uni or even a professional adult team. The romance on his side feels very rushed and the muscle girls are very weird and creepy. The art is really nice and there are cute moments within this manga. I just wish it was less about the guy's muscles and more about the guy himself but this could be explored upon in volume 2.

Not sure how I feel about this one. I mean, the lead girl is obsessed with muscles, and she sure reminds us every couple seconds, which gets a bit annoying and took me out of the story at times. I know it is necessary for the story to start, but it was a bit too much. I mean, the way she talked about it was also weird and it did not feel natural. She compares her obsession with her friend's, and it does make sense the way she explains it, but even then, it was strange.

Once you take out that aspect, if you can, it is a cute romance, and the art is well-done. I like how dedicated Hibi, the female lead, is, it is admirable and he is really nice and understanding.

"Getting closer to you" first volume was a weird experience...
When I read the synopsis a thought about a superficial girl who based guys' values on their bodies and that she was obsessed with muscles because of appearance. But Hibi, the main character, really has a weird obsession with muscles. Not selfishly and superficially...She is some kind of muscle freak, but instead of working out, she stalks the spot teams of her high school????

I, sadly, had little to nothing to say about this one. Ruri Kamino does a great job on the artistic part and the story...but It's a really weird concept. On a structural level and rhythm, there are no complaints, also no complaints with the humor...I think it's a good job, but I could make sense of it. I didn't enjoy it.
It's a kind of "instalove" situation from the guy part, she is too obsessed and seemed to have no more characteristics and you don't get to see the basketball team interact with her...So there was not a lot of entertainment.

Overall not the best read.

<i>Getting Closer to You</i> is such a mouth-watering feast for the eyes. It's filled with muscles, sweet sweat, and beautiful boys that will hook you into reading until you have devoured the last page.

Kaho Hibi is an avid fan of muscles that she's one step closer to becoming a pervert with her binoculars always on her hands, spying for any existing males with muscles. One day, she planned to sneak a peek at the rumored muscle prince, Natsume, in their school's varsity team and instead, due to an accident, became face-to-face with the said guy. Natsume found out about Hibi's enthusiasm for muscles, and he asked her to be the basketball team's manager. And as if the muscle-thirsty girl wouldn't pass on this glorious opportunity!

This is such a hilarious, sweet, and cute read. I'd die of nosebleeds too. I love the adorable art style and the muscle-crazy heroine! It literally brought me back to my <i>Free!</i> fangirling days, with Natsume's muscle fanservice for Hibi—yes, I'm talking about the naked plus apron panel, and the bare top with an open varsity jacket! Anyone who loved Gou Matsuoka from <i>Free!</i> should definitely read this series!

Thank you Kodansha Comics and Netgalley!

2.5 Stars
On the one hand this is kinda cute and quirky but on the other is also a bit creepy. There are some scenes that definetely did not work for me but the main character kind redems herself by her dedication to helping the team.

"Getting Closer to you" is about a high school girl, Hibi, who loves defined muscles in men. She doesn't see beyond men's muscle and athletic strength and is obsessed with training, programs, and diets...she's an expert. Hibi starts out as the manager of her high school's basketball team to be closer to Natsume, an older student nicknamed the prince of the court, or for her, the prince of muscles because he has the best body in the entire school.
It's mostly a goofy comedy manga as the love for muscles reaches a point where it's unsustainable and you have to laugh at how random Hibi is. However, the romance scenes save this strange first volume, although I would have preferred that the romance had lasted longer since the two love interests have appeared in this first volume and we have already had the first signs of a romance, like a kiss.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel and can't wait to continue the series!
I really liked the artwork.
The front cover is so vibrant.
I was honestly really cute!

not very interesting and she is a totally weird stalker and a creep don't say that is normal because if a guy did what she does it would be a creep so she is a creep too. I don't get the obsession, okay a nice body is lovely to watch but all around that... well disappointed a lot

I have been looking for a cute manga to read and I am so happy I was able to see this! It was funny and quirky and cute. I laughed a lot and screamed at my pillow. The art is so beautiful, the characters are fun to read. I will read every volume this creator makes.

Getting Closer to You Volume 1 has got to have one of the cutest covers I've seen in a long time (okay, not that long, but still!). It may or may not have factored into my reasoning for picking it up, but I'm okay with that.

Kaho has always been a girl utterly obsessed with muscles – and we do mean obsessed. She spends her spare time watching her school sports teams work out. She's even gone so far as to keep a journal detailing all of their muscle.

That last bit caught the attention of Natsume-sempai, who is now convinced that she is what the basketball team needs to turn a corner. With her appreciation of muscles, maybe she can help get the team into shape?

Getting Closer to You Volume 1 is a fun and quick read. Some moments made me laugh, and admittedly moments that made me cringe (Kaho's obsession with muscles goes a bit far at times, okay?).

In truth, her obsession is the excuse for the romantic plot of this series. Natsume-sempai's muscles are too tempting for her to resist, and he finds her utterly charming. Their interactions bounce from comical to endearing, sometimes finding that perfect balance between the two.

I enjoyed Getting Closer to You Volume 1 enough that I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the second volume if it was offered to me or if I spotted it while browsing a bookstore. Hopefully, others will find enjoy the personality this one has to offer.

This one was ok. The premise sounded good but it just fell a little flat to me. The characters were ok. The art style was great. Not sure if I'll pick up the next volume.

This manga about a girl who’s obsessed with muscles and a very muscled boy who enlists her help to get his basketball team into shape, was honestly such a blast. I loved the progression of the friendship and relationship between these two! Natsume was so charming and hilarious, I loved his banter with Kaho. All of their scenes together were so amusing.

It was nice to see that Kaho’s appreciation for muscles was put to good use. She wasn’t made to seem boy obsessed, her studies of muscles really came in handy for them and I’m excited to see where things go in future volumes! I really enjoyed the art style too, it was super easy to read and follow!

Highly recommend if you like soft, funny characters in a high school setting with sports, flirting and more!

4/5⭐️

Muscles = Justice 💪🏻✨✨✨

OOOH I ADORE THIS ONE SO MUCH; the way it cracks me up so badly! When Kaho announces that her ideal type are guys with perfect muscles, I knew I was going to love this girl ❤️‍🔥

Her muscle-mania activity ends her up into the arms of the school's muscle prince (literally, into his perfect body with perfect muscles), Kaho thinks it's too good to be true. When Natsume finds out about her obsession towards muscles, to which Kaho is horrified, he ropes her into becoming the basketball team's manager instead of ridiculing her.

And thanks to this, Kaho starts a muscle-building regiment for the basketball team in order to produce more muscled-men ✨💪🏻

I find the entire story to be lighthearted and hilarious. Kaho's obsession towards muscles can be borderline stalker-ish, but the way she's so fired up about it is rather wholesome too in her own way. And I believe that's exactly how Natsume finds her as well.

While Kaho manages the team, Natsume is always there to back her up when needed and they simply complement each other so well 💗 The way he casually tells her he likes her is so cute too, I couldn't help but squeal in delight!

I love how Natsume enjoys teasing her about her obsession, but at the same time he appreciates her for it. Kaho may not have feelings for Natsume yet as much as she loves his muscles, but it's a start! Honestly there's so many cute moments in this: the part they end up falling asleep in each others' arms and when they wrote their names on each others' skin 😮‍💨❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE IT

It's probably going to be a long journey until Kaho properly likes Natsume as a person more than she likes his muscles, but I'm so looking forward to that!

This one somewhat reminds me of Abe-kun's Got Me Now, which isn't a bad thing as far as I am concerned. I LOVE that series and now I have found a new series that I highly suspect I will also love!

Yes, the obsession is slightly over the top, but the characters are just too cute and the artwork is very pretty, so I am not complaining in the slightest.

This is one I will be following and I definitely recommend it if you like slightly silly high school romance manga.

4, when is the next one coming out, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

It was funnygly strange, or strangely funny to see this muscle nerd interact is the handsome guy. I found theur chemistry hilarious and sweet and I loved it.

Getting closer to you is a romantic story with very funny overtones that make reading a good time.

Hibi is a girl quite obsessed with muscles, to the point of spying on every club in her high school in search of new "specimens" to admire. Until one day she crosses paths with Natsume and ends up being the new manager of the basketball team and using that obsession with muscles to train the players so they can improve.

The story is very funny, Hibi's interactions and her obsession with muscles have made me laugh more than once. As much as Natsume tries to get Hibi to notice something other than his muscles, she doesn't seem to change her mind, although it seems that little by little that changes and by the end of the volume Hibi sees someone special in Natsume.

I really liked this first volume and I'm looking forward to knowing what will happen between Natsume and Hibi, the new boy and the players of the basketball team.

Given the right execution, the premise of "Getting Closer to You" could have been highly amusing. In this case, it was rather disappointing. I didn't really see any chemistry between our two lead characters, and it didn't feel like it was set up very well for a second volume. At least the art was okay.

Getting Closer To You is a great take on some classic troupes. The art style is elegant and does a really good job of catching the hilarity of the obsession our female lead has with muscles. This volume has been funny, and witty. The chemistry between the leads is spot on. This manga is off to a promising start and I look forward to how the story progresses.

Getting Closer to You (vol. 1) is about a complete muscle freak Kaho. She meets Nastume and when he finds out about her obsession doesn't freak out and instead urges her to become the basketball manager. This begins her journey to stare at some muscle.

Overall this was pretty average. The artstyle was cute but the concept itself is kinda well... weird. I can't quite get behind it but it was still a solid read definitely recommend if you're looking for something fun and light.

This was a cute and fun read. I think it'd be a good potential for a physical release. I need to read more to know if it really grabbed me. The plot and instant love was a bit cliched.