Shinozaki Haruto is a top stylist in Tokyo and the devoted boyfriend of up-and-coming actor Kuga Aoi. Their busy careers keep them on their toes, but they always find time for love. When Aoi lands the lead role in a new film shooting in Hokkaido, Haruto is both overjoyed and heartbroken at the thought of being apart.

But fate has other plans! Haruto is suddenly invited to join the same film crew as a hair and makeup artist. Now, the couple must balance work and romance under the spotlight. Can they keep their relationship hidden? Or will love take center stage?

Wait, I Love You has story and art by Omayu. English translation is done by Tristan K. Hill with an adaptation by Casper Kazor and lettering by Chris Burgener. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment (February 24, 2026). Rated M.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

There's something wonderful about a romance that gets fluff right. Wait, I Love You is just such a book – the story is firmly focused on the two leads with a minimum of outside tension, allowing readers to really connect with Aoi and Haruto. The two are already a couple when the story opens, and the issues they face have less to do with maintaining their relationship (which is on very solid ground) and are more about how they cope with Aoi's highly visible career as an actor. Refreshingly, neither of them wants him to give it up, nor do they have unrealistic ideas about what it means for him to be in such a public-facing line of work. They're just two people who love each other and are trying to maintain their relationship.

It probably helps that it was Haruto, in his capacity as a stylist, who got Aoi his start in show business. As an apprentice, Haruto stopped college student Aoi on the street and asked if he could use him as a hair model: he'd give the scruffy-haired young man a new cut and style for free if he could use him for practice. Easygoing Aoi agreed, and on his way home from the salon was scouted by a reputable talent agency based on his new look. Ecstatic, Aoi returned to tell Haruto of his good fortune, and the two began a relationship.

When the story opens, they're a few years removed from that and still going strong. Haruto's a highly successful stylist and Aoi's acting star is on the rise, which does occasionally make it hard for them to see each other. But creator Omayu does a very nice job of showing us how much they love each other and how hard they try to maintain things – Aoi is willing to take risks to be with his boyfriend in public and Haruto watches out for him while still indulging in their relationship. And, this being a mature-rated manga, they have a very healthy and active sex life.

The majority of the volume takes place in Hokkaido, when Haruto is hired to work as the hair and makeup artist for a film Aoi is starring in. Although Aoi's coworker is interested in Haruto professionally, the majority of the tension in the book comes from the couple's efforts to keep their relationship private. In part this is to avoid damaging Aoi's career, but there's also a sense that by keeping it to themselves, Aoi is afforded a sense that his life is still his own. He gets jealous, of course, because his boyfriend is working on another man, but mostly the two of them are just proud of each other and frustrated that they can't show it on set. Omayu squeezes in a bit of concern over Aoi's costar for good measure, but it's negligible compared to the rest of the story.

Wait, I Love You is remarkably sweet and nice. If you like reading about established, loving couples who have explicit on-page sex for good measure, this is going to be right up your alley.

Bolts
Rating:

There are a lot of stories about building up a genuine romance with somebody from nothing. Those are almost a dime a dozen, but it's very rare that you'll come across a story that starts off with two people already being in a committed relationship. Oftentimes that is avoided because the drama and intrigue of a story is in that build up, but I like the fact that this book makes it very clear that an established couple with a strong bond can still go through hardships through external factors. This is very much a story about two men who are deeply in love with each other to the point where they have to constantly keep a lid on their growing infatuation due to social circumstances. One is trying to make a name for themselves as a very famous actor. The story is a little bit vague about whether or not their relationship being public would ruin things because they're gay or if it's because that's the idol culture in Japan but it's a very understandable situation.

I love the longing that these two have for each other and how it's portrayed. It very much is indicative of long-distance relationships where you're barely able to see your partner for extended periods of time due to work and then when you see each other, you try to have as much intimacy as possible. But now these two also need to keep it a secret. It's frustrating, but I love how these two actually talk with each other and are generally on the same page for most of the story. When there is drama, it comes from a believable place that they explore together and I genuinely found myself feeling for these two. I wanted them to be happy by the end to accomplish their dreams. The fact that so much emotional maturity was into a relatively tight volume all because I feel like I can go back to the story repeatedly that wholesome fulfilling experience.

Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of spice to be had. The desire that is built up from the absence that these two experience with each other makes the sex scenes feel gratifying both in a physical and emotional way. It's like slowly shaking a bottle of soda around until the pressure can't take itself anymore and then everything just spills out. Not only were the sex scenes tantalizing on their own, but they also felt necessary to properly lean into the theme of that longing and sense of trust that the two leads have with each other. In a media landscape where petty drama and poor misunderstandings are often the backbone of entertainment, it felt so nice and refreshing to read a story where the main idea is just watching two people happily in love with each other continue showing that love.