Review: I Want To Be A Wall Vol. 1 by Honami Shirono
April 27, 2022
Today we're taking an early look at I Want To Be A Wall Vol. 1 courtesy of Yen Press!
I Want To Be A Wall tells the story of newlyweds Gakurouta (Gaku) and Yuriko - a young couple learning to navigate their new life together. Left at just that it sounds like a cute story about your average couple, however, there are secrets at the core of this marriage that are known only to Gaku and Yuriko - namely that Gaku is gay and in love with his (straight) childhood friend, and Yuriko is asexual (and though it isn't stated in the manga, she is also aromantic). No one knows this - not Yuriko's mother who plainly shares her desire for grandchildren, not her old friend Ume-chan who has tried repeatedly to set Yuriko up with a boyfriend, and certainly not Sousuke, Gaku's childhood-friend-turned-love-interest-turned-family-gardener whose romances with girls play out in front of a wounded Gaku time and time again.
Gaku and Yuriko's story begins with an obvious awkwardness between them as they struggle to figure out how to be married when there is no romantic love between them. They maintain separate bedrooms, craft a cover story together to be able to answer questions about their married life in a way that sounds "normal", and struggle to figure out how to be good spouses despite their unusual circumstances. What grows from this is nothing short of heart warming. Though they are seemingly strangers at the onset, a genuine warmth and affection manifests quickly as they come to support one another and bond over everything from BL to being terrible cooks.
Though volume 1 does not tell us about the origin of Gaku and Yuriko's relationship, we are treated to back story that covers Gaku discovering his love for Sousuke, Yuriko's love for BL, as well as her struggle in finding a word to describe her lack of interest in love. Both are presented in such a touching way that you can't help but feel a tug on your heart strings as their stories unfold. It was especially sweet to see how Yuriko reacted to Gaku sharing with her the story of his long held love that would never bear fruit.
There are some interesting characters at the periphery of the story that make me curious as to their future roles in the series and, over all, I can see many potential "end game" paths for this series as a whole... but I have absolutely no idea what is really going to happen. All I can say with certainty is that volume 1 genuinely caught my interest and I am now fully invested in finding out what happens. Do they build a happy marriage in their own way? Do they one day come to a place where they can speak their truth without fear of what others will say? Is there closure to be had for Gaku? I'm dying to find out!
This one gets high marks from me. If it sounds like something you're ready to jump into you can find it here or grab it from the buy button below!
TLDR;
So SFW and all around wonderful that I HOPE people read it over your shoulder. Sooooo SWEET!
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: 5/17/22
Page Count: 192
Age Rating: 16+