Is Love the Answer written by Uta Isaki is a oneshot manga I read back in 11th grade on a whim during some downtime of the school year. I remember picking it up in the library because of how uncommon it is to see any sort of book that details asexuality and aromaticism, let alone how wide of a spectrum they can have.
The narrative covers the main character, Chika Hanai, as she goes through her first year of college. The story focuses on her wish to be what she considers to be a “normal” person for a while, feeling as though she is too different from her peers due to her general apathy towards sex and romance.
What strikes me most about this story, aside from the generally heartwarming message it presents, is the fact that each character is portrayed like any other would be. Chika finds herself befriending a number of others who have similar but at the same time very different perspectives on life. None of them think within the same bounds as her friends from high school, giving her the freedom to actually learn about herself and embrace her identity.
What truly brings me joy about this story and why I enjoy discussing it with others is that the story reassures those who can relate to its characters that even if they aren’t interested in settling down in a romantic and/or sexual relationship, they can still find strong companionship in those around them. This is primarily shown in Chika’s friendship and interactions with another character by the name of Mitsuru Umezaki.
For her and Mitsuru, their entire dynamic is interesting and unusual. They both have plenty of struggles in figuring out their own identities, but seem to gravitate towards each other. Mitsuru has a burdened past that has led to him being fairly jaded towards the idea of any type of relationship, even being cagey about something like friendship. However, he and Chika seem to find their own unique way of understanding themselves and each other by simply spending time around each other. Their own story is left open-ended, but it seems to be a case of what would be called a queer-platonic relationship. They have a strong bond that isn’t defined by romance, sex, or even gender, but just a common closeness that isn’t what most would consider normal, but begins to become that for the two of them.