Reviews for Go For It, Nakamura!

An absolute favorite. Like, this is everything I could have ever wanted. A cute, funny, and most of all, sfw manga about a shy gay boy trying to become friends with his crush, drawn in a classic 80's art style. Speaking as a gay boy who loves classic manga, this is an absolute blessing. It feels nice to read something that doesn't feel fetishized, for once. I can relate to both Nakamura AND Hirose in a number of the situations, the girl characters don't just exist to be annoying, and I was smiling the whole way through! I'm always sure to tell my friends aboutthis gem whenever they ask for recommendations. If you're looking for something sweet and funny this is definitely for you!

Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!! is a very funny slice of life manga centred on an awkward gay high school boy and his crush. Unlike most of the shounen ai and yaoi genres, this manga is completely drama free so far; which is a welcome thing- the same stories can be told in the same way only so many times. The premise of the story is one that a lot of LGBTQ people could identify with from growing up in high school; the titular closeted protagonist tries to get closer to his crush. Unfortunately, Nakamura's shy and not able to muster up the courage to have a real conversationwith him, but that won't keep Nakamura from experiencing some happy memories!

I love the art style of this manga. The character design is reminiscent of 80s and early 90s manga and anime. Scenes are drawn cleanly without overelaboration, and the faces and action are very expressive.

If you're looking for a sweet, funny read with good feelings, or just sick of the same old tropes in gay-themed manga and anime, dip your toes into Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!

This was such a sweet and short read. Ganbare Nakamura-kun! is about Nakamura's pursuit for Hirose's friendship, of all things!!! He's in love with him, of course, and he fantasizes about them together, but he doesn't jump straight into a possible relationship between the two. He first and foremost wants to be his friend. Hirose is a really sweet guy, I could definitely see why Nakamura loves him so much. It was really fun for him to be all like "SENPAI PLEASE NOTICE ME" and when Hirose finally did, he'd lose his shit lol One of the most appealing things about this manga is that most BLis very non-conish and that's a turn off to me. But Nakamura-Kun! is more fluffy, it has sort of an even "innocent" kind of crush. I think even people who are not into BL could end up liking it.

The art style really reminds me of Rumiko Takahashi's (especially from the 80's) and ohoho, I absolutely LOVE IT!!! It's beautiful and quirky and makes me feel nostalgic, so that's a plus.

The only two things that I didn't "like" (or, rather, that I felt it was lacking):

1 - it's VERY SHORT. It has 11 chapters but at least half of those are like, 10 pages long. I feel that if it was given a chance, this manga could easily have been longer and MUCH MORE could have been explored. Like, you know, a possible romantic relationship between these two.

2- Even though I just said that this is very light BL and even people who are not into it could like it... I still really wanted the romantic part to happen. But maybe that's just me, lol

It was still a very enjoyable read :)

I enjoyed everything about this manga. From the nostalgic art stile to the funny moments with the characters. A lot of situations are relatable because of how stressful getting close to your crush can be. I also love how it is 100% wholesome, It is hard to find a BL that isn't sexual so it is good so find something like this. It is short but sweet and if you happen to come across it I would definitely recommend getting it. This book is a hidden gem for all manga fans. But if you are not in to wholesomeness then you are better of readingsome other BL. But who doesn't like wholesomeness!?

Finally, some decent shounen ai. A lot of anime and/or manga with gay men in the lead roles just turns into shitty, often rapey fan-service for women. It's not very fun to look at and good writing or entertaining characters are often sacrificed in the name of fan-service. This one is different. -Characters This manga has a light tone with a lot of focus on comedy. The characters are simple but serve their purpose (comedy) and most importantly, the characters aren't just vehicles for fap-material, they are written as actual human-beings. The main character for example has a lot of fun quirks about him and theinner dialogue he has going on inside his head is always fun to read through.

-The main relationship

This isn't one of those gay mangas where one man is super effeminate and submissive whilst the other one is dominating and rapey either. Know why? Because (spoiler alert), actual romantic relationships don't work like that. Nope, instead the power-dynamics aren't really skewed in anyone favor and the relationship actually develops slowly over time.

-The rest of the cast

There is actually a cast outside of the main duo, yup. Because despite what shounen ai or yaoi writers would have you believe, world building and supporting roles are actually important. One big issue with gay manga/anime is that it usually only appeals to women or gay men. This is because gay manga/anime is rarely anything more than glorified softcore porn. Things like fun characters or good story aren't as important as delivering fan-service. This manga does not have that problem because the creator did not just want to make some shitty fap-material, they wanted to make an actually readable piece of art. And I'm pleased to announce that they succeeded.

TL;DR: What with the push among some for BL manga to be “wholesome” and “relatable”, I think it’s hilarious that Ganbare Nakamura-kun is one of the poster children. This manga could be considered insidious—it masquerades as a cute, silly story about a guy who loves his classmate, but if you squint, you can easily reveal the author’s fetishes. If you’re uncomfortable with some of the less savory BL tropes, be wary of the sequel. This is relatively tame; the sequel is worse. I doubt that the events of that story are a misunderstanding or a setup for criticism of that trope because of what I’veseen in the author’s other work. Overall, I think the uproar in favor of this work as one that is a “great step forward” for LGBT+ manga is misguided; from my perspective, it’s just more of the same old stuff I hate and would like for authors to move on from.

The rest of this review will contain minor spoilers.

As for my problems with this manga outside of that: I found Nakamura kind of annoying and just downright weird. I’m not really rooting for him, though the author most certainly wants me to. The humor was the wrong kind of ridiculous for me, and that’s coming from someone who has a flair for the bombastic. Like, it wasn’t believable, which is fine, but it wasn’t even interesting. I couldn’t take any part of the story seriously because of it, but the more serious parts are not all that riveting or groundbreaking to begin with. For some, the themes might be a breath of fresh air, but I’ve read so many works with LGBT+ themes that this one felt dated and stale.

To clarify what I alluded to in my introduction, a student is mistaken to be in a weird situation with a teacher for “haha funnies”. However, it was not funny at all because it was like, “why would THIS be what you’d jump to”, and it made me feel suspicious of the author. I tracked down their other works and I found…more teacher/student stuff, but worse. I am fine with reading about morally questionable topics as long as they are treated with sensitivity; there are shown to be consequences for the negative actions (and the author shows awareness that it was messed up); and/or the execution is thought-provoking or interesting. Ganbare Nakamura-kun isn’t that for me. While nothing actually happens, it comes off like adult/minor teacher-student relationships have been normalised and fantasised about by the author; after all, it is clearly a BL trope they like. It doesn’t do much to critique the trope, merely playing it off for laughs and to shed light on Nakamura’s extreme anxiety. That is why it irks me that people think this manga is one of the pinnacles of “wholesomeness”. You’re allowed to like stuff that isn’t 100% sanitary anyway, but it’s also ridiculous to blindly promote something as “wholesome” just because you loved parts of it so much you didn’t notice that something was off. If the “wholesome” medal is meant to protect younger readers, then be extremely careful with what you choose to bestow it upon.

Anyway, there’s no actual romance, so I don’t feel inclined to call it much of a BL. If you are chill with that and just want to read about a guy with a crush, this will be fine for you. If you don’t have a thick stomach and don’t want the positive connection you made with this book ruined for you, you probably shouldn’t read the sequel.

Overall, I do think there should be more queer stories about “a guy with a crush”, as they can be relatable for many readers (just DEFINITELY not me). However, I’d prefer for them to be thoughtful, well-intentioned, and actually funny. IMO, there is much better BL (and otherwise) out there if you feel like looking for it.

Hi guys. It was so much fun to read this manga! His art is that nostalgic manga style of the time, and I loved it! Just wonderful. Not only that, as the protagonist and the situations in which they find themselves are extremely funny. On the other hand, the other characters are not very authentic. The boy Nakamura is passionate about is that popular type that appeals to everyone, and I think that cliché is already outdated. But okay, I had a lot of fun with the story. Especially since most yaois are dramatic without a hint of comedy. I do not understand why. In bothmovies and anime, the gay plot is always tragic. There are happy gays too, you know? And Nakamura is proof of that!

Eu acabei descobrindo está obra por meio de covers/fanarts no twitter e... Amei! Muito bom, sério! Superou todas as minhas expectativas. Achei a história muito envolvente e acabei por me identificar diversas vezes com os personagens (que são muito interessantes por sinal) e, consequentemente, me apegar muito neles (apesar deles soarem esquisitinhos em algumas partes eu realmente gostei deles!). É uma mistura de ''queria tanto ser amiga deles'' e ''MAS SOU EU ALI'', principalmente em relação a ''obsessão'' do personagem principal com polvos... eu ri TANTO! Todos os personagens são extremamente engraçados, cada um do seu jeitinho. Em relação ao casal principal, eu realmente gostei daforma como eles construíram uma amizade com o passar dos capítulos, desenvolvendo uma química surpreendente que no início não achei que seria possível! Não tenho como descrever muito bem, só posso dizer que o final superou todas minhas expectativas!

E a arte? Ela é, sem dúvidas, perfeita. O traço me agradou muito, todos os quadrinhos bem limpos visualmente e agradáveis, sem contar nos detalhes, achei tudo muito fofo! Me remeteu muito a quadrinhos antigos. E outra: COMO TODOS OS PERSONAGENS PODEM SER TAO BONITOS?

E é isso! Quero uma continuação e com certeza estarei relendo.

This was super heartwarming and constantly had me grinning or laughing at my desk. I usually dont enjoy slice of life genres since it doesn't stick to one consistent thing, but I'll have to say I enjoyed this one. The comedy in the manga was great, and it had me laughing in the middle of the night. The art was super cute and is the main reason I started reading this manga. The characters introduced were sort of bland but I didn't really mind the generic characters. The only thing bad about it is that it ended super quickly. I wish we could've seen moreinto their relationship, but I wouldn't complain about how it left off. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend to other people.

This manga is great and I 100% recommend however I do have a question involving the character sheets, it says Hirose is 15 and his birthday is March 2nd, and Nakamura is 16 and his birthday is October 24th. How is Nakamura older than Hirose? March comes first so shouldn’t Hirose be older? Did Nakamura repeat a grade or something? Sorry I just found it confusing since March comes before October and since they are in the same grade and all the ages don’t make sense 😅 though this information has nothing to do with the story and the story overall is amazing! Like Ieven wish there was more 😍I just find myself really wanting to know the answer to my question 😅

Ok, my first BL... which i only bought 'cause the MC has a pet octopus! As you can see the way to my wallet is cute animals So cute little Icchan the octopus got me fixated with wanting to pick up this manga, and not gonna lie, given that this was an obvious impulse purchase... of a freaking romance manga (genre i have 0.00001% interest in), aside from the cutesy colorful cover and awesome artstyle i wasn't expecting much else from this but "sappy highschool romance" Well, as you can see by the bright blue "Recommended" tag up top, i was very very wrong This was not highschool thrurose-tinted glasses, this was the real and bloody hilarious highschool experience in all it's glorious awkwardnes which 99% of people will probably be able to relate to in some form

Not only was i cracking up in fits of laughter at nearly every chapter, but the story is just so wholesome and cute

And it's so well written, i managed to get thru a manga of a genre i have near to zero interest in without ever being bored a second

The title "Go For It, Nakamura!" fits to perfection, 'cause you really do find yourself saying "Go For It!" cheering Nakamura on

To create that level of connection to the characters in such a short space of time is no small feat

This really is something i think almost anyone would enjoy

First of all, I really like the art. It's retro but also modernized, the lines are soft unlike how rigid many yaoi mangakas drew their works. It's the reason I read in the first place. Story is seemingly light, sweet about a gay boy and his crush from strangers slowly become friends and possibly something more. But even though this was supposed to be Hirose and Nakamura's story, this teacher guy who ain't even cool comes in and makes things weird especially in the sequel. Considering the author's other works it's likely they have teacher/student fetish and it's fine if they wrote works dedicating entirelyto this fetish, but putting that into a supposedly light, cute manga kinda ruined the whole thing for me.

Perfect for new fans of romance and BL, perfect for the old fans too! If you're starting now with BL, this is a great start! "Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!" caught my attention because of the memes and fan arts that I saw, and I loved the art style. As a BL fan who has seen every type of toxic and weird story, this manga is such a relief. The art style is so nice and cute, so you're constantly stopping to appreciate it. The history is nice, clear, and comfy, and it definitely made me feel so many emotions reading it. The characters are kinda of cliché, but inthis manga, I found it perfect, and they all resonate somehow with the protagonist.

I definitely recommend it if you want a nice, chill romance with funny moments.

The only problem with it is that it ends with so much potential for more. But there is more on the second part, so it's fine.

This manga honestly made me giggle and kick my feet in the air like I was the one in love! The 80's-90's aesthetic it gives is so nostalgic and well made that you feel like you were reading something from the early 2000's. This story makes you feel the need to keep reading because it is so captivating and unexpectly funny that it makes 3x funnier than it was originally supposed to be... I like the way Okuto is written, it feels very human specially for a guy like me who used to be a shy homosexual like he is, Hirose is very cute and naïve butalso a really beautiful boy (I totally get why Okuto has such a huge crush on him to be honest), and he also feels like a real person because of his writing as someone like the gay theater kid who most people think he's gay but they are respecting his self discovery journey (very specific i know).

Even though it is a slow burning romance, it kinda makes me a little bit anxious because >for me< it is VERY slow even for slow-burning standarts, but it is what it makes it feel so many strong emotions while reading it.

One thing that I didn't like much was the relashionship Hirose has with his teacher, It felt somewhat disturbing and potentially criminal for me (I consider it only as "potential" because it in a very out of context point of view like Okuto's, it really feels disturbing, while in the other hand it feels even worse when you as a reader knows the context and it could be just the way Hiirose acts with everyone, in a light-hearted and cute way like people in love do)

Overall I would recommend checking it out because it is definetly a very heartstopping experience :]

I have to agree with all the positive points, people have already written: the retro artstyle is amazing, the comedy is great and the overall feel is amazing. It's a unique manga that I am glad exists. HOWEVER: I really don't appreciate the pupil/teacher shipping in this manga, even if it is played for laughs. This sadly only gets worse in the sequel, and then it starts feeling creepy. You can just FEEL that the author would ship an underage pupil with an adult man in any other circumstance, and they have indeed done so in their other works. Explicitly. Full on porn. And I amjust not ok with that, it is disgusting and feels borderline grooming/pedophilia. This is a subjective viewpoint of mine, please enjoy whatever you please in media.

I know that some people can just brush that off as "that's just how BL is", but I can't, and I at least want to warn people about it before they run straight into it - because I wished someone had at least warned me about it.

Story - 7 Cute and sweet Art - 8 Love the retro vibe Character - 8 Probably the strength of the manga - interesting, fun, dynamic characters with their own charm Enjoyment - 9 I'd happily reread it over again Overall - 8Plot

Nakamura is a shy gay teen wanting to confess to his crush. It's a pretty simple plot, with enough dramatics and comedy to make it interesting. The heart is really in the characters. I really wish it had been longer. Yes, I realise there is a sequel, but I feel like two volumes overall is still quite short for such a sweet series.

Reread - would reread

Buy - I bought the physical copy and have no regrets. I will buy the sequel as well.

When I first read this I was so disappointed it was unwordable. It's been a while since and I'm still mad. I don't know what's worse. The lack of any concrete plot is a bit annoying but whatever it's slice of life, but then the MC just keeps acting *weird*, with NO repercussions. There's a bit where he sniffs his crush's school uniform, and is "punished" with a "haha some ugly guy wore it instead", and not a "hey that's fucking weird?" Then he acts like a total nonce in the final chapter and it ends on the bonus with him accidently telling his crush he's buyingloli manga?

Its crap. The art is good, but the characters suck, there's no plot, no BL. Its just a dude crushing on a guy for however many chapters, and the entire time tiptoeing the fence of being a total creep and just a nothing character.

Well, I read this manga a long time ago but I will write something about it. It has a love story as pure and tender as can be, there is no toxicity in between like other stories and that is appreciated. The main character is very awkward in front of love but he tries to leave his shyness aside to be able to talk to the boy he likes, I feel identified with him. If you have time, read this wonderful manga, you won't regret it. — Spanish — Bueno, este manga lo leí hace mucho tiempo atrás pero escribiré algo sobre esto. Tiene una historia deamor lo más pura y tierna que puede existir, no hay toxicidad entre medio como otras historias y se aprecia aquello. El protagonista es muy torpe ante el amor pero intenta dejar su timidez de lado para poder hablar con el chico que le gusta, me siento identificada con él.

Si tienen tiempo, lean este maravilloso manga ya que no se van a arrepentir.

ill keep it brief, not a full review really. absolutely god tier BL manga. beautiful art, genuinely stunning at times. Character design is great strikes a balance not many manga/anime do, no "lets add stupid, annoying, needless features to this characters face/silhouette" in this manga. Layout/structure of panels is great, something so many mangaka suck at. while not screamingly hilarious, its funny... like genuinely funny. a lot of manga hit and miss with humour, not necessarily because the jokes are bad but because there is certainly limitation to manga as a medium, as there is with any medium, that usually prevent manga from getting more than asmirk from me, i think it may be the expressiveness still image can lack, or maybe its the fact there's no talented voice actors, like in anime, to deliver the lines, maybe its just bad translation and im being stupid (while i don't really believe that as much as the other two reasons, i am remarkably stupid), with all that in mind, believe me when i say its funny

as far as writing, its an Easy read but that should never be an inherently bad thing.

side note; id shave of 20 years from my life if it meant i could get the english translation of the sequel (motto ganbare nakamura kun)