Just Something About LynLyn

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999 Vol 1 

By Mashiro 

Published By Inklore Books 

Publication Date: 05-14-2024 

I first heard about Mashiro’s My Love Story with Yamada-kin at LV999 through the anime that was released last year.  I didn’t have high expectations for it. The rom-com story presented itself as another anime involving video game-obsessed young adults like Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Recovery of an MMO Junkie.  

Admittedly, I had a bias toward the series due to the generic storyline, but surprisingly, the story was a lot more charming and entertaining than I expected. So when I received the opportunity to review the first installment of the official English-translated manga, I was ecstatic.   

The story is centered on a cheerful and kind-hearted young female college student named Akane.  She gets dumped by her boyfriend and to deal with the heartbreak, she plans to delete her online game account to an RPG game that they used to play together. However, she decides not to delete it after releasing her stress and encountering the stoic and expressionless Yamada, a famous pro gamer.   

During an in-person event for the online game, she meets her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Filled with embarrassment, she unexpectedly runs into Yamada and forces Yamada to pretend to be her new boyfriend. Yamada reluctantly agrees, and so begins their unexpected friendship.  

The manga covers nine chapters which is about the first three episodes of the anime. I was impressed that the anime remained faithful to the manga. Every manga chapter has been faithfully captured in detail within the anime. However, the anime provides viewers more insight into Yamada-kun’s perspective on his interactions with Akane, which the first manga does not. The manga only focuses on Akane’s perspective and her feelings over her break-up, which is appropriate since she is our main character.   

The art style is simple and crisp. It was easy to read from one panel to the next without getting lost. Each panel focuses on the characters and their facial expressions and has simple backgrounds. One artistic aspect that I enjoy is the use of light shading to express happiness and joy. In some panels, Mashiro uses light shading and some shapely patterns to create a light-hearted mood. For example, when Yamada gives an umbrella to Akane, Akane is seen to have a thankful expression, but the light background conveys this mood too.   

The English translation of the manga is clear and straightforward when it comes to interpretation. As a reader, I didn’t get lost in following the dialogue between characters. The language is simple to understand and anyone can easily read this book without difficulty.   

Overall, My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999 is a manga series worth checking out. I was a fan of the series through the anime, and once the anime ended, I was left wanting to know more about Yamada-kun and Akane. If you enjoy romcoms and can relate to the gamer lingo, this is a series worth checking out.   

The first volume of My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999 was released on May 14th,  2024 through Inklore Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. You can buy the manga on the official Penguin Random House and Inklore Books website.