# A Love Too Captivating
**A Love Too Captivating** (Japanese: たまらないのは恋なのか, *Tamaranai no wa Koi nano ka*, rendered by [Anime News Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/anime-news-network) as *Tamaranai no wa Koina no ka* and glossed "Is it because of love that I can't resist?") is a Japanese boys-love romance manga written and illustrated by Mia Sorahana and published by Kodansha.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) It began serialization in Kodansha's shōjo magazine Bessatsu Friend in 2023, reached its third collected volume in October 2024, and is being released in English under the title A Love Too Captivating digitally by Kodansha's K Manga service, with its first print volume from Vertical Comics scheduled for December 22, 2026.[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) • [3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | たまらないのは恋なのか (*Tamaranai no wa Koi nano ka*); ANN glosses it "Is it because of love that I can't resist?"[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) |
| Author | Mia Sorahana (story and art); this is her first work translated into English[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) • [3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/) |
| Serialization | Bessatsu Friend (Kodansha), from the August 2023 issue, vintage date July 13, 2023[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) |
| Collected volumes | Third Japanese volume published October 11, 2024; series still listed as releasing[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) • [4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka) |
| Genre | Romance/romcom, shōjo/josei, and yaoi/BL per the publisher[5](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960) |
| Adaptation | Animated short with over half a million YouTube views; listed as a finished Special first aired April 6, 2025[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/) • [6](https://www.anime.com/shows/a-love-too-captivating) • [4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka) |
| English release | K Manga simulpub from October 2024; Vertical Comics paperback volume 1 (198 pages, $14.95) due December 22, 2026[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) • [7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/834142/a-love-too-captivating-1-by-mia-sorahana/) |
## Identification and publication history
The work's Japanese title is たまらないのは恋なのか. Anime News Network romanizes it as *Tamaranai no wa Koina no ka*, while AniList uses *Tamaranai no wa Koi nano ka*; both renderings denote the same title.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) • [4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka) The English title A Love Too Captivating denotes the same work.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) • [4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka)
Mia Sorahana debuted the manga in Kodansha's Bessatsu Friend magazine in July 2023; the encyclopedia record gives the August 2023 issue with a vintage date of July 13, 2023.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) • [2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) Kodansha published the third compiled book volume on October 11, 2024.[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) An Italian edition is published by Planet Manga.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253)
## Premise and setup
The story follows a delinquent-versus-honor-student pairing. Misuzu was branded a delinquent when a small incident left him isolated at school. One day he sees the top student, Kitahara, surrounded by bullies and decides to help him out.[5](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960) In the opening chapter, titled "SCARS," Misuzu warns him: "If you get involved with me, you'll get ostracized by everyone else too."[5](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960)
After Misuzu defends the honor student from local punks, Kitahara follows Misuzu around trying to get to know this so-called bully, who is actually much sweeter than he seems.[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
## Characters and relationships
AniList credits the two leads as Aoha Misuzu and Riku Kitahara, both main characters, with Mia Sorahana handling story and art.[4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka) The romance develops from Kitahara's persistent pursuit: the honor student breaks through the walls of the standoffish "bad boy," whose reputation is at odds with his actual temperament.[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
## Genre placement and comparisons
Kodansha's own listing categorizes the work under Romance/Romcom, Shojo/josei, and Yaoi/BL, placing it simultaneously in the shōjo/josei romance field and the boys-love genre.[5](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960) K Manga's simulpub announcement likewise described it as a boys-love manga.[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) Vertical Comics calls it a "pure BL (boys' love) manga series" about a standoffish "bad boy" and an honor student.[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
The publisher positions the series for fans of *Sasaki and Miyano*, *My Summer of You*, and *My Ultramarine Sky*, situating it among contemporary school-life BL romance.[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
## Adaptation and English-language release
The series was adapted into an animated short that has drawn over half a million views on YouTube, according to the English publisher.[3](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/) AniList lists the adaptation as a Special with status Finished,[4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka) and the aggregator Anime.com dates its first airing to April 6, 2025.[6](https://www.anime.com/shows/a-love-too-captivating)
On October 10, 2024, Kodansha's K Manga service announced that it had added the title as a simulpub release; the service had released Chapter 1, "SCARS," in English on October 8, 2024, at 58 pages.[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) • [5](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960) The English edition is licensed by Kodansha Comics with online distribution via K MANGA.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253) Vertical Comics' print edition begins with volume 1, a 198-page paperback priced at $14.95 (ISBN 9781647296292), listed as available on December 22, 2026.[7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/834142/a-love-too-captivating-1-by-mia-sorahana/) The licensor retained the English title A Love Too Captivating across the digital and print editions.[2](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588) • [7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/834142/a-love-too-captivating-1-by-mia-sorahana/) The translation is credited to Jacqueline Fung, with editing by Katherine Tran and lettering by Jan Lan Ivan Concepcion.[1](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253)
## Reception by the numbers
The title holds an average score of 76% and a mean score of 80%, with a popularity of 2,778 users and 103 favorites, and it is ranked #42 among the highest rated manga of 2023 on AniList.[4](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka)
## References
1. [A Love Too Captivating (manga), Anime News Network Encyclopedia](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=31253)
2. [K Manga Adds A Love Too Captivating Manga for Simulpub, Anime News Network (October 10, 2024)](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-10-10/k-manga-adds-a-love-too-captivating-manga-for-simulpub/.216588)
3. [A Love Too Captivating Series, Penguin Random House / Vertical Comics](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VL2/a-love-too-captivating/)
4. [Tamaranai no wa Koi nano ka (A Love Too Captivating), AniList](https://anilist.co/manga/167108/Tamaranai-no-wa-Koi-nano-ka)
5. [A Love Too Captivating, Chapter 1 "SCARS", K MANGA (Kodansha)](https://kmanga.kodansha.com/title/10615/episode/354960)
6. [A Love Too Captivating, Anime.com](https://www.anime.com/shows/a-love-too-captivating)
7. [A Love Too Captivating 1 by Mia Sorahana, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/834142/a-love-too-captivating-1-by-mia-sorahana/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Manga titles, publishers, and magazines › Shōjo manga titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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