Writer and Artist:Machi Suehiro
Publisher: Yen Press(print & digital)
Translation: Leighann Harvey
Lettering: Dietrich Premier
Publication Date:Jul 28, 2026
Rating: Mature
Genre: Manga (JPN), Romance, Drama, LGBTQ+, Boys’ Love, Slice-of-life
From Fake Fact Lips’ creator Machi Suehiro, comes Clumsy Kiss, a coming-of-age Boys’ Love manga set in high school. Machi Suehiro is an established BL artist with several of their works already available in English, including Kind of a Wolf and Fox Colored Jealousy, also released by Yen Press. Clumsy Kiss is originally a single-volume series, however, it was recently announced that a sequel is on its way. Here’s a spoiler-free look into the main story to see if you should give it a chance!
Kumai is pretty much like his friends: he wants to experience your run-of-the-mill high school life, including romance. Yet his timidness works against him, and even if he does find someone to date, he fears his anxiety and need to take intimacy slow will surely ruin the relationship, just like his last one.
That being said, he’s not immune to propaganda either. His friends rile him up, claiming the cute Hayashi who just broke up with her boyfriend might be into Kumai. He takes the bait and messages her, the exchange somehow ends with the two deciding to date and have lunch at school the next day. The person who shows up at the rooftop, however, is not Hayashi but Sasahara, the heartthrob of the whole school.
Yen Press released Clumsy Kiss in large trim paperback with four full-color pages of illustrations printed on semi-glossy paper. The cover has a holographic layer with little sparkles that completes the cuteness and is a nice addition.
The volume is thicker than the average Boys’ Love manga with 300 pages and is based on the new release with additional 20+ pages. So expect a chunky, pretty comic!
The premise of Clumsy Kiss is pretty straightforward, just like the life Kumai expects from his last year of high school. He’s perplexed to see Sasahara at first, but soon figures out that Hayashi and Sasahara’s first names are written with the same kanji, but read differently. So the person he exchanged messages with and decided to date over text is the cool guy everyone’s dying to get a piece of, rumored to be a playboy given that he’s never been seen in a relationship before.
This secret rooftop rendezvous is Kumai and Sasahara’s first official conversation, and it subtly lays the groundwork of the characters’ sexualities: Sasahara is gay and Kumai is… well, he doesn’t know yet but he’s not as straight as he assumes he is. Kumai was never subtle when checking Sasahara out in school, to the point that he caught Sasahara’s attention. Kumai’s internal monologue often derails to how cool he is and he is very comfortable with the idea of them being boyfriends. He’s more stressed about deceiving Sasahara by not coming clean about the mishap, but even that mix-up slips his mind too easily when they’re in each others’ presence.
Hence, if you’re in the mood for a BL series where homophobia doesn’t hover over its characters and the narration focuses more on the two leads building a relationship through dating, Clumsy Kiss is a perfect choice.
Setting-wise, the series doesn’t stray far from the usual high-school BL where the leads start dating due to a misunderstanding and, along the way, develop feelings. However, there are subtle choices Machi Suehiro makes that breathes life into Clumsy Kiss.
One aspect of Kumai and Sasahara that slightly differs from the usual is, while the relationship can be considered “fake“ given the way it has started and Kumai’s intention to end it by coming clean, the relationship itself is so genuine and sweet, and it’s impossible to tell apart from two teenagers truly dating.
This allows Machi Suehiro to follow a more down-to-earth course with the casual emotional bumps of a first kiss or dates instead of the extreme ends of a roller coaster and constant denial of feelings. So, the main current in Clumsy Kiss is less about the truth coming out, yet it doesn’t make this series dull or less intriguing.
Suehiro’s characters are in line with the contemporary “pretty boy“ style of Boys Love or shojo manga. I find the creator’s character designs to be cute and I can tell their works from other artists’, but Suehiro’s characters themselves, especially the ones in modern settings, tend to bleed into each other. These characters have a sensual beauty to them, and the top and bottom aren’t that visually distinct from each other, other than the slight size difference and subtle eye shape differences.
The lines are thin and extremely clean, which gives the characters a simplistic, yet elegant and charming look. While I wouldn’t call them inexpressive, facial expressions never get in the way of their beauty, and we never see “ugly“ or distorted expressions for comedic effect. That includes the small, deformed versions as well; everything and everyone is pretty here. In this regard, I can say it’s similar to Minta Suzumaru, stylistically.
To conclude, Machi Suehiro’s Clumsy Kiss will probably not be your most memorable read, but it’s a competent, charming volume that delivers what it promises and the print edition is clearly handled with care and love. The artist is well-known within the fanbase and this release will be worth the wait. A big thank you to Yen Press for sending me an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Clumsy Kiss by Machi Suehiro is available digitally and in print on Yen Press’ website and other retailers.
