I's Review: A High School Boy Caught Between His Longtime Crush and the Actress Who Changes Everything

Quick Take

• Katsura's (Video Girl Ai, DNA²) romantic triangle with his signature detailed art and genuine character investment — the Iori/Itsuki dynamic is more emotionally complex than most shonen romance
• The art is the series' most consistent quality — Katsura draws romance manga with the visual care of someone who considers every panel
• 15 volumes complete; substantial complete shonen romance from the Weekly Shonen Jump era

Who Is This Manga For?

• Readers who want love triangle romance with genuine emotional investment in both female leads
• Anyone interested in Masakazu Katsura's art in a high school romance setting
• Fans of 1990s Weekly Shonen Jump romance that prioritizes feeling over action
• Readers who want complete long-form romance with resolution

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: T+ (Older Teen) Content Warnings: Fan service and ecchi elements consistent with Weekly Shonen Jump of the era; love triangle with real emotional pain; high school romance content

T+ rating — fan service content appropriate for older teens.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★★☆☆
Art Style	★★★★★
Character Development	★★★★☆
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★☆
Reread Value	★★★☆☆

Story Overview

Ichitaka Seto has been in love with Iori Yoshizuki for the two years they've been classmates. He has not told her. He is not good at this.

Itsuki Akiba is a girl Ichitaka knew in childhood, who moved away and whom he believed had died. She reappears as a rising actress — beautiful, publicly visible, and with a history with Ichitaka that predates Iori. Itsuki still has feelings for him.

The series follows Ichitaka's navigation of his feelings for both women, the development of each relationship, and his eventual growth from paralyzed teenager to someone capable of being honest about what he wants. The 15-volume length gives each relationship genuine room to breathe.

Characters

Ichitaka Seto — A protagonist whose inability to act on his feelings is frustrating and recognizable — the series commits to showing his growth over 15 volumes rather than resolving it artificially early.

Iori Yoshizuki — The initial love interest whose own feelings and her position in the public eye (as an aspiring actress) make her more complex than the simply-unavailable object of affection she could have been.

Itsuki Akiba — The returning rival whose claim on Ichitaka is legitimate — her feelings are real and her history with him is real — which makes the love triangle genuinely painful rather than simply obstacle-generating.

Art Style

Katsura's art is the series' primary achievement. He draws female characters with more visual attention than almost any other shonen manga artist of the era — not merely as fan service objects, but as people whose faces convey specific emotional states. The romantic tension is communicated as much through his visual choices as through the dialogue.

Cultural Context

I"s ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1997 to 2000 — unusual for Jump, which rarely published pure romance manga without action elements. Katsura's track record with Video Girl Ai earned him the space, and I"s is a more comfortable, sunnier series than its predecessor while still having Katsura's characteristic emotional honesty about what teenage romantic feelings actually are.

What I Love About It

Itsuki. The returning childhood friend who is a legitimate romantic rival rather than an obstacle to be cleared out — Katsura gives her genuine feelings and history with Ichitaka, and the series respects both women enough that the love triangle hurts rather than simply generates plot. Which girl Ichitaka chooses feels like it matters.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Western readers describe I"s as the best of Katsura's Weekly Shonen Jump romance — specifically noted for the art being the finest romantic manga illustration of its era, for both female leads being genuinely interesting rather than one-dimensional, and for the 15-volume arc having proper emotional development. Recommended for Katsura fans and shonen romance fans alike.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The moment Ichitaka finally acts rather than observing and wishing — when he makes an actual choice about his feelings rather than being carried by events — is the series' most satisfying character development payoff.

Similar Manga

• Video Girl Ai — Katsura's prior romantic drama with darker fantasy elements
• DNA² — Katsura's sci-fi romance with similar visual quality
• Suzuka — High school athletics romance with similar love triangle structure
• Ichigo 100% — Weekly Shonen Jump love triangle romance from similar era

Reading Order / Where to Start

Volume 1 — Ichitaka's situation, Iori's introduction, and his established inability to confess set the romance premise.

Official English Translation Status

VIZ Media published the complete English series. All 15 volumes available.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Katsura's art is the finest romantic illustration of its era
• Both female leads are genuinely compelling
• Complete in 15 volumes with proper resolution
• Emotional honesty about teenage romantic paralysis

Cons

• Fan service content dates the series
• Ichitaka's passivity is realistic but frustrating
• 15 volumes requires commitment

Format Comparison

Format	Notes
Individual Volumes	VIZ Media; complete series
Digital	Available

Where to Buy

Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.

Start with Volume 1 →

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