First Love Monster Manga Volumes: All 8 Books Guide

First Love Monster Manga Volumes: The Complete 8-Book Series

If you’re new to manga, a quick note: manga series are published as individual paperback books called “volumes,” each containing several chapters of the story. You read them in order — volume 1 through 8 in this case — and the pages read right-to-left, which feels natural after just a few pages.

First Love Monster is 8 volumes long, and the entire series is finished and available in English from Yen Press, a North American publisher that specializes in translating manga and other Japanese comics for English-speaking readers.

The manga was written and illustrated by Akira Hiyoshimaru and originally published chapter by chapter in Kodansha’s ARIA magazine in Japan — a common way manga series are released before being collected into book-format volumes. The series later moved to an online platform called pixiv Comic ARIA. The final Japanese volume came out in February 2017, and all eight English-language volumes have been published.

The premise is wild and that’s kind of the point. Kaho Nikaidou is a sheltered, wealthy high school girl who moves into a high school dormitory — a shared residence where several characters live under one roof, which creates plenty of opportunities for comedic collisions — for a fresh start. On her very first day, a tall, handsome boy saves her from an accident, and she immediately falls head over heels for him. The catch? He’s an elementary school student. He just happens to be absurdly tall for his age. The entire series runs with this ridiculous setup, playing it for comedy while gradually building something surprisingly heartfelt underneath the chaos.

At just 8 volumes, this is a quick collect. You can realistically buy the whole series in one go and read it over a weekend. If you’re someone who prefers finished stories over ongoing ones — or if you’ve been burned by a series going on indefinite hiatus — First Love Monster is a safe bet. The story has a beginning, a middle, and a definitive ending.

Volume-by-Volume Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of what each key volume brings to the table, so you can get a sense of the story’s shape without heavy spoilers. All 8 volumes are available in English from Yen Press — none of them are out of print exclusives or hard to track down.

Volume	What to Expect
Vol. 1	The setup. Kaho moves into the dormitory, gets rescued by the gorgeous Kanade Takahashi, confesses her feelings — and then learns he’s a fifth grader. The comedy engine starts here and it does not let up.
Vol. 2	Dormitory chaos in full swing. Kaho tries to make sense of her feelings while the other residents — a cast of equally over-the-top personalities — pile on the absurdity. This is where you’ll know whether the humor clicks for you.
Vol. 3	Continues building on the comedic foundation and deepens the supporting cast. The humor stays consistent and the character dynamics start taking shape.
Vol. 4	Rival characters enter the picture, and the comedic misunderstandings get more elaborate. The dynamic between Kaho and Kanade starts shifting as new complications test both of them.
Vol. 5	More character development and comedic situations that keep the momentum rolling between the major plot beats. The story is steadily moving pieces into position for the back half.
Vol. 6	The emotional stakes quietly rise. What started as pure comedy begins delivering real relationship challenges. This volume marks a tonal shift that makes the final stretch of the series land harder.
Vol. 7	Key emotional turning points happen here. The story is clearly heading toward its conclusion, and the character growth that’s been building underneath all the jokes starts paying off.
Vol. 8	The finale. The central romance reaches its resolution, and the series wraps up its storylines. Without spoiling the specifics — the ending feels earned.

The biggest plot and emotional beats land in volumes 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8, but volumes 2, 3, and 5 do important work keeping the comedy sharp and the characters developing. There’s no filler here — 8 volumes is a tight run.

How the Romance Progresses Across All 8 Manga Volumes

One of the things that makes First Love Monster work better than its premise might suggest is the way the romance actually evolves over the course of the series. Remember, this is a story about a high school girl who falls for someone who turns out to be an elementary schooler — and the early volumes lean hard into the comedy of that situation. The humor is broad, silly, and unafraid of the absurd, with Kanade’s childish antics clashing constantly against Kaho’s earnest romantic feelings.

But the series knows what it’s doing. The gap between Kanade’s childish behavior and his moments of unexpected sincerity is the emotional engine of the whole manga. Early on, those sincere moments feel like brief flickers buried under layers of slapstick. By the middle volumes, they start landing with real weight — you begin to care about these characters and root for them despite the outlandish circumstances.

The key romantic turning points are concentrated in volumes 4 through 8. This is where Kaho stops just reacting to the craziness around her and starts actively figuring out what her feelings actually mean. The relationship doesn’t just coast on its gimmick; it grows into something that, despite the outlandish setup, feels genuine. By the time the final volume rolls around, the series has done enough work building the emotional connection between Kaho and Kanade that the resolution feels satisfying rather than forced.

Readers who enjoy comedic romance with unusual setups will find the payoff worthwhile. The ending doesn’t shy away from resolving the central relationship, and the buildup across all 8 volumes gives that resolution the weight it needs. This isn’t a series that’s all jokes and no substance — it’s a series that uses jokes to get you invested before delivering an emotional payoff that catches you off guard in the best way.

That said, this manga leans heavily on its comedy throughout. If the humor in volume 1 doesn’t land for you at all, the later emotional beats probably won’t change your mind. The series rewards readers who enjoy the ride, not just the destination.

Series Status and What Comes Next

First Love Monster is complete. The manga ended with volume 8, with the final Japanese volume published in February 2017 by Kodansha. All 8 English volumes from Yen Press are out and available. There’s nothing left to wait for — you can read the entire story right now.

An anime adaptation — an animated television series based on the manga — also exists for anyone who wants to experience the story in that format. It aired in 2016 and covers roughly the first few volumes of the manga’s storyline. If you watched the anime first and are now looking for the manga to find out what happens next, picking up from around volume 3 or 4 onward will get you into new territory, though starting from volume 1 gives you the fullest experience since the manga includes material and nuances the anime doesn’t cover.

As of now, no sequel or spin-off manga has been announced. The story wrapped up cleanly, so this is one of those series where “complete” really means complete. Akira Hiyoshimaru told the story they wanted to tell in 8 volumes, and that’s that.

Where to Buy First Love Monster Manga Volumes

All 8 English volumes are published by Yen Press and available through major retailers. Here’s what to know about getting your hands on them:

Physical volumes are the standard single-volume paperback releases from Yen Press. Each volume is a slim, pocket-sized book — 8 of them lined up on a shelf take up very little space. For a complete manga series, this is one of the more budget-friendly full collections you can buy.

Digital editions are also available through e-reader platforms including Kindle, BookWalker, and other major digital manga storefronts. Digital is a great option if you prefer reading on a tablet or phone, or if you want instant access without waiting for shipping.

For physical copies, you can find individual volumes at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. If you’re just starting the series, volume 1 is your entry point — grab that first, and if the premise hooks you, you’ve got a clear and short path to the finish line.

Volume 8 — the final volume that wraps up the entire story — is worth highlighting for readers who’ve been following along digitally and want the physical finale on their shelf:

Since the series has been out for several years now, availability for specific physical volumes can occasionally fluctuate at individual retailers. If you’re having trouble finding a particular volume in stock at one store, it’s worth checking others. The digital editions tend to stay consistently available regardless.

A note on editions: The English release consists of the standard 8 individual volumes from Yen Press. There are no omnibus editions (single books that combine multiple volumes into one) or collector’s box sets available for this series. That keeps the buying decision straightforward — you’re looking at 8 individual books, and that’s the complete set.