Is Love and Lies Manga Finished? Status & Endings
Yes, Love and Lies Is Complete — Here’s What You Need to Know Before Starting
If you’ve been wondering whether Love and Lies (恋と嘘 / Koi to Uso) is finished — yes, it absolutely is. For anyone new to the medium, manga are Japanese comics typically released chapter by chapter (a process called serialization) and then collected into book-form installments called volumes. Love and Lies is complete at 12 volumes, with the final volume released in Japan in January 2022. The entire series is also available in English from Kodansha USA, so you can read the whole thing right now without waiting for future releases.
But here’s where Love and Lies does something unusual. The story follows Yukari Nejima, a teenager living in a near-future Japan where the government assigns marriage partners to citizens at age sixteen. He finds himself torn between two young women — Lilina Sanada, the girl the government has chosen for him, and Misaki Takasaki, the girl he’s loved since childhood. That tension between the two of them is the engine of the whole series. And when it came time to end the story, creator Musawo (ムサヲ) didn’t pick just one resolution. Instead, Volume 12 was released as two separate books — The Lilina Ending and The Misaki Ending. Each one gives a full, distinct conclusion depending on which romantic lead Yukari ends up with. That means there are actually 13 distinct catalog items even though the series is 12 numbered volumes.
So is it worth starting now? If you enjoy romance manga with a sci-fi twist and you like the idea of a completed series where you get to experience two different love stories reaching their conclusions, Love and Lies is a genuinely interesting pick. The dual-ending structure is polarizing — some readers love it, some wish the author had committed to one path — but either way, you’re getting a finished story with real closure.
Publication History and Volume Breakdown
Love and Lies was created by Musawo (ムサヲ) and serialized on Manga Box (マンガボックス), a digital platform where chapters were released online before being collected into print volumes. The series was published in Japan by Kodansha (講談社), one of Japan’s largest manga publishers, with 12 volumes released between January 2015 and January 2022. The English editions come from Kodansha USA, the publisher’s North American branch that handles translating and distributing their titles for English-speaking readers.
The genres blend drama, romance, and science fiction. The premise imagines a near-future Japan where the government assigns marriage partners to citizens when they turn sixteen, creating an immediate tension between arranged compatibility and genuine love.
Here’s a quick overview of the publication details:
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Author | Musawo (ムサヲ) |
| Japanese Publisher | Kodansha |
| English Publisher | Kodansha USA |
| Total Volumes | 12 (with Vol. 12 split into two endings) |
| Catalog Items (EN) | 13 |
| Formats (EN) | Print & Digital |
| Rating (EN) | 16+ (a publisher content advisory suggesting the material is suitable for readers aged sixteen and older) |
| Status | Complete |
The critical thing to understand about the volume count is that Volume 12 exists as two parallel books: The Lilina Ending and The Misaki Ending. They aren’t numbered differently — both are labeled Volume 12. They just tell different versions of the story’s conclusion. This means if you’re browsing a store and see what looks like two copies of Volume 12, you’re not seeing duplicates. You’re seeing two separate books with different content.
The Anime Adaptation
A 12-episode TV anime adaptation — anime being Japanese animation, in this case adapted from the manga — was produced by Liden Films and aired starting in July 2017. The anime covers early portions of the manga, but since the manga didn’t conclude until January 2022, the anime does not cover the complete story. If you watched the anime and want to know how things end, the manga is the only way to get there.
Is the Ending Satisfying? A Spoiler-Light Look
This is probably the biggest question after “is it finished?” — and the answer depends on what kind of reader you are.
Why the Dual-Ending Approach Works for Many Readers
Musawo made a bold choice. Rather than picking one love interest — meaning a character who serves as a romantic option for the protagonist — and potentially alienating half the readership, the author wrote two complete, full-length conclusions. Each ending treats its respective romance with care and emotional weight. Neither feels like a throwaway alternate ending or a bonus chapter — both are real, fleshed-out finales.
For readers who connected deeply with either Lilina or Misaki, this means your preferred pairing gets a genuine, satisfying resolution. You’re not stuck with a consolation prize. That’s a rare gift in romance manga, where a love triangle — a story built around one character choosing between two romantic partners — almost always leaves one side of the readership heartbroken.
Why Some Readers Feel Divided
The flip side is that neither ending is the definitive, author-endorsed conclusion. If you’re someone who wants a story to commit to a single clear answer about who the protagonist truly loves — one ending that the creator stands behind as “the real one” — the dual-ending structure can feel like a dodge. Some readers describe a sense of emotional deflation when they realize neither path was chosen as the official resolution.
It’s a legitimate reaction, and you should go in knowing that this is how the story works rather than being surprised by it.
Reading Order for the Best Experience
The reading order is straightforward:
- Volumes 1–11: The main story. Read these in order.
- Volume 12 (The Lilina Ending): One conclusion.
- Volume 12 (The Misaki Ending): The other conclusion.
Read both Volume 12 variants for the full experience. The order in which you read them doesn’t matter much — each stands on its own as a complete ending to the story set up in Volumes 1–11. Some readers prefer to read the ending for their less-preferred love interest first so they can finish on the one that feels most satisfying to them. Others just pick whichever one they’re most curious about. There’s no wrong approach.
Each ending reframes parts of the emotional journey you experienced across those first eleven volumes, so reading both genuinely adds to the overall experience even if you have a strong preference going in.
Romance Manga With a Similar Vibe
If the government-arranged-love premise and forbidden-romance tension of Love and Lies appealed to you, here are a few thematic directions worth exploring:
- Dystopian or controlled-society romance: Look for manga that explore love under oppressive social systems. Stories where characters fight against rules that dictate who they can love share that same tension between duty and desire that drives Love and Lies.
- Love triangle dramas with real stakes: If the triangle between Yukari, Lilina, and Misaki was what kept you reading, seek out romance series where the protagonist’s choice between two love interests has genuine emotional consequences and neither option is dismissed as secondary.
- Sci-fi romance: The near-future setting of Love and Lies is lighter on the science fiction than a full-blown futuristic or tech-heavy story, but it uses imaginative “what if” scenarios to create romantic conflict. Other manga that blend gentle sci-fi concepts with human relationships scratch a similar itch.
These are thematic directions rather than specific title recommendations. Your local bookstore or a manga reading app will have curated romance sections that make browsing by mood and theme easy, and staff recommendations at physical shops can be particularly helpful for finding your next series.
Where to Buy the Complete Love and Lies Manga
Love and Lies is published in English by Kodansha USA and is available in both print and digital formats. You can find it at major manga retailers — both physical bookstores and online shops typically carry Kodansha USA titles.
The most important buying tip: remember that Volume 12 is listed as two separate items. When you’re ready to finish the series, search specifically for:
- Love and Lies Volume 12 — The Lilina Ending
- Love and Lies Volume 12 — The Misaki Ending
If you only buy one, you’ll only get half the conclusion. Both are needed for the complete experience.
For readers just getting started, picking up the first volume is the easiest way to see if the series clicks with you. The premise kicks in quickly and you’ll know within the first few chapters whether the tone and themes work for you.
Love and Lies, Vol. 12 (final volume)
Since the series is rated 16+ in English, it’s appropriate for older teens and up. The content deals with mature romantic themes — including emotionally intense scenes between the characters and the ethical questions around government control of personal relationships — but it does not contain explicit sexual content or graphic violence. The rating reflects the emotional complexity of the subject matter more than anything shocking on the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many volumes of Love and Lies are there?
There are 12 numbered volumes. However, because Volume 12 was released as two separate books (The Lilina Ending and The Misaki Ending), there are 13 distinct items you can buy. Volumes 1–11 are single books with no variants.
Is there a Volume 13?
No. The two Volume 12 editions are parallel endings, not a continuation. They both pick up from the same point at the end of Volume 11 and tell different versions of the conclusion. The story is fully complete — there is no Volume 13 and the series is not ongoing.
Does the anime cover the whole manga?
No. The 12-episode TV anime produced by Liden Films aired starting in July 2017, but the manga continued until January 2022. The anime covers a portion of the story and does not reach the manga’s conclusion. If you want to know how Love and Lies ends, the manga is the way to go.
Do I need to read both endings?
Not strictly — each Volume 12 variant works as a standalone conclusion to the story. You could read only one and have a complete experience. That said, reading both is recommended. Each ending brings out different emotional threads from the main story, and experiencing both gives you a fuller picture of what Musawo was exploring with these characters. Many readers who initially planned to read only one ending found themselves picking up the other shortly after.
What order should I read the two endings in?
There’s no official recommended order. A common approach is to read the ending for your less-favored love interest first, then finish with the one you’re rooting for. But plenty of readers just grab whichever one they find first and enjoy both equally. Don’t overthink it — just read both when you can.
