Love★Com Manga Reading Order: Where to Start

Love★Com Complete Manga Reading Order

Love★Com is a completed shoujo (girls’ romance) manga by Aya Nakahara. It was originally published chapter by chapter in Bessatsu Margaret, a long-running girls’ manga magazine from Shueisha in Japan. The English-language edition was released by Viz Media under their Shojo Beat label.

The Love★Com manga reading order is as simple as it gets — sequential volume numbers, start to finish:

• Volume 1
• Volume 2
• Volume 3
• Volume 4
• Volume 5
• Volume 6
• Volume 7
• Volume 8
• Volume 9
• Volume 10
• Volume 11
• Volume 12
• Volume 13
• Volume 14
• Volume 15
• Volume 16
• Volume 17

That’s the entire series. Seventeen volumes of one continuous story, beginning to end. The individual volumes don’t have subtitles — they’re simply numbered. Since Love★Com is fully completed, you can read straight through at whatever pace you like with no cliffhanger waits between releases.

There are no branching paths or prequel volumes, and no side stories you need to read in English. You pick up Volume 1, and you keep going until Volume 17. That’s all there is to it.

Each volume is priced in the standard range you’d expect for a manga paperback. Across all 17 volumes, you’re looking at a typical manga series investment — nothing unusual for the format.

If you want to start with Volume 1 of the Viz Media English edition, it’s readily available.

One Story, One Series — No Complicated Order Needed

Some manga series actually need a reading order guide. Series with prequels, sequel spin-offs, alternate-universe side stories, or multiple manga running at the same time — those can get confusing fast. Love★Com isn’t one of them.

The manga follows Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ōtani across all seventeen volumes in a single unbroken storyline. There are no parallel stories running in a different magazine and no companion manga told from another character’s perspective. A short spin-off collection was published in Japan years later, but it was never released in English and isn’t part of the core reading order.

Aya Nakahara told this story in one place, and it has a definitive beginning, middle, and end. When you finish Volume 17, you’ve read the complete Love★Com manga. Nothing is missing.

Bonus Content and Extras

Some manga volumes include bonus chapters, author notes, or short comedy strips at the end of individual volumes. Love★Com volumes may contain small extras like these — short humorous strips, author commentary, or brief bonus pages that expand on the characters. These are included within the volumes themselves, so you’ll encounter them naturally as you read. There’s nothing you need to hunt down separately.

The key takeaway: if someone told you that you need a complicated guide to read Love★Com, they were probably thinking of a different series. This one is wonderfully simple.

Which Edition Should You Buy

There are a few options depending on your language preference and reading format. Here’s what’s available.

Viz Media English Singles

The standard English release is the Viz Media single-volume edition, published under the Shojo Beat label — Viz’s line dedicated to girls’ and women’s manga. These are the 17 individual volumes that match the Japanese release one-to-one. For most English-speaking readers, this is the edition you’ll be looking for.

These volumes have been the primary way English readers have experienced Love★Com since they were first published, and they remain the most widely recognized English edition.

Print vs. Digital

Love★Com’s English volumes are available in both print and digital formats. Digital editions can be a convenient option, especially if some of the print volumes are harder to find in stock at any given time. Older manga series in the girls’ romance category can sometimes go in and out of print availability, so if you spot physical copies at a good price, it’s worth grabbing them.

Digital editions are typically available through e-book retailers like Kindle, Kobo, and Apple Books, as well as manga-focused platforms, giving you instant access to the full series without worrying about print availability.

Are There Omnibus or Collector’s Editions?

As of the information available, there is no widely released English omnibus, 2-in-1, or special collector’s edition of Love★Com. The single-volume Viz Media release is the standard English format. If you’re hoping for a box set or oversized edition, that doesn’t appear to be available for this series — the individual volumes are the way to go.

Japanese Editions

For readers who want the original Japanese text, the Shueisha editions are the source material. These were published as part of the Margaret Comics catalog. If you’re studying Japanese or simply prefer reading manga in its original language, these are worth seeking out, though they’re obviously not going to be as easy to find through typical English-language retailers.

Quick Edition Comparison

Edition	Publisher	Language	Format
Shojo Beat singles	Viz Media	English	Print & Digital
Margaret Comics	Shueisha	Japanese	Print

Both editions are 17 volumes. For most readers, the Viz Media English singles are the clear choice — they’re the most accessible and widely available option.

Tips for First-Time Love★Com Readers

Going into Love★Com for the first time? Here are some things that will help you get the most out of it.

The Comedy Runs on Japanese Humor Traditions

One of the most distinctive things about Love★Com is its comedy style. The series is steeped in humor from Japan’s Kansai region — think of it as a regional flavor of Japanese comedy known for being louder, more physical, and more rapid-fire than what you’d typically see from Tokyo-set stories. Specifically, the manga draws heavily on manzai, a traditional Japanese stand-up format where two performers do fast back-and-forth banter: one person sets up jokes and acts goofy (the “boke”), while the other reacts, corrects, and keeps things grounded (the “tsukkomi”). You don’t need to remember those terms — just know that the jokes are fast, loud, and built on two people constantly one-upping each other. Risa and Ōtani’s dynamic mirrors this structure constantly, and it’s a huge part of why their chemistry works so well.

The Viz Media English translation does a solid job adapting this humor. You won’t get the exact experience of reading regional Japanese dialect, obviously, but the translators captured the energy and comedic timing effectively. The jokes land, the bickering feels natural, and the comedy doesn’t get lost in translation the way it sometimes can with culturally specific humor.

It’s a Comedy First — Then It Sneaks Up on You

Love★Com opens as a very comedy-forward series. The first few volumes are packed with gags, misunderstandings, and over-the-top reactions. If you’re coming in expecting a quiet, emotional romance from page one, you might be surprised by how goofy it is early on.

Stick with it. The series earns its emotional moments by building on that comedic foundation. As Risa and Ōtani’s relationship develops, the stakes deepen. The humor never disappears — this isn’t a series that abandons its comedy roots — but the emotional weight grows naturally alongside it. By the later volumes, moments hit hard precisely because you’ve spent so much time laughing with these characters.

The Height Gimmick Is Just the Starting Point

The signature hook of Love★Com is the tall girl / short boy dynamic. Risa is tall for a girl; Ōtani is short for a guy. They get nicknamed “All Hanshin-Kyojin” (a famous Japanese comedy duo known for their height difference — imagine being nicknamed after a well-known comedy act because of how you look standing next to your friend), and the series mines this for comedy early and often.

But here’s what makes the manga genuinely good rather than just a one-note gag: the height thing is the premise, not the substance. The real story is about two people navigating insecurity, miscommunication, jealousy, friendship, and the messy reality of falling for someone who doesn’t fit the picture you had in your head. The relationship stakes grow well beyond the initial gimmick, and by the midpoint of the series, the height difference is just one small part of a much richer story.

The Anime Is a Companion, Not a Prerequisite

An anime adaptation of Love★Com exists, and it’s a fun watch. But you absolutely do not need to see it before reading the manga, and you won’t miss anything by reading the manga first (or only).

The manga is the original and complete version of the story. If you’re unfamiliar with the difference: manga is the printed comic you read page by page (right to left, in the Japanese style), while the anime is an animated TV show with voice actors, music, and movement. The anime covers a significant portion of the story but, like most adaptations, doesn’t encompass every detail from all seventeen volumes. If you enjoy the manga, the anime is a great way to experience the comedy with voice performances that add another dimension to the humor. But the manga stands completely on its own. Read it first, watch later, do both at once, skip the anime entirely — all valid approaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Love★Com finished?

Yes. Love★Com is a completed series. The manga has been fully published in both Japanese and English, so you can read the entire story from beginning to end right now with no waiting.

How many volumes are in the Love★Com manga reading order?

Love★Com is 17 volumes long in both the Japanese and English editions. That’s a comfortable length — substantial enough to tell a complete, satisfying romance but not so long that it feels like a major commitment to start.

Is there a sequel or spin-off?

There is no English-released sequel or spin-off for Love★Com. Two short spin-off stories were published in Japan (Love Com Deluxe, 2009, and Love Com Two, 2012), but neither was licensed in English. For English readers, the story is complete within the original seventeen volumes. Aya Nakahara has worked on other manga, but there’s no continuation of the Love★Com story or characters available in English.

Should I watch the anime before or after reading the manga?

Either order works fine. The manga is the source material and tells the complete story across all seventeen volumes. The anime adaptation is enjoyable on its own merits, especially for the voice performances that bring the rapid-fire comedy to life.

If you want the full, unabridged story, start with the manga. If you’ve already seen the anime and want to know what happens beyond what it covers, the manga will fill in those gaps and take you through to the story’s conclusion. There’s no wrong order here — just personal preference.

Is Love★Com good for manga beginners?

Very much so. It’s a completed series with a clear start and finish, the volume count is manageable, the comedy is accessible, and the story doesn’t require any prior manga knowledge to enjoy. If you’re new to manga or romance manga in general, Love★Com is a great pick. The humor makes it an easy, engaging read, and since manga reads right to left (the opposite direction from Western comics), you’ll get the hang of the format quickly — most readers adjust within a few pages. The Love★Com manga reading order couldn’t be simpler, which makes it an ideal starting point.