Say I Love You. Manga Reading Order (All 18 Volumes)

Say I Love You. Manga Reading Order at a Glance

This is a single, linear manga series. There are no branching side stories, no companion volumes (extra books that supplement a main series), and no alternate reading paths to worry about. You start at Volume 1 and read through to Volume 18 in numbered order. That’s it.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Volume	Notes
Volume 1	Start here — Mei and Yamato’s first encounter and the beginning of their unlikely connection
Volume 2	Mei begins to open up; key friendships start forming
Volume 3	The relationship takes shape; trust is tested early
Volume 4	First major emotional turning point for Mei
Volume 5	Rivalry and jealousy enter the picture
Volume 6	Relationship tension deepens; new characters challenge the couple
Volume 7	Themes of self-worth come to the foreground
Volume 8	Miscommunication and outside interference create real stakes
Volume 9	Emotional high point of the middle stretch
Volume 10	Focus begins shifting to the supporting cast’s own stories
Volume 11	Mei’s personal growth beyond the relationship
Volume 12	Questions about the future start surfacing
Volume 13	Supporting characters face turning points of their own
Volume 14	Themes of ambition and direction take center stage
Volume 15	The final stretch begins — stakes rise for Mei and Yamato
Volume 16	Major challenges test everything the characters have built
Volume 17	Story threads begin converging toward resolution
Volume 18	Final volume — the series reaches its conclusive ending

Total: 18 volumes, 72 chapters, series complete.

There’s nothing to rearrange, no special editions that change the chapter order, and no volumes you can safely skip. The story is told chronologically and each volume picks up exactly where the last one left off. If you’ve read manga series that require a flowchart to figure out the reading order, take a deep breath — this one doesn’t.

What Each Part of the Story Covers

Without getting into heavy spoiler territory, here’s a rough sense of what to expect as you move through the series. Think of this as a road map so you know what kind of emotional terrain is coming.

Volumes 1–4: The Beginning of Trust

The series opens with Mei Tachibana, a high school girl who has spent years deliberately avoiding friendships. She doesn’t trust people — and given what she’s been through, you’ll understand why. A chance encounter (involving that legendary kick) brings Yamato Kurosawa into her life. He’s handsome, popular, and inexplicably drawn to her.

These early volumes are about Mei slowly, painfully learning to let someone in. It’s not a quick flip from “loner” to “girlfriend” — Hazuki takes her time, and that patience is what makes the romance feel earned. You’ll also meet key supporting characters who become important later.

Volumes 5–9: Deepening Bonds and Real Challenges

Once Mei and Yamato are together, the story doesn’t coast. This middle stretch introduces rivalries, misunderstandings, and genuine threats to the relationship. Themes of jealousy, self-worth, and what it means to truly support another person come to the foreground.

Some readers find these volumes emotionally intense — there are stretches where miscommunication and outside interference create real tension. That’s by design. Hazuki is interested in what happens after the confession, not just the buildup to it, and that’s what sets Say I Love You. apart from a lot of romance manga.

Volumes 10–14: Growth Beyond the Couple

The focus expands. Supporting characters get their own romantic storylines and personal development. Mei continues to grow as a person — not just as Yamato’s girlfriend, but as someone building a life and figuring out her own ambitions. The relationship faces more mature challenges: questions about the future, career paths, and whether two people can grow in the same direction.

This section rewards patient readers. The supporting cast stories aren’t filler — they reflect and enrich the central romance.

Volumes 15–18: Resolution

The final stretch brings everything together. Mei and Yamato face their biggest challenges yet, and the story reaches a definitive, satisfying conclusion. This isn’t a series that got cancelled or rushed to an ending — Hazuki wrapped things up on her own terms after nine years of publishing the story chapter by chapter in a monthly magazine.

If you’re the kind of reader who needs to know before committing: yes, the ending is conclusive. You won’t be left hanging.

One important note: each story section builds directly on the last. Skipping a volume — even one that seems like it’s focused on side characters — means missing context that matters later. Read them all, in order.

A Note on Content

Say I Love You. deals with realistic emotional themes including bullying, social isolation, jealousy, and relationship pressure. Some moments in the middle volumes can be genuinely difficult to read. The series is rated for older teens and is generally appropriate for readers around age 13 and up, though younger teens may find some of the relationship drama intense. There’s nothing graphic or explicit, but the emotional content is honest and sometimes heavy. If you’re buying this for a younger reader, it’s worth knowing that going in.

Where to Buy Say I Love You. in English

All 18 volumes of Say I Love You. have been released in English by Kodansha Comics. The series is complete, so you can read the whole thing without waiting for future releases.

Digital

For a completed series like this, digital is often the most convenient route. The full series is available on major platforms including Kindle, Kobo, and Apple Books, and you can typically find all 18 volumes without worrying about print availability or stock issues. Digital lets you start reading immediately and doesn’t take up shelf space — a real consideration when you’re looking at 18 volumes.

Individual volumes typically carry a digital list price around the standard range for Kodansha Comics manga. The complete digital bundle collects all 18 volumes in one purchase, which is the simplest way to get everything at once and often comes at a lower total cost than buying each volume separately.

Physical

Physical copies are available, though stock can vary. Because the series finished its English publication run years ago, the publisher may not be actively reprinting every volume — which means some individual books could be temporarily out of stock at major retailers. You may need to check multiple stores or the secondhand market for specific volumes.

Individual volumes are the standard format. There’s no omnibus edition (a thicker book that combines multiple volumes into one) or box set to look for. If you’re building a physical collection, buying what’s in stock when you find it is a smart approach.

Because there’s only one edition of the English release, you don’t have to worry about accidentally buying the wrong version. Any copy of “Say I Love You. Volume X” published by Kodansha Comics is the right one.

Common Mistakes New Readers Make

Starting with the anime instead of the manga

There’s a TV anime adaptation of Say I Love You. that aired in 2012. It’s 13 episodes long — a single season of roughly 25 minutes per episode. The anime covers only a portion of the manga’s story. The manga ran for nine years and 72 chapters — 13 episodes can’t capture all of that.

If you watch the anime first, you’ll get the opening act. But you’ll miss the majority of the story, including all of the later character development and the actual ending. The manga is the original and complete version. If you enjoy the anime, great — pick up the manga where it left off (or better yet, from the beginning, since the adaptation made some changes). But don’t mistake the anime for the full experience.

Confusing edition formats

Unlike some manga series that have standard editions, deluxe editions (premium reprints with upgraded paper or covers), omnibus editions, and collector’s editions floating around, Say I Love You. keeps it simple. There’s one English edition: 18 individual volumes from Kodansha Comics. No special editions to hunt down, no “complete edition” that reorganizes the content. What you see is what you get.

Dropping the series during the middle-volume drama

Volumes 5 through 9 or so contain some of the most emotionally turbulent stretches of the story. Jealousy storylines, rival love interests (characters who compete for Mei’s or Yamato’s attention), and miscommunication can be genuinely frustrating to read through — especially if you just want Mei and Yamato to be happy together.

It’s completely understandable if these volumes test your patience. But stick with it. The drama isn’t manufactured for its own sake. Hazuki uses these conflicts to develop her characters in meaningful ways, and the payoff in the later volumes is real. Many readers who struggled through the middle section say it made the ending hit that much harder.

Getting the title wrong in searches

This is a small thing that trips people up: the official English title is “Say I Love You.” — with a period at the end. That period is part of the title. When you’re searching for volumes online, including the period (or at least knowing it exists) can help you find the right results and avoid confusion with other similarly named media.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many volumes of Say I Love You. are there?

There are 18 volumes total, containing 72 chapters. All 18 volumes are available in English from Kodansha Comics.

Is Say I Love You. finished?

Yes. The manga is complete. It ran from August 2008 to September 2017 in Dessert magazine. Volume 18 is the final volume, and the story has a conclusive ending.

Do I need to watch the anime before reading?

No. The manga is the original source material and tells the complete story. The anime adaptation covers only a fraction of the manga’s 72 chapters. You can absolutely start with the manga and skip the anime entirely — or watch the anime afterward as a complement if you’re curious.

Is there any sequel or spin-off?

There are no sequel series or spin-off manga available in English. Say I Love You. is a self-contained story that begins and ends within its 18 volumes.

Is this a good manga for beginners?

It’s a great entry point for romance manga. Shoujo romance — the category Say I Love You. falls into — simply means love stories originally published in magazines aimed at a teen-girl readership, though people of all ages and backgrounds read and enjoy them. The story here is straightforward, the art is clean, and the emotional beats are relatable even if you haven’t read much manga before. The reading order is as simple as it gets: just grab Volume 1 and go in numbered order. Content-wise, it’s suitable for older teens and up — emotionally honest but nothing graphic.

How long does it take to read the whole series?

At 18 volumes with 72 chapters total, most readers can get through the entire series in a few focused days of reading, or over the course of a couple of weeks at a more relaxed pace. Each volume is a fairly quick read — you’ll likely find yourself reaching for the next one immediately.