Introduction

BL or Boys Love is a genre that many will have mixed feelings about. Some love them and others won’t even bother. I don’t hate or like BL stories not because of their themes, but because most feel like rushed stories are elongated (not meant to be an innuendo) for way too long.

All or Nothing is a short and right-to-the-point manga about two high school boys who quickly realize their friendship isn’t without other feelings. I went into All or Nothing completely blind and after a very quick read, I realized that might have been for the better.

Is All or Nothing the next best BL for those fans out there? Let’s find out in my review of this simple and quick story. Thanks to Yen Press for giving us an early review copy, here, at SunsetNerdVerse!

Art Style

All or Nothing is very simple in its design, which might be this manga story’s weakest element. The characters lack many defining features, from slightly different hairstyles to body shapes. With most BLs, and to be extremely popular, their characters must have some visual flair that makes the art feel more profound and unique.

Even the cover of All or Nothing doesn’t do much and that isn’t to say the art is bad but, I wasn’t wowed by anything in this short manga story. You need to remember that art is subjective so I may not love this style but others might adore it.

Since this manga does have explicit imagery, don’t expect to flip through it to see how the art looks aside from the cover it will be sealed.

Story & Characters

Due to the short nature of this story, All or Nothing is a one-shot, there isn’t much of…well a story. The main premise of All or Nothing is that two friends, in a mostly boy-heavy school, learn that their fellow male friends have entered into a relationship and only now announced it.

Oka and Mao are mystified to learn of this revelation but oddly enough it creates something within them. The two soon learn that they have feelings for one another and act on those feelings…rather quickly. One minute the two are joking about hearing their friends having intercourse only then trying it themselves. Even as far as BLs go, All or Nothing is too quick to change the course of these two friends into a couple.

Aside from the quick story, the characters suffer themselves due to this quick tale of BL romance. We are barely introduced to Mao and Oka and learn even less about their friends Kadoi and Hasumoto who seem interesting, to say the least.

If this was fleshed out to a few volumes, maybe three, All or Nothing could have some actual character development and we could see why these characters are so quick to love one another. We could also learn why they are even friends as that’s barely touched upon.

All or Nothing works as a quick read but if you expect some depth from this tale, that might be pushing it a bit.

Pacing

Again, because All or Nothing is a one-shot, the pacing is quick and to the point. Literally, in less than 30 pages we have characters introducing themselves, hanging out, and then beginning to fall in love.

I’ve read plenty of one-shots before so I never expect them to be filled with massive amounts of plot and have good pacing but, I feel All or Nothing is too fast to be even entertaining. I would have loved the story to slow down so we could at least learn about these characters, and why they were so quick to love one another.

Given that you can read this entire story in less than several minutes, I feel maybe All or Nothing should be commended for at least having a plot.

Panel Layout & Flow

All or Nothing does one thing without issues, the panel layout and flow. I never wondered if I missed something as the panels connect one to another with almost no issues. Likewise, the flow feels natural and doesn’t hinder the story’s pacing. Honestly, this is one of the best elements of All or Nothing, in my opinion.

Themes & Tone

The few BL manga I’ve read have made me realize why BL is so beloved. These various stories take characters, put them in nail-biting scenarios or situations, and eventually show why love works no matter who it is between.

All or Nothing doesn’t go against those themes but I feel it’s a bit comical to have boys who talk about women in the first few panels, then immediately show another side of themselves because of a joke and a misunderstanding. In my mind, this attitude of romance won’t sit well with even those who love BL as a medium and I could see why.

I like when romance is built up and shows why it can happen between the same gender, not when it feels like a forced theme to happen.

Likewise, the tone of All or Nothing is silly. Again, Mao and Oka joke about trying love between them, and then doing it seems ridiculous. As a romance lover (I read and watch a lot of romance stories), I’m being critical here, but I think the tone is ruined by All or Nothing being so quick.

I feel the tone would have been more enjoyable if this had been a manga that lasted at least two volumes.

Conclusion

I don’t particularly love All or Nothing and that isn’t because it’s badly drawn or the story isn’t executed well but because it’s too quick for its good. Had this been a longer-running manga, maybe I would have had fewer issues than I did.

I don’t want this review to come across as me saying All or Nothing is bad, it isn’t for a BL, I feel even hardcore fans want more from it. Still, for a quick read, I’ve read way worse and I think BL readers will find some elements enjoyable but if you don’t like the genre/medium…All or Nothing will not change your mind.

–Aaron