High school swimmer Hiyoro is in danger of losing her scholarship after a shoulder injury. It is also devastating because swimming has been important to her life for years. She is taken under the wing of student council president Masaki, who goes back and forth from being helpful to being a control freak. Are they or aren’t they a good fit for each other? Her feelings are further complicated when a handsome nurse joins the school, and he and Hiyoro share a background.

In the high school romance manga Control Love, main character Hiyoro Yagami is dedicated to swimming, and has been practicing the sport for 13 years. But here we find tragedy: her parents are deceased and she lives with her grandmother, and now she is experiencing new loss because of an injury in her shoulder. She got into her fancy school because she got fifth place in nationals, but with her shoulder injury endangering her skills, she’s being ejected from the swim team and removed as an honors student. Since this was the school her parents went to, it’s very personal to her.

With these very intimate dramas, Hiyoro is already an approachable and understandable character. She’s going through what many athletes fear and sometimes go through themselves. Hiyoro is determined not to quit swimming, nor to leave this school.

But she doesn’t have to be all alone in this. Our first peek of the hero Masaki Kitagawa, the Jouran Academy Student Council President, comes when he notices Hiyoro suffering outside the school, and tosses an omamori to her, hoping to make her feel better. The subtle gesture has a lot of meaning. They continue to interact, with Masaki sometimes saying very sweet things, and sometimes very provocative things. It’s also indicated, from a conversation he has with other male students, that more is going on that we don’t know about.

And while Masaki is the main love interest, it doesn’t stop there. Hiyoro gets involved with the student council, and this gets her around more cute boys, including one who is a professional model. On top of that, the handsome 23-year-old new school nurse is someone Hiyoro has known for years. So there’s already a closeness to them, and the nurse is clearly drawn to Hiyoro, though he keeps his feelings in check because of his job. The scenes between them are endearing, piquant and forbidden, adding depth and conflict to the story.

The manga is lightly sexy, with some suggestive scenes, and it’s hard not to keep reading to see what is going to happen. Hiyoro’s strong will is admirable, and the mystery of what’s really going on with Masaki is enticing.

Control Love shouldn’t be mixed up with Love Control, a yaoi manga published by Digital Manga Publishing. Control Love is receiving its English language debut on Mangamo and is available there exclusively, with new chapters being added. This is a great title for fans of romance manga who want a relaxing, slice-of-life read with multiple handsome men and an approachable, dedicated main character.

Control Love by Chee. Manga review by Danica Davidson