Beachloves's manga / #Slice of life(332)

6/28/21 This is a beautiful slow burn shounen-ai about hidden feelings and the pain of unrequited love. I loved it! Only read volumes 1&2 the last one focuses on a side character and it says that it's completed but it doesn't feel done so it's kinda unsatisfying but the main story is amazing! 7/21/21 This is my second time reading this and I am completely blown away by how this story unfolds. Every time I read this I am emotionally eviscerated by Touma's feelings. The way this love is portrayed is so honest, so raw, and pure. I truly believe in his devotion to his friend. There is something about this that is so atmospheric, and wistful. But perhaps due to the quiet nature of this story we never end up with a grand finale or a wedding cake moment, I find this a bit regrettable. The characters just quietly walk away hand in hand with their love to pursue their life. But I wish the best for Touma and Takaya, I hope they share much love and happiness together.

One of the most genuine stories i have ever read about two people wanting to be loved for who they are. It is so short but this impression it makes in such a short time left me in tears. I cried several times but I cried tears of happieness with the protagonist by the end. Thanks for a beautiful story!

This so SOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUTTTTEEEE! 5 stars (by the end)***! This is definitely worth the read if you are willing to read all the chapters including all 40 of the epilogue chapters. The 40 epilogue chapters were the best part of this whole story! Yay loved it! ***Sorta spoilers*** The only drawback to this story is that their relationship is non-consensual from the start. The main character feels victimized as he is repeatedly forced to have sex. This was really hard to get past. But if you can put that aside, their relationship changes after the first 16 chapters. The series is 80 chapters long so if you can make it through the first 16 you get to enjoy 64 chapters of adorable, rom-com, fluffy, bliss!

Ugh! the first 3 chapters are so good! But warning the last 3 are really not... But still worth the read!

Very cute!

This does so many things right. I wish there wasn't a rape scene and I wish they had stuck the landing a little better? Tbh the last chapter is pretty weak, but the beginning is so good it makes up for it!

Really cute! I think that the last chapter should have been in the middle? It is a flashback and kinda messes wit the conclusion of the story.

*Revised after re-read 5 stars! I changed my initial review of this manga after reading it again, I now feel it is fully deserving of 5 stars, the art style is beautiful, the characters are all distinct and the story is very compelling. So if you haven't read it yet and don't want any spoiler discussion, go read it! :) ***Spoilers*** Why I initially had a lower review~ I will admit that part of my initial negative feelings were due to the fact that I don't like to read the summary or comments about a story before I read it because major plot points are often given away. However, while the summary says that "Yumi's boyfriend hits him..." I feel that even if I had read it I wouldn't have been prepared for the mature nature of the contents. At the time I was disturbed by the violent beatings that Yumi endured while having sex with his abusive boyfriend. This coupled with Kan-chan being made to be a victim with dialogue like "I know you're in love with somebody else..." Implying that Yumi's lack of sincerity in their relationship was partially to blame for Kan-chan's behavior. I know it's fiction, but it was frustrating the first time around, especially because I did not understand that the author was setting up Kan-chan to be a protagonist of a prequel "Azami," a sequel "Renai-rubi no Tadashii Furikata," and a follow up "Hadakeru Kaibutsu." Also from a different cultural perspective, I don't understand what the deal is with hating pity so much? It comes up a lot in manga and BL but I don't really get what the deal is? After looking up several definitions of pity and comparing it to my own social understanding I guess it's that they have so much pride they can't stand the thought of a person thinking they are experiencing hardship? Because somehow that's weak? Even though literally everyone on the face of the earth experiences hardship and we all experience it at different times and intensities so of course other people will sometimes be in more advantageous positions than yourself and sometimes it will be the reverse? You can see that as someone with not a lot of "pride" like Yumi it was hard the first time reading it to relate to him as a character. What changed~ When I came back to this I was looking to read an emotionally challenging mature BL drama. I was prepared to view a depiction of brutal sexual violence, and I knew that things ended well so I was more able to enjoy the ride. I was also able to understand Yumi better this time around. PSA:"on average, a victim of abuse will leave their abuser 7 times! Before finally leaving for good." Yumi is a victim of abuse. After re-reading this I was able to have more compassion for Yumi and his inability to leave his abuser. I was also able to understand that due to Yumi's feelings of helplessness from abuse, he might overcompensate in other areas to feel strong. Mainly not wanting to be pitied or coddled. Overall this was an excellent story that has really stuck with me. For its realistic depictions of the abuse victims face, to the gentle love that blooms in the undercurrent. If you made it all the way to the end of this, wow! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :)