Lex's manga / #Realistic(49)

Mishima, a student at a school in the countryside, is bullied by his classmates. The reason is because he's seemingly gay. In reality, Mishima does like guys so he doesn't resist their bullying, and instead, finds solace in secretly cross-dressing. One day on the rooftop, Mishima finds the lipstick he'd lost before in the hands of Kirino, one of the bullies... and Kirino was about to put on the lipstick that Mishima used on his own lips. This is the story of young boys looking for a place they can really be themselves. ---------- Such a rollercoaster of emotions. The MCs are really relatable. I feel so sad about Kirino's character's ending. Seeing how Kirino ended up choosing to put up appearances out of fear of causing (his) mother grief really broke my heart. It was hinted pretty heavily, that Kirino could be a transgender character (as the author included pretty strong hints that Kirino could have gender dysphoria: how the fact that Kirino's voice deepens over time, growing taller to the point of being the tallest in their grade, hands being more and more define, and most importantly how Kirino's in pain from seeing such changes, also how Kirino prefers to talk and be referred to in a feminine manner and wanting to "go to Shangri-La and be a woman"). I just feel so sad for this character, he was never able to reach acceptance, and ends up living a lie. As for Mishima's character, he was able to reach some sort of a peaceful ending, which makes me glad for him. I also liked Yumeno's character growth and how it was portrayed. Learning from the past and moving forward.

Kiyo and Ino are two highschool students, happen to take the same train every morning. As time passes by, they grow more aware of each other, but have yet to share a conversation, until one day Kiyo oversleeps on the train and gets woken up by Ino. Since then, they start talking to each other and become good friends. ----------- Kiyo and Ino's story was such an adorable one. I wish it had more chapter, especially since their connection felt so natural and real. But as soon as they got together that was it, then some extra chapters made of snippets of their future and past. A little dissapointing on that part, but even as it is I still really enjoyed it. As for the side stories, I enjoyed a few, but mainly didn't quite like them as much as the main one. The last one especially bore me.

Such a heartfelt story, one of my favorites for sure!

Harumoto, advisor to yakuza boss Taniguchi, is known for his street smarts and short temper. But he has a softer side, and when he meets Mizuta sensei in a nightclub, he begins to dream of romance with this classy intellectual who seems to be from another world. ---------- This sure was a surprise, but a very welcomed one! Everything, from the plot, characters, the relationship we follow, the pacing, ... Everything was just so good, it felt natural, you could really feel the tension between the character. Their romance felt so intense and surreal. You could really tell they longed for one another the entire time.

TBA