Yachiyo is better than most people think. Kiyoto is NO saint. And Touji needs character development. Please let me explain:
In terms of writing, both Touji and Yachiyo have the same storyline. They were carrying torches for each other and didn’t fully love their partners (Kiyoto and Satsuki, the wife) but remained in relationships with them. It was their partners who ended the relationships.
Kiyoto and Satsuki also have the same storyline. They both know that their partners love someone else, but they still decided to date them. They started out not expecting much, but they truly fell in love and realized they wanted to be loved in return. They know that their partners are in love with others and can't love them back so they broke up with them.
Chapter 3 explained the pov of Satsuki and Kiyoto:
Satsuki said she ended up proposing to Yachiyo because she didn't care if he loved her back. She also said that Yachiyo made an earnest effort to accept her feelings. Then she realized that she truly wanted to be loved. And because Yachiyo couldn't love her, she divorced him.
Satsuki: "I was wrong about what I truly wanted. Love, more than anything else."
Kiyoto told his uncle that he is proud and selfish, and wanted to be loved in return.
Kiyoto: "All I can do is patiently wait for the tide to change. I know that. That used to be enough. But I'm starting to realize that I want it all."
When he asked Touji on the train if he wanted to reunite with Yachiyo, Touji said no, but you can see how Kiyoto was reminded of a memory when Touji was sleeping. While it is not shown, it is implied that Touji called out Yachiyo's name at that time, which means that he lied about not wanting to reunite. And Kiyoto knows that so he broke up with him.
We can say that the four of them used each other in a way. They all played with fire, and each of them got burned.
KIYOTO Kiyoto seems like a good boyfriend, and he did the right thing by letting Touji go, but he is no saint, and what happened to him is a consequence of his actions.
He was sober, while Touji was drunk, disoriented and heartbroken. If he really is a good person, he would not have sex with him, even if Touji asked him first. And he wouldn't have offered to date knowing that Touji was still hurting and confused about his sexuality and feelings. Yes, he did ask for consent but from a brokenhearted drunk person.
I agree with @Tiredrandom's comment, this seems to be glossed over by most people here:
"He saved Touji from getting taken advantage by another guy but he himself ends up kinda taking advantage of him in the end. I mean he even kept fingering Touji even though he was drunk and had fallen to sleep ... That's icky for me."
TOUJI Touji wanted to remain in a relationship with Kiyoto. Just like in high school, he wanted to maintain the status quo and stay friends with Yachiyo after rejecting him. Thankfully, Kiyoto made the choice for him and broke up with him.
Touji has always been less introspective and slow when it comes to his own emotions. He's always running away (he literally ran into the bathroom and hid) from difficult topics instead of facing them. He wanted things to stay the same and comfortable. Because of this, he comes off as insensitive and ended up hurting both Yachiyo (in hs) and Kiyoto. And he hasn't changed much.
YACHIYO Yachiyo said he reconnected with Touji NOT expecting to be loved back. That is the opposite of what Kiyoto and Satsuki did. Satsuki divorced Yachiyo, and Kiyoto broke up with Touji because they wanted to be loved in return.
I admire him for being brave enough to confess in high school. Distancing himself was a logical and valid coping mechanism.
Yachiyo: "And since I couldn't hate you, my only choice is to keep my distance."
It must have taken more courage to reconnect with Touji as adults because he knew he already had a boyfriend and he might get hurt again seeing them together, just as he was hurt seeingTouji with his girlfriends in high school. Despite all that, he still wanted to stay by his side as a friend. That's how much he loves Touji.
It's difficult to like Touji as a character. He was easily swayed by Kiyoto, had sex with him, and then agreed to date quickly. He just goes with the flow. And now he's being indecisive about pursuing a relationship with Yachiyo after confessing that he loves him (which will, of course, give Yachiyo hope).
On the other hand, it's good that they are starting over and taking it slow. A lot of time has passed, so they need to get to know each other again.
I admire Yachiyo for being courageous and loving unconditionally. I hope more people will see his good qualities the way I do. He deserves someone who will also be brave enough to love him without expecting anything in return. That's why I wish this were longer, so we could see how Touji will have that character development.
Overall, this manga has a great premise and artwork, and it had the potential to be a masterpiece, but it didn't live up to it. There are more chapters focused on the MC and his ex-boyfriend than on the ML (excluding the past timeline), which is why many readers ended up sympathizing with the ex. Yachiyo and Touji need more romantic development in the present timeline.
The title is "We Won't Call It Love" but it's clear that the two MCs are mutually and genuinely in love, and the chances of that is rare. It's not about labels, but about deciding to commit and be responsible with that love, especially since life is short. So the ending left me a bit disappointed.
Sorry this became too long, and thank you so much for reading this comment until the end.
Yachiyo is better than most people think. Kiyoto is NO saint. And Touji needs character development. Please let me explain:
In terms of writing, both Touji and Yachiyo have the same storyline. They were carrying torches for each other and didn’t fully love their partners (Kiyoto and Satsuki, the wife) but remained in relationships with them. It was their partners who ended the relationships.
Kiyoto and Satsuki also have the same storyline. They both know that their partners love someone else, but they still decided to date them. They started out not expecting much, but they truly fell in love and realized they wanted to be loved in return. They know that their partners are in love with others and can't love them back so they broke up with them.
Chapter 3 explained the pov of Satsuki and Kiyoto:
Satsuki said she ended up proposing to Yachiyo because she didn't care if he loved her back. She also said that Yachiyo made an earnest effort to accept her feelings. Then she realized that she truly wanted to be loved. And because Yachiyo couldn't love her, she divorced him.
Satsuki: "I was wrong about what I truly wanted. Love, more than anything else."
Kiyoto told his uncle that he is proud and selfish, and wanted to be loved in return.
Kiyoto: "All I can do is patiently wait for the tide to change. I know that. That used to be enough. But I'm starting to realize that I want it all."
When he asked Touji on the train if he wanted to reunite with Yachiyo, Touji said no, but you can see how Kiyoto was reminded of a memory when Touji was sleeping. While it is not shown, it is implied that Touji called out Yachiyo's name at that time, which means that he lied about not wanting to reunite. And Kiyoto knows that so he broke up with him.
We can say that the four of them used each other in a way. They all played with fire, and each of them got burned.
KIYOTO
Kiyoto seems like a good boyfriend, and he did the right thing by letting Touji go, but he is no saint, and what happened to him is a consequence of his actions.
He was sober, while Touji was drunk, disoriented and heartbroken. If he really is a good person, he would not have sex with him, even if Touji asked him first. And he wouldn't have offered to date knowing that Touji was still hurting and confused about his sexuality and feelings. Yes, he did ask for consent but from a brokenhearted drunk person.
I agree with @Tiredrandom's comment, this seems to be glossed over by most people here:
"He saved Touji from getting taken advantage by another guy but he himself ends up kinda taking advantage of him in the end. I mean he even kept fingering Touji even though he was drunk and had fallen to sleep ... That's icky for me."
TOUJI
Touji wanted to remain in a relationship with Kiyoto. Just like in high school, he wanted to maintain the status quo and stay friends with Yachiyo after rejecting him. Thankfully, Kiyoto made the choice for him and broke up with him.
Touji has always been less introspective and slow when it comes to his own emotions. He's always running away (he literally ran into the bathroom and hid) from difficult topics instead of facing them. He wanted things to stay the same and comfortable. Because of this, he comes off as insensitive and ended up hurting both Yachiyo (in hs) and Kiyoto. And he hasn't changed much.
YACHIYO
Yachiyo said he reconnected with Touji NOT expecting to be loved back. That is the opposite of what Kiyoto and Satsuki did. Satsuki divorced Yachiyo, and Kiyoto broke up with Touji because they wanted to be loved in return.
I admire him for being brave enough to confess in high school. Distancing himself was a logical and valid coping mechanism.
Yachiyo: "And since I couldn't hate you, my only choice is to keep my distance."
It must have taken more courage to reconnect with Touji as adults because he knew he already had a boyfriend and he might get hurt again seeing them together, just as he was hurt seeingTouji with his girlfriends in high school. Despite all that, he still wanted to stay by his side as a friend. That's how much he loves Touji.
It's difficult to like Touji as a character. He was easily swayed by Kiyoto, had sex with him, and then agreed to date quickly. He just goes with the flow. And now he's being indecisive about pursuing a relationship with Yachiyo after confessing that he loves him (which will, of course, give Yachiyo hope).
On the other hand, it's good that they are starting over and taking it slow. A lot of time has passed, so they need to get to know each other again.
I admire Yachiyo for being courageous and loving unconditionally. I hope more people will see his good qualities the way I do. He deserves someone who will also be brave enough to love him without expecting anything in return. That's why I wish this were longer, so we could see how Touji will have that character development.
Overall, this manga has a great premise and artwork, and it had the potential to be a masterpiece, but it didn't live up to it. There are more chapters focused on the MC and his ex-boyfriend than on the ML (excluding the past timeline), which is why many readers ended up sympathizing with the ex. Yachiyo and Touji need more romantic development in the present timeline.
The title is "We Won't Call It Love" but it's clear that the two MCs are mutually and genuinely in love, and the chances of that is rare. It's not about labels, but about deciding to commit and be responsible with that love, especially since life is short. So the ending left me a bit disappointed.
Sorry this became too long, and thank you so much for reading this comment until the end.