Sojee

Shima, Egashira, and Nao-Chan have my whole heart. Just because I see myself in them, but I see Mitsumi in my friends and I feel so blessed.
I love that this manga presents each character as a person with multifaceted personalities and complicated pasts and feelings.
Shima is such a sensitive soul, I really feel for his self loathing and lack of confidence. If you put up a front if a "good person" for too long, it becomes all too easy to lose sight of any individualism or "purity." You lose touch with what you like, what you dislike, and once you find out you've been putting on this mask, your whole world view can crumble and leave you feeling like the biggest phony on earth. But even that within itself is what makes Shima so complex and interesting- not to mention, the desire to be a good person comes from a sincere a pure place. :(( too real.
Egashira is just such good representation of girls everywhere, I can’t even cover everything. But she is such a good friend and turned out with so much growth, I’m so proud of her. Whenever she talked about how hard it was for her to get where she is, how she understands her flaws better than anyone else, and feels bitterness towards those who are "better than her" I get choked up fr.
And Nao's literally the love of my life. No explanation needed tbh. But it’s so healing watching her go through her adult life and enjoying it thoroughly, because she worked so hard to get there in the first place. Her relationship with Mitsumi is the cutest I sob whenever I see them interact in the past.
Basically this manga is peak.
Mitsumi is who everyone wants to be, and honestly I want to be that type of person, but I find myself loving the characters who reflect myself the most, which is healing in its own way. I LOVE THIS MANGA!!!!!

I read this in like middle school and I really liked it, but now I can better articulate why after rereading as an adult.
It’s easy to get frustrated Min Gyeom, but it’s also easy to relate to him. He’s only 17 in this story, he himself hasn’t unpackaged a trauma that many adults don’t handle until much later in life. No one has supported him, he’s never gone to therapy, he doesn’t have many close relationships.
Throughout the roughest part of the story, he was taken advantage of by an adult he thought he could trust. A 24 year old manipulated and had intimacy with a drunk 17 year old. I couldn’t really understand the gravity of this as a middle schooler, but I understand how and why Min gyeom had reached that point.
In the first place, I feel like it’s easy to view Min gyeom in a negative light because of the way he narrates. Seeing the story through his lens, you can see how much self hatred he has. It’s easy to dislike him as well because it seems he makes the same mistake over and over again, but that’s how trauma and mental illness work. It’s a pattern of feeling insecure and low self esteem that permeates his relationships, especially a romantic one.
Not to mention, Chun Sam is also a horrible communicator at first because he’s not used to social interaction lmao- so it’s even easier for Min Gyeom to misunderstand. Chun Sam's been through a lot because he’s ill equipped to support Min Gyeom at first, and is also emotionally/physically impacted by Min Gyeom. Since Chun Sam is pretty anxious himself, and can’t survive without Min Gyeom. Not to mention, their earlier dynamic probably triggers a lot of unpleasant memories for Min Gyeom and his abusive father.
Not to say that Min Gyeom didn’t hurt Chun Sam, and that their relationship was sunshine and rainbows in the beginning, but it was really sweet to see them resolve their issues one by one, together. They learn to talk to each other, Chun Sam learns that he should set certain boundaries for his own sake, Min Gyeom is slowly but surely learning it’s safe to lean on Chun Sam and his family for support. Though it’s still difficult and they still make mistakes, it gets better, and they understand each other more each time they fight.
Anyways I recommend this story to those who enjoy complex characters with complex emotions :D