tofu's manga / #Adolescence(214)

Hoo boy do i have some THINGS to say about this manga. First of all, what a LONG read. Second of all, this is more of an Eldritch horror than i expected, just presented in cute and adorable way (im not kidding, there are TONS of cuddling and hugging and boys being supportive to each other). The whole time i was reading i was thinking "this would make a sick background lore for a FromSoft game" because the level of world building in this manga is insane. I'd never have thought that the main conflict was some bleak Nietzsche-ian concept of free will and all that jazz, and the fact that this is in the BL genre is AMAZING. I would love to see more works like this. I mean-- 27 volumes of BL that doesn't focus on romance or sexuality with amazing plot and world building? That literally doesn't exist (with the exception of Sankaku, but even that's only 10 volumes) nowadays. I do have some gripes with this manga though, mainly about the writing and characterization. I'm all about positivity and kindness, but it got tiring so fast seeing the MC solve problems by being a nice optimistic dude. Just a righteous speech here and there, and everything is suddenly alright. It's also very harem-esque, in which MC's kindness and good points were repeatedly praised and highlighted. Many of the side characters acted as if they were NPCs whose sole purpose was stand in the background and hang onto the MC's every word. There are glaring plot holes and it got boring in some chapters that i skipped quite a chunk of it. The ending is kinda.... anticlimactic and too happy. I mean, they literally warred against god and apocalypse but there wasnt even a single person who was at least gravely injured. Aso-- idk if im comfortable with Rakan and Chigusa's age gap? They're romantic-platonic as hell and their bond / dynamic was awesome, truly, but atst Rakan was a minor while Chigusa was mentally in his mid twenties. Idk. Anyway, still a good read. Will i ever reread it? Probably not. But i wasnt lying when i said that the world building is top notch, the visual and imagery are Great, and though i do wish that the writing and characterization were better, it's still amazing to have this manga in the BL genre.

Aaaaaaa this is so pretty!! The art! The atmosphere! The premise and character design! I loved this author's Gatapishi, so i'm really looking forward to this. Edit: heck...this ended up being one of my absolute favorites...what a godsend. I love everything about it. The relationship is great, i love friends to lovers and the ease and newness that come with the relationship's progression, and this manga certainly nails it. I want to see more of them geeking out together, though!

SO CUTE I WANNA CRIE O gosh why didnt i read this sooner? It's so rare to see this kind of portrayal about chubby characters? Like, usually the character loses weight first before the romance progresses, or it goes to a weird realm of feeder / fat fetish. This one is not like that at all. MC and ML got together when he was still chubby, and the weight loss happened gradually and naturally over the years without it being for the sake of romance. It highlights the excitement and anxiety of being in a first relationship in general rather than making MC's weight the main problem. I love it!

Atmosphere is top notch and it has great potential but the romance is hella rushed. Wouldve been better if it was at least 2 volumes.

SO PURE! SO SOFT! MADE OF MARSHMALLOWS AND CLOUDS!!! Gosh what i would give for more!

TW: past rape attempt, bullying, assault between MCs, anthropomorphic animals Hello??? I really didn't expect to love this??? I mean it's literally a love story between a talking cat and lizard, but hell if it isn't good! The little details of the world (like the sign to always clean after shedding in the classes, that was so adorable) fascinate me, and the vibe of this manga is just *chef kiss*. Be careful with the warnings though because while it seems harmless at first glance it does get triggering in some parts.

Oh my goD i cant believe how adorable this is???? Literally my cold got cured reading this. Each chapter is really short but rly satisfying but atst i dont want this to ever end! It's about Tamura and his tsundere bully, Kizaki, who's absolutely horrible at being a bully (and at making friends lmao). It's hilarious, heartwarming, and i want to read it forever.

The writing and panels are a bit of a mess, but the atmosphere is so on point it felt like i was right there on top of the hills with the characters. Would make a good coming-of-age movie.