pluckaduck's manga / #school life(116)

a great story about a socially anxious kid who hates himself. so relatable.

a lovely and endearing story about an introverted and extroverted boy as they grow and navigate their deepening friendship and growing feelings, with a bit of coming of age drama. the progress feels so natural and realistic, with how they start as friends, then slowly develop first-ever romantic feelings for the same gender; it encapsulates all the awkwardness and tenderness of youth. ahhh, this is why i love bl!!! you cant get this good shit with straight stories!

nonexistent plot with dragged-out morsels of development of the relationship between the leads. constant sexualization of a teenager. constant downplaying of molestation/harassment as "comedy". and just when actual serious chara flaw is introduced (mc's homophobia), it doesn't get much growth

it's a shame the author passed away so young. based on this debut work, it was clear they were very talented. i was so surprised to learn a 23-yo (or younger) conceived this touching story.

it holds all the classic tropes of shounen-esque stories such as "normal human entering supernatural world", "normal human has hidden abilities", "that one edgy loner with cool powers", "that one hot OP mentor/leader", and etc. it's actually good and stand on its own, however, compared to its giant competitors, such as JJK, it will naturally be overshadowed. the power system is not well established, like what is the basic premise of their powers; except for the male mc, the others' powers arent in-depth enough (and the origins of their powers weren't really touched upon at all). the side charas are also ok as a diverse lot, but not as nuanced as the mcs. the story def has potential, the beginning was quite solid in expanding on lore, and establishing the side cast... but then the story started to rush. I'm not sure when in the chapters the author was notified his story was getting axed, which could explains the faster pace of progression, but i hope the slight decline of quality was them not getting sloppy

the story is well-structured with the entire plot and smaller details planned out from the start of the story. the charas are well-written, most are relavent, and thier dynamic with one another is hilarious and natural. the comedy is on point and the chibis are adorable. the story is structured in a slice-of-life adventure way, but with sprinkles of foreshadowing, so even if each adventure feels random, it would build up to the arcs naturally. also i love seimei; he's that typical kindhearted, compassionate mc who is willing to stoop low when necessary.

i dont think i can fully express how much i love and adore this series. it's one of the best in terms of idealism, education, and comedy. even after reading this again as an college student, i find myself laughing and smiling at this incredible and heartwarming story. it is hands down the best shounen manga revolving around a classroom and their teacher

lovely. just lovely. it so cute how they started a friendship over a shared interest in something mundane like film, and then developed this relationship into something profound and special and sweet. the story focuses on their relationship and developments, with the film interest as padding and high school as a backdrop to convey the feelings of youth, and with the way the story is told via the atmospheric angles and paneling, the natural banter, all of it together really embodies the theme of "summer youth romance". it's so down-to-earth and simple but also quite romantic. the days passed and time marched on after the summer, but mc was still stuck on his relationship with ml, and couldn't move on. it should have ended, but he couldnt forget the beautiful and fun memories and the longing. truly reminiscent of "summer".