Mameiha's manga / #Sports(41)

Absolutely phenomenal manga! The uke is a bit dense and stubborn when he isn't being oblivious and willfully blind, but he is never a character that is undeserving of admiration and getting the love he deserves. This is a beautiful story of personal growth and finding one's self. I love the beauty of traditional Japanese archery and it is both portrayed and explained beautifully here. This is a manga well worth the time taken to read it.

I really liked the story, but I have a major problem with the plot conflict. Suzume's feelings were never, at any point, taken into consideration by the douche nozzle or his own father. Moreover, Suzume never stood up for himself against the douche nozzle. He allowed Taka to take responsibility for his weakness. As a guy, he had zero male pride for himself. A person's life, happiness and future is not a prize to be won by another. If it is sexist to believe that a girl is not a prize to be won by a guy, the same should also apply to guys. As much as I liked the story, that part of it turned my stomach. And that was the tip of the iceberg. What father will agree to allow his son to be married to the 14 year old that raped them? It's great that the dad accepted his sexuality, but was it necessary to treat Suzume like he was a girl to do it? His son was a grade schooler at the time for shit's sake, that should have been grounds for law enforcement intervention! What's worse is that Suzume said nothing to the contrary about it to anyone but Taka. Allowing his sister and father to believe that he had been raped (or had non consenting sex) when he was still a child! I get that this was a romantic comedy of sorts, but the weak will of Suzume really didn't mesh well with Taka's strong will. I felt no confidence in Suzume being the kind of man that could handle the stress of being the lover of a celebrity like a pro baseball player. I also dislike situations where gay men are written, or treated, like girls damsels in their story. It gives the impression that gay men are not men. Actually, the more I discuss this story, the less I like it. So, I'll stop here.

The story itself was written well and I enjoyed the plot concept. The art is not my style and sports fandom/fanaticism is lost on me. The fact that, despite those two things, I enjoyed this story, speaks volumes about the mangaka's story telling abilities.

This story is the very definition of sweet, innocent love. A real heart warmer. I'm old and jaded, so it's rare that I really enjoy such innocent tales, but this one really infused my poor, shriveled heart with warmth.