Back to Silent_Echo17's Profile Silent_Echo17's Profile

Do you care for attention to detail? Do you like a bit of a slow burner? Can you handle a little bit of chunni cringe (or does it bring up trauma that you’ve been trying to bury all these years)? These are key questions that will determine whether or not BokuYaba might be for you. For those that answered “yes” to all three, there’s likely something here for you.

Kyoutarou Ichikawa is a middle schooler, and that is no exaggeration. “Bloodthirsty killer.” As if the synopsis wasn’t clear enough, he is chunni to a fault. At its core, Ichikawa’s edgy personality and active imagination are ... nothing more than a way for him to protect himself from getting hurt from the world or more specifically, his peers. While it’s easy to find his thoughts off-putting, his actions speak far louder than his words. And I don’t just mean the things he does for Yamada’s sake, there are multiple instances of his actions helping others where his empathetic and perceptive nature are on full display.

Enter Anna Yamada, his model classmate and someone he is fixated on. The persona she’s cultivated, intentional or not, is one of flawlessness that the guys in their class have latched onto while they put her on a pedestal. Ichikawa does the same, until he witnesses her actions when she’s alone. Thus begins the slow and steady, tug-of-war battle between his perception of her “higher status” and who she actually is. It’s these two’s regular interactions where the attention to detail really shines. Between subtle looks and moments where the shot lingers and allows the scene to breathe, the anime captures Norio Sakurai’s storytelling skills well by rewarding attentive viewers with little tidbits of information that demonstrates the care she has when crafting the story, that of which greatly enhances the viewing experience once you put the pieces together. “Show not tell” gets thrown around a lot when it comes to people discussing quality writing and BokuYaba is a solid example of that.

I believe the phrase “perfectly imperfect” succinctly describes the characters and the story being told. There’s focus on all aspects of a middle school romance, from the awkward feelings that only come with growing teenagers all the way to the sickly sweet emotions pouring out of simple yet heartfelt gestures, there is simply no shortage of humor or joy. Ichikawa slowly changes as their relationship progresses but his growth is anything but smooth sailing as he’s fighting his years of insecurity and other aspects that are ingrained within him. Yamada looks like an adult, and has that aura as well at times, but her actions show that she’s still very much a young girl trying to figure things out. She’s not as mature as she seems but she ain’t no fool either, even if that’s the impression we all get from her intimate moments with Ichikawa.

Overall, BokuYaba is a series that is more than what it appears to be and its main character is a reflection of that. The progression of everything is rewarding for those who are invested in it since it’s consistent with the characters’ backgrounds and personalities - nothing feels cheap or rushed and everything is earned. The heartwarming fluff that permeates the story as the episodes pass are made all the more impactful when you're able to connect with the two. Simply put, BokuYaba is a quality romance that is worth the watch.

I will note that I have read the source material and think quite highly of it (if ya like the show, read it!!). Regardless, this anime stands on its own merits and I have not (consciously, at least) allowed it to color what I’ve written above.

All you need to read is a few chapters and you can distinctly tell that this is an Iri Arata story because Arata sure loves their side characters. Tovarisch is Russian for comrade, friend, companion and so on and so forth; adding “Comprehensive” in front of that certainly makes for an interesting title. The series is pretty comprehensive when it comes to the different types of characters that are around but the relationships themselves are also quite comprehensive. To sum that up, the pairings are 100% legitimate. Yuu Hazaoka and Kanna Kirigami are the stars of the series and with good reason, they’re interesting, lovable ... and steal the show whenever they’re the focus. Unfortunately, the series suffers precisely from lacking that focus. Don’t get me wrong, I can see why Arata wanted to flesh out the rest of their cast of characters but the main issue is the fact that the series has only 13 listed chapters. The other characters receive the focus in the short chapters called “Break Time” and there’s 10 total of those (not including the 4-koma one), so while they technically don’t take away screentime from Yuu and Kanna, they make up just as much of the series as the main story. The characters themselves are colorful and it’s quite easy to see why they’d be polarizing; I could live with the “four stooges” that got most of the “Break Time” spotlight but I didn’t care for most of the student council that was introduced later. So if you find the other characters annoying or unlikable then it’s understandable why this series wouldn’t be very appealing to you.

Full credit to Arata though, this series is most definitely not yuri bait. It feels like the bare minimum to praise something like this but those who’ve been hurt before know the pain of a good pairing that finishes with subtext (at most). The pacing towards an actual defined Yuu x Kanna relationship might not have been as great as it could’ve been but the fact that it gets there is definitely satisfying - and the extras after chapter 13 that feature them directly contribute to that. Not to mention that the other characters get their own cute moments with their respective partners. Overall, these relationships are the main draw of the story.

This is a series I wanted to love because Yuu and Kanna are seriously such a nice pairing but every time I revisit it I can only come to the conclusion that I liked it. It is truly a shame that the end of Tsubomi, the magazine in which this series was serialized in, caused the series to also end as I do think it had the potential to be a very enjoyable story. The artstyle is cute, I’m partial to Yuu as a whole, and I like Kanna’s energy so I ended up giving this a 7.5/10. I’ve completed 2 rereads of this and I’m sure I’ll come back to it again even though I don’t think it’s anything too special.

Futaribeya, or A Room For Two, does exactly what it sets out to do. The story is a simple, no-drama slice of life/romantic comedy that follows two girls, Kasumi Yamabuki and Sakurako Kawawa, whose lives are forever changed when they begin living with each other during their first years as high-schoolers. A stroke of fate brought them together but luck is not what’s keeping them together. No, what’s keeping together is the force of nature that is Sakurako. I’m half joking there because honestly Sakurako carries the bulk of the “romantic” portion of their dynamic but as one-sided as it may seem, Kasumi’s love for ... Sakurako is actually just as real as hers. That’s not to say that the argument that Sakurako’s love feels one-sided holds no water, a point I’ll address later on, but if you’re able to overlook that then it’s an all-you-can-enjoy fluff buffet. They might not call each other “girlfriend” but for all intents and purposes they are exactly that; which is odd because Yukiko doesn’t shy away from having the other characters’ relationships be explicitly gay yet won’t commit to it for Kasumi x Sakurako but I digress. Their relationship is one of the main draws of the story and labeling quirks aside, it’s a worthwhile draw if you’re all about that cute fluff.

Delving past that, I think one of the best aspects of the series is how it embraces the passage of time. Unlike most stories, Futaribeya isn’t afraid of moving past its initial setting of them being high schoolers. Getting to see Sakurako and Kasumi grow and mature into young adults is pretty refreshing and makes you more inclined to connect with them since you’ve seen them age. In short, the pacing of the series is top notch. On that note, part of the passage of time also includes different people entering and leaving your life. This is another thing that is handled well: characters come and go without rhyme or reason because that’s just how life goes. Take Natsuki Hyuuga, the landlady of their first residence, for example. While she is a peripheral character to start with, she still has a presence in the story. However, after the pair has moved out, there’s no real reason for her to appear in the story consistently anymore and Yukiko does it right by not forcing it and letting her gradually fade out of sight. This is even more apparent with Azusa and Suzu, who are their classmates in HS but aren’t with them in post-secondary. Writing them like this really drives home the point that they are their own individual people and that they don’t just exist to serve the story by revolving around Sakurako and Kasumi.

Now to circle back, and you can’t talk Futaribeya without discussing this: Is Sakurako's love for Kasumi too one-sided? Objectively speaking, yes it is. And if it’s too much to bear then this series isn’t likely to be for you because there’s no indication that this will change anytime soon. That said, there’s all sorts of relationships out there and I think this is just one such representation. Some people like to dote on others and it’s clear Sakurako’s one of those people. Kasumi’s frighteningly relatable for me and her laziness is probably more endearing in fiction than in reality but I do think a part of her expressing her affection includes allowing Sakurako to dote on her. Sakurako isn’t a pushover by any means (see: her treatment of Hinako) and while she’s kind to everyone, it’s not like she’d treat others the same way she’s treated Kasumi. Similarly, Kasumi is revered by everyone as an extremely attractive woman and is clearly popular with others but yet she’s more than happy to stick with Sakurako and go along with her whims regularly despite being as lazy as it gets. Kasumi’s love is more subtle but it’s without a doubt real; it just takes on a different form compared to the overflowing way Sakurako expresses her affection. And to Sakurako’s credit, she’s well aware of it and doesn’t selfishly demand that Kasumi change. They both know what they give and take and are clearly happy with that dynamic given how they continue to stay together.

By and large, the story is quite endearing and while the main pair gets the bulk of the spotlight, the side characters’ aren’t too bad themselves. Yukari is a cutie living her own life and trying to take inspiration from how the pair conduct themselves so that she can continue to grow. Seri and Shouko offer a pretty fun dynamic, the same of which goes for Koruri and Moka - to a lesser extent for me, personally. Hinako and Fujiho as a pair haven’t gotten that much screen time but there’s definitely potential there. At the end of the day, it’s nothing earth shattering but I think they provide enough to be enjoyable as well.

I don’t like to rank ongoing series too often but if I had to put a number on it, I’m comfortable calling Futaribeya an 8/10. Objectively, I’d probably call it a 7/10 but my love for Sakurako x Kasumi and my enjoyment of it consistently (3 re-reads) kicks it up a notch.