May 11, 2024
I went into this already knowing what the plot wad going to be about for the most part since I had already watched the drama adaptation, which is one of my favourite bls, so my rating might be affected by that.
The plot is very standard shoujo, in this case though it's not necessarily a problem for mainly two reasons. First, the misunderstanding trope is very well utilised and it brings a breath of fresh air to the basic shoujo plots we see all the time; second it is so important to have simple stories like this with lgbtq+ characters. The strong point of kieta
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Hatsuki is that it manages to tell the story of two characters who happen to be part of the lgbtq+ community without making their sexuality the main focus of the story and most importantly without any kind of sexualization. Themes like coming out, accepting your own sexuality, homophobia are told in a very natural and genuine way that never falls into the overdramatization that we're usually shown in lgbtq+ stories. Now there are some moments where the story fell a bit flat, especially after the main big misunderstanding is solved, and some events feels like they are there just to take more time.
The cast is very likeable and the way their friendship is told is also very realistic, the whole group really feels like a real group of friends, so I thought the interaction between characters were well written; it really is a trip down the memory lane for people that are not In high school anymore. I also wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out since they don't get a lot of time outside of their love stories, especially considering that there are some hints about their passions etc. that I wanted to know more about. The character development on the other side is very good in my opinion and I feel like through that we're really shown the message the manga wants to convey.
The art is so pretty and it complements very well the whole vibe and atmosphere of the manga, there are a lot of typical shoujo backgrounds with bubbles e little lights but I always find those extremely cute so they weren't a problem for me. Overall it's a wholesome story about first loves that shows how crucial it is to communicate your feelings to other people whether they're your friends or your significant other, a story about taking action because you never know what the future might hold. If you enjoyed heartsotopper you're gonna like this one for sure, very simple but very good.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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