Harukaze no Étranger

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What does it mean to love someone? What does it take to love yourself?

*This is a spoiler free review*

First of all, this is not your average yaoi centering around sex, lust, roles and power. This is a slice-of-life story about two people who fall in love and how they deal with the issues they encounter when their relationship develops. The plot is not complex, it concentrates on main characters’ everyday life and we get to know more about them and their past while they get to know each other better.

The fact that the protagonists are both male brings up questions about sexuality, self-denial and acceptance, and the characters are also brought to face other difficult matters like death, loneliness and depression. Despite the heavy topics the story deals with, it never feels dark but maintains a rather positive and warm ambience.

Kii Kanna’s art is soft and delicate and something I wouldn’t normally expect to find in a manga tagged with yaoi. It’s almost like illustrations you would expect to see in children’s storybooks. The characters are expressive and super cute which matches the dreamy atmosphere of the story.

There is a small but diverse cast of characters, who are all sympathetic and bring their own aspects to different issues. They don’t feel too generic and their interactions are refreshing, realistic and enjoyable to read. The main duo of Shun and Mio is adorable with their distinct personalities and their relationship has moments from solemn to comical, sweet and intimate.

I was captured by the slow spinning, dream-like magic of Shun and Mio’s romance and read everything available in one go. The characters are appealing, the story is thoughtful and beautiful and the overall feeling you’re left with is relaxed.

This is one of the best BL romances I’ve encountered and something I’d recommend not only to fans of that genre but to everyone who likes to read some smart slice-of-life and romance with real-life feeling and mature tone. Don’t be immediately put off by the yaoi-tag, because while there are some sex scenes, they are not the main point and always have something to add to the story or characters’ development.

TL;DR
Go read the prequel and then this. You won't be disappointed.

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I find it one of the most amazing yaoi mangas I've read, along with 19 days from Old Xian. Because it breaks some cliches heteronormatives stereotypes of yaoi that I long so much for their fall for more humanistic representation of LGBT couples in mangas. I loved the art above all, the atmosfere, it's beautifull, and how it shows the issues the characters struggle like homophobia, sorrow and loss of somebody to death, self aceptance, sexuality, developing a relationship, dealing with normativity pressures, family bonds, work, the person in it's culture and how they negotiate with that... Is so deep, and also so delicate how it treats it, not in a dramatic way, always with sensitivity, even if it treat psychological themes and some dark themes it is not a heavy mangá, ir mantains the beautifullness of life in each panel, is always very delicate how it bring these issues... is amazing, realistic, human. It's not dramatic, nor tragic, it is about reinventing one life, about two persons who create a new life together. The story, the art, is beautifull. I am waiting for the other volumes to see the issue of sexuality, I hope that they will be a reversal couple because this heteronormative dynamic in yaoi is so oppressive and we need other representations... It is amazing because it shows both characters discovering their sexuality together, in an egualitarian and consensual way, and even it is yaoi labelled, it is because it shows sex, but the story don't develop because of it or for showing it but because it is part of their life and of one's life, specially we don't see how a non-straight couple works out this and how deal with it, it's surronded by invisibility while straight people know what to do in first time sex with someone. It shows the development of intimacy between two boys where one is struggling to accept himself as gay and it has blocked the living of one's sexuality in fully manner, and the other never tought that would fell in love with a guy. It's a courageous act to break taboos. There is an openness on the side of Mio to live this experience without judgment but for his boyfriend it's complicated to fell free being intimate to someone due to all the hurts of homophobia and feeling 'not-normal'.
It is amazing that the character Shun say he is gay, this word, and got out of the closet for the family in a public ceremony. And there is no misoginy. Is the first yaoi were I see a LESBIAN COUPLE, who are friends of the gay couple! And the women aren't mistreated, the ex is now their friend and help the relationship and recovering family ties. The manga shows the promoting acceptance of homossexuality in a japanese traditional family and the recovering of this space.

I guess the chapters of the continuation of the history are still being released and translated... I find their sexuality very consensual also most of time except for some stuff that can be problematized. It freaks me out the normalization and eroticization of problematic and oppressive patterns of affection and desire yaoi and I try to rescue the good works that we are able to find. And surely this is one of these good works that need to be recognized.

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This series is really something special. Not your typical yaoi or even just BL, it discards many of the usual tropes in favor of something more slice-of-life, realistic, and down-to-earth. While the first installation (Umibe no Etranger) was great as well, I found the plot a little rushed and would've liked to see the relationship and the characters get more developed and fleshed out: and that's where Harukaze comes in.

It manages to tackle difficult topics like depression, self-acceptance, loss, coming out, and societal homophobia, while also blending in some genuinely sweet and funny moments that balance it perfectly. Though there is always a slight undertone of melancholy just under the surface, there is light and hope in the little things that make life feel worth living.

The plot is also something I haven't seen addressed much in fiction, but is a reality for many LGBT people: reconciliation with formerly accepting and estranged family, and what's more, moving back in along with your same-gender partner to take care of them (a slight twist to an otherwise traditional occurrence). In terms of plot, there aren't a lot of huge, sudden developments, but rather, as is typical for slice-of-life, many things are small events over time that gradually build up our understanding of the characters and their relationships (and I say relationships, plural, because this sequel focuses a little more on other characters close to the main pairing).

Story: 10/10


The artwork has a really beautiful style, both for characters and the gorgeous backgrounds, and the character expressions are great. My only problem is that it runs a little far into "same-face" territory and there are certain scenes where I have to discern which character is which, but usually context makes this a non-issue.

Art: 9/10


One thing I love especially about this manga is that none of the characters nor their relationships with each other are perfect, but none of them are complete assholes, either. They feel like realistic people with real problems and complexes and good and bad traits that don't just exist for the sake of countering good traits. They change over time, in both good and bad ways. They lie about themselves, and sometimes we don't learn this until very later on. The story doesn't really seek to "fix" everyone and everything though, rather, it acknowledges that life isn't perfect and neither are people, but it's still worth holding on to them regardless. Although none of the characters are necessarily completely unique or stand-out, the way they contribute to the larger story works perfectly.

Characters: 10/10


Although there are a few sex scenes in it, it definitely isn't the focus and you don't have to be a big BL/yaoi fan to enjoy this. It's a great read for anyone who likes a good romance or slice-of-life story.

This has immediately become a favorite series of mine and I can't wait to see where else it goes. ^-^

Enjoyment: 10/10

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So, i'm gonna be totally honest about what I thought of it. Also, I'm sorry about my mistakes, English is not my first language.
I really wanted to like this one, really. But, unfortunately, I ended up almost hating it.

The artwork is beautiful, the artist is really good at making characters expressions, making them look and feel emotional. That's the best part of the manga. The artwork.

About the characters, the only one I like is Shun. Shun is almost aways feeling down, anxious and nervous, but he always try to do what is best for the people around him. I've lost count how many times I saw Shun with a terrible expression, that lasted the whole chapter, and no one seemed to care about him.
Mio only seems to care about Shun when they're talking about how good sex feels, and at some point it really got on my nerves. On the first manga he was acceptable, but on this one he's just mean. He never asks how Shun is feeling, never stands by his side. Doesn't care about his boyfriend's traumas and he slaps him when he's breaking down.
The kid is annoying but is just a kid. He wants love, but makes his brother life a living hell whenever possible.

The story seems to be about how Shun suffers every day of his life. He's forced to go back to the place he ran away when he was younger because of homophobia, then he is forced to face a series of past and recent traumas, and no one never seems to give him emotional support. It never feels like he is healing, it's almost the opposite. Almost every chapter he looks miserable.
When things feel like starting to work out something happens and the ends up feeling miserable again. He never really get's to rest. While everyone around him are happy, he is on a corner feeling down. Something that is really present in this story: people happy around him while he feels miserable.

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