Hanakoi Tsurane

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Give this manga a try! Though the “rivals to lovers” storyline is nothing new, the kabuki milieu adds a unique flair. Plus the art looks pretty.

The main character, Sougorou, is silly and a bit immature. His family is comprised of kabuki performers and he is the heir. His rival is Genroku, who happens to be a fellow classmate and the heir to his respective kabuki household. Sougorou is downcast after reading online criticisms about his subpar performance in his latest show. Soon after, he finds out that he and Genroku will be playing lovers in their next show. Feeling the pressure to improve his skills, ... Sougorou accepts Genroku’s offer to help him practice. They grow closer as they practice and perform together. Their chemistry is apparent to the people watching their show. Sougorou’s animosity of Genroku subsides and is replaced by feelings of love.

I really like the characters, especially Sougorou! He has an expressive and goofy personality. He makes funny facial expressions and looks adorable when he blushes. Witnessing his relationship with Genroku develop is a real treat. It doesn’t jump into sex right away. In fact, it takes a bit of time for them to even kiss. Yet the development feels well-paced and natural.

Back in 2018 I had picked this manga up but with only 18 chapters released, I had to put it on hold until more chapters were released. And now... 2020... oh BOY was I not disappointed.

Kabuki and homosexuality... a combination that's nothing unique historically yet the premise of Hanakoi Tsurane is... Brilliant!

Quick rundown of the plot without giving too much away:
The story starts off as your typical enemies to lovers plot. Sougorou, after failing miserably in a show and faced with criticism online becomes depressed and is immediately thrown into another role with his (seemingly one-sided) rival of the same age, Gensuke. And in ... the typical enemies to lovers fashion, this meant they had to work together and while doing that, they grow closer together and remember what they love about acting and kabuki.

It doesn't sound too interesting from just a summary, but the interactions between Sougorou and Gensuke is hilarious and their chemistry really works out. Even as fictional characters, I feel a sense of joy every time they show up on stage together. The two complement each other and genuinely look like they have a lot of fun on stage. This is further highlighted with the expressive faces of Sougorou mixed with the soft warm look Gensuke uses when he sees Sougorou. It captives the fictional audience. And it captives the reader.

I've seen many people complain about the pacing is too slow but in my opinion, I don't think it's bad. In fact, I think the pacing really helps show the growth of Sougorou and Gensuke as actors on stage and their relationship. Each character (yes! that includes minor characters!) goes through a lot of character development and you really get to learn more about their family's kabuki lineage and the family relationships with each other especially on stage. For the first time, these background characters mean something. They exist, they have their own background, they have names, they have faces, and they're memorable.

Highly recommend if you're looking for a unique BL manga with an interesting premise and stay for the characters. This manga easily makes it onto my favorites list (except I already maxed mine out so....).

It's not only a good Yaoi, it's a great romance manga.

You learn new things about japanese culture besides Kabuki, you're directly pulled in and feel all the emotions that the characters go through. What's not to like??

The art is so pretty as well, which is to be expected since this mangaka never failed to serve (lol).

The characters are so cute ! It's nothing but fluff from our leads ! If you like fluff and slow burn romance, read it ! Well it's not always slow but it's not too fast either, it's well paced !

I rate it an 8 but to be honest it's between ... an 8 to a 9 ! Recommended 100% !