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When I looked at the cover, the summaries, and tags associated with this manga, I fully expected a light-hearted school love story, fluff and simple romcom elements or sweet slice-of-life. That is not what this story is.

Blossom Period is a trauma story. I'm not sure I can fully say the content is handled sensitively, but it does feel very realistic. A boy finds out his best friend might have traumatic secrets and, being a kid, feels way over his head. The friend, also a kid (and a traumatized kid at that), doesn't react well to this. This story is messy, they hurt each other a ... lot, and the end is Really heavy.

This isn't a feel-good story, though there's some comfort at the end. If you like dark narratives, specifically the sort of slow-burn tragedy that creeps in on you, you might like this. The story telling is a little vague at times, and then reverses to lacking any subtlety in the climax, but overall it's comparable to other high school BL tragedies.

While the original premise and execution are borderline flawless, the story eventually suffers.

What this manga does well: great art, an intricately woven web of relationships, ridiculous amounts of pining, and pacing that stays engaging and compelling.

It seemed to have almost everything I could ask from a shoujo. I loved how various narratives all built on each other, and the drama was very well written. But about halfway through the series most of the cast had made themselves unlikable, either through cheating, possessiveness, or otherwise ugly or illogical behavior. I started out rooting for everyone and ended up hating most of them. Eventually I couldn't keep ... myself reading.

Honestly, the largest factor was that it queerbaited me, Really hard, for a good chunk of the series. I feel like the manga did intentionally make it vague whether the main character was secretly pining for his best (male) friend or childhood gal pal; if the answer had been meant to be obvious, they couldn't have been able to make a dramatic reveal 8 chapters in.

After that I was like "okay, disappointing, but I probably read too much into it and it's fine. I can still enjoy this." Then the story used homosexuality as a punishment, so like. Ouch.

If you go into this manga knowing there's no canon gay rep you'll probably have a better time than me, but even then there are times the narrative purposely misleads you into expecting & investing in a love triangle or relationship that ends up being a red herring. Still, the beginning is Really Good and I'd love to read more shoujo like this.

This is a love story about a refreshingly equal relationship.

Kawaii Hito does an incredible thing where it subverts gender norms without challenging the genders of the two leads. The main character is unmistakably male, and his love interest is incredibly feminine, but that doesn't define or constrain how they exist in their relationship.
They both very much experience their love in the same way: "you're really cute, and you make me happy." That sounds normal, but that equal sentiment means that neither of them are in a subservient role (protector-protectee, etc). It means the girl finds her boyfriend just as cute as he finds her. It ... means she protects him just as much as he protects him. It means if he goes in for a kiss, the next second she's pushing him down.

In general, it's refreshing because the female love interest has far more agency than I usually see in male-female love stories. And it's not at the expense of emasculating the leading man; he isn't robbed of his masculinity and is treated with respect as a man, but also is allowed to have just as many insecurities as his girlfriend.
They're both head over heels for each other, both a little unconfident, and both earnestly work to prove they are worthy of the other.

It's just...so equal. And so healthy. I see many shoujo attempt to create this kind of dynamic, but they normally fail (or succeed by making the woman more masculine, or man more feminine). This manga is great at showing masculinity and femininity have no relation to how much power you have in a relationship.

This story is silly, a little tropey, and an absolutely wonderful read.

This mangaka has a really obvious oral fixation. Take that how you will.

This is a manga that I think succeeds as pornography and doesn't quite succeed as a love story. The two main characters' chemistry is a little touch and go, with their dynamic (namely, whether the main character actually wants to be anywhere near his love interest) being unclear throughout most of the scenes. The physical compatibility is obvious, and communicated extremely well, but more mundane interactions range from uncomfortable to confusing.

A few chapters in (I think around chapter 3 or 4?) their physical interactions go from dubious consent and attraction to unhealthy and ... unwarranted possessiveness and legitimate physical assault (which is acknowledged and condemned, but not for very long). The resolution following this felt a little sloppy and unearned to me, and the entire conflict felt poorly handled in a way that made both the romance and the porn unappealing to me.

That being said...the first few chapters are still pretty successful erotica, especially if you enjoy biting or overstimulation. The author's very clear oral fixation lends itself well to the manga, as well as other works they have made. So if you're into things happening with mouths, this author might be a good match for you (if you can look past some unhealthy romance).

A wholesome childhood friends-to-lovers story full of pining.

Art: Really nice. I think a lot of my enjoyment came from looking at how nice the characters looked.

Character: Both the main characters and side characters are endearing and nice, and no one struck me as annoying.

Story: There's a few chapters to hammer home their chemistry, and then almost all of the rest is pining. It was an arc I ended up enjoying quite a bit, and by the ending I did legitimately tear up. There was a satisyfing resolution and lots of sweet moments on the way there.

Enjoyment: It's tagged as 'erotica', but other than a very ... short scene in the last chapter all they do is cuddling and a few kisses. This might be a bit slow and feel like it drags if what you're invested in is physical intimacy, but if you're like me and really enjoy emotional pining then I think this is a really enjoyable series.

What I expected: raunchy 'friends' with benefits comedy.

What I got: incredibly wholesome friendship comedy.

This manga is incredibly cute and sweet. Other than the first chapter, there's only a few minor sexual innuendos that get lost in chapters of incredibly supportive friendship antics. Each chapter the main character makes new friends, and you cheer her on the entire way.

The underlying premise is basically "someone who only knew how to get affection through physical intimacy is taught social skills", and it's written surprisingly kindly? This is executed with a delightful cast of characters and adorable and expressive art (there are some Really funny facial expressions).

Basically:
Writing: great
... Characters: great
Art: great
Enjoyment: great

It's funny, it's cute, it has horror-comedy, it has an explicitly trans character: this manga rules.

Art: Very cute. It's a solidly good artstyle with many nice features. You can tell the artist really knows how to draw gore too, even if they don't employ it often.

Character: This cast is so endearing and I loved seeing them become friends. While not the most memorable, they carry the plot very well.

Story: While it drags in places, this is a fun, fast-paced romcom with a fairly solid slow build. Not every plot point finds a satisfying resolution, but everything important gets resolved and I liked it from beginning ... to end.

This is a light read I'd highly recommend, especially if you're a shoujo fan who enjoys horror elements. (There's not much horror per say, but you need to be able to stomach a bit of light body horror)

Utakata Dialog is very upfront when it tells you this story is about two normal people who have nothing exciting happen to them. It says it confidently because it knows it can keep you entertained anyway.

Truly, nothing interesting happens. Whenever there is even a moment of mystery or drama, it is almost immediately resolved or made unthreatening. The stakes have never been lower, and high tension does not exist even during moments that most manga would try to elevate (like, say, a love confession). That does not hamper this manga in the slightest. Utakata Dialog rules.

This is a sweet, funny story composed primarily of ridiculous ... small talk and mundane situations. The dynamic between the two leads is incredibly endearing, and you can feel their strong but slightly unconventional friendship (with an undertone of romantic tension) unwavering throughout the manga. The pace doesn't really drag (if anything, it goes a little fast by the end) and every interaction is a delight to read.

This isn't the most memorable story, but it's a very pleasant read. Highly recommended for those who like uneventful slice of life.

As someone with a worsening medical condition, this story was a suckerpunch to the heart.

To be objective:
>The art is pretty
>The characters don't have a ton of personality but also aren't grating, and are suitable vehicles for this story.
>The writing is excellent, if you can ignore how the characters occasionally muse about philosophers, physics, and the time-space continuum in dense and absolutely unrealistic detail. Because of that there's a few pages I skimmed or mostly skipped to get around the smarter-than-thou textbook dialogue, but in the end it doesn't detract much from the main narrative.

This story, at times, wants to be very intellectual (too intellectual, really). ... But at it's core it wants to move you, and it wants to paint an emotional story about teens trying to find meaning in both the world and their relationships.

Teens are probably the best audience for this, but I think most people can appreciate this story. If you're a medically fragile person like me, it might wreck you emotionally. Sometimes that's exactly the kind of story we need.

It's sexy plant gore. What else do you need to know?

Story: it's not riveting, but it's not weak either. Honestly, the plot isn't the star of the show, and that's fine. The character interactions and aesthetics make up for it.

Art: Not only is the art style gorgeous, but just. Plant gore. The flowers are gorgeous, and how they're illustrated growing out of bodies rules. It's fantastic to look at.

Character: While you don't necessarily finish the story with an in-depth knowledge of who they are as people, the two leads have a very loving and refreshing dynamic that takes center stage in the story. Most of ... the manga is just them interacting, and it's a nice relationship to read about. They're both likable characters.

Enjoyment: It's hard for me to judge this objectively because I'm so into plant gore (and loving relationships). Since it's rare for me to find a manga that hits my tastes this well, my enjoyment was magnified.
However, I think it likely does well just by BL terms. The plant stuff isn't actually very gorey (I'd personally like to see more visceral depictions), so I don't think it would be off-putting to those who have no interest in horror imagery & just want to view it as pretty. And outside of the flowers, it's just a sweet love story.