Mini summary:
There is a ‘boarding house’, where Youichi, a college student lives with his cousins, Shouta and Take, as well as a caretaker. His deceased father was a well-respected, very popular and well-liked artist of great talent. Basically, when he died, Youichi was brought up surrounded by immense pressure to conform to his father’s identity. He was a child when this happened. I’ll leave you to grasp how this affected Youichi and his emotional well-being.
And there is a workaholic named Sakurai, a bachelor in his late 30′s. On the contrary though, he’s addicted to his work not because it’s enjoyable, but because its something to pass the time with, something to distract himself from the passionless, monotone life he leads now.
What happens when Youichi’s and Sakurai’s paths cross?
Let’s talk about the characters first. Sakurai is a very well-developed character in my opinion. Kudos to Hidaka-sensei for fleshing out his emotions and growth with her skillful storytelling. Initially, he seems like an arrogant, self-assured person, with his uncanny calmness and maturity. He also speaks bluntly, in the sense he does not entertain small talk, and approaches conversations in a rather dry manner, devoid of emotion. He’s not very friendly either. Sounds familiar? Probably, because a lot of manga, not just bl, employ such personalities: the classic lone wolf. (These people are usually good-looking.)
Gradually, at a lovely, natural pace, this shell is peeled back to reveal a far more complex personality. You see his insecure sides, his thoughtful sides, his endearing sides. You start to understand him.
And of course, Sakurai is no less important and intriguing. I find him a rather charming man, who is capable and has a quiet strength about him. This quality is probably conceived from his age and experience. His reactions are loud and he cannot restrain his emotions. Such a contrast from Youichi. Yet interestingly, in some ways, they are so similar.
The fact that they have a huge age gap results in some complexities. I always enjoy reading age gap bl manga (the good ones of course) because its so interesting. Especially when one is schooling and the other is well settled in his career. Different priorities, different experiences, different expectations. That last one is especially important and apparent, and it always results in tension. It is this tension that helps elevate a bl manga from average to amazing. You got to have that rawness in emotion to stab the reader’s heart. Wait, no, that’s not the right phrase. To tug at the reader’s heartstrings. Ah.
Once you find yourself rooting for the characters, when you are so absorbed into their story that you forget they are fiction, ah ha. That’s when you know you have found something special.
"You're friendly to everybody but the truth is, you're not interested in anybody."
- Youichi: philosopher painter mode.
This is a also a manga that you need to take your time with. Partly because the beauty is in its details: letting the words slowly seep in, finding the hidden feelings found in the characters' subtle expressions, and appreciating the emotions they convey, and partly because THIS MANGA TAKES SO GODDAMN LONG TO UPDATE. Ahem, excuse me. On a related note, I feel that this manga has very good re-reading value; I must have read it more than 8 times so far.
Moving on, let’s talk about the art. Ok, I love love love it when characters in bl manga are drawn like this. Good proportions, boyish faces with little exaggeration in the features. Also the naturalness of their movements and posture. You know how some characters looks so stiff and mannequin like? Yeah, none of that here. Art like this looks deceptively simple but it is in fact, so hard to draw and conceptualise.
The scenes at the boarding house develop a very serene atmosphere, that complements the slice-of-life nature of this plot to a T.
Bottom line: To some, story’s pacing is slow, to me it is natural. Because of its pace and details, the relationship feels genuinely believable and heartwarming. In this story, the relationship develops from not liking each other, to slow friends, to attraction. Great story and writing, a must read for all dedicated bl fans. But if you’re just looking for a quick sex romp, you can just skip this coz you ain’t finding it here.
