Mintfu's manga / #Childhood Friends(45)

This is supposed to marked complete but why does it feel unfinished… Maybe it’s because I wanted more. The MC is really cute and honestly encouraged more reading of delinquent/gap moe MCs but rarely do they reach the level of gap moe of this MC. The ML was kind of goofy lmao but the whole manga was so it fit the vibe. Honestly one of my favorites bc of the comedy and how likeable the MC was.

Childhood friends to lovers. A classic. Nothing too unpredictable, but the character dynamics make it worth the read. The MC’s male friend and female friend pine over him since their childhood and the MC is dense as hell. Of course, our main boy gets with his mans, but that doesn’t leave our gal alone. Everyone gets paired with somebody by the end of the story and everyone lives happily ever after. This is just a fluffy and funny read, but no one’s complaining.

Interesting magical boy concept that kind of reminded me of Madoka Magica. The whole thing was pretty weird, but the MC was strong-willed and I really liked his character.

Magical boy MC! MC is so cute but kind of an airhead and it started all shoujo at first but then the ML became Harada-levels of obsessed suddenly. But I appreciate the dedication to the obsession. Sometimes I felt really bad for the MC but the ML really loved him I could tell they were end-game and I was not about to switch sides after rooting for them for so long. Plus the art is soo pretty.

Realistic and amazing character progression. The pacing is great while showing the main characters grow up. Their relationship healthily develops. There’s also a lot of yearning. 10/10. Everyone is so wholesome here.

I love this mainly because it’s one of the few mangas that actually executes the childhood friend trope correctly/to my liking. It’s used as it should. It clearly shows how close the protagonists are and how despite knowing each other for years, they both had things they hid from each other. They don’t know if they fully understand each other, but they want to know more. The older they get, the more difficult their personal life gets. MC has struggles with his neglectful and unstable mother and it affects his mental state. His friend, stuck with unrequited love, does not understand his situation fully but still wholeheartedly loves and supports him. The manga does a great job of displaying their youthful struggles with coming to terms with their sexuality and feelings for one another. I love the honesty of the ML and I appreciate how the MC isn’t naturally dense but instead is emotionally constipated because of childhood trauma. The art is gorgeous to top it all off. The use of shadows and lightning complement the serious mood. I think people are uncomfortable with how the ML seems to push the MC into doing things he doesn’t want, but I think the selfishness of the ML is a flaw that just comes with adolescence and it would be realistic to show how the two are making mistakes while trying to figure things out together.

Ok. So I really liked the beginning of this manhwa. It was funny how ridiculous the superstitious ML interacted with the MC. But then it just spirals into weird plot lines and it honestly goes all over the place with the main couple dynamic. There seems to always be some sort of tension between them, which might be realistic for young couples, but I find myself to always be on edge with them since they jump to conclusions so much. The side character that tries to get between the main couple pops up every chapter and it got kind of annoying. The main couple suddenly became very bland :/.

Childhood friends is always a blessed concept. Childhood friends with neighboring stores is also top tier. This just screamed teen romance in countryside Japan. It was cute, but maybe a little subdued for me.

Okay ngl the second couple was more interesting than the main couple. It was cute to see how smitten the main couple were for each other, but the character development for the main couple really only focused on the MC coming out and being comfortable with the ML. The MC and ML didn’t have a lot of personality. The MC for the second couple, however, went through a major breakup and developed from an insecure person with a lot of trust issues to someone who’s willing to be vulnerable with a new partner. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to see more of the second MC at the end. Props to the author for showing a breakup from a toxic relationship that didn’t seem too obviously toxic with the second couple. I’ve never actually seen that happen in a manga before.