Mintfu's manga / #Comedy(95)

GOD THIS IS ADORABLE?? AND COMEDY GOLD??? this is so up my alley I’m quaking. I can already tell this is S-tier.

A good take on the main character growing out of a mentally abusive relationship. The main characters are so sweet and wholesome to each other. ML is thoughtful and it’s refreshing to see how honest and vulnerable he is. The MC is pushed to fulfill his dream of becoming a children’s book author, something he was forced to give up due to his abusive relationship. The story is simple, but the characters are deeply devoted and honest with one another. It’s one of the best depictions of slice of life.

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.

???? WH !!-&$/$-@-& AT??? I did not ask to cry this much. This was way too short. It’s a good short story, but it would’ve been way more impactful if it were a long lasting series. The development of the characters was good, but it just was way too rushed and it didn’t feel satisfying when the ML was “redeemed” from making his mistakes. Needless to say, I shed tears during every second reading this. Though, I do think that this had more potential that wasn’t fulfilled.

Ah, yes. The fake relationship to lovers trope. If I could read only one manga with this trope, this would be the one. There are good lessons on lying, which although it’s obvious, never seems to be the central theme to any story with this trope. The manga does a great job of highlighting the fact that white lies do more harm than good, but it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person if you do tell some. The relationships here are PURE diabetes, even if ppl are dense as hell. The supporting female cast was nicely executed as well. Also, if I could steal an art style, I wish it would be this one because the watercolor style is GORGEOUS. Plus, bonus points for the author being a man.

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 friend 2nd meetings are great. Lots of pining from the ML. The story itself wasn’t that interesting and I lost interest in the couples a couple of times, but it was kind of cute sometimes, and I liked how the MC was very headstrong in that shoujo manga manner.

For an unrealistic BL, the author did a good job of developing the characters. Unlike most manga of this type, the MC doesn’t stay super mean or tsundere to the ML, which is refreshing. They are kinder to one another as they grow closer to each other, which is nice to see. Something that bothered me plot-wise was that the ML had too much control in conflicts. There was no sense of urgency or danger because the ML is all-knowing and could see every conflict from a mile away, which bothered me quite a bit.

First and main story was the best. MC exchanges letters with the ML of 3 years ago and so commences the wholesome uwu love story