Their first memorable summer was in high school, followed by their first summer together as college students… Now, Wataru and Chiharu are in their second year of college, and the two boys can't wait to spend another summer together. Now back from his study abroad program, Chiharu is ecstatic to see Wataru for the first time in two months, and Wataru's thankful that they'll have more time to spend with each other, without also having to balance work and school. One of their plans has the two return to the cinema for a movie date to celebrate Wataru's 20th birthday, but what other memories will the summer have in store for them?
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? / Then we wouldn't have to wait so long / And wouldn't it be nice to live together / In the kind of world where we belong? (Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys).
Well great, it’s over and now I’m sad. Another beautiful story that made me feel way too much on a random afternoon under my belt. I'm collecting the heart-wrenchers like Infinity Stones at this point! So, yay for that? I will say that I was more than happy with the happily-ever-after ending because... trust me, with the way that summer romances usually end up, whether it be in song, movie, or book format, I was totally preparing for the ending to go any kind of way. I know that the understood nature of romance stories set during summer is that they're fleeting, and most stories try to convey this through a bittersweet ending in order to express a level of realism like with the early works of Adam Silvera, but I just thought it was really sweet how instead, My Summer of You's author decided to depict three consecutive of Wataru and Chiharu's romance to show how they both changed and stayed the same. The lack of sweeping romantic gestures and heightened relationship strife throughout the story felt like a promise to the reader that things were going to work out okay in the end. And I do think there's a special kind of beauty in the mundanity of their relationship because if offered a different kind of grounded appeal without things slipping into cliches. Okay look, I've read so much manga in my life that I don’t even have all of it logged on Goodreads (I’m all caught up on both Spy x Family and One Punch Man) and I really don't want to flood everybody's news feed, so I'll just say that I’ve kind of built up a certain immunity to common tropes in the romance genre and leave it there. The endless love-triangles, the childhood friend who shows up way late in the story to add a little extra dash of drama, or the sudden changes of hearts between the main couple during the final arc, I've seen it all. So, you can probably imagine my surprise when I'm reading something I picked up on a whim all la-di-daa~aa where all of a sudden I noticed that the narrative conflict has a surprisingly introspective take on relationships despite the otherwise light nature of the manga. You don't see it every day, so I think it’s important for me to take note. That’s what this review is; me taking notes! It really is nice to come across characters in a manga that act like real people and respond to their real people problems in a real person way! Woah, maturity? What a novel concept.
It’s cool because I don’t really think this manga needed to go on for three whole volumes (you can go ahead and read the first one and call it a day if you really want to), and you could argue that The Summer With You feels a bit like an extended epilogue much in the same way The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks was, but I think this sequel was a nice addition simply because more time with these characters also gave the author more time to explore how their relationship would evolve past being high school sweethearts. How could they continue on? That’s what this volume is for. For example, and this is slight spoilers for the first volume, but the big climactic moment happens when Chiharu abruptly leaves one day without telling Wataru because he always knew their time together was going to be brief, and rather than coming clean from the outset, he instead convinced himself that it was easier for all parties involved if he had just left without saying goodbye. After going ghost for months, Wataru finds Chiharu on a chance encounter and makes him realize that all he was really sparing was his own fragile ego. Phew, but the thing is that while it's all water under the bridge now, we learn that Wataru still has residual resentment and fear over Chiharu’s flighty nature. This is mostly shown in how drunk Wataru is always grabbing his shirt whenever he's simply leaving the room because he's afraid he'll disappear on him again. It’s pretty sad and yet a wonderfully effective way of story-telling that expertly shows how the prospect of forgiveness isn't always so linear, and old hurts can sometimes flair right back up if not properly addressed. Also, if nothing else, Chiharu going out of his way to assure Wataru that he's here to stay this time specifically catered to my tastes as a reader because as you know, I'm always big on apologies in these kinds of stories. Can't get enough of them! In general, manga is an art form where everyone's emotions are always worn on their sleeves so blatantly that there usually isn’t much of a point in any in-depth character study, so I’m not really used to a story with level of nuance. Besides, it’s always nice to see an apology scene in a story where I don't categorically hate anybody on either side. Because you'd best believe me… I usually have an opinion on anything and everything.
Hey, do you think it's selfish of me to say that this manga should have continued on for a million more installments? I mean, I don't really know how a story like this could keep going, considering that even this volume felt like it was stretching the premise at points, but I'm just saying, if My Hero Academia can overstay its welcome long past closing hours, then why not this cute little gay romance manga? Bad or not, I wouldn’t mind this series taking up a lot more space on my bookshelf, that’s for sure! Actually, scratch that, I should probably just be grateful I actually got a complete ending, because there are so many manga out there that go on for so long that I kind of forget I was even reading them in the first place and drop off eventually (cough coughOne Punch Man)! I wouldn't want this manga to grow more and more tired with each subsequent sequel until I can only remember what I once loved with resentment and disdain. Sure, I can throw out names like The Walking Dead or Naruto because they apply here, but for some reason I just keep thinking about this one YouTube channel I remember that did these “relatable” racial "humor" type videos that were all titled shit like “5 Things Asian Parents Do” (yawn). And let me tell you, they milked the hell out of them, eventually getting so desperate to keep the momentum going that their video started looking a little something like, “27 Things Asian Girls Do In College When They’re Also Majoring in Economics” instead. I guess you’ve got to get very specific down there while you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. Literally just nonsense capitalizing on sweeping generalizations that are vague enough to the point where anybody with a pulse could watch them and be all like, “omg I'm an Asian, and this is soo~ooo me coded!” Yeah well, I’m Asian too, and that shit isn’t me at all. Anyway, my point is that I’d never wish for this manga to get to the point where I'd include it among the likes of Bleach, Boruto, or even Dragon Ball Super. Besides, the longer a series goes on, the more opportunities there are for the characters to either become parodies of themselves or become so mythologized that they become larger than the narrative. Just ask Dave Filoni, a grown ass man with the writing capabilities of a child mashing together action figures. As bittersweet as it can be, endings are there for a reason, and I don’t want this beautiful summer romance to simply be another victim of the slop machine! Okay, I’m cool now. I’m calm. In fact, I’m happy! Happy to have read a beautiful queer love story that just happened to make me feel a little too much on this random afternoon.
But happy times together we've been spending I wish that every kiss was never-ending Oh, wouldn't it be nice?
This was a cute little sequel to the sequel. This was just full of sweet little moments and finally saying some unsaid things. Their relationship has progressed so much from volume 1, and they are just a couple adorably in love.
So glad to have another sequel - Wataru and Chiharu both have their 20th birthdays and spend their summer together. I loved that Wataru gained more confidence and talked about his feelings more openly. A sweet manga that captures that infinite summer feeling.
Hell, you could hear me screaming, sensei, I feel like crying!! Thank you for this gorgeous sequel, I love it so much!! This is exactly what I needed to feel right now. Thank you for showing Wataru's feelings... loud and clearly. They are so beautiful. I love them so much, like I'm really crying right now. THAT WAS THE CONFIRMATION I NEEDED FROM THE PREVIOUS VOLUME. ARIGATOU NE SENSEI 🫶 THIS IS MOST BEAUTIFUL SUMMER!!
I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask for another volume like these summer boys officially living together. I mean, I need it... badly at this point. I just love Wataru and Chiharu so so much it hurts.
Oml Nagisa Furuya's work never fails to amaze me. I literally love the art so freaking much along with the storyline. I often read the manga as if it were in color that's how great the art is. I literally loved this book so much and I loved seeing the boys grow from volume 1 to volume 3. My Summer of You will forever be in my top 3 for bls it's just so adorable and like I've said the art style is so good. I now can't wait to read My Ultramarine Sky which is also by Furuya!
such a cute sequel <3 I love these boys so much! this volume really brought everything together and I hope (if we get more) that we'll see them much older and enjoying life together
I've been a fan of Furuya Nagisa for a few years now; the first work I have ever encountered from them was Number Call, which I greatly enjoyed. I've always found their works to be quieter, more understated - and yet still full of emotion. The plots of their works aren't revolutionary, but they still evoke a number of feelings within me.
I'm glad that this was a series, and that I read the volumes straight through. A lot of BL works - or at least, most of the ones that get licensed and released in English - tend to be single-volume releases, which means that there isn't much room for exploring a relationship since most of the volume is dedicated to portraying how the main couple gets together. (Unless that work is, of course, centered on an established couple.) If this was kept at just the first volume, it still would've been a complete work, but I would've been kept wanting. But we actually get to witness their relationship develop further.
Additionally, the sequel volumes allow us to see just how Chiharu's actions in the first volume continue to shape Chiharu and Wataru's relationship, even years down the line. Initially it may feel like Chiharu is more invested than Wataru is, but it's slowly revealed just how much Wataru does care for Chiharu and how Chiharu's reckless actions have deeply affected Wataru. It's realistic, and sad, but it also isn't played up for drama. It's just how it is.
If you're looking for a BL series that is heavier on the portrayal of the everyday lives of a couple and also the development of a young adult relationship, then do give this series - and Furuya Nagisa's works in general - a try. The main characters and the people around them are kind, and charming, and quite wholesome. A palate cleanser series for sure.
Cute. Fluffy. Much better than Vol 2. Chiharu is back home after a few months away for study abroad stuff. Wataru still can't bring himself to express his feelings or desires for Chiharu, but both boys turn 20, (legal drinking age in Japan), and alcohol helps things along, but not in the way you might expect. I enjoyed it. Unclear if the series ends here or there will be more.
Didn't intend this to be my first read of 2024. I'd been planning to pick out some kind of a sure thing novel from a favorite author, but I needed something to read while I sat with the birds during all the fireworks last night, (when the hell did they legalize those skyburster things for personal use? ugh) and while I'm usually in camp it's not tomorrow until I've been to sleep it was around midnight when I started it, so why not.
This series didn’t reinvent the wheel and it did feel cliché at times. But overall, it was a short and cute read that made me wish summer would come faster.
I am so happy we got one more book. It's the kind of fluffy and sweet story with nothing heavy and all the cute that you need in your life every so often. I really enjoyed the first two and I enjoyed this one too
i loved the sequel to the sequel. this trilogy was just so cute and filled with the sweetest moments between our main characters. it took me forever to get to reading this and I'm so glad to cross it off my list.
"this is the summer of their 20th year" I will cry. I LOVED IT
This third and currently final volume is a great improvement upon the second volume, which I thought to be lacking in content. There is great relationship development, as well as the introduction of a couple more characters. These new characters add to the story rather than distract from it. In my opinion, this is the best volume yet.
I don't know if there will be more to this series - I mean, the end feels pretty conclusive, but that was also true about the other two volumes. If more is written, I'll definitely read it. If not, well... this author has other series anyway, so I won't be too disappointed.
I think this might be my favorite installment in the series (which will hopefully get more volumes in the future??) - specifically because we see repercussions from the events of the first volume. Don't get me wrong - I love the lighthearted, wholesome, relaxing vibe we have going around, but what Chiharu did in the first volume (though well-intentioned) has left its mark on Wataru, and I loved seeing it addressed.
Ahh they’re so cuute 😩 didn’t realize I was missing them till I picked this up. Which I was surprised to see in the bookstore, didn’t know there was a continuation so I immediately bought it. While this series is all about summer I also hope the author can write about them outside of it. But seriously I love them sm hope we get more.