Satoru ist stinksauer, da das verlängerte Wochenende mit seinem heiß geliebten Keigo geplatzt ist. Dumm nur, dass er seinem Ärger mal wieder keine Luft machen kann, denn Satoru ist ja eher der "verschlossene" Typ. Aber Satoru setzt alles daran, den Zaun, der ihn von Keigo trennt, zu überwinden, wobei er doch glatt für ein Schreckgespenst gehalten wird!
Takanaga Hinako (高永ひなこ) is a Japanese author of Boys' Love manga. She has also provided illustrations for several BL light novels by other authors, including The Guilty by Katsura Izumi. Her first manga story, 合格祈願 (Goukaku kigan, Prayers for a passing grade?), was published by Hanamaru Comics in 1997; it was later reworked as the first chapter of Challengers. Most of her works have been translated into foreign languages. She was a guest at YaoiCon 2007, invited by Juné, the US publishers of her popular series Little Butterfly. When not making Boys' Love manga, she spends her time collecting Wallace & Gromit merchandise and playing Final Fantasy. Takanaga doesn’t like beer and people who are ignorant.
She comments that her biggest influence on her art and writing-style was KOUGA Yun, a famous shoujo manga artist whose works she read as a teenager.
I didn't like this quite as much as the first volume, but it continues to be cute. I've noticed that manga author's notes tend to be fairly self-deprecating, and often quite aware of their own issues. In this case, I think Takanaga was trying so hard to fix perceived/potential problems - the boredom that kicks in when two characters have already gotten together - that new ones got created in the process.
Personally, I like seeing established relationships. I'm not a big fan of manga (see: Given) that keeps throwing in new pairings to spice things up after the original pairing(s) have overcome their obstacles and kissed. You don't have to jump into an exciting new storyline to keep me interested! I'm already invested...in the story you'd started telling and the characters I've already fallen in love with. Please continue with that; I want to know more!
There was some really nice stuff in here with Tamiya and Satoru learning how to communicate better now that they're dating. Some of the things I really liked from Volume 1 carried over. While we start with Satoru being grumpy - sulking, with his non-expressive face - because his plans to spend the school break with his boyfriend have been pushed aside by a last-minute baseball training camp, there's no unreasonable drama. Satoru realizes - a little too late - that he never actually told Tamiya he wasn't angry, he was just sad. And he sets out to sneak into the training camp, late at night, to say all the things he has trouble expressing over the phone.
It's really sweet how supportive they are of each other. They still definitely engage in a lot of the physical side of their relationship, but they make a point of talking to each other now, too; Satoru practices a mini speech so he can tell Tamiya that he wants him to be happy in his baseball training, and that it makes him happy to see Tamiya playing. There's no unhealthy codependency here, or one of them guilting the other for not prioritizing them enough, etc. They run into occasional minor obstacles, talk about what's troubling them, and get through it together. That's a really refreshing way of telling stories, and I honestly would've been perfectly content to have the entire volume dedicated to that kind of relationship growth.
There's also some fun stuff with Satoru's parents. It's cute to see how much that relationship mirrors his; Satoru inherited his lack of expression from his mother, and his father is adoringly able to read all her emotions in the way Tamiya has been learning to do. It's not clear whether Satoru's mother is aware that he and Tamiya are more than "good friends," but she seems pretty supportive, so it'd be nice to see more of that family dynamic. (She's the one who pushes Satoru to do what he wants - go out in the middle of the night to share his feelings with Tamiya - which isn't really something a parent would expect you to do for just a school friend you'll be seeing again in three days.)
The ghost story in this section was pretty funny, too, although I got confused by the speech bubbles at the beginning - it seemed like Tamiya was the one telling the ghost story, but then he got mad at his teammates for taking it too seriously? And he was a little scared of the ghosts at one point, and unwilling to go out at night to investigate them, but then didn't care at all about them later on? I wish manga used speech bubble tails more consistently, because there were several pages where I could not tell who was speaking, and that's...a fairly important thing to know. Fortunately, it didn't impact too much of the story...maybe because for most of it, there were really only four characters interacting.
I don't actually mind the secondary story/romance, although I'm not super invested in it just yet - and we'll see how I feel when it becomes the prominent storyline in Volume 3. We discover that Yu, despite all his interfering in Volume 1, didn't actually want to date Satoru - he thinks of him as a much-loved little brother and is therefore protective of his dating life, which is why he dislikes Tamiya. Fair enough; I think that's changing the dynamic a little bit, but it'll work. And it opens him up to his own love interest - the charming and untrustworthy class president, Kagami.
I liked that, yet again, jealousy really didn't become an issue here. When Satoru stumbles into a private scene and realizes that Kagami has a crush on Yu, he gets adorably excited about the matchmaking opportunities and dives into a ridiculous (and very unsuccessful) attempt to work with Tamiya to get those two together. Tamiya later admits that he mostly joined in because he was hoping it would separate Yu from Satoru a little more...he recognizes his own selfishness, and he's trying to get along with Yu like Satoru wants, but they can't seem to stop butting heads. It's understandable, and I appreciate that it's depicted in a realistic way, without Tamiya ever being manipulative or controlling.
Like I said, I'm not sure if I'm fully sold on Kagami/Yu just yet...I liked Yu in Volume 1, and I felt like he lost some of his personality this time around, mostly showing up to argue with Tamiya about some school budgeting drama or to get flustered and irritated with what he thinks is just Kagami teasing him.
Kagami finally kisses him - and insists he's serious about this, and he was only putting the moves on Satoru to try to make Yu give up on him. It's not the best mark in Kagami's favor - I understand why Yu wouldn't trust a guy like that - but we'll see how his character develops when there's more focus on him.
And Satoru was just really, really cute trying to play cupid - an enthusiasm he also seems to have inherited from his mom, who got similarly excited about Yu's love story and wanted to know all the details. (I liked Tamiya asking her for advice, although I think he immediately regretted opening that door.) It's nice seeing him expressing himself a bit more, and finding things that really give him joy.
The one thing I find a little confusing with this story is that at times, the m/m relationships are kept under wraps - Satoru is afraid of his mom finding out, and Tamiya quickly hangs up the phone when his teammates find him secretly talking to his "girlfriend." But at other points, it seems like something everyone's cool with...Tamiya says that Kagami is popular "with both girls and guys," and it doesn't seem to come as any sort of surprise that Kagami is interested in Yu, or that Yu would be open to that.
I'm not sure if Takanaga has thought through the story to that level - or maybe it just doesn't really matter. It'll be more relevant if the cast of characters expands back out in future volumes - I was missing some of the interactions with other classmates, who would have a different perspective than someone like Yu, who already knows that Tamiya and Satoru are dating.
It was a nice touch to add a little flashback bonus comic, where we learn some of what Tamiya was thinking when he first started developing feelings for Satoru. This felt a little thin, still, and it seemed more like "something readers have been asking for" than something the author had actually thought through in a lot of detail...but at least there's some context for Tamiya's confession at the beginning of the series.
This volume didn't really feel like a complete story in itself, but I suppose it doesn't have to - it's bridging the gap to take a one-shot to a full series, so hopefully the rest will stand a little more solidly on its own, and add some depth to these characters' stories.
~4-4.5/5 [This review is also available on my blog.]
(This review contains some spoilers.)
I’m kind of obsessed with a few different series right now. And this is one of them.
It’s just so good. I’m surprised by how good it is, and I’m loving it. I’m loving this series so much.
So. The first storyline in this volume was mainly focused on Tamiya and Satoru, the main couple. Tamiya has to stay at the school for mandatory baseball camp, and Satoru gets lonely; also he believes that Tamiya thinks he’s upset with him, when he’s not, he just can’t express emotions well. So Satoru sneaks into the school to talk to Tamiya. Also, there’s a rumor going around the baseball team that the school is haunted.
This was mainly a sweet, cute, hot story for the two, which was nice. And we got to meet Satoru’s parents, who are awesome. Particularly his mom, who is also expressionless at all times, even though her husband and Satoru can tell what she’s feeling. It’s rather adorable, really.
For the rest of the volume, Satoru notices that Kagami, someone on the student council, maybe has feelings for his childhood friend, Yu. So, Satoru and Tamiya try to push them along. This takes up a good amount of time, since there are some mess-ups, as well as Kagami denying it. Although, the reader sees that it’s true (as does Yu, wink wink).
I like all of the characters, really. I like Satoru and Tamiya, and seeing their relationship develop further, and I’m intrigued by what’s happening between Yu and Kagami. I also really like seeing Satoru’s parents, who we saw more of throughout the volume. I really like his mom, his mom and his father seem really cute together, and I liked seeing how Satoru and his mom got along, seeing as how similar they are. I hope they show up even more in the next volume, and that we meet Tamiya’s parents.
I’m just really enjoying the ride this series is taking me on. The characters are good, I love Satoru’s expressionlessness, the storylines are good, the smut is good. It’s all just really good, great; I’m loving it.
The volumes are being released rather slowly, since we’re pretty much caught up with Japan, but the next volume is already out, and I should be getting it soon.
Satoru and Keigo are an adorable couple and I really enjoyed this second volume, though not as much as the first.
The first story involved Satoru trying to sneak into Keigo's baseball training camp to deliver a message that he couldn't over the phone. The second story involves them trying to set Yu up with Kagami, thereby introducing a new couple to the series.
Because of the events of volume 1 I'm not a huge fan of Yu so I didn't really care about whether he and Kagami got together. This is what influenced my rating so much. There were only two acts and this was the one that got the most time. Maybe the mangaka should have did something to make Yu more likable before trying to pair him up with someone. This isn't to say I'll never like him in the future. I actually hope I do because he IS in the second relationship of this series and I've already purchased the next 4 volumes.
The First Voice mini story at the end was adorable and it was nice seeing how Keigo first noticed Satoru. Overall, I wasn't reading this as enthusiastically as I did volume 1 but I'd still recommend it.
Just like in vol. 1, Toono is so adorable. His mom is similar to him and she loves a good love story. His dad really understands his mom, they’re adorable too😊 In vol. 1 I mentioned that this kind of reminds me of Komi Can’t Communicate, while I was reading this volume, Toono also kind of reminded me of Kuroko from Kuroko’s Basketball except that he’s not invisible like Kuroko and we don’t know what Kuroko is thinking while we know what Toono is usually thinking about.
We also have a new couple now, which I’m guessing the next few chapters might focus on since Toono and Tamiya’s relationship is going along well and they’re madly in love. This is almost felt like a shojo manga at times, although shojo manga usually doesn’t have sex.
Overall, I’m enjoying this series and the characters so far.
We get more of the romance between super shy and awkward art student Satoru Tono and outgoing baseball star Keigo Tamiya - Tamiya has to go away to training camp and they still have Satotu's childhood friend Yu's jealousy to deal with. Normally clueless, Satotu notices that the School Council president seems to have a crush on Yu, and he and Tamiya decide to try and play matchmaker....
Personally I found Yu and Kagami's relationship far more interesting than the sweet but rather too easy main romance - I can't wait for volume 3 to see how their antagonistic relationship will play out. While I like Satoru and Tamiya together there's just not enough angst or impediments for my taste - Its very Heartstopper just not as good, and of course more sexy - Which is fine, but I need the emotion to back up the passion and that's a bit lacking here.
Still its a cute yaoi high school romance and there's a LOT worse out there.
Currently making my through this ADORABLE boys love!! I honestly cannot get enough of this couple Satoru and Tamiya. Absolute perfect read for new people to yaoi and have their boundaries with heavy explicit content. Satoru and Tamiya are both super pure in their actions and their approach in this new relationship. This volume introduced another couple which I don't mind the move, I'm all for following both couples, the new couple addition was integrated nicely.
More of a 3.5 star rating; This volume was better than the first one since we got to see more of Tamiya and Satoru’s relationship, with less sex being involved. We also got to see a new character as well as another couple forming. The bonus chapter was adorable too since we got to see when Tamiya first started noticing Satoru.
Bon, c'est la package du BL japonais lycéen de cette époque, ni plus, ni moins donc je vais pas en faire une critique sérieuse (version tome 2) car ce serait bien trop redondant :
Oh, noooooooon ! Un rival pour le blond/ami d'enfance du bleu (on l'appellera le gris) qui va tourmenter le couple, c'était tellement inattendu comme trope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I just love this series so much holy shit. I ordered the whole series and am waiting for the books to get here, but so far I just cant with how adorable Satoru is and Im just smiling my way through the books🥺
This is a cute series. I'm enjoying my re-read of it. I love how all the characters love each other completely. There's a jealousy trope in this volume, which wasn't my favorite. Still recommended if you want something cute. 18+
El avance de la relación es un poco cliché, toca temas típicos para los BL, por lo que, es bastante predecible, lo divertido es ver las reacciones del protagonista considerando sus pocas capacidades de expresión
Very cute and spicy! The cover may be deceiving a little but these are definitely hormonal teenage boys. They are so cute. I love them. Definitely getting the next volume.
Satoru is as stoic as ever, his unmoving expression making Buster Keaton look like Jim Carrey. His lover Keigo is accepting of his seeming indifference because he knows better. That doesn’t mean that their relationship is entirely free of snags.
In this volume, many of the problems and tensions come from without rather within as the two boys battle out-of-season baseball practice (which the Japanese happen to be obsessed with) and financial difficulties at their school. The story proceeds snappily, with amusing bits about ghosts, ball mixups and bungling attempts to play matchmaker.
There are confusing passages about a certain President Kagami. He’s called an “eccentric” when the word wanted would seem to be “playboy” or “flirt”. Perhaps it’s a vagary of translation. It doesn’t matter. It’s yet another case of opposites attracting.
Whether Kagami and Sagara will hook up is a given; it usually is in these types of mangas. How it will happen is the poser, given Sagara’s apparent indifference to Kagami. Adding in their possible relationship makes this story even more appealing than the previous volume. The sex between the passionate Keigo and the still-shy Satoru doesn’t hurt either.
Relectura de uno de los primeros mangas del genero que leí (hace un más de 10 años).
No tengo los mismos sentimientos que antes con respecto a la historia, y creo que estirarla a un segundo tomo (y luego hasta un quinto) es too much. No hay un plot que seguir y la idea de slice of life con situaciones super habituales lo hace aburrido luego del primer tomo.
A pesar de que me sigue gustando mucho el dibujo de la autora y a que prefiero esta historia antes que su trabajo más famoso, no entiendo porque alargarlo cuando ya no hay nada que contar.
Leeré el tercer tomo pronto, pero no creo que me haga con los dos que me faltan.
the narrative pull of an ongoing story and Satoru mama and papa much improve this volume. plus i have reluctantly decided that at least for now, paper is better than what's available to download - mediocre resolution really sours the reading experience. so i read this vol in paper, not PDF. it's a shame, because comics can look fantastic online when proper image files are used.
See here I am thinking that this can't get any better ... but then it gets better. Honestly one of the greatest yaoi's I've read, and it's only volume two XD I like how prominent the side characters are and that they're in a real relationship and Toono's mother is basically perfect and just ... my feels.
Still a great series by Hinako Takanaga. Tamiya and Tono's relationship is progressing, and I love their interactions with each other and everyone else. And also I Tono's family! So much like his relationship with Tamiya!
The cute yaoi love story continues in volume 2, with the beginning of a new potential love story. I enjoyed volume 2 more than volume 1 only because there is a bit more character development and, with that, an overall better plot development.
Ist wieder ganz süß. Tono bemüht sich mehr zu kommunizieren und seine Gefühle auszudrücken. Weiterhin erkennen wir die Anfänge eines Nebenpärchens, was aber noch braucht um zu entstehen. Einfach wieder süß zum nebenbei lesen.