Ogi's Summer Break, Vol. 1

小木くんのなつやすみ #1

by Koikawa

It's love at first sight for Haruto Ogi when he befriends Tago, a vision-impaired high school student who navigates the world with a cane and and a carefree, forthright attitude. But when Tago proposes that they go out for the summer, Ogi is torn between excitement and a deep-seated certainty that the connection between them isn't meant to last.

Behind Ogi's flinching uncertainty is a deeper fear of rejection, and Tago's casual approach toward their relationship only makes him more self conscious. For the first time, Ogi feels like he can be himself, because Tago can't see his appearance and judge him by his 'eccentricities.' But does Tago really care for Ogi as his boyfriend, or does he just want to keep Ogi's friendly presence by his side?

A quirky and gentle story about overcoming one's fears and loving yourself and others for who they truly are.

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Graphic Novels, Comics, Boys Love, Queer

162 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2021

Reviews

[1stTimeReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man, what a disappointment.

Don’t let the cutesy art distract you (even though it’s very simple) - this is the story of Ogi, gay teen who falls in love with Tago, a blind boy. I thought this would be a story about finding love and seeing eachother without being able to see.
But Tago is very openly admitting he is using Ogi, dating him but not liking him romantically because he is using him as a weird replacement for his brother and not being lonely. I hated how he speaks about Ogi to others and the last chapter where his brother was present was honestly devastating for Ogi. And that weird personality switch in chapter 2 was so bizarre, I can’t believe from so many BL stories available, Tokyopop chose to translate this one.
I’m only giving this 1 star because Ogi was very likeable, but at this point, I’m hoping he doesn’t stay with Tago.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.45!

starting out: cute
2nd chapter: ….what👁👄👁
idk what i was expecting but this wasn’t it lmao. tago as a character…yeah not feeling it. and i don’t rlly feel their chemistry nor do i rlly like them together tbh. ogi’s fine, but so far the characs and story are rather superficial (also what’s the deal with the brother??)
and kanako played into that trope of the girl best friend who has feelings for the MC and has to interfere somehow. she’s somehow redeeming at the end but. still

i read this solely bc of the cover akdkdjskjs
and the art style is pretty nice throughout as well !

[Sucre · Rating 1 out of 5]

this manga has so many ideas it brings up but then does nothing with any of them. it keeps tempting the reader with the kernel of something interesting then abandons it to focus on boring, surface-level romance between the two leads. it continually ignores things that warrant discussion which makes for a very frustrating read.

there's one scene in particular where ogi is out walking with his blind boyfriend, tago. some people ogi knew from high school see him and start to chat with him. they see tago holding onto ogi's arm and comment that ogi must be doing volunteer work. ogi freezes up and says nothing to dissuade this, and tago doesn't comment either. this scene is not brought up for the rest of the manga. ogi and tago do not discuss it. it's just a thing that happens and then it doesn't effect anything else.

which is SO frustrating because it's an incredibly common and dehumanizing situation for a disabled person to be in! disabled people are desexualized constantly. we are not seen as autonomous beings that can fall in love, get married, have sex, etc. when my wife is pushing me in my chair in public, he is assumed to be my sister, friend or caregiver. its incredibly unusual for anyone to think we're a couple unless we refer to each other as "wife". this is an example of everyday ableism that mixed-ability couples deal with - the idea that someone who is with a disabled person in public could only be a caregiver/friend/family member and never a romantic/sexual partner. seeing it depicted in a manga made me feel very seen - until neither character mentions it ever again.

this is something to be talked about! something where tago can express frustration at the ableism he faces or where ogi can realize that dating a blind person is going to come with unique experiences and challenges! but because the manga only presents the situation, then doesn't comment on it at all, it feels out-of-place and strange. why show this if it's not going to cause lasting conflict or character growth?

and really, that's the whole manga. scenes happen to cause drama in the moment, but not to have a lasting impact on the story or the characters. it's like the characters move from set piece to set piece, learning nothing along the way, simply existing as things happen to them.

it also means that, much later in the manga (literally the last three pages), ogi suddenly has a deep guilt about dating tago because ogi... dresses "femininely" and wears nail polish? this is included in the summary of the story so you would think it would have a more of a place, but it really doesn't. it just kinda sucker punches us at the end where tago's brother is transphobic at ogi and ogi suddenly harbors extreme guilt about dating tago because apparently he's ashamed of liking cute things. it's not a conflict that's present anywhere else in the manga, it comes out of nowhere, but its included in the summary! nonsense.

theres several other things that happen that are frustrating - tago suddenly sexually assaulting ogi in chapter two while claiming he does this stuff with his brother (was he being serious? is he forcing his younger brother to roleplay sex with him?), the girl who is in love with ogi and demands that tago and ogi break up, the fact that tago actually doesn't really give a shit about ogi, probably isn't gay and is only doing this because he's bored and horny... it's a mess. and it's a short volume, too!

i have no idea what this was going for but it didn't work in any direction - not from a disability angle, not from a gender nonconforming or dysphoria angle, and not from a romance angle.

[Sam Waddell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly very disappointing 😭

i thought it would be a cute little fluffy manga but i was so wrong. It was almost pervy and not to mention the undertones of incest? like i’m really hoping that was a mistranslation or something because jeez… also the fact ogi pretty much got manipulated by tago? like what?

the art is cute but simple but the plot is honestly shit, it jumped around a lot.

if you want a good Bl manga read Doukyuusei

[akacya ❦]

2025 reads: 260/300

it’s love at first sight for ogi when he befriends tago, a blind high school student. when tago proposes that they try going out for the summer, though, ogi’s torn between his own excitement and a certainty that this won’t last.

hmm…i don’t know about this book. it had an interesting plot, but a lot of parts were pretty questionable. ogi is in college and tago is in high school. at first, i thought, okay, maybe ogi’s in his first year and tago’s in his last year. that’d put them only a year apart, which is reasonable for their ages. but then tago’s brother got introduced, and he’s two years older than tago, but still younger than ogi?! and i was concerned with how tago seems to be using ogi to keep him around, though he has no intentions of falling for him romantically. there are also unaddressed themes of ableism, like someone assuming ogi was doing volunteer work while on a date with tago and neither ogi nor tago correcting this person or talking about it later. with all this said, though, i’m still curious to see how the story will conclude(?) in the second volume.

[Amanda Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this series a solid 3/5 overall. I thought the art was simple yet refreshing and the story itself was basic yet different than most bl stories. It did feel like the writer was trying to create unique characters and their interactions. I just don't think it flowed well and some scenes felt forced, if that's the right word. I'm also not Toga's biggest fan and Ogi was almost too wishy-washy.

[Yoselin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending shows potential for a dramatic volume 2 now that Koikawa has introduced Tago's brother. So even though I'm only rating Ogi's Summer Break a 2/5 (Why? Because the art is nice, and I can find myself growing to like Ogi's character), I'm giving the manga the benefit of the doubt and will read the next volume when it's available through my library.

What I'm hoping for in the next volume, or I don't see myself continuing this series:

1. A further look into Ogi's past and relationship with gender because this first volume didn't have much depth.

2. An improvement in the writing/formatting so that each new chapter doesn't read incomplete (as if I'm starting mid-chapter and missing essential context)

3. That the author explores Tago's character more (because after 151 pages, I can't say I have a reason to care for him)

I don't think I'm asking for much, but we'll see what happens.

[Thora Schramm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mid på basically alla nivåer

[Neoday☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Toga´s personality a lot and Ogi is so lovely i wanted keep him in a pocket near to my heart :3

[maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i liked the comphet aspect but i have no desire to read more + im no disability rights activist or expert in any regard but i expected Tago's blindness to play into the story a bit more or at least have some introspection regarding how he feels navigating the world besides not being able to view porn (which makes sense but i feel like we could have had more depth). We don't really get any motivation for why the characters do anything and it is only Volume 1 so maybe it's explained later but idk. Not for me!

[Markl Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm… I didn’t really like it. There’s quite a bit of drama about liking/not liking each other and I was wanting a fluffy romance, not this. Someone in the mood for drama might like it, though.

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I will be interested to see where this goes

[Neo_lottus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 sentí feo como terminó, me duele el pechito ㅠㅠ

[Luiza ≽^• ˕ • ྀི≼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ✨️

[Ryofire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat little volume 1! The art is very lovely, the story is relatively light (but not always fluffy), and the two protagonists feel like realistic depictions of young men at the end of high school/starting college. The things they do sometimes (particularly Tago) are a bit odd, but kind of make sense in terms of testosterone-heavy and consent-negative societal expectations for boys and young men, and a very ableist society. Unlike a lot of reviewers, I don't see a "twist" after the preview. There's a strong hint at it in the preview, and it's just shown more afterward. This is a story about labels, casual assumptions, understanding that everyone is different and how you respect people anyway because that's a decent thing to do, and some different ways that can appear in life. It handles disability and allyship in very interesting ways, as well.

These two characters are both doing something for reasons they don't quite explain to each other, and it's a story about exploring gender presentation and queer sexualities. Neither character identifies a particular way, sexually, though both of them identify as male. There's a brief bit of biphobia that I don't think is handled well, but it's unfortunately pretty common, and I think Ogi tries to manage it as best he can: basically, it's other people's problem if they can't understand that someone else's identities are not their business. Ogi is exploring who he is as a person, and largely knows who he is and what he wants (unless it comes to wanting to keep friends and what he's willing to do in order to do that). If someone else is insistent that he be either bisexual or gay or -insert whatever- based on their perception of him, that is their problem, not his.

I appreciate the way the story explores how a character doesn't have to fit into a specific box in accordance with societal expectation: Ogi thinks(?) he's bisexual, but leans towards men. Ogi is femme, but not transgender (not that it's bad to be transgender, but he just leans towards femme presentation/crossdressing, while still enjoying masculine presentation at times as well). Tago is into women, but he likes Ogi in a way he doesn't seem to have processed as attraction on some level due to lack of experience. Not because Ogi is in some liminal space as a "woman", but because Tago is only recently trying to do some emotional introspection on himself and what he wants.

It's also good to be aware that while this looks cute, it's not exactly fluffy (at least not all the time). It's a story about boundary pushing, miscommunication, misunderstandings, anxiety, a bit of dishonesty, at best slight discomfort in your body and your life and how people perceive you and what they expect from you, and what you want from them, in that particularly trying time of coming into adulthood/figuring out what you want to do for your life. Characters aren't having intensely deep conversations about it, either, but they do talk about big topics in deep ways. None of the characters in here are perfect, and they often fumble and make mistakes, and it makes them feel more real for it. Whether that's too uncomfortable for the individual reader is up to your own personal preference.

My general opinions on Ogi and Tago (and a little about Tago's brother): I don't personally see what Ogi is doing as insidious or awful. I think he just focused on his physical attraction to Tago and enjoyment of Tago as a person, and that was mixed in with some understandable ignorance and unfamiliarity. Ogi is not visually impaired, and while he seems to be trying to understand and help, he does not fully know what it's like to be visually impaired, and it's one thing to try and be a good ally and another to think of the casual day-to-day aspects of disability, even when you're confronted by them, because our society does not do that at all (and while I respect Ogi's earnestness, I don't see him as the kind of person who would go out of his way to do that, beyond just listening to Tago). That's not to say he's blameless for Tago's ignorance of his appearance, but I wouldn't insist to a blind person that they know how I look all the time. That's also about respecting the disabled person's agency. Tago could have asked, or explained what he expected in their relationship, friendship or otherwise. He seemingly didn't. He is the one who best knows what it's like to live as a visually impaired person, and what he wants in relationships (e.g., when he asks to touch Ogi's nails). While it's clear he's a bit mixed up in the latter, and perhaps there are other reasons he hasn't asked, I appreciate Ogi either intentionally or accidentally respecting his agency. There is a lot of debate in the visually impaired community about what works and what people do or don't want, it's important to remember that it's not one-size-fits all, and people want different things, and have different levels of ability that can affect that, as well as just different personal preferences.

I think the topic of being transgender at the end of the volume is interesting, and matches well with the characters we've seen up until that point. It's important to remember that different countries handle queerness in different ways, and going from certain online circles with specific vocabulary to casual teenagers/early 20-somethings who don't travel in queer circles in different countries is a whole other world. It's uncomfortable. It's also meant to be. I wish these characters were given a better education about queerness and queer people, but in most parts of the world, that's something you just won't get outside of college/university or graduate school, at most. But this also feels real, and I think it's handled well for what it is. It is of course also escapist entertainment, and if it's too real to some folks, I can get how that might be a turn-off.

As for Tago, Tago's actions for reasons I've covered above make sense as a young man raised likely in a heterosexual and patriarchal-centric society. It's not "boys will be boys", but some boys and men get very rough in their play, and I know some of them do grope each other in similar ways to what we've seen, even though they themselves might not identify as anything other than heterosexual. And that's not saying it's fine, because it's not. Tago should have asked for Ogi's consent before showing him pornography and also before touching him. But this reflects how a lot of it is down to our societies not focusing on consent, and not teaching our children to expect their bodily autonomy to be respected, ever, and that for boys in particular, disrespecting the bodily autonomy of others is what you are EXPECTED to do. Perhaps if both of these characters - Tago and Ogi - were better taught how to respect boundaries, this wouldn't happen. Ogi also exercises his own agency in the matter.

Overall, both of these characters are using each other for their own ends. Ogi, because he finds Tago attractive and wants to hang out with him, and Tago, because he's lonely, likes Ogi, and likes that Ogi likes him. In a way they both feel pretty demisexual, and that's pretty cool. They're also not saints, and that's fine. It makes the story more interesting.

There's even a subtle bit about accessibility in pornography. A lot of people de-sex disabled people, and there is far less accessibility there than the little disabled people find in other media, because the expectation is that somehow disabled people have no interest in that stuff, when in fact we do! The inclusion of this, while uncomfortable for some because, well, porn, and Tago isn't respecting Ogi's boundaries, is honestly pretty radical. I imagine another reason is that it casts the disabled character in a negative light, and while I disagree that it entirely does that, I don't think saintifying Tago does anything either. I also don't pity him. I feel bad his society isn't more accessible for him that he relies on others being available to help him access the things they do, and he is denied bodily autonomy and freedom in the same way others have, not because he is visually impaired, but because his society does not support him in the way it does able-bodied persons. I empathize with his struggle, and particularly appreciate how it's framed not just through the typical lens of "feel bad for the disabled person because they are disabled" but "feel bad for the boy who cannot be friends like he wants with his brother because his brother is ableist and so is the society they live in".

As far Kanako, I find her inclusion here kind of sad. I'm pretty sure she'll start to realize what she's doing wrong by disrespecting Ogi's agency, given the tendency of the character trope in boy's love series of the semi-jealous female extra, and how we can kind of see her journey in this volume already, but I'm not sure. What she attempted to do was cruel, and she's disrespected Ogi quite badly, and I hope she apologizes to him in the future.

All in all, it's a good story, a well-drawn one, and draws on a lot of really interesting topics in neat ways. I look forward to volume 2!

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hm. I'll have to decide after reading the second volume, but so far I...don't like this at all.

The opening is cute: Ogi's hanging out with a couple of friends and, seeing a good-looking guy with a cane, is unable to stop himself from saying out loud how cool he finds him. The guy, Tago, overhears, and Ogi's friend Hiromichi throws Ogi under the bus by saying he wants to be friends with Tago.

Except it works, and the two of them begin hanging out on a fairly regular basis over the summer. It's a pretty relaxed friendship that's going well until Tago invites Ogi over to "meet his parents" but in actuality pulls up some porn on his phone and asks Ogi to help him act it out so he can imagine it better.

"Is this something brothers do??" Ogi wonders, bewildered and uncomfortable, before eventually fleeing.

Then, for some reason, he apologizes to Tago? To Tago's credit, he did think: oh, I guess I made him mad or uncomfortable, maybe he thought that was creepy. Which...who wouldn't...? But since Ogi apologized first, they slid back into a scenario where he felt like he should just go along with whatever Tago wants, regardless of how it makes him feel.

Somehow that ends up with the two of them dating, then doing physical things, simply because Tago is curious.

Ogi's female friend, Kanako, is wrong for cornering Tago and asking him to not hang out with Ogi, and for outing him and his crush on Tago. But so far I honestly...kind of think they would've been a better fit? Ogi calls himself bisexual but seems to only find celebrity women attractive - when it comes to crushes on real-world people around him, he's only been actively attracted to guys. So that, of course, is the big blocker that Kanako sees and is upset about...and to some extent I get why, because she actually likes everything about who Ogi is, including his genderfluid way of dressing and presenting himself.

At the end of this volume, Tago's older brother points out (quietly, to Tago) that Ogi dresses more like a girl, and might consider himself female? That doesn't seem to be the case, at least not yet - and Ogi denies that when Tago bluntly asks him - but then suddenly that swings into the brother asking if Ogi is dating Tago because he's blind and doesn't notice that Ogi is wearing girls' clothing.

Which is just. Uh. I mean, first of all, with the two of them touching and all, I think Tago would've actually noticed the skirts. He's not that clueless. And secondly, there are just so many issues with the dynamics in this relationship.

Right now, it's Tago's treatment of Ogi that's bothering me more...and I do think that Kanako is right that it's messed up for him to just be playing around with Ogi's feelings because he's bored and wants someone to hang out with.

Maybe the relationship can improve and turn into something genuine in the second volume, but I'm feeling pretty sour about it right now.

[Dilliemillie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The more I think about this, the more I realize there is nothing I liked. It's so bad. Out of all the stories available, why was this one chosen for English translation?!

How many red flags can you count?

College student Ogi falls in love at first sight with blind high schooler Tago. Tago insists adamantly that he is not gay, but decides on a whim to date Ogi disinterestedly anyway.

Ogi comes over to his house, and Tago abruptly jumps him to get help acting out a porn scene that he would normally do with his brother.

Apparently he needs help with this vital learning experience because his blindness makes it impossible otherwise - which is characteristic of the shoddy disability rep in the entire volume. Tago is blind, but it's incidental to the story except when it serves a plot point. There's precious little real life experience being depicted here.

Acquaintances of Ogi mistake the two of them on a date as Ogi volunteering, and Ogi does nothing to dispel that assumption. Do the boys discuss the incident later, or even acknowledge it? Absolutely not.

Do they discuss that Ogi prefers a more feminine self-expression? Oh no. That's saved for a shock value cliff hanger ending when Tago's brother calls Ogi out for it, surprising Tago who has never bothered to learn a single thing about his boyfriend's appearance or identity.

Ugh I'll stop ranting now. I was very excited for a boys' love manga with a disabled main character, but this version of the idea is a hard pass.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

where to read: INKR, Bookwalker, Renta!, Tokyopop

More of a 2.5~

On the first day of summer vacation, Haruto Ogi fell in love with legally blind Shinya Tago. Ogi feels comfortable being himself around Shinya, because he can't see him. He feels safe and unjudged. The two spend a lot of time together throughout the summer. Shinya is clueless at first about Ogi's feelings and Ogi is fine with leaving things as they are, but things change and Ogi's not sure what to expect anymore.

Ah this was not what I expected. Mostly because Shinya was not what I expected. His personality is pretty odd and I don't really love the vibes of the relationship. Ogi is adorable and I feel a little bad for him. I mean Shinya's not being malicious, but the things he does to Ogi when Ogi feels the way does. Idk it makes me a little sad for him. I'm hoping volume 2 will be a little better and maybe the tokyopop translation will be better too? I have hope for their relationship and for the messaging of the story and what it wants to do, but for now it felt a little off.

[Tib · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one so much, but there just wasn't any substance to anything in this book. Character interactions are surface level, there was no deeper dive into anything like Ogi's gender expression or even his questioning sexuality. Tago is all over the place and there's no real cohesive plot line of any sort, just random scenes smooshed together.

[dinoscongeladoss · Rating 1 out of 5]

estaba muy emocionado por la historia hasta que me di cuenta de que sería otra de esas donde pintan a la gente discapacitada como degenerados sexuales, transfóbicos o gente meramente tonta y desinformada.
la relación de tago con su hermano es creppy, la relación de tago con ogi es creppy y lo único bueno de aquí es ogi.

[Shaylee Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the idea of this but the execution was just not there. No chemistry, no back story, no real flow to the story at all. It feels so unfinished and unorganized I had to force myself to finish it because I paid $7 😭

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Essentially an abusive relationship that’s hard to stomach based on the way it’s depicted. Main character gets sexually assaulted in chapter 2 only to call back later and apologize for leaving in a huff about an incest comment. It’s very cliché and not worth your time.

[Jes Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A star for the cute art style and a star for Ogi’s character, but the story is very weird vibes and made me kinda uncomfy. Tago is using Ogi and is kinda pushy and non-consent-y with him, and the brother stuff is weird. Definitely not the “sweet love story” promised on the back.

[Tory]

I don't think I've ever seen a character make a hard turn into being unlikeable so quickly before, especially in a book that seems like it's supposed to be "cute." DNF @ 29%.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of potential, but...

The story had potential, just not enough effort in developing the story, which is a shame. I do like the main character, but the love interest? Meh.

[carly irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh weird character writing
i do like ogi tho<3 my meow meow

[camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I don’t understand why so many people are hating on this book. It’s mainly light, with the story focusing on miscommunication, boundary-pushing and both of these young men trying to find themselves, neither of the characters are perfect, with them sometimes doing things that may seem odd but just enhance the message the author is trying to express. The first chapter was cute and I thought it was a nice setup for the characters to meet up and show their personalities, you can clearly see the main character Ogi has commitment issues, not really interested in becoming “an item” with anyone at the moment but still having interest in Tago who is vision-impaired. The second chapter is where is loses a lot of people as they thought Tago’s actions were very out of place, making him seem unlikeable. As a high schooler, I felt it was in fact a realistic depiction of someone who is at that age, wanting to find out more about their body leading to him asking Ogi for help. I do think he should asked for permission before showing him and doing what he did, but it shows me how society doesn’t talk about consent enough to where this is normalized. Kanako’s conversation with Tago in chapter 3 did make her seem a bit annoying to me as a trope in many media, but I still kinda understand why she felt that way, to her Tago had basically came out of nowhere, Ogi had quickly fallen for him and they started frequently hanging out. Kanako to me just seems jealous of how quickly Ogi realized his feelings for Tago, and how he didn’t when she liked him. Only thing that was mean of her was went she outed Ogi for being gay based on her own assumption when in this part of the story he still hasn’t figured out his sexuality definitely. I believe later on in the story she will be more willing to see her mistakes and become a better friend, not crossing Ogi’s boundary by assuming his sexuality and forcing him to like her instead by not accepting his relationship with Tago. The confession?? also happened after the argument, it was very fast to me, but it still felt realistic as people my age will try to rush relationships as quickly as possible, further shown in chapter 4 when they express that it would be “normal” for Tago and Ogi to kiss on their third date. Ogi is still unsure of the relationship, only going through with the kiss under the assumption that they’ll break up after the break’s over setting up an other issue. During chapter 5, we see Tago had a ‘dream’ which would be normal for someone of his age. While they’re at fireworks festival and in the next chapter Tago keeps trying to get closer due to the fact that it’s “normal” and although he’s breaking Ogi’s barrier. I feel like many people his age in current society would try to do that, as high schoolers (myself included) dont know much about love we’re often curious and want to try things with people we like, which Tago uses Ogi for. Both of these characters are shown to be using each other for their benefit, without intentions of harm or evil. Tago uses Ogi to fulfill experiences he has never had since they both like each other, but Ogi finds Tago attractive and wants to hang out with him, not sure whether he wants a long-lasting relationship with him. There was bit of ableism where Ogi’s old classmates assume that he was “volunteering” when he was walking with Tago. The statement is completely brushed off by both of the characters, with Tago only learning that Ogi doesn’t have many friends. I wished that the topic was talked about a least a bit? more because it just felt random to me if no one had a reaction that lasted more than one panel, it would have been interesting to see how Tago would react since people like him can experience that every day. In the last chapter we see a bit of transphobia?? or at least talk of trans people when Tago brother thinks that Ogi is trans when he is shown to be a feminine presenting male. This also feels very real to me as even my own parents say things similar to Tago’s brother and we can see how much of a toll that comment had on Ogi, blaming himself for being selfish for what he wears when Tago can’t see but everyone else can, making them assume things about them. Overall, it was a good read and the characters definitely weren’t as bad as people say they are, they’re clearly not perfect but to me just good depiction of what people that age their age and mines would do.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a let down, but I think that is more because of what I was expecting, and less of the manga itself, though I do have some grievances with the manga itself.

I'm a bit fan of all things cross-dressing and gender non conforming clothing choices, and based on the description, I was really looking forward to a story that dug into those themes along with the themes of appearance, perception, and authenticity. Instead I get a story that seems to be centered around selfishness, using/taking advantage other people, and acting without thinking of the other's emotions.

However, I don't want it to sound like these themes being tackled instead is a bad thing -- it's just really not what I was expecting.

I think it's interesting how Ogi and Tago are both acting a bit selfishly, and how their blossoming romance isn't perfect. I like the set up for Tago's growth, provided that he does grow and it pays off (because frankly he really needs to slow down, mature, and respect Ogi's boundaries and feelings more), and I like how Ogi walks this line of outward kindness and maybe a bit of selfishness. While this volume feels a bit sloppy and empty (I definitely think it would have benefited from slowing down and expanding on scenes/characterization more), both of these character set ups could resolve nicely in the next volume.

I can't help but feel let down over Ogi's development though, but I do almost like it? His feminine clothing choices aren't a big deal (which is nice, but I wish it was brought up a bit more directly, save the end), and there's no self hatred arc that we usually get in crossdressing themed manga. He is simply a boy who likes to appear more feminine, and most people seem to be fine with that (though there is the fact that Tago doesn't know). But for real, shout out to Tago's brother for being the real MVP at the end.

[Alyx June]

Not rating, rambles and mild spoilers i suppose?

This is a very confusing novel and I'm unsure if it's the translation or if the author just...doesn't understand what story they actually want to tell. There's a strong implication, in my opinion, that Tago is molested by his brother and fully believes it to be normal; the initial scene in chapter 2 and the "he's like another older brother (though hes different from mine); maybe it's right to go out with Ogi" quote really solidified that idea for me...because why would he be having a wet dream about Ogi, and later on say that? Mixed messages for me. And then having Tago's older brother be bigoted and talk about Ogi's feminine presentation negatively...ew.
A different review pointed out something that is also a big issue: Ogi's classmates assuming Ogi's doing volunteer work when walking around with Toga. Disabled people are so often infantalized and desexualized, that clearly Ogi is just helping a blind boy and not dating him (though to be fair, Tago was in his high school uniform while Ogi was dressed up, which I suppose could've lead Ogi's classmates to that conclusion as well). But it's never clarified, it's never addressed or talked about again. It's brought up and then just left in the air, like again the author either didn't know what story they wanted to tell, didn't know how to write it, their publisher didn't allow them to explore certain themes, and/or the translation isn't good. Sucks because this had such an enticing premise but the follow-through was nonexistent :/

[Claudia Marcela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ogi se enamoró a primera vista de Tago por su apariencia "cool", además que puede vestir con la ropa y accesorios que más le gustan porque Tago es ciego, así que no lo criticará por su gusto "femenino". Pero aunque Ogi se conforma con solo ser su amigo, cuando Tago se entera que le gusta y le propone que salgan juntos, Ogi debe decidir si quiere arriesgar sus sentimientos sinceros contra la simple curiosidad de Tago.

Lejos de ser un simple BL romántico, aquí se tratan dos temas importantes: la ceguera de Tago y cómo lo perciben los demás. La etiqueta de "inválido" que lo sigue a donde vaya. Por ese lado, se le perdona la insensibilidad hacia los sentimientos románticos de Ogi, porque es la primera vez que alguien se fija en él y quiere experimentar lo que para otros es tan normal.

El segundo tema es la ropa femenina que tanto fascina a Ogi. No es que quiera ser mujer, como se lo explica al hermano de Tago, sencillamente le gustan las cosas lindas. Y solo al lado de Tago, legalmente ciego, que no lo juzga a primera vista, puede sentirse a gusto y libre. Aunque su relación solo pueda durar durante las vacaciones de verano.

Es un primer volumen que nos da a conocer a los personajes y sus entornos, esperemos que en el segundo volumen la relación de amistad/curiosidad evolucione a algo más sincero y profundo.
Como último comentario: el dibujo es muy bonito.

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