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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Empecemos con que tienes muchas advertencia así que vamos con cuidado:
Trata de un chico que desde niño quiere ser un héroe un día en la escuela se enamora de María pero después se da cuenta que no es una chica
Trata de un chico que desde niño quiere ser un héroe un día en la escuela se enamora de María pero después se da cuenta que no es una chica
This manga has a unique and interesting approach to gender fluidity. It was culturally authentic and strangely, yet comfortingly, familiar. I can only imagine this is how people would react if I were to come out as gender nonconforming. The way people around Arima (with the exception of Taiga) perceived him was still rather "old-fashioned", what with the clear distinction between "boy" and "girl". But it was realistic, and most of the characters appeared to have good intentions.
About the story itself... Arima's past broke my heart. Self-identity was already a hard topic, the way Arima's issue was entangled with his trauma was genuinely agonizing. I'm glad I was warned beforehand, though it did little to lessen the distress. I really appreciated how gracefully Arima and Taiga's character developments were handled. The late author truly did them justice. The storytelling was direct but kind.
The bonus story was a blessing. I'm glad we had a chance to see Arima and Taiga just being teenagers, awkwardly in love and all ♡
About the story itself... Arima's past broke my heart. Self-identity was already a hard topic, the way Arima's issue was entangled with his trauma was genuinely agonizing. I'm glad I was warned beforehand, though it did little to lessen the distress. I really appreciated how gracefully Arima and Taiga's character developments were handled. The late author truly did them justice. The storytelling was direct but kind.
The bonus story was a blessing. I'm glad we had a chance to see Arima and Taiga just being teenagers, awkwardly in love and all ♡
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This ended up being far more complex than I was expecting going into it. It’s a heartbreaking but also heartwarming story with beautiful art and flawed but loveable characters. That being said it also requires a serious trigger warning. If you’re someone with triggers or trauma I seriously suggest you look up the tw’s for this before reading it. It’s a stunning story but it’s raw and brutal and I never want someone to go into it without a tw like I did.
I’ve read this manga so many times now I’ve lost count. It’s so poignant and beautiful. Taiga comes off as an idiot and unlikeable at the beginning; he’s not socially aware, he doesn’t even know his friends beyond a surface level, his hero complex causes him to push his way into Arima’s life unaware of the damage he’s caused. Arima meanwhile is struggling with the effects of childhood sexual assault, and his mother’s high expectations of him and forcing him to live as a girl regardless of his own wishes. Growing up only praised for being feminine combined with his rage and trauma at the sexual assault he endured in the third grade and wanting to put on a more masculine appearance so he wouldn’t have to get hurt, tears him apart and makes him unable to perform the way he wants to in his drama club.
Some unexpected parts of the story I really liked: I like how in the end Airma isn’t forced to chose a particular gender performance, he may live as a boy but he makes it clear that he wants to be the type of performer that can transgress gender lines. I also like how Taiga never had that “eww gross gay shit” moment that sometimes happens with this type of clueless male lead in BL tend to have when they’re not explicitly said to be gay from the beginning of the story. For him it just was not something he considered until he realized he was in love with Arima, and he realized that both the masculine and feminine sides were attractive to him. (This was something that mirrored my own realization that I am bi, so I saw myself in Taiga.) I also like how even Taiga’s father who was a hero to Arima isn’t perfect. He’s a shitty husband who got mad at his wife in front of their kid and who fell in love with someone else while he was married, but from what we can tell in this story he seems to be a good father and good with kids even if he was not a good husband while his wife was alive. He saw a little girl in danger and ran to save her even at the cost of never getting closure with his wife, and to Taiga he seems interested in his life even if Taiga doesn’t think highly of him, wanting to come to his play even when Taiga didn’t expect him to come. He has problems, but of course in this manga there is no perfect heroes, only people trying their best through the pain.
God, that scene in the classroom near the end where Arima and Taiga finally tell each other how much they admire each other and how they have changed so much just by having them be a part of each others’ lives…. It was so intense and moving, I cried so much.
And that last cute date chapter after all the pain and catharsis? *chef kiss*
These characters are flawed but so endearing. They grow so much in just one manga, you can’t help but root for them. And you know that no matter what happens after the end of the story they can face it all together.
Kousei Eguchi, aka Peyo passed away at only 23. Boy Meets Maria shows us how much we lost with his passing, and what a promising future he had. He was truly someone with a big heart and and the emotional intelligence to deal with the conflicting emotions of youth.
Some unexpected parts of the story I really liked: I like how in the end Airma isn’t forced to chose a particular gender performance, he may live as a boy but he makes it clear that he wants to be the type of performer that can transgress gender lines. I also like how Taiga never had that “eww gross gay shit” moment that sometimes happens with this type of clueless male lead in BL tend to have when they’re not explicitly said to be gay from the beginning of the story. For him it just was not something he considered until he realized he was in love with Arima, and he realized that both the masculine and feminine sides were attractive to him. (This was something that mirrored my own realization that I am bi, so I saw myself in Taiga.) I also like how even Taiga’s father who was a hero to Arima isn’t perfect. He’s a shitty husband who got mad at his wife in front of their kid and who fell in love with someone else while he was married, but from what we can tell in this story he seems to be a good father and good with kids even if he was not a good husband while his wife was alive. He saw a little girl in danger and ran to save her even at the cost of never getting closure with his wife, and to Taiga he seems interested in his life even if Taiga doesn’t think highly of him, wanting to come to his play even when Taiga didn’t expect him to come. He has problems, but of course in this manga there is no perfect heroes, only people trying their best through the pain.
God, that scene in the classroom near the end where Arima and Taiga finally tell each other how much they admire each other and how they have changed so much just by having them be a part of each others’ lives…. It was so intense and moving, I cried so much.
And that last cute date chapter after all the pain and catharsis? *chef kiss*
These characters are flawed but so endearing. They grow so much in just one manga, you can’t help but root for them. And you know that no matter what happens after the end of the story they can face it all together.
Kousei Eguchi, aka Peyo passed away at only 23. Boy Meets Maria shows us how much we lost with his passing, and what a promising future he had. He was truly someone with a big heart and and the emotional intelligence to deal with the conflicting emotions of youth.
Uff un manga que me ha dejado un poco tocada por los temas que trata (TW: Vi0laci0n)
Me alegra ver qué en Japón están saliendo obras en las que tratan las identidades de género y la sexualidad ¿Algunas escenas podrían haber sido menos explícitas o contadas de otra manera? Pues seguramente aunque creo que en éste caso está bien tratado el trauma de Arima y como construye su relación con Taiga. No voy a comentar mucho más porque creo que éste es un manga que todo el mundo debería leer.
Una historia de dos personas que se conocen en una época (adolescencia) en la que se están descubriendo mientras navegan por sus respectivos traumas pero con un final feliz ✨
Me alegra ver qué en Japón están saliendo obras en las que tratan las identidades de género y la sexualidad ¿Algunas escenas podrían haber sido menos explícitas o contadas de otra manera? Pues seguramente aunque creo que en éste caso está bien tratado el trauma de Arima y como construye su relación con Taiga. No voy a comentar mucho más porque creo que éste es un manga que todo el mundo debería leer.
Una historia de dos personas que se conocen en una época (adolescencia) en la que se están descubriendo mientras navegan por sus respectivos traumas pero con un final feliz ✨
El mensaje del final es bonito, es increible como en un solo tomo puede tocar tantos temas, algunos mejor que otros por la limitación de páginas pero en conjunto es una gran historia con 2 protagonistas que no se opacan entre sí.