Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
I adored this manga so so much. I loved the duality of the two main characters and how the story tied together at the end. It was a really inspiring yet heartbreaking read.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know how to rate this, so it shall be without one for now.
cw: SA, r*pe, use of transgender slur.
I should have looked into trigger warnings before picking this up. the cover is very pastel and bubbly. I was expecting a heartfelt story with a cute romance. You still get a heartfelt story, but it is much darker in tone. I caution people to look into content/trigger warnings before reading as it can be graphic.
I appreciated the way Taiga was adamant about caring for Amira in a romantic way without care for what others believed about Amira's gender. Taiga was a SIMP--a simp ONLY for Amira. Very insta-lovely, but since this was a single-volume, I let it pass. The finally chapter/monologue was very cute and gave me more pastel-dreamy vibes as the cover. There were very cute and warming moments I enjoyed.
cw: SA, r*pe, use of transgender slur.
I should have looked into trigger warnings before picking this up. the cover is very pastel and bubbly. I was expecting a heartfelt story with a cute romance. You still get a heartfelt story, but it is much darker in tone. I caution people to look into content/trigger warnings before reading as it can be graphic.
I appreciated the way Taiga was adamant about caring for Amira in a romantic way without care for what others believed about Amira's gender. Taiga was a SIMP--a simp ONLY for Amira. Very insta-lovely, but since this was a single-volume, I let it pass. The finally chapter/monologue was very cute and gave me more pastel-dreamy vibes as the cover. There were very cute and warming moments I enjoyed.
I would give this 0 stars if I could. I don’t normally write reviews but I have to warn others about this book. I’ve seen this book recommended as a good trans rep story but that has been a completely misguided recommendation. There’s no trans characters in this book. Sure there’s gender variance and weirdness but this stems from the fact that the main love interest’s mom wanted a girl so socialized her son as a daughter which gave him dysphoria since he’s cis. And the story is mainly in the perspective of a cis guy who’s infatuated with this love interest where he and many of the other characters are all deeply invested in what gender this person “actually” is. On top of all of this, there is an extremely graphic child SA scene in this book that was completely superfluous. Extreme trigger warnings for this book on that topic, along with other abusive/alcoholic parental trauma. I DNFed this book about halfway due to all of this. Do not read this if you’re looking for trans representation
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 ♡
emotional
I am writing this at 10:46 pm on November 24, 2022.
I currently just finished reading this in bed.
I am both sad and happy.
I am not happy or sad.
I do not recommend reading this while listening to Lana Del Rey’s “Dealer” on a loop.
This was very traumatizing but very good.
I cried a lot.
I currently just finished reading this in bed.
I am both sad and happy.
I am not happy or sad.
I do not recommend reading this while listening to Lana Del Rey’s “Dealer” on a loop.
This was very traumatizing but very good.
I cried a lot.
J'ai envie de pleurer toutes les larmes de mon corps, puis inventer une machine à remonter le temps pour pouvoir l'aimer encore et encore.