#I Hear the Sunspot Theory of Happiness

[sunspotmangafan]

I love Maya! I love her sm.

I see a lot of myself within her character. Like I do with Taichi and Kohei. That inner contempt for those you think have it easier in life because they don’t have the drawbacks you were given, such as a disability.

And given she’s disabled and has gone through so long in an ableist, hearing world, you can understand why she would be harsh towards Taichi since in her eyes he’s just using Kohei’s kindness to take advantage of a disabled person for free food.

She doesn’t want her or the people she cares about to het hurt by the ableist world around them so she puts up walls and drives people away before they have a chance to. Due to past and current ableist experiences she already assumes the worst of the hearing world, a place that doesn’t seem to take the effort to understand her or Kohei, and so she either doesn’t try or she actively pushes people away to avoid any more ableist harm.

I definitely feel like this helped set up themes that were very well explored in LIMIT which sadly I don’t think will get adapted.

It’s unhealthy. And it’s shown as unhealthy. And Taichi calls her out on it.

It makes it all the more rewarding when they she sees what Kohei sees. And sees Taichi isn’t who she thought he is.

Much like with Kohei. It makes it all the more rewarding when she realises she can be understood.

PARALLELS PEOPLE PARALLELS

Specifically a parallel to the “it’s not your fault you can’t hear” line.

STOP HATING MAYA! God forbid a woman in a BL not be whole heartedly likeable the first episode she’s introduced.

[choujinx]

HIDAMARI GA KIKOERU: KOUFUKURON (2015-2016) by fumino yuki

[rrandomtthings]

This adaptation of I hear the sunspot is everything I could’ve asked for & more

[glosschi]

I don’t want anyone to know my weakness. I didn’t want their pity.

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

I'm watching too much stuff. And things are not slowing down with all the things coming in September. So I'm gonna try and keep this short. As much as that's possible given the amount of shows.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇭 4 Minutes [6/8] - Finally some answers. I haven't read all the theories floating around about this last episode and what it means, but I'm firmly on the side of, there is another alternative timeline, probably from when Tyme is dying at the start of the show, and also very much in agreement with everything @lurkingshan wrote here that these are just imagined do-overs and nothing will actually change in the real world. Which would be my preferred way.

🇹🇭 Addicted Heroin [2/10] - Haven't watched this weeks episode yet. My review for the first two is here.

🇹🇼 First Note of Love [4/12] - I like them a lot. And I like the pacing of this. I love the intro song. But with a second couple being introduced I think I'm gonna get frustrated having to wait a week for a 20 minute episode. I felt that way a lot during Kiseki.

🇯🇵 I Hear the Sunspot [10/12] - I am annoyed.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream [7/12] - May the boyfriend era commence. I am enjoying this one. I'm guessing we still have a bit of angst coming and I'm hoping for a good explanation for the dreams.

🇯🇵 Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke [6/7] - Just such an incredible show. This week brought the pain and I'm still unwell. As if Frito getting sick wasn't heart breaking enough, that ending left me in tears. I cannot believe we only have one episode left. I am not ready to say goodbye to the three of them.

🇹🇭 Monster Next Door [6/12] - My favourite thing about this is definitely Big. His presence on screen is great. But I'm not fully connecting yet for some reason.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property [1/10] - It's a lot of fun. Yeah, I know it's not a bl. But it's bl adjacent so it goes here. Also in my head it's gonna be a bl no matter what. Possibly even with a gl side couple. The mind is a powerful thing.

🇯🇵Sugar Dog Life [4/10] - I love Isumi. I really liked that they didn't drag the girl storyline and it served it's purpose. Isumi is now very much aware of it's feelings. I'm looking forward to the date episode.

🇯🇵 Takara No Vidro [9/11] - Takara, my love. This boy has my whole heart. I can't believe I'll have to say goodbye to then tomorrow. I'm bracing for part pain, part happy. Please Japan don't let me down.

🇹🇭 The Loyal Pin [1/16] - I'm waiting to binge.

🇹🇼 The On1y One [4/10] - This show will hurt and I will love every second of it. I really like the look of this show and how we get those little insights into Jiang at the end of the episode. The actors are doing great and I specially love Benjamin Tsang facial expressions. I'm curious to see these two together and how their dynamic will work considering their circumstances. Also, always happy to see the revolving door of cameos Taiwan always grace us with.

🇯🇵Twilight Out of Focus - It's so beautiful. I'm enjoying that we get different couples even if sometimes it feels like we could have more time with them. I like Rei/Shion a lot, but I do miss Mao and Hisashi. 🇹🇭 The Trainee [10/12] - Just to get it out if the way, the Bamhee/Judy storyline was definitely the right call and @lurkingshan was right all along. Also the way the office came together was delightful and it's great to see Pah getting everyone together and once again being the best friend ever. Now. THE OFFICE FLIRTING!!! I was losing my mind giggling like an idiot. I love them. It's pretty obvious at this point that it's mutual and of course Ryan will need to actually be told that, but I still think Jane will wait until the internship is over before confessing or starting anything official. I can't wait to watch all the interns reaction next week. I love it here.

QL - Finished

🇯🇵 Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! - I'm disappointed in this one. It started off so strong but by the end it lost me. I love Hiroko but I feel like they betrayed the character. And that ending with the kiss in the office was ridiculous. Actually most of the end was weird in the way that it seemed to contradict what came before. I like that they finally got together but it didn't feel as good as it could've.

🇹🇭 Century of Love - Started of great and imo fell apart by the end. I don't think it was consistent all the way through and the mythology was all over the place. Daou did an amazing job though. Also Ju is one of the greatest female characters of the year.

🇯🇵 Cosmetic Playlover - Pretty show. Final thoughts here.

🇹🇭 Knock Knock, Boys! - Probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. It's great. I like the development of both couples. Even if near the end I got a tiny bit annoyed with Peak, I really liked the conclusion of it all. Latte is a great character and the very rare slut unjudged by the narrative.

🇹🇭🇨🇳 Meet You At the Blossom - Look it's great that we got a chinese bl, but this was not it for me. Let's hope this one helps get others made though.

🇹🇭Love Sea - It was fine. I enjoyed Mut but in general I just never connected to this show. And Muk annoyed me to no end. I was so happy to see Aya again and now I just wanna forget that she was ever in this and simply remember her as Yiwa.

🇹🇭 SunsetxVibes - I don't even have words. I don't know if it was my lack of attention or if it never actually made sense but I never really got what the mythology was all about apart from inspiring a truly horrendous looking necklace. I was slogging though this one and I guess the finale was fine.

🇹🇭 This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans - The sides were great, their chemistry was on point. I really wanna see them again. The mains were my favourite thing about Pit Babe but I just didn't like them here.

🇹🇭 The Rebound - I just have to accept that MeenPing will always have bad scripts. They are pretty together but this was a mess.

Dropped

🇹🇭My Love Mix-Up!

Rose Watches OJBL

Pornographer: Spring Life | Playback | Continued Spring Life Finally finished the novelist. Final thoughts.

A LOT of stuff coming this month so if you haven't checked it out, here is the post with all announced upcoming qls for September with a couple of updates that I made today.

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful week💜

[absolutebl]

BL recs (from any country) that don't have any s*x scenes? I'm too ace to enjoy them at all. Happy ending preferred, angst v welcome:)

BLs Without Sex Scenes

Oof, this is a hard one. Is a dead fish kiss okay? I do have a heat sorting on the spreadsheet of doom, and there are some with no kissing at all, but a dead fish kiss is in most of the HEA ones.

BLs with No Kisses

21 Days Theory (Thailand, YouTube) - the only thing I didn't like about this pulp was the fact that they don't kiss, so... yeah, this is my first pick for you. Very YA first love angsty, fantastic queer rep and side characters. RECOMMENDED

My Esports Genius Brother (China, Gaga?) - it's hella odd censored bromance but enjoyable. No real angst tho.

HIStory My Hero (Taiwan, Viki) - basically a BL with no sex or kissing, but also body-swap so is it BL? I can't remember the end but I think it's happy?

Silhouette of Your Voice AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan, ????) - this 2017 yaoi adaptation is a full on BL just no kissing at all. The source manga (I Hear the Sunspot) is a favorite of mine and the casting was decent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for you (but not in general). Grey only.

Love of Siam (Thailand, ????) ALL THE ANGST, I'm pretty sure the most they do is hug, I could be v wrong though because too sad for me to ever rewatch. Very formative to the Thai BL industry.

The Lover (BL cut) (Korea ????) sometimes you can find the BL cut on YT, it has slapstick comedic sexualized moments that are maybe a little homophobic (or something), no actual sex or kissing, but no angst at all. (Korea's working some shizz out with this early offering.)

Kabe Koji AKA Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru (Japan, Viki) - I watched this and I was excited about it before it aired, but I seem to have expunged it from my memory and kept no screen caps in annoyance, so that's all I got.

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush (Korea, ????) - a crossdressing historical that flew utterly under the radar. I decided it just wasn't really BL, but it has BL aspects and it's kinda a little queer... or something. Grey only.

Evening Cafe (Thai pulp, YouTube) - No heat and no kisses, but a decent lead pair, about a boy who works in a cafe and the new employee who has a crush on him. That’s it, that's the whole story.

A Shoulder to Cry On (Korea, Viki) - Has no kissing and many people found it really good as @isisanna-blog reminded me, thank you). It certainly has ALL THE ANGST. (I did not like it at all, but I'm a terrible judge of this kind of BL.)

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Japan ???) - this is such a lovely show, very warm and comforting and slice of life. There is very little angst, they too old for that shit, but little to no sexual content either. It's very warm and loving. A safe extremely yet queer show - and oh boy do we not get many of those. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Censored Bromances

So No Kisses (TM) for the gays but the hets might do stuff I didn't pay attention to. All these from China. Some happy, most not.

The Untamed

Word of Honor

Guardian

SCI Mysteries

Stay With Me AKA Addicted 2.0 (I never watched this so there may be rough play)

Mr CEO Falling in Love With Me

The Fairy Fox

Youth in the Breeze

Precise Shot

Advance Bravely

His Cat AKA His Cat Boyfriend

The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao

The "Ghost Boyfriend" series

Past Youth

I Go To School Not By Bus (Hong Kong short)

Recommended Shorts with no kisses, but cute & fun

The 8.2 Second Rule (Japan YouTube)

One Last Order (Korea, Gaga)

Love Advisor (Thailand, YouTube)

BLs with Dead Fish Kisses (maybe? only one, if any)

His the series: I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love (Japan ????) - (NOT His the movie) this one has all the angst you could want in your whole life. ALL OF IT. Japan wins at emo, it's their THING.

Cherry Magic AKA 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii AKA Cheri Maho (Japan ????) - there's sort of some bed tussling and implied sex but you could imagine them just being snuggles for the mains, the sides have dead fish kiss. In general there's some angst but not much. It's fluffy and great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bonus: overt ace representation for one of the side characters.

Meow Ears Up (Thailand Viki) - sides may kiss? I enjoyed this pulp especially at the start, the premise is fun. I think my biggest complaint was lack of kissing.

My Love Mix Up AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan Viki), a case could be made for a demi seme in this BL. So much frenetic angst around bisexual identity crisis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My Ride (Thailand Gaga) - my favorite Thai BL pulp the sides have a good kiss and the mains do kiss but it's v dead fish, not at all sexual, and it comes at the very end. Otherwise extremely chaste, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this BL, queer and complex and engaging.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (Japan ????) - This is a beautiful piece of cinema well acted, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. The only kiss is the one pictured above, v dead fish. Full review here.

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding (Korea WeTV) - 12th Night goes BL in this cross dressing historical that ended up feeling like a Cinderfella fairy tale, lightly dramatic and utterly charming. Full review. There is one dead fishy kiss at the end but it's otherwise aggressively pure.

If you like this last style of KBL (with a kiss at the end being okay, I have quite a few more to recommend). Until 2022, most KBLs only had one dead fish kiss in them, so you are pretty safe with pre 2022 KBLs. They tend to be quite chaste and de-sexualized. Other good examples: Wish You, Light on Me.

That's all folx.

Some of the above I may be misremembering (since I don't rewatch this kind of BL and my memory is shit). And I may have forgotten some too, so I hope comments with jump in.

Others to consider:

(source)

[mikuni14]

Century of Love - Ep 4

Whenever San says in That Special Tone: A'Tao😤 and A'Juu😤, I gain an extra year of life (previously lost with each of Kohei's tears, from I hear the sunspot). The interactions of the San's family are the highlights of this series. It's obvious that this is a good family relationship, because they all clearly recognize him as a leader and respect him, but at the same time they're so relaxed with him and are not afraid of him and his furrowed eyebrows that especially the youngest generation can call him out and even mess with a bit 😄

"Have you watched Naruto again?" raises intriguing questions 🤔: So this has happened before? How many times had he watched it? He didn't catch the homoerotic subtexts in SaasukeNaruto's relationship at all? He didn't even have the slightest crush on Kakashi and all those self-sacrificing male characters? 😆😆

A very nice scene with a crocodile toy (I think it's very popular in Thailand), showing both humor and a deep bond between Vee and his grandma. In this context, it's not surprising that Grandma was able to distract little Vee with "playing" from the fact that they were homeless. It's also not surprising that Vee is desperate to "repay" her for her kindness and care, just as San feels guilty that he "didn't have time" to repay Wat for her kindness and help.

The constant parallels between San's life 100 years ago and Vee's life now are so interesting: social injustice, lack of support from authorities and institutions, being victims of bad people and circumstances, poverty, struggling to survive in a hostile world, clinging to the only good people they have.

Despite everything, the question still remains to what extent their actions and willingness to "return the favor" are consciously beautiful and noble, and to what extent they are unconsciously selfish. In fact, what San did and what Vee intends to do are their decisions, without asking those involved for their consent or whether they want it. If Wat heard what San was going to do, would she agree to it? Would she want San to spend even one night in pain, let alone 100 years of such nights? Does Grandma want what Vee does for her? Actually even the fact that Vee suddenly marries someone and receives money for her treatment is highly disturbing. If I were Wat and Grandma, would I want their attempt to save when it's associated with their suffering (Vee is breaking the law and constantly falling victim to attacks, now even those that threaten his life)? Tbh San and Vee do what they do for themselves. Out of love, of course, I absolutely don't deny it! But really - for themselves. San wants to meet Wat again and live with her the life they were denied, Vee wants to have a beloved, comforting person by his side for as long as possible. This is very interesting, the show touched on it a bit once and I'm curious if it will come up again. Will the reincarnated Wat be terrified of San's sacrifice instead of being happy, and how will Grandma react to all of this, the fake marriage for the money, for Vee being a victim of constant attacks? (by the way, even if Grandma was healed, would she want to spend the rest of her life writhing in pain every night? San had his purpose and he endured it, but would it be a relief or a curse for Grandma? Will Vee be ok seeing his own grandma in the condition he saw San in?)

Wild theory time: I wonder if this stone was real or a fake to confuse potential thieves. It's actually a bit strange that it was moved from its previously perfect hiding place... to a bookshelf with no protection (after all, this electronic lock on a door that can be kicked open is ridiculous). On the other hand, whether the stone is real or a fake to distract, bringing it home brings danger… into that home.

My fav shots of San: romantic in pink

why he kinda 😍

My fav shots version of Vee Offroad: 😏

and 😏 from the previous ep

[thenostalgiadepartment]

Here is my October/November reading list. 🧵

I Hear The Sunspot, Theory of Happiness and Limit vol. 1-3 by Yuki Fumino

This series is about a young man named Kouhei who lives with a hearing disability but is not completely deaf. One day he meets a loud and cheerful man named Taichi. The two form an unlikely friendship that deepens over time.  This has been such a heartwarming story which not only teaches its audience about those who have hearing disabilities, but also how the people closest to them can support them in a respectful, dignified manner. 

After the Rain vol. 4-5 by Jun Mayyzuki

These are the last two volumes of this series. It’s NOT an age gap romance. It could have easily fallen into that but it didn’t. Instead, it highlights that it's never too late to start again. Finding that old passion, trying to work yourself back up to where you were after a long break, that’s the message this manga leaves its readers with.

Given vol. 9 by Natsuki Kizu

This is the last volume in this series. I have to admit the story did meander a bit at times, but overall I enjoyed it. The series started off a lot stronger than it ended. 

Tokyo Aliens vol. 7 by NAOE

Aliens, time travel, comedy, oh my! This series is so much fun and beautiful to look at with full page art spreads. 

Mobsters In Love vol. 2 by Chiyoko Origami

I couldn’t possibly love this short series more. The characters are adorable and full of laughs, and I adore how the mangaka draws facial expressions. Oh did I also mention it’s age-gap BL?

Kagurabachi vol. 1 by Takeru Hokazono

When I first saw the character design for Chihiro, I knew I was going to like this character. And while this series was considered a “meme” online, it has a good story with awesome fight scenes.

Bergamot and Sunny Day by Lyee Kitahala

This one-shot was sweet, pun intended. A man who’s unlucky in love gets to experience being doted on. There’s miscommunication between the two main characters.This story showcases how sometimes you just have to find the right person to treat you with the respect and dignity you deserve!  

Acid Town vol. 2-6 by Kyugo

This series is dark so readers beware as the story deals with revenge, trauma, and sexual assault. None of this is glorified. Acid Town is a very character driven story that highlights  morally grey characters as they try to survive within this dark world.

Wind Breaker vol. 1-3 by Satoru Nii

Found family with a pack of delinquents. I can already tell this series is going to be one of my favorites. With a colorful cast of characters and a story of finding a place to belong, I can’t wait to read more!

Wolf Pack by Billy Balibally

Kuma has such high quality publishing. The feel of this manga is so nice with the slip-like cover. Honestly I wish more companies published this way. This story is a fun little fluffy one-shot with some gorgeous art. 

After School Etude vol. 1 by Hirune Cyan

So many manga covers sell me on their series alone and this one is no different. Two happy looking characters staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Yes I will be reading. While this series does dip into some common BL tropes, it still tells a story of two people sharing their passion for dance and how much more enjoyable something can be when you are sharing this experience rather than doing it alone. 

Cherry Magic Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! vol. 11-12 by Yuu Toyota

Twelve volumes in and I’m still loving this heartwarming slice of life series. HOWEVER I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR MY FAVORITE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS TSUGE AND MINATO. Those two have been a highlight for me, and I am very worried after the cliffhanger at the end of volume 12. I need volume 13 now! 

The Guy She Was Interest In Wasn’t A Guy At All vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai

I had been waiting for this series to be published in English. The title tells you everything you need to know, and I love this trope. The gorgeous artwork inside is accented with the color green, creating a wonderful reading experience. 

Snowball Earth vol. 1-2 by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu

If you liked Astra Lost in Space like I do, you will love this series. After a final galactic battle in space, an awkward hero who just wants to make one friend returns to Earth to find it covered in snow. I’m really enjoying this sci-fi series so far!

Solo Leveling vol. 9 by Chu-Gong, So-Ryeong Gi and Hyeon-Gun

A long awaited showdown finally took place in this volume providing some new information. The fight scenes are always the highlight of this series. However some of the story being built up is starting to feel a bit convoluted. 

How My Daddies Became Mates vol. 1 by Mita Mita

Despite a cringy title this omegaverse story is actually good. Not only is their character development but none of the problematic tropes rife in this genre. And one of the boldest love declarations I’ve ever seen in manga.

[cvrsndstff]

I Hear the Sunspot - Theory of Happiness- (Story & Art by Yuki Fumino)

[franticvampirereads]

March is already off to a great start! We’ve had some snow flurries (not enough to stick) and I’ve gotten some cozy reading in. I also might have found another contender for my favorite book of the year? We’ll just have to wait and see on that one 😊. Anyway, here’s what I’m planning to read this month:

Headcase -currently reading

Like Real People Do -currently reading

Strawberry Kisses

I Hear The Sunspot: The Theory of Happiness

Street Magic

Power Plays and Straight A’s

System Collapse

I Think Our Son Is Gay

Proficiency Bonus

I can’t tell if this tbr is ambitious or if my reading momentum is just making me that confident I can tackle all of these. But I’m excited to try!

[sunspotmangafan]

YALL!! CANNA HAS GRACED THE FANDOM!!!!!

First of all: Digital versions of Manga volumes 1, Theory of Happiness, and Limit 1 in their own threads.

I Hear the sunspot;

Theory of happiness

Limit 1:

NOT ONLY THAT!!

We also have some panel spoilers for Four Seasons!

YALL WERE EATING GOOD TODAY!!!

[choujinx]

HIDAMARI GA KIKOERU: KOUFUKURON (2015-2016) by fumino yuki

[squeakygeeky]

Tagged by @respectthepetty

Favorite Color: Purple

Currently Reading: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vol. 4, I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness, Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity. (I pretty much always read at least one fiction and one non-fiction book at the same time, and usually more than one fiction book).

Last song: The Love Bill OST I guess

Last Series: Most recent episode was Between Us, most recent series was Till The World Ends

Last Movie: Semantic Error movie version, before that...Everything Everywhere All At Once might be the last proper move. Unless I watched Restart After Come Back Home after that.

Currently Working On: That professor/librarian Thai BL parody, I need to just finish this already

I feel like a lot of people did this but if you didn’t consider yourself tagged.

[glosschi]

I’ll say it twice. Ten times. A hundred times. I’ll say it until you believe it. Until you know it’s the truth.

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness

[alt-air]

January 2024 Reading Roundup

Hello world of 2024 welcome to my personal journal where i just recount how my month went while also providing my reading list. In the past I just listed each book in the order I read them but this year I'm going to try different formats and see which I like best. So lets begin:

How to describe January? January is the month of my birth so happy 28th to me. January is the month I finally started the process for HRT so I hope that everything goes well without issues. January is the month that I got the news that I am moving far far far away from my family and finally getting a little bit of freedom. January is also the month that marked 100 days (and counting) of the genocide of the Palestinians. 100+ days of inaction of world leaders who decided to side with greed, with colonialism, and with imperialism. I hope 2024 brings a free Palestine, freedom to all those suffering under occupation, and an end to Western hegemony.

Favorites of the month: Savage Legion, Jade Legacy, and the Merciful Crow duology

Standalone:

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

In the Vanisher's by PalaceAliette de Bodard: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chlorine by Jade Song: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A. Reubin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Series:

Savage Legion by Matt Wallace: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Manga:

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 8 - 12 by Nagabe: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness by Yuki Fumino: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

I Hear the Sunspot Limit Vol. 1 - 3 by Yuki Fumino: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons Vol. 1Yuki Fumino: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

[sunspotmangafan]

THANK YOU!!!!! I’ve been saying this a lot but I could not have phrased it better myself!!!!!!!

Their relationship is important, but not THE MOST important. That’s the individual stories that their relationship comes secondary to, but is no less the driving force behind the characters.

In all of sunspot, theory of happiness, limit and four seasons. With four seasons and limit being especially about the twos journeys in relationship to their relationship and themselves specifically (limit for kohei, and four seasons for Taichi)

They’re human, and this is a human story. And romance isn’t the defining part of us as people but it is important, it’s us as people and our sense of self and what makes us, us, our relationships (be it playing and/or romantic or what not) can help us, but it’s not all that we are. And with I hear the sunspot I find it very lovely and I appreciate how it goes down that route and how it expertly handles it.

Every week it becomes more apparent that some people don’t really understand the story that I Hear the Sunspot is telling. This series is first and foremost a story about disability, connection and finding oneself. There is romance, but it’s secondary. It’s about Kouhei—through his connection with Taichi—being able to accept his disability and finally be comfortable in his own skin, and Taichi—through his connection with Kouhei—finding his calling in life. Their connection is vital in the sense that it’s the catalyst for their individual journeys, but it is those individual journeys that drive the plot, not the romance. And it’s totally fine if that’s not what you’re looking for in a series, but maybe that just means that this particular story is not for you

*EDIT*: I want to make sure it’s clear that this is not me saying that the romance is unimportant, bc it’s not. It’s just not what drives the story