#ida kosuke

[mojinchiimanga]

[kyungraeist]

the black haired stoic mfs are ALWAYS autistic u cannot argue with me

[rain51ddb]

kieta hatsukoi!! <33

[domokyun]

missing them every single day 😞😞

i need a kiekoi szn 2 THIS INSTANT !!!!!!

[palabasa]

exhibit a: ida

exhibit b: hashimoto

aoki coming in with that true bisexual energy: not dating girls, not dating boys, but a secret third thing (rejected by everyone </3)

[slowestsnailaround]

[animehouse-moe]

My Love Mix-Up! Vol. 9

It's ended today in NA, and I'm sad. But also fuming because of how Minekure sensei toyed with my heart. I nearly put this volume down and walked away from the story. But I'm glad I suffered through the hell because the other side is beautiful. Ending a romance series can always be a struggle because the story isn't ending, you're just choosing to bow out from it. But I think this finale does a great job of addressing that. It puts a lot of focus into the transitional period between high school and college, and uses that to separate the characters to signal the "end" of the story. I think it works really well because they tease you with some of the life afterwards as well. It's not just "oh we're done goodbye" but it shows that the story has continued despite us not experiencing it.

All in all, I have a lot of love for this series. It's funny, down to earth, romantic, and important in regards to the exploration of sexuality and love. This whole thing started from a dropped eraser with a name on it, and it's really something to remember that and see where we've ended up now. Like a drop of water becoming a wave, almost. It's sad to see it go, but much like the time capsule the cast buried, I'm sure many (myself included) will return to revisit this series with fond memories of it.

[agui-chart]

[karampodi]

The scrunkles

[satori-the-miracle-boy]

AKKUN WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT WHY WOULD YOU MEDDLE IN WHY WHY WHYYYYY

[consterions]

so it's not just me who thought that ryuuji from if it's with you and ida from kieta hatsukoi is the same kind of guy?

[twicestrs]

I’d kill just so I could watch it for the first time again. (this will always be my number ONE favourite bl drama series ever.) re-watching it for a millionth time has become a habit of mine and I don’t regret it 🙁❤️‍🩹 I hope more people will rate it 10 so maybe we’ll get season 2 😭😭😭 it’s my favourite cast too 😭😭😭

[gabrielokun]

[palabasa]

lmfao girl the horror in your eyes

[slowestsnailaround]

[fierrochase-falafel]

The homophobia in Kieta Hatsukoi was genuinely handled so well, I love this analysis. It was made very clear that Okano was entirely in the wrong, and neither Aoki nor his friends hestitate to identify that. The only reason Aoki struggles with confronting him is because he doesn't want to make it more of a big deal, which is very realistic because even if they did report Okano, it would also complicate things for Aoki from that point. Aoki is well aware of homophobia and worries about the consequences (particularly for Ida earlier on) in classic Aoki fashion, but he never once questions his right to like who he likes and knows Okano is being a bigot. This makes sense for Aoki as well, because even though Aoki second-guesses almost everything about himself and his relationship, he is pretty vocal and clear on what he believes is right in the context of other people- like when he stepped up to be Cinderella thinking that nobody should be forced into something they don't want to do (even though he did have a crush on Hashimoto when this was happening so...I call multiple motives).

That being said, the representation was also great on Okano's part I think. Okano is a homophobic bigot, but it's not that he means harm. He's just incredibly ignorant to what being gay actually entails (AKA not liking just any guy ever, and not having sex for money), and doesn't engage with the queer community as a straight guy. He still does care about Aoki throughout though, and after eating ramen with them in the manga he is shown to get over himself slowly, still feeling guilty about the things he said and making sure to apologise, and even casually chat with Aoki about their respective signficant others (like in volume 9) in a normal and fun way- actually being the sort of older brother figure Aoki wanted. Meeting Ida and realising that their relationship isn't evil or whatever, Okano takes a step in the right direction by acknowledging different people like different people, and apologising to Aoki while drunk in volume 5 itself. Okano was not justified in what he did at all, but we also get to see him learn from his mistakes and become a more accepting person. In all this though, Aoki and Ida never forgive him and they aren't obligated to even though Aoki ultimately still maintains an amicable friendship/tutorship with Okano. Okano's actions are shown to be as bigoted as they actually are without demonising him nor justifying him, which is a brilliant portrayal of how homophobia in the real world is. It's not okay, but it's not necessarily malicious- in fact, it often isn't.

Okano doesn't expect forgiveness from Aoki either. Ida still casually jokes about leaving him with the burnables after he gets drunk in volume 5 and doesn't like him even after time has passed in volume 8. Even if Okano has grown or changed, it doesn't become Aoki or Ida's responsibility to validate his change and completely forget about his past actions towards them just so he can feel better about having changed. All in all, the homophobia in Kieta Hatsukoi is treated with the nuance and seriousness it deserves I think, which is something that stands out really well and deserves more appreciation.

I would just like to praise kieta hatsukoi for how they handled homophobia, what I really liked about it and it was Aoki’s reaction.

And the reason I liked his reaction so much was because his confidence wasn’t shaken by it. He was definitely shaken by it and hurt, but he maintains quiet and firm that Okada is in the wrong and there’s nothing wrong with his relationship. 

It’s pretty stereotypical in japanese bl manga for a character, like Aoki, who didn’t know they liked guys until they fell in love with the love interest to experience/be exposed to homophobia for the first time (and have it be directly relevant to them) and it sends them into a mental crisis where they start questioning themselves and their relationship, wondering if they’re wrong for what they feel, it often causes tension in the relationship, and in some cases results in a break up (think life: love on the line).

But not my precious Aoki. It effects him, and I definitely think it makes him think about the issue. It’s obviously not the first time he’s thought about it, like he was scared to tell Aida, but that’s different that actually having someone who you’ve had a good relationship with suddenly treat you coldly after finding out. But Aoki doesn’t show any kind of hesitation. He doesn’t shy away from Ida, he doesn’t become overly conscious of him and Ida in public. He’s hurt and shocked, but he still knows there’s nothing wrong with him and he even finds comfort in Ida and their relationship rather than the opposite.

Also the way he fights back against Okada once he gets over the initial shock (plus the empowerment from his friends), and like he does have the stereotypical protagonist speech, but he also just calls him a biggot.

My second favorite part was the quiet and unseen support from the homeroom teacher and Ida’s friend from the volleyball team, who clearly know that Aoki and Ida are in a relationship and do their small, subtle things to support them. It’s so small and they didn’t have to add those two scenes, but they did and it’s heartwarming to see that Aoki and Ida have a larger support system than they realize.

Also, honorable mentions: Ida, Aida, and Hashimoto’s immediate and unflinching support and willingness to punch a teacher in the face.