Rie Aruga

(I read an e-copy of this through Netgalley, thank you Kodansha!)

This was both a different kind of romance based manga for me and eerily similar.

Firstly - I'm not disabled and I have not done any sort of in depth research into it. Nor do I know anyone who is on level with Ayukawa (Itsuki)'s disability. So my views are from my own POV, which much like Kawana's are well intentioned but uninformed.

The art of this book is pretty - rough at times, but as I understand this is a debut manga so the polish isn't there yet. Its not anything above average, but its easy on the eyes. The pacing is somewhat rough as well though - the book is mainly from Kawana's POV, but it jumps to Ayukawa for a chapter or so before going back, so that took a minute for me to catch on to.

As to the story - I appreciate that this wasn't an instant "MY LOVE WILL OVERCOME THIS" scenario. Kawana, moreso than Ayukawa gives her credit for, tries to be honest with herself about how the idea of a relationship with Ayukawa would be. She doesn't shy away from the fact that she doesn't feel confident in her ability to help him in all the ways he needs, but she remains consistent that she wants to learn more. She wants to understand what Ayukawa is going through - good and bad, past and present - so they can build something true together.

By contrast Ayukawa is very defeatist. He's determined in his professional life, but his personal life? He's given up because he doesn't want to lean on someone or be a burden. His feelings came across quite well sometimes (when he's talking with Haruto about how hard it can be or when he's discussing what happened with his ex), but it felt at first he used the blunt reality of his disability as a shield as well. This didn't always come across as cleanly as it could have however.

We go through a few awfully coincidental occurrences to test their burgeoning relationship, but really none of that is any different than your typical romance where suddenly his ex, their friends and sudden family appearance test a couple.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes once Ayukawa and Kawana have begun to be more honest with each other about expectations.… (mehr)