Dekoboko Bittersweet Days (Dekoboko Sugar Days Book 2)

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they're old enough you know they can handle themselves all on their own. They basically grew up to become such remarkable adults and you can really see how much potential the story goes as you read it. I am so in love with these characters and this story is just one of the most heartwarming and poignant ones I've read. It makes me so happy my heart feels so full right now. This is doubly important because Yuujirou, used to thinking of himself as the more manly figure, is already planning their post-high school domestic bliss. He's always been there for Rui, and he sees their adult lives as merely an extension of what they've done thus far – they'll move to a prefecture with common-law partnerships, fill out the paperwork, and keep going as they have before. He doesn't even consider that Rui might have other plans, and when he finds out, he's hurt that, in essence, Rui has a different goal than he does. That Rui might want to get that partnership certificate later, after they have careers, doesn't quite register with Yuujirou; he instead simply sees it as a betrayal, and in some ways that shows just how much more mature Rui is despite Yuujirou being the one thinking about their domestic future. The best ever! I love how everything I thought was going to happen ended up being something more wonderful and absolutely beautiful. While volume 1 had you laughing like crazy for their silly antics and funny moments, this completely took those characters and made them into something more than what you expected. I was literally tearing up trying to hold my tears because the growth and development they have was so beautiful and touching you can't help but be proud of how far they have come. It feels like you're part of their lives and you get to grow up with them and then when Atsuko Yusen’s art is attractive and she’s developed her own immediately recognizable style; she’s another BL mangaka to have come from the Pixiv webcomic stable like Shou Harusono ( Sasaki and Miyano) and Mika ( I Cannot Reach You). The theme of childhood friends weaves throughout the manga and as the mangaka’s drawings of the two as little children are adorable, it’s difficult to ignore the significance of their enduring relationship. As to the BL aspects, the manga earns its Mature rating for several consensual (but censored) scenes of a sexual nature which develop naturally from the characters’ feelings. The ‘joke’ underlying the two volumes is that – due to Rui’s genes and adolescent growth spurt – given his height, in a traditional BL manga, he’d be the seme (dominant) and shorter Yuujirou the uke. But it’s the other way round here (see dekoboko* below). Praise, then, to the mangaka for showing us that Rui might be gentle-natured but he’s determined to pursue his career in design, no matter what – and it’s Yuujirou who falls apart when he realizes that Rui is going away. It’s painful to watch but it feels real and convincing. It’s the same when she shows us that both young men feel torn up inside by Rui’s decision – but find it impossible to articulate this to each other.

And: Then again, it might be impossible to afford a stand alone house right away, which, definitely combined with the wish of a cooking island and a garden seems a realistic take on things (the Tokyo housing market, am I right 😂).

GN

With that being said, the art continues to be exceptionally cute, carrying the manga through its duller periods. It’s still an enjoyable read overall, but “Bittersweet Days” just doesn’t reach the same heights as the original. I was curious as to what ‘dekoboko’ means and, on further investigation, I found that it can be translated as ‘uneven’ which probably refers to the difference in height between the two protagonists and also, perhaps, their contrasting characters. However, there was also an unrelated animated TV series Deko Boko Friends of 30-second-long episodes for preschoolers that aired in Japan from 2002 to 2011. Stop Press: I’m very grateful to Tokyopop’s Marketing Associate Kae Winter’s for this helpful clarification: I was approved for the arc months ago and ended up taking too long to get around reading it. I'm slightly mad at myself for that. Because this manga was so cute! The characters were fleshed out nicely and they were so adorable. I loved how frequently and patiently they communicated with each other. And we all know communication makes a romance perfect, right? 😁 So, of course, I loved Rui and Yuujirou. The humor was wonderful too.

Sweet, a pleasing art style, and with a focus on communication in relationships that is refreshing for the genre Simply put, they both have to grow up. For Rui that means speaking up, and for Yuujirou it means accepting that things won't always go the way he plans, and those are both very difficult things to do. It hits especially hard because up until Rui says something, their story has been blissfully happy: they are out to two of their friends and basically living the romance novel dream. But Yusen seems to want them to learn that a successful long-term relationship means that there'll be some bumps in the road along the way, and that the true test of their romance will be how well they manage to navigate them. Part of that, of course, is also eventually coming out to their parents, which is handled fairly well – and the revelation that Yuujirou's older brother Yuichiro has known all along and is perfectly happy for them is a very nice touch. Ultimately everyone just wants everyone else to be happy; the purpose of the book is to get them to the place where they can be.

Dekoboko Sugar Days was one of my favorite BL manga of 2020, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the second one-shot from mangaka Atsuko Yusen following Rui and Yuujirou. Dekoboko Bittersweet Daysis the sequel manga that takes readers into Rui and Yuujirou’s relationship as they learn to deal with the uncertainty of the future and coming out to their families. The manga is published and localized in English by TOKYOPOP via their LOVE x LOVE collection that focuses on publishing queer manga romances. The one-shot is edited by Lena Atanassova, translated by Christine Dashiell, and features a cover and logo design by Sol DeLeo. He is together with Rui Hanamine 186cm long, creative, half French, domestic and with a lot of housekeeping skills. Tall bottom representing one could say, which is good in a genre where height almost always is used as a signifier to one’s character role. Yuujiro for instance says: It’s already pretty incredible to make enough to live your life without any restrictions kind of fawning over the glitter of middle class financial stability. Just as it looks – to Yuujirou, at least – as if he and Rui are set fair, ready to take their next step into the future together, Rui goes quiet on him when he suggests living together. “I wanted you to know first,” Rui says, eventually breaking his silence. “I’m going to France for school.” Rui’s French grandmother, a designer, has invited him to study in Paris – and he’s determined to go. But it’s going to be four long years apart – and Yuujirou takes the news badly, while doing his best to reassure Rui that he’ll support him in his decision. And then, to rub salt in the wound, when the two families join up over an impromptu meal out at Christmas, the topic of girlfriends comes up, prompting an uncharacteristic outburst from Yuuijirou who is still hurting from what he can’t help but see as Rui abandoning him. “Maybe it’d be better for everyone,” Yuujirou says as he walks away from Rui, “if we just pretended like there was never anything between us.” Tiny and adorable when they first met, Rui - still just as adorable - now looms over his boyfriend, Yuujirou. Though they were little more than best friends at first, the confusion over their true feelings for one another smoldered until they confessed. Now every day passes with such overwhelming sweetness it's all they can do not to ask themselves, "am I allowed to be this happy?"

Unlike other Yaoi manga, this one really hit the "this could happen in real-life" button. Rui and Yuujirou are faced with a lot of uncertainty as the end of their senior year looms closer. You have Yuujirou who is planning out his and Rui's next steps, never wanting to part from him. Yet, you have Rui looking into a few dreams of his own. But still, I have to say that this manga wasn't anything special. The plotline wasn't unique. It felt to common and too generic. I read so many bl mangas, lots of which are so good, this one just fell flat for me. The steamy scenes were so awkward. Lots of parts and dialogues didn't make sense. The story moved faster than necessary. And the ending...it was unsatisfying. So, overall, it was a 3 stars read for me. The first half of the manga consists of some really cute scenarios, while also presenting Yuujirou and Rui’s hopes and anxieties about how their relationship will progress in the future. This is a very promising setup that I was excited to see the narrative explore, but it ended up falling rather flat.COVER Corporation Announces hololive English VTuber Gawr Gura Collaboration with Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium Aina The End Releases New Single 'Diana,' Studio Live Performance Video Featuring Anime Theme Songs Also Released Featuring Yuujiro Matsukaze, judo champion, an aspiring architect. He is quite short ( Quit kissing my forehead. It just reminds me of how much taller you are) and occasionally bothered by that.