First off let me say that I'm with the people who are a bit skeptical at the beginning!
The art is outdated, panels and pages can be confusing and there's characters you're not sure you can like.
What got me the most was the fact that you can so tell that this was draw in the early 90s, the terrible outfits and even worse hairstyles are just too much!
I found them ridiculous and it was hard to see the supposedly good looking people in this!
But! Please do not give up this series just because you don't like the beginning! It gets better, much better, with every volume and when you finally reach the end - it was all so worth it and it will leave you feeling amazing!
This is a perfect work for people who enjoy seeing character growth, and a lot of it! Not only do the characters here grow as people, learn, overcome obstacles and become more mature, they also chance hairstyles to fit the trends, as well as clothes and last but not least, THEY GROW UP!
The 10 volumes of this manga span over 3 years - Atsushi's first day at the new high school to his graduation (and there will be another time skip in the extras and doujinshi works)
It's simply amazing to see Atsushi grow taller, older and wiser! He is such a little boy at the beginning, a naive child who seemingly easy fall in love. Shibata sensei is a jerk at the start - and an unattractive one at that!
But just keep reading and I promise you will fall in love with the both of them!
Around the 4th volume, the art gets a boost into the right direction and by the time you reach the 9th and 10th volumes, the art is perfection!
You will be rewarded for reading through the whole thing. It's a slow build up, and actually there's no sex scenes until
the 10th Volume I believe ... at least not for the main couple
but it's very much worth reading the whole series.
The feeling is just indescribable when
! at the end, you see the tall grown Atsushi, now a very handsome guy, finishing high school and starting his job... as well as Masayoshi with his hair finally blonde again and cut!! And they are finally in love after all the struggle they went through over the years... there's just no better reward! ... and there's plenty of sex too!
Atsushi and Masayoshi's growth as individual characters and as a couple - the problems with age gap, Masayoshi being straight but in the end of course giving in... it's a long road, but I'd recommend this wonderful manga to absolutely everyone who likes longer series.
If you look for quick smut or a lot of frequent sex scenes then this is not the right manga.
However if you love great characters, growth and a steady build up leading to a perfect ending, then give this a read! And don't be discouraged at the first few pages! It'll be worth your time to read on!
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