Furuya Nagisa is a relatively 'new' name to BL readers - her first official work was published only 2 years ago. But she certainly isn't a newbie when it comes to writing BL, and this particular manga title is like a big wall of bricks hitting me with all sorts of nostalgia that come from a simpler time during which I was introduced to the genre.
Long rambling history lesson:
Much similar to Ichikawa Kei, Furuya-sensei first started writing manga under the form of Gintama doujinshi, for which she was known by the mononym Nagisa. They both had their first publications around the mid 2000s, both had their big breaks as manga artists in the 2010s, and both express themselves through their stories in a more simple and subdued manner, at least when compared to other artists emerging in the same decade.
The fact that their careers took off in the latter half of the 2000s - a period which saw the rise of a crop of BL authors that consisted of Hidaka Shouko, Kinoshita Keiko, Tenzen Momoko, Kawai Touko, Natsume Isaku, Suzuki Tsuta et al. - certainly played a part in shaping their particular writing styles that still carry unique traits to this day. There's always this calm and gentle feel to their stories, regardless of the setting and characters, that is quite rare nowadays when boundaries are being broken left and right and writers are always trying to upstage one another with bolder and more controversial pieces where shock value is often preferred over long and slow-burn relationships that could be considered dated in this day and age.
The reason I'm bringing up all this elaborate background is because much like how I feel towards Ichikawa-sensei's works, I also get this 'old school' vibe coming from Furuya-sensei's stories that I have not come across in quite awhile, and they are such a pleasant breather amid this wild and hot-headed environment that the BL scene is currently in. Right now we have these two artists with their own established styles influenced from a time of grace and tranquility but still possess impressive writing prowess and meaningful character dynamics that are fleshed out alongside the progression of their stories without the use of gimmicks or shocking developments in favour of instant emotional impact.
And their talents show. This manga is a delight to read, the characters are well written, the story is perfectly paced and the narrative is borderline genius. Its effective use of flashbacks, shifts in narration voices and incorporations of details are almost perfect to a fault. There's almost nothing in the manga that serves no purpose. It's visible that the author was aiming for precision when creating her work, and her efforts generously paid off. She still hasn't published that many stand-alone titles, but her footing in the field is already so strong that it wouldn't be a surprise if she only experiences more success in the future. Remember how Ichikawa Kei immediately blew up after only a few mangas? Well she was no newbie at that point, and neither is this upcoming force to be reckoned with.