Well, I don't get the "creepiness" that some other reviewers have mentioned. Even though it is a 10-year age gap, at least their relationship is mostly innocent as all they do is kiss, hug and hold hands, and thankfully there is no underage sex.
They do both admit to thinking perverted thoughts about the other but thinking is as far as it goes!
I generally don't like shotacon. I usually lack morals when it comes to manga, as it is just fiction (that's why I love brotherly/cousinly incest in BL, while in RL I most definitely wouldn't) but there are still some lines I can't bear to see crossed, and shota is one of them. So even though technically this is shotacon, it really isn't what most people would expect. It's a nonsexual type of shota really, as the characters are more cute rather than erotic (if that makes sense?) So that's why despite not being a fan of the genre, I can still like this particular manga because even though Atsushi is underage and in a romantic relationship with someone 10 years older than him, we thankfully never see him naked or doing anything even remotely sexual until he's an adult! <--- I felt I had to make that point clear XD
And to be honest the age difference between them is what makes this manga so sweet... Instead of taking advantage of a younger boy, Yuuji does the right thing and says they'll have to wait until Atsushi's older before taking their relationship further. I think that shows how deep his love for Atsushi is, since he's willing to suppress his desires for so long. Plus, he's not like some old guy preying on a naive child. After all, at the age of 17, Yuuji is still just a kid himself, and he is the one who is actually pursued and even kissed first. Even at just 7 years old, Atsushi shows strong seme signs! (¬‿¬)
Anyway, the art is of course amazing. Mishima-sensei never fails to wow me! Her clothing styles are just so awesome~! And I love her use of chibis too. They are always so cute and funny ^_^ This has such a perfect balance of humour and romance that you'll be laughing at one panel then "awww"-ing at the next.
The one thing that I don't particularly like is
that we don't see any actual age progression. It's only whilst their young, then BAM, skips to 10 years later. So what I mean is, why did we have to miss everything in between!? I would've loved to see their first time! (^_-)-☆ Though I did like the time skip, it was lovely seeing them still going strong! Very cute <3
The oneshot at the end is sweet as well, again there's a hefty age gap (15 years this time), but at least the youngest character is of high school age, so I think most people would feel a bit more at ease with that set-up. Not a great deal of character development, as it is less than 40 pages long, but still it was a nice enough read.
So while the title story is shotacon, it's not the sexual kind that a lot of us try to avoid. I may seem like a hypocrite as I love this manga yet hate the shota genre, but I don't care. As this is the only shota I've ever liked, I think it counts as a rare exception, and TBH it's all thanks to the innocent and heartwarming plot and of course the endearing (and fabulously dressed!) characters. So if, like me, you enjoy Mishima-sensei's other works but are uncomfortable with this type of genre, then please don't be put off by any negative comments. You'll be missing out on a lovely, romantic, and pretty(!) story, so please give it a try for yourself! ^__^ And if you are a fan of shotacon, then I'm sure you'll find this adorable too!
(-36)
