I followed this from the beginning until the very end. It you look at the date of my review, it's from years ago. (I edited the content, of course), and I can summarize this review by saying this manga and everything about it grows on you in a way you can only grasp if you read it .
Kawai Touko is my absolute favorite mangaka, so I'm very biased when it comes to reviewing her work. Since I always read all of her stuff as soon as it's released, I haven't reviewed all of her titles on Baka Updates. So maybe this didn't steal the position of one of my top 3 from her (Cut, Loveholic and bóndZ), but I can't rate it less than a 10.
It starts out cute, silly, nothing too different. But as you read more and engage more in their relationship, Shu and Mu-chan grow on you so much, I found myself crying when I had to say goodbye to them at the last page after all these years (I followed this manga for 7 years).
Don't get fooled by the beginning. In fact, in my opinion, the hashtags on this manga only reflect the beginning of the story. Mu-chan starts out like a normal uke, the hashtag tags him as a crybaby. That's not him at all, though. Just like Haruna says, he's goofy on the outside, but sweet, caring and determined once you know him better.
Same for Shu. Hashtagged as a "cold male lead", he's not at all like that, either. He might seem that way - or rather, be misinterpreted as such. But he's actually very kind and loves Mu-chan maybe even more than both of them realize.
I like the dynamic of the relationship. It's a little on the grown-up side of manga, and if you've been following Touko-sensei's work for long, like me, you'll notice this is the most mature relationship she's ever written. Yes, they do have some discussions and have that clingy-uke / disinterested-seme thing, but they don't carry grudges, don't have petty fights. They are, quite simply, adults. They solve their problems by communicating, they are there for each other and work matters even come into play. In fact, if I had to point out one of this manga's weak points, that would be it. Yes, we all look for deeper conflicts and actual plot, not just the same old cliches in BL and not just sex, either. However, because of the very realistic problems the characters face in their personal lives, the actual relationship gets pushed aside a bit. Most of the confrontation ends in sex scenes, when I'd prefer talks from the heart; and the only time Shu actually says he loves Mu-chan, it's in a blank dialogue balloon. So we didn't really get to read it, which is a pity. I wish he'd said it a bit more, softened up. Although, yes, that's another very realistic point: he's a typical Japanese guy. While Mu-chan's open about his feelings and somewhat Americanized, Shu is very closed up and doesn't express emotions well. It doesn't mean he doesn't feel them, though. Most of his love is expressed through his actions, and if you pay attention, he doesn't actually deny Mu-chan's advances much. He may push him aside when he wants to hug or kiss in public, but he doesn't stop Mu-chan when he initiates sexual contact, nor the times Mu-chan wants to take things further emotionally. He agrees to coming out, agrees to moving together. They really do become a married couple, after all.
However, for these maybe too real situations, it's unlikely I'll be re-reading this manga too much. While I can't rate this anything less than a 10 because of the subtle complexity, it feels like an unbalanced trade to read through these very real problems and not get as much yaoi as I'd like.
I'd also have liked to see more on Shu's past with the married woman and the process of him becoming so closed up. A chapter just about that would've benefited us greatly.
The art, as always, is amazing. A thing to know about Touko-sensei's work is that their expressions go a long way in telling the story. While some things I pointed out are left unsaid, the art and the images chosen to be displayed fill in the gaps.
Lastly, I can relate to this on a very personal level, so maybe that gave this manga an extra push. Although my boyfriend isn't Japanese, he's always fidgeting from hugs and won't kiss me as much as I want, but not because he doesn't love me, but because he's just not as romantic as I am - much like Shu and Mu-chan. Furthermore, I don't drink at all and it often brings me work problems.
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