I love love love this! Wow, I really wasn't expecting to love it so much. It's been on my wish list for a couple months now and I always thought it would be just a quick, uneventful read, so I had to be in the mood for it. But boooy, was I wrong!
Where should I start? Well, the pace of this story is great! It starts slow, takes it sweet time to get to the climax, and then progresses quickly from there on! I'm a sucker for angst, so I would have loved if Yuusei realized his feelings a bit before they actually got together, but the fact that Hiwatari-sensei didn't extend it unnecessarily made it perfect. Confessions are exchanged, manga ends. No dragging on! I would also have loved a sex scene or a tad about their dating life, like a little special at the end, but you know what? If I read a manga that's full of smut, but the story's lacking, it leaves me unfulfilled. But if the story's that good to make up for the sex, I'm totally fine without it. And even though the idea wasn't to be super dramatic, it did have some angst in there and I cried a bit, which I love.
As for the plot itself, I loved the twists! I thought it'd turn out to be what was right in front of our faces, but no! There were plot twists at every turn, with Noma (by the way, when is his own manga coming?! I need it!), with Mahiro's past... did NOT expect it, and that's really rare for someone who's been reading BL for 15 years.
Finally, the characters. Of course I liked Yuusei immediately, though I wasn't sure if he'd turn out to be the seme or not in the beginning. Great personality, easy-going but not an idiot, pursues the uke, and puppy-eyes to top it off! But it was Mahiro I wasn't expecting to like! I don't like the Megane, crybaby, weak uke types, and that's what I thought he'd turn out to be. But, like everything else about this manga, I was so wrong. He's a bit arrogant, which I love in an uke, willful, but kind at the same time.
Even the side characters are great. Noma is not what he looks like, he's a great friend (and super hot!). And so are Yuusei's friends, supportive, play a part, have a life that doesn't revolve around the main character and aren't used for jealousy purposes. Oh, and Micchan is a fujoshi, just like us!
The art is a lot better than the cover lets on, reminds me of Kawai Touko, which just so happens to be my favorite mangaka.
I would just say: stop what you're doing immediately and go read this!
I wasn't familiar with Hiwatari Haruka's work (she seems to only have two manga so far), but Yamete Kudasai just so happened to be on my wish list (I favorite things to read later along the way) and I didn't know they were by the same author. I'm going to read that right now.