Sofie > Recent Status Updates

okay cool already tearing up!!! that panel of rintaro smiling as he sobs cause he's just totally given up is CHILLING. i love him so much, and kyoko is an amazing mother for supporting him and changing up her look first to make him more comfortable. i'm also interested to learn more about sotaro!! what did they mean by saying that he needs more attention and care than rintaro? was he also a sad kid? how is he now?

oh i LOVE this recurring bit of ichimura backpedaling if yoi reacts badly to something he said, even if he truly wasn't joking at all. he really just blurts out his true feelings and desires most of the time, but he's always ready to write them off as jokes (or just walk away like he did with his friend earlier) if people think they're too weird. very excited to see how this develops as he hopefully opens up more

describing ichimura as "like the moon reflecting off the water" is such stunning imagery (also where the title comes from i'm guessing?) but also a super interesting way to capture this seemingly contradictory aloofness he has about him?? this kind of ethereal, untouchable beauty who seems very direct on the surface but remains out of reach even as he gives away pieces of vulnerability here and there

how do i have butterflies rn what is going ON
i just love how vulnerable she's able to be with him cause he's shown from the very beginning that he won't judge her and that he WANTS to see every side of herself that she's willing to reveal. his directness is !!!!!!!! very attractive !!!!!!!! also my jaw is constantly dropped at how gorgeous both of them are

SIR????????? my pearls are clutched and we're not even 100 pages in what the FUCK

yoi being worried that their classmates might think less of ichimura if he starts openly pursuing her is so interesting!!!!! people really don't see her as a girl, so if ichimura starts talking to her and hanging out with her, rumors might spread that he's gay or at the very least, not masculine enough to be a proper "prince". BUT ICHIMURA DOESNT GIVE A SHIT. i LOVE how direct and secure in himself he seems to be

genuinely what am i supposed to take away from this first interaction besides "ichimura doesn't give a fuck about gender"????? like he calls yoi incredibly beautiful, then asks if he's actually a guy once he sees that she's wearing pants, but then has NO reaction to yoi's non-answer. he's only MORE intrigued that he could've potentially missed a guy like yoi at school. i'm running with this immediately

i read the first chapter of this a few weeks ago at the kodansha house pop-up and it seems SO up my alley!! androgynous fmc AND a male love interest who gives bi energy immediately??? i mean what more could you want honestly. we'll see if it continues to deliver or if it settles back into heteronormative boringness the more the relationship progresses

shohei is giving me the same feeling that reki does and i can't handle it he's so fucking adorable i need to protect him with my life

i'm such a sucker for this trope of a child thinking that two people are dating when they're still in that awkward stage before it's official, cause it's a great reminder of how simple these things really are sometimes. you can always trust a kid to tell it like it is and simplify the things we've needlessly complicated in our own heads

AYATO BEING THE SECRET WEAPON IS BRILLIANT AHSJDHJKAHD saku and shohei's reactions are amazing too like they're genuinely trying to warn the guys that they're about to get beat to a pulp. the layers are immaculate, i really wanna know more about ayato and if maybe he used to be way more openly aggressive before becoming friends with the rest of the guys. or if his brothers just taught him how to fight

oh i love saku so much he's such a bad bitch
i did get a little spoiler (i think) about who his love interest might be and i cannot WAIT to see how that plays out cause holy shit the potential is insane

saku stressed out of his mind about getting caught, shohei quite literally clawing at the seats cause he's so jealous of rintaro flirting with a girl, and ayato just happy to be there and get some good food asjhdkajdkjahd i love these dorks so much

i'm genuinely floored at how this entire situation has played out, and it's hands down the BEST depiction of the whole romeo and juliet "stay away from my bestie cause i'm protecting her" trope i've ever seen. everyone came out of it looking like the incredible people that they are, there was growth and understanding and love on all sides, it didn't feel like a pointless obstacle for the relationship. 10/10 no notes

well i cried when i watched this episode in the anime and i'm crying now reading the chapter!!!!!! subaru and kaoruko are so fucking sweet, and it's just so heartwarming to see them be so vulnerable and honest and loving and to watch subaru REALIZE that kaoruko feels just as indebted to her as she does to kaoruko. subaru is definitely one of my favorite characters, and i'm excited to see her grow even more confident

okay i was so wrong BUT now that i'm thinking about it, 3 older brothers really does fit better than him being an only child or having younger siblings. i assumed that since he's so level headed and kind, he'd fit more as an older sibling, but it's sweet to think of his older brothers mentoring him and giving him the advice that he now gives to others. also him being a surprisingly scary fighter tracks with that too

i'm such a sucker for character profiles in any manga, but i feel like the ones for these characters have potentially been the MOST accurate i've ever seen. because of COURSE saku has two sisters, kaoruko has a younger brother, rintaro has an older brother, and shohei has two siblings. it all just fits SO perfectly. i'm guessing rn that ayato is either an only child or has a younger sibling (maybe even two)

the ultimate strength of a romance manga like this really hinges on the side characters, and so far, i am truly obsessed. i cannot WAIT to get more backstory for the boys and see how they all came to be friends

OUCH shohei, ayato, and saku's expressions when rintaro says that he doesn't want to tell them what's going on with kaoruko??? saku especially looks so HURT. you can tell that they wanna be there for him so badly but he just won't let them in, and this has been going on probably since they met him. i wonder if rintaro is just in his head about what hoshina said, or if he just still has walls up in general (prob both)

this trope can be so annoying and forced but the way they've gone about it here is INCREDIBLE. hoshina is SO vulnerable and honest about knowing that rintaro is a good person and that what she's doing is probably not right, but you can feel her desperation so palpably. she genuinely doesn't know how else to protect her friend, and when rintaro refuses, she's clearly sad but totally accepts it. so mature and nuanced

I AM GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET KAORUKO LOOKS SO GORGEOUS FOR THIS STUDY DATE SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPP oh she knows exactly what she's doing good for her
also the gender envy is strong with rintaro it must be noted, especially in this street wear

i really love this theme of self-fulfilling prophecies being interrupted by friends and loved ones. we saw it before with rintaro and his mom when he was avoiding and unwittingly judging kaoruko bc he's been marked as a delinquent loner by others (and thus by himself), and now with rintaro and shohei when he thinks about giving up bc he's been marked as a failure by his teacher (and thus by himself)

i LOVE the detail of rintaro calling all of his friends by their last names even though he's known them for at least a year (unsure on the timeline as of now). he hasn't told them about his family owning a bakery, they've never been to his house, he doesn't seem to confide in them about anything, and so the choice of formal language really hits home how rintaro keeps people at a distance bc of how jaded he is

the ending of this first chapter is SO good. i love the curtain imagery to show how closed off kikyo as a whole is, but kaoruko as an individual is curious and understanding, so she's the one to open them. and rintaro looking out at the curtains in that exact moment bc he's gotten so used to people writing him off and being met with closed curtains when he looks back at them???? kaoruko is about to open up his world

i have been eagerly awaiting episodes of this anime every week this season so i am SO excited to start the manga!!!!

so. lemme get this straight. harold forcibly entered akira’s subconscious, found a power within him that has incredible destructive potential, and is now in love with said power. cool cool cool another freak who’s obsessed with power and mistakes it as love, my FAVORITE villain trope LETS GOOO
…..and dare i say potential amamiya parallel?

this two page format being repeated from pages 38-39 to show that both tenkubashi and akira feel so powerless and just desperately want to be back together because they promised each other???????? CRAZY writing they are so soulmates

SHUT UP AKIRA IS HAVING THE SAME EXACT FLASHBACKS OF TENKUBASHI??????????? he just wants his long-lashed bf to protect him and yknow what i get it
but also him wondering if they’ll even notice if he’s gone??? and if they’re pissed that he’s the weak link????? ouch no baby tenkubashi is PANICKING and thinking about you 24/7 he is so obsessed

i swear to god this is the 5th time tenkubashi has had dead wife flashbacks of akira IVE HAD ENOUGH THIS IS TOO PAINFUL (it’s incredible i’m eating it up)
also obsessed with this trio of meimei, yuen, and tenkubashi!!!! they’re all such interesting characters

wow tenkubashi is really being hit over the head AGAIN with just how little amamiya cares about his well-being, and also how his apathetic attitude directly contrasts akira’s!!! and that’s part of why tenkubashi is willing to suffer however much is necessary in order to save akira. i really need this contrast to continue to eat at him and culminate in tenkubashi confronting amamiya at some point PLEASE