Yoshikazu Miyano's troubles first start one hot summer day when Shuumei Sasaki steps into his life. Sasaki saves Miyano's classmate from a group of bullies, and after that, Miyano cannot seem to shake off his eccentric upperclassman. His silent admiration for Sasaki gradually sours into annoyance each time the so-called delinquent refuses to leave him alone. Constantly being called by cute nicknames and having his boundaries ignored, Miyano wonders why Sasaki wants to get close to him.
The shy and easily flustered Miyano harbors an embarrassing secret—he is a "fudanshi," a boy who likes boys' love (BL) manga. The last thing he wants is for other students to find out, but through a slip of the tongue, he reveals the truth to Sasaki. Intrigued, the clueless Sasaki asks to borrow a book to read, which he is given very reluctantly. To Miyano's surprise, Sasaki enjoys the BL that he receives and asks for more, marking a shift in their strange dynamic.
Although Sasaki appears to possess some personal agenda, his feelings for Miyano become complicated the more time they spend together. As they now share a common interest, their relationship is poised to change and further develop.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
mistersunday
Sasaki to Miyano feels dragged out, like a class on a Friday afternoon that never seems to end. The first few episodes draw you in as an archetypal BL story would, with a protagonist and love interest clearly established in the opening scene. The anime doesn’t stray too far from this, which isn’t an issue in and of itself; however, due to how stagnant the story remains throughout the show’s 12-episode run, it feels like the storytelling lacks development. In typical BL fashion, plot points that could easily be resolved through open communication prevail for multiple episodes. While this is understandable to a certain extent,since the anime doesn't attempt to tackle multiple storylines the episodes feel repetitive. Let’s attempt to dissect this a little bit. It’s difficult for me to believe that a fudanshi like Miyano has never considered being attracted to guys before Sasaki came along. Adolescence is a transitional period where you start to come to terms with romantic attraction and your sexuality in general. It’s understandable that a first year high school student wouldn’t have these things figured out yet. What doesn’t make sense is that Miyano needs to have some kind of revelation to realize that he likes guys when he spends hours consuming BL content. If you’re a fundashi you’ve definitely pictured yourself in the situations you read about. If the show had framed it in a different way, where perhaps he has internalized homophobia or he’s been brought up in a conservative household, this level of doubt and restraint would make sense. But for someone like Miyano that spends the majority of his free time reading about fictional gay men and their relationships, it seems farfetched to think it would take him several months to be able to come to terms with his feelings for Sasaki and communicate them. If anything it would make more sense for Sasaki to feel a bit uncertain about having feelings for another guy since he’s not the one consuming BL like there’s no tomorrow.
Maybe I’m being overly critical, but as a gay guy myself it feels like these stories aren’t entirely grounded in queer experiences. Who is Miyano representative of? Queer people don’t behave like this even if they’re closeted. Anime doesn’t always need to be 100% realistic. However, the show’s entire plot hinges on our two characters having feelings for each other and not recognizing them or not being able to communicate them. I can understand if this lasted during half of the anime’s duration, but to drag this out for 11 episodes feels unnecessary. There isn’t a clear explanation for why Miyano struggles so much to come to terms with his feelings either. It just feels dragged out for the sake of having enough content for a 12-episode run. I haven’t read the manga so I’m not sure what the pacing is like in the source material, but this anime could have easily told the same story in 6 episodes or less.
What stands out about this show is the way in which the story manages to reference its own tropes and clichés. The fact that Miyano is a fudanshi allows the story to parody itself a little bit. In my opinion this is the anime’s strongest quality. It doesn’t attempt to take itself too seriously, and when it does have serious moments the story doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s a generic BL through and through and the storytelling never tries to trick you into thinking it’s more profound than what it actually is.
Story: 5/10
As I mentioned, the main plotline is dragged out to the point that it feels unrealistic. It reminds me of the Dressrosa Arc in One Piece but without actually attempting to cover a fraction of the content One Piece covers in its arcs. Just repetitive as hell for no reason. The story’s main redeeming quality is its ability to make fun of itself by dissecting the BL genre through Miyano’s character.
Art: 7/10
The art style is good and so is the animation. It’s of the quality you’d expect from an anime made in 2022.
Character: 5/10
I think Sasaki to Miyano struggles in the character department as well. Sasaki and Miyano don’t behave how queer people would behave in these situations. I don’t want to make it seem like gay men are a monolith, but these characters don’t feel grounded in queer experiences. The last episode deals with this a little bit better, but by that point it's too little too late. The secondary characters also feel a bit one-dimensional for the most part.
Sound: 6/10
Neither the OP or ED were particularly memorable to me. I’m not an expert on voice acting so I don’t have any complaints. Overall the sound was fine.
Enjoyment: 6/10
I did enjoy watching this anime because I’m gay so I’m drawn to anything gay. However, if this wasn’t BL I would’ve struggled to complete it.
KANLen09
For the longest time, I've been looking for a BL series that matches as closely to the very first BL anime that I actually enjoyed: Junjou Romantica, produced by Studio Deen all the way back in 2008. And come this Winter season, Sasaki and Miyano brings all that nostalgia feeling back into my senses(that's even better because Studio Deen is back), greatly enhancing the enjoyment values that I've experienced with more recent BL-centric shows like the musically-inclined Given. Judging by the way that this show is titled, most of you would've realized that mangaka Shou Harusono's styling is very reminiscent of mangaka HERO's work on Horimiya,and that's not because of plagarism, but of immense inspiration taken from it. From the series' title to the overall sensation as a whole, Sasaki and Miyano a.k.a Sasamiya is basically the BL version of Horimiya, because the while the manga is already a trumping greatness in the BL space, the anime is just as good, if not better as the superior version of the source material.
Sasaki and Miyano might be a BL work through and through, but don't let it fool you that this is pure BL romance at its finest, very simple with no overbearing drama that needs to take a dragging on, everything is concise, well-planned and executed very well. For one, taking into account the relationship of the Uke (Miyano) and Seme (Sasaki), the heartbeats palpitate of cheeriness and absolute heart-flutteringness to watch as their relationship evolves from a very simple Kouhai-Senpai relationship into something much more. The reason with Miyano Yoshikazu, is that he's a Fudanshi, someone that likes to read BL manga, and thus in an all-boys school, isn't the easiest to blurt out, lest the idea of being called names for it. And this is complemented by Sasaki Shuumei, whom acts like a Senpai and a delinquent all at the same time, reason being that he once saved Miyano from being bullied. Thus, the obsession from Sasaki to Miyano begins from there, and the latter especially has a heart time shrugging this annoying and playful Senpai off his shoulders. And to add to that allure, Sasaki inquires from Miyano for a book recommendation, and being the Fudanshi fanatic, the latter introduces to the former a BL manga. In a strange dynamic, Sasaki also develops an interest for BL manga, not realizing that reading too much of it relives the experience of him and Miyano in real life, and imaginations can run wild. Thus, this BL relationship is born, and for better or worse, Miyano has to content with Sasaki's antics, more of less friendships or romantically in a private setting.
But what's a great couple ship without great friends? Miyano has Tashiro Gonzaburou and Tasuku Kuresawa as classmates, and the former's a joker while the latter looks like your typical class bookworm, and with a girlfriend to boot and being a very loyal boyfriend. Both are very supportive of Miyano as friends first and foremost, and provide diversity into Miyano's POV. Sasaki has Taiga Hirano and Jirou Ogasawara, the former being the same bad boy but very disciplined since he's on the school's Discipline Committee. Manga readers would be happy to know that there is actually a spin-off of the series covering both his and Akira Kagiura's side of things, though that's not the main focus of the parent story. As for the latter, Jirou is like Miyano's friend Tasuku, but only if the dynamics are all completely turned and messed up 180 degrees. He too like Tasuku has a girlfriend, but his significant other is a BL fanatic like Miyano, whom glows at every chance possible to see some BL from Jirou's friends, and is Sasaki's side of a joker at trying his best not to be the Uke to the Seme. Overall, this character cast I don't mind at all since on top of the BL aspect, this is a typical slice-of-life school romance in the simplest form, and it works either way.
It's no secret that when I saw that Studio Deen was adapting this, my mind instantly raced off to the nostalgia that I had for Junjou Romantica. Heck, I'd rather say that Sasaki and Miyano is the modern-day Junjou Romantica, that's sweet, delightful and fun to watch. It's very realistic with all the love imagery signs of a typical relationship, be it straight, Yuri or in this case, Yaoi (or gay romance if you will). It's light-hearted, yet carries weight when things go astray. This is further proof that Shinji Ishihara, director for Tsukimichi and Edens Zero (as chief director) still has the knack in him to produce this with the staff team, on a soul of heart that love and care has been given to this production to make the best that it could. Yet again, a thanks to this guy for elevating the original source material.
For a light-hearted series, the music must match with the vibes of the show, and I certainly felt that throughout the anime. Miracle Chimpanzee's OP is just the perfect song to start the series off in an upbeat note, and I really can't get enough of this extremely well-crafted piece of music. Sasaki and Miyano's duo-VA ED song is also the same, and compliments the entire show well. Not a bad selection of an OST.
When it all comes down to it, Yuri or Yaoi series can still be enjoyed by straight people, and Sasaki and Miyano hits with absolute precision of the source material to elevate it with Studio Deen's adaptation. I really can't find any faults with it, and is a treat for both Josei and Shoujo fans alike. Watch it if you can, it's BL, it's Horimiya, it's just simply love.
Bixxbite
This review of Sasaki to Miyano contains spoilers!! If you’re still interested in watching this anime, then please do so before reading this. There will also be a spoiler free TL;DR at the end of this review for those interested in a short summary of my feelings about this anime. To start off, I supposed I’d call myself a fan of BL. I have read quite a few BL manga and watched some of its anime and live action adaptations, but I wouldn’t say that I’m someone who obsessively consumes every piece of media that stars a romantic or sexual relationship between two men. By thatI mean, I’m not a fujoshi and I absolute DESPISE the terminology surrounding BL. Uke, seme, fujoshi, fudanshi, it’s all very reductive and has a lot of uncomfortable baggage attached to it that I really don’t enjoy. Same thing with the actual content, there are lots of tropes and isms in BL that make consuming it difficult for those who do so critically. And though it’s not entirely impossible to enjoy it while still being critical of its content (you can enjoy some BL simply as trashy, erotic schlock), the portrayal of the central relationships are more often than not very toxic and unrealistic and end up making BL an unwelcoming genre to those who simply want to enjoy romantic stories between two men. The representation of innocent, pure love is also rather lacking in the works that get adapted to animation. But that's where Sasaki to Miyano comes in. After finding it while looking through the list of seasonal anime, I watched its trailer, which wasn’t exactly stunning, but still managed to capture my interest nonetheless. Because of this, I didn’t go into it with a lot of expectations and mostly grew curious through my personal interest in the genre and the way the story and characters were hyped up by a lot of its fans. This hype can’t be understated. It was often touted to be a BL story without the bad, reductive tropes of its ilk, or more often as an “unproblematic” BL. Seemingly, its supposed “unproblematic” nature was, for many, part of its appeal and didn’t detract from the story in the way that the “problematic” nature of some BL often did for these fans. For them, Sasaki to Miyano filled a hole within the genre, a portrayal of innocent, gay love without any of the baggage associated with its contemporaries. In this instance, its representation was an important factor for those who enjoyed it.
But I’ll be honest when I say that Sasaki to Miyano ended up feeling like a waste of my time.
While I could fully go into every issue I have with this anime from a visual standpoint, I think it really speaks for itself. The actual presentation in Sasaki to Miyano was clearly not a priority and although that isn’t odd in this genre, it really shows in this particular instance, especially in the animation. Jerky, stilted movements or little to no animation at all; animation that doesn’t match the intensity of the performance; still frames that last far too long; awkward, claustrophobic or really odd framing; and of course, what feels like the cherry on top, the overuse of floating shapes to cover up for the lacking animation. Like I said, I could go further into exactly why I think these things are bad and give examples of them, but as I have already made clear, my interest in this anime particularly lies in its representation and the discussions had about it. Because, besides these rather surface level flaws, the real problem I have with this anime is that it’s boring. REALLY boring. From its set-up to its ending, the relationship between Sasaki and Miyano was rather unexciting and grew stale very quickly, despite the fact that that’s the whole premise of the anime; watching their relationship grow and develop. None of the dialogue was particularly interesting and while I wouldn’t exactly say that the characters are flat or have no personality, they by no means feel unique or exciting. Even the whole ”fudanshi” angle ended up feeling really inconsequential. The inciting incident, being Sasaki defending Miyano’s friend from a group of bullies, is very disconnected from the overall plot, only really seeming to be for the purpose of replicating shoujo aesthetics. But it doesn’t feel like a subversion or a parody and it is so disconnected that it ends up being kind of a bad inciting incident. It also ended up feeling so confused with the “fudanshi” plot. Nothing really connects the two and, at the end of the day, it feels more like shallow set dressing for the sake of comedy or maybe even relatability. I just don’t find any enjoyment out of a rather plain depiction of high school romance with a shallow twist, even if that depiction is of a type of relationship that only occasionally gets the spotlight. However, there are many defenders of this anime that SWEAR by the merits of its “unproblematic” and “realistic” representation, saying that it’s better than something wild and exciting, but with unhealthy, unrealistic dynamics. I’m not entirely against this perspective or even necessarily disagree with it, but I really have to question if this representation is as good as it supposedly is or if good representation is even such an important factor in the quality of a piece of media, particularly a BL such as this. Would representation really save what is otherwise an unexciting, bland romance story or would it falter regardless?
Firstly, It definitely avoids the more common isms of its genre. No assault, denial of male attraction or uncomfortable power dynamics. This is in part due to the seeming self-awareness of the author of those particular tropes and their deliberate attempt to try and subvert them. The story and characters also go out of their way to show the audience that it doesn’t just not use them, but actively refuses to. Authors of BL manga often tend to make one of the men in the relationship small and feminine so the audience can project onto them easier, but that has been (rightfully) criticized for conflating masculinity with physical and emotional dominance and femininity with physical and emotional submission, which isn’t necessarily true. It also ends up feeling a little heteronormative, because not every relationship, especially between two people of the same gender, has to have that dynamic. In some, both are masculine, both are feminine or it fluctuates. The same goes for their position in bed. Despite the fact that Sasaki and Miyano look like they have that kind of typical masculine/feminine dynamic, Miyano doesn’t like being seen as or presenting himself as feminine. Many characters later on in the anime even comment on how Miyano doesn’t have a feminine build anymore, which clearly speaks on how the majority of teenage boys grow out of their more feminine or androgynous build and how unrealistically convenient it often is in BL that the “uke” never does. Sasaki even says that he would still love Miyano if he became more masculine. Additionally, after his confession to Miyano, the audience sees how, unlike most “semes” in BL, Sasaki wants to give him the physical and emotional space that he needs to figure his feelings. In most BL, denial or rejection is more often met with one forcing themselves on the other. This dismissal of autonomy is then shown as “passionate” and “romantic”, even thought it really isn’t and the story of Sasaki to Miyano doesn’t romanticize it for that very reason. Now, this would’ve made for a great, subversive story, but this is purely what it presents on the surface. The moment you dig deeper, it feels rather shallow.
Miyano disliking his femininity was intriguing at first. The way his peers denied his masculinity and maleness and how it affected him felt realistic. It wasn’t just him saying “but I’m a boy!” and pouting, like every other BL tends to do. Even so, his mannerism and dynamic with Sasaki still feels very familiar. Sasaki is still more masculine, dominant and taller than Miyano and he’s still the one who is actively pursuing the relationship. Even if these dynamics are open to change in the future, they are still the way that they are and don’t even remotely change by the end of the anime. Just because the story admits to having this typical dynamic, romantic not sexual, doesn’t mean that it’s suddenly exempt from any criticism that may come along with it. And while the author purposefully (at least, I assume) used that familiar dynamic to then subvert it, they don’t follow through. The way the characters describe Miyano having become more masculine is either not visible at all, like Hanazawa saying that his shoulders are broader than a girl’s, even though they don’t change throughout the anime and are really narrow, or completely counteracted by Sasaki’s comparative size, like Miyano’s old classmate saying that his hands have become bigger than hers, even though his hands aren’t nearly as big as Sasaki’s. While the subversion doesn’t fall completely flat, it feels incomplete. Like I said, it feels as if the author goes to subvert the dynamic, only to hesitate and not do it, either in fear of alienating their audience or just not really being that interested in the subversion in the first place. And while Sasaki is, by far, much more respectful of his love interest’s boundaries than most guys in BL are, it’s only comparatively so. Even after he agrees to letting Miyano figure out his feelings, he refuses to stop flirting, being very touchy with him or being possessive of him. The more egregious but not the only cases of this being; him suddenly pulling Miyano away when his classmate merely goes to compare her hand to his in episode seven; aggressively grabbing and hugging Miyano at the end of episode eight and him pushing Miyano against a wall and moving his lips really close to his in episode eleven. But this isn’t shown as kind of uncomfortable and a little invasive, it’s shown as Sasaki “enduring” being close with and to Miyano. In a weird way, it portrays him as being respectful for not just jumping on Miyano and having his way with him, like in most BL. When the audience hears the inner thoughts of Sasaki in episode five, when Miyano is sleeping alone in the student council rooms, it seems very clear that the author is saying that touching and especially kissing him (even through a cloth mask) while he’s sleeping is inappropriate and I entirely agree. But showing that to be some kind of difficult level of constraint is weird, because that’s just a REALLY low bar to clear when it comes to respecting another person’s personal space and autonomy. Sure, Sasaki is giving Miyano all the time in the world to figure out his feelings, much longer than I would’ve had patience for, and that’s good! But this constant portrayal of “constraint” ends up feeling like the author is saying that Sasaki is being really, really respectful of Miyano’s autonomy, even though he is still shown to not respect the physical and emotional space one would realistically need to figure out their romantic feelings for the other and being really possessive of him despite them not being in a relationship yet. Miyano doesn’t vocally oppose this and as the audience we can hear his inner thoughts, which also don’t oppose it, but that still implies that there’s some kind of implied, divine consent. We know that Miyano doesn’t oppose it, but Sasaki doesn’t know that. To avoid a full-on discussion on implied consent, I’ll just say this; though it's normal for romantic anime such as this to have these kinds of isms, it does feel a bit odd for something touted to be a "unproblematic BL anime" to contain implied consent.
Mind you, I’m not too bothered by these particular things or isms. I’m moreso using them to illustrate that this strive towards “unproblematic” or morally clean representation is not useful or entirely possible in the romance genre. Implied consent, the pushing of boundaries, both physical and emotional, are all part of what makes a romance story dramatic and interesting. Many BL anime (and their source manga) tend to take it WAY too far and it’s by no means difficult to create a story with healthier dynamics. The bar is in hell, at this point. But those isms are still very common in every kind of romance genre and subgenre, which are things that would, in real life, be really uncomfortable and a little invasive. Not saying that they’re beyond criticism, some romantic depictions in media push the boundaries too far, but they’re still stories and depiction isn’t the same as endorsement. Still, to imply that Sasaki to Miyano somehow is some perfect, moral representation of a healthy relationship feels a little dishonest and misguided.
Anyway, to answer the first question. The representation is fine, certainly better than other stories in its genre, but by no means entirely exempt from playing into the tropes it attempts to subvert. But then how about the other question? Well, I left that one for last for a reason and that’s because it doesn’t have a completely solid answer. But I’ll attempt to answer it anyway.
Personally, I do believe that proper representation is important. To recognize yourself and whatever aspects that you heavily identify with in media is something that can feel really validating and satisfying and even educate those who are unfamiliar with whatever is being portrayed. The value of representation in that regard is undeniable to me, I’m by no means arguing in bad faith here. However, in this instance, only really the former applies to the anime at hand. I honestly doubt that anyone’s going to watch it and be educated about the gay experience, in large part because it doesn’t exactly examine it very thoroughly. I can’t speak on that experience personally, so I hope I’m not speaking out of line here when I say that it doesn’t really seem to touch on the feelings of both Sasaki and Miyano when they realize their attraction towards each other and how pursuing it would fundamentally change their position in society. Especially because it takes place in Japanese society, one which is focused heavily on tradition and blending in. They would likely have to hide their relationship or else possibly be met with scrutiny, harassment, future workplace discrimination and all that comes along with being openly queer in Japan. The story is obviously supposed to be light and fluffy with very little angst, though, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t get into that too much. Nevermind that a story about two guys falling in love shouldn’t always be doom and gloom, there are already more than enough exploitation films about that. Regardless, I find it strange that there isn’t even a fleeting thought between the two of them, though moreso with the particularly anxious Miyano, about how their relationship might affect their social lives. Which, it doesn’t, everyone around them is overwhelmingly positive or just ambivalent. So, the representation that’s being praised here isn’t, or really shouldn’t be, necessarily about its realistic depiction of the surrounding identity, but just it being a much healthier, romantic relationship that isn’t extremely common in BL adaptations. While I would never fault anyone for valuing or enjoying that, I do have to say that that really doesn’t carry a story on its own, especially because the relationship itself is by no means as perfect as some portray it as. I would argue that the best BL adaptations, such as Doukyuusei or Given, do have much less problematic representation than is common, but I don’t think their value is entirely within that representation. The aesthetic value isn’t largely derived from the audience’s moral response and I dislike the notion that it would be. Everything that surrounds it is intriguing and has a high quality, from the character writing to the story to the presentation. Even then, I’ve enjoyed much more trashy schlock than that too. Junjou Romantica, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Love Stage, etc. Because despite them having HORRIBLE representation, they’re often very dramatized and exciting, even if the “romance” falls completely flat for me. Besides, while the specific anime I just mentioned do have a problem, mainly the exploitation of gay relationships for the consumption of a largely straight audience, I don’t think that every instance of “bad representation” like it makes a piece of media instantly bad. I much prefer broad representation than ONLY “good" representation. So while I can't fault those who enjoy this anime for its representation, I can't say that the representation itself could save something that, in my opinion, is rather boring and bland. Representation can absolutely detract or add to the quality of a piece of media, but it can't rely on it.
Regardless, bland, clean representation absolutely has its place, both for the purpose of education and in normalization. Personally, I would much rather have something filled with heart but messy or something exciting but with dated sentiments, but I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with preferring one over the other. But I still can’t get myself to enjoy Sasaki to Miyano or believe that its representative merits somehow make it worth watching. If you enjoy it, great! But I still believe that representation, even that which is helpful or resonant, doesn’t make up for boring storytelling and I can't imagine that the representation is Sasaki to Miyano was particularly helpful or resonant anyway.
TLDR; While Sasaki to Miyano has better, healthier representation than most of its contemporaries in the BL genre, it’s still only by comparison and contains some scenes that end up feeling rather uncomfortable. The author also attempts to subvert the common tropes and isms of the BL genre, only to not really go through with them and inadvertently playing them rather straight. But besides that, the story is REALLY boring. The characters aren’t very interesting, the story progression feels strange and disconnected and the “fudanshi” angle feels like shallow set dressing. All in all, the representation ended up not feeling as realistic or as “unproblematic” as its fans claimed it was and I don’t think it really made it worth watching either. Just watch Given or something.
Frail_cc
This is the first ever BL anime I watched and It helped me come to terms with my own sexuality. Having for a long time consider myself weird or felt like something was wrong with me because I never had any strong feelings when watching hetero love stories/dating, this anime definitely open a whole new emotion for me at the age of 23 and helped in the process to accept that I wasn't straight. I enjoyed the fact that both Sasaki and Miyano are patient with each other's feelings and try their best to communicate their problems. The fact that their relationship is focused mostlyon their emotional connection up to the very last scene is just wonderful. Having surveyed the BL genre after watching this a couple months ago, I can say nothing is ever going to really compare with the simplicity of two boys loving each other and bonding over their shared interest in reading BL manga/anime in general.
Hopefully I find my own miyano one day,,,,where we bond over our interest in similar animes,,,,,,
RebelPanda
I am a gay man who loves GOOD boys love anime. Sasaki and Miyano is pretty fantastic. I don’t like being represented by the most grotesque stereotypes possible, i.e., rape-to-romance (Love Stage!), pedophilia (Super Lovers), possessiveness (My Very Own Hero), and endless ambiguity (Gakuen Heaven). Watching these anime elicits the same repulsion in me as being called a slur on the street by a drunk. This is not one of those anime. The show follows the eponymous high school students Miyano, a fudanshi (a male fan of boys love manga), and Sasaki, his slightly older delinquent classmate. They meet when Sasaki breaks up a fight betweenMiyano’s friend and trash-talking jerks. The random encounter immediately subverts a BL trope; the older love interest protects the younger man’s friend rather than him, earning his admiration and respect rather than attraction. Their relationship progresses as they continue to run into one another; Sasaki gradually admits to himself he finds Miyano cute and Miyano questions whether he really likes BL manga because he’s into men (oh, you innocent boy).
In the first half of the show, Miyano introduces Sasaki to the world of boys love by lending him manga. Over these episodes, the two discuss BL stories, tropes, and character archetypes while slowly realizing their attraction to one another. Dissecting your own story’s genre is a precarious choice for an author. They risk drawing the reader’s attention to the flaws with their own story. Luckily, these writers are self-aware. Though the main characters fall into the categories of seme (dominant, older, usually taller) and uke (submissive, younger, shorter), these archetypes don’t define their personalities. By pointing out every trope in the BL genre during the show’s first half, they set the stage to subvert them in the second half. Once the romance becomes the prominent part of the show, BL manga moves to the background, referenced occasionally to remind you of certain tropes being subverted. Such as by suggesting the delinquent uke pushes himself on the seme, essentially fetish fuel for fudanshi/fujoshi. No shame if you’re into that thing, but it ruins the story. Though these scenes’ lighting and dramatic music would suggest something scandalous is about to occur, Sasaki expresses his concerns to Miyano in a mature level-headed manner. Witnessing his love interest care for him, Miyano respects Sasaki and embraces his affection. As the viewer, this is so satisfying because the romantic outcome feels earned rather than shoehorned.
The central romance is far more developed than either character involved. Aside from a love of manga and rebellious behavior respective to each protagonist, there’s not a whole lot of background information about these boys. The character progression made up for the lack of character development. Both of them gain emotional intelligence by overcoming relationship conflicts: setting boundaries, asking for consent, admitting mistakes, and knowing the right time to comfort each other are some of the ways they build communication. Honestly, I can't recall the last time I saw a boys love anime that actually discussed consent. Sasaki and Miyano exemplify a healthy gay relationship, and I wish I had their story while I was growing up.
Sentimental high school romances often struggle to escape the honeymoon phase: the early stage of a relationship when the attraction is at its peak). The show addresses this concern; Sasaki finds Miyano cute, which is one of the main reasons he gives at first to explain his attraction. Hence, he gives him the pet name “Mya-chan,” but Miyano comprehends how real romance differs from manga. He tells Sasaki, “When I’m 50, I might look totally different than I do now,” which shows he considers the far future of their relationship beyond the honeymoon phase. Long-term is rarely considered in high school romances, let alone BL because it risks overshadowing the fantasy love story the viewer uses for escapism. Drawing attention to the potential problems you may face in a long-term relationship makes the romance less idealized and more believable.
I have many problems with boys love anime; one is that you can switch a male character with a female and make it a heterosexual romance, and the story would barely change. Many aspects make this show unique to BL. First of all, societal expectations to be heterosexual. The will-they-won’t-they conflict comes from within rather than by plot contrivances (EX: every time the characters in Dress-up Darling are about to kiss, they get interrupted). Their internal turmoil comes from the inability to admit that they’re attracted to men. Too often, western TV shows tac-on poorly written homophobia subplots because individual writers don’t know any other problems that affect gay people. I, of all people, know homophobia impacts your ability to date in high school when you’re gay, but tonally it would’ve ruined a wholesome love story. Instead, part of what keeps them apart is the thought that they’ve never been attracted to men—both had crushes on women in the past. That’s a common issue characters face in BL manga, but it is addressed substantially here. Miyano’s past crush returns into his life, but she’s surprisingly not judgemental. It’s refreshing to see their friends are supportive of their relationship. Through the side characters, the author explores challenges gay teenagers deal with that don't fit within the main duo's story. Interesting topics are explored like how to come out of the closet to friends and family, recognizing abuse, and dealing with questions people only ask same-sex couples. I found all of these painfully relatable.
The original soundtrack is just beautifully dramatic. Every few minutes, there are heartfelt piano melodies. The sound effects, every footstep, clothes movement, and hair rustle are audibly pleasing. Unfortunately, studio Deen is infamous for low effort and low-budget anime adaptations. The animation is stilted. Characters barely move aside from motion tweens, which at least means their designs are usually consistent. Every background is overly simplified and bland, I couldn’t blame anyone who found the visuals too distracting to enjoy the story. The director often adds eye-catching colorful shapes spinning on the frame to make up for the lack of motion; at least it adds visual flares.
Sasaki and Miyano, the guys and the anime itself, are the antithesis of every bad boys love anime I’ve ever seen. None of this ambiguous shit, no censorship, no sexual assault, no queerbaiting, and no toxic relationships. Just genuinely believable drama and heartfelt romance. Gay, straight, ace, I recommend this one to everyone. If I had to describe Sasaki and Miyano in one word it would be “Heartwarming.”
Jaikeis
Sasaki and Miyano is a shallow romance series, where our two leads consist of one guy working up to a 10-year-old's understanding of love and another guy who never learned about boundaries or self-reflection. But worst of all, nothing frigging happens over the whole show. Let's start with that. The pacing is reminiscent of an adaptation of a never-ending light novel series. It's obvious the kids fall for each other pretty much immediately, yet they'll still waffle over what it all means for the majority of the show's total runtime. The grand feelings realization scenes that should be pivotal for any romance series have zero impactbecause they get recycled so frequently by the show, sometimes even in back-to-back episodes. On top of that, we get multiple instances of Sasaki telling Miyano he likes him, to which Miyano emphatically does nothing. At best, he'll hem and haw about not being able to give an answer right now, and Sasaki will accept it by saying he'll wait forever because he's a pathetic fool. The wheel spinning is made worse by the concept of time itself being completely weightless. When the characters see each other again, how much time has passed since we last saw them? A day? A week? Three months? It's impossible to tell until the characters explicitly inform the audience that yes, three months have indeed passed since our last banal conversation. The frequent time skips for seemingly no reason makes it hard to care about the cast it outright denies the chance of seeing them develop over the normal course of a school year. Or well, the chance would have been denied if they had developed at all, that is.
Which brings me to my second point: the extended cast is an empty shell. None of them matter except to exist in the periphery of Sasaki and Miyano. Thus, the setting comes off as artificial. This feeling is best encapsulated in the women in the show, because they effectively do not exist. We get about four minutes of screentime with Miyano's middle school crush in one episode, then we never mention it again, and that's basically it as far as named characters go. Multiple boys in the cast have girlfriends they frequently talk about, but they never get any names and we don't ever get to see their faces. Every opportunity for one of our leads to potentially meet one of them is conveniently brushed aside. ("Wanna visit my girlfriend in the hospital with me? No? Okay."; "Hey, I was gonna come to the cultural festival with my girlfriend, but she said she couldn't make it.") Halfway through the show, I was entertaining the idea that at least one of the girlfriends was completely made up, which would be some character trait to explore rather than the nothing burger the show keeps taunting us with.
All this could be tolerable if the central relationship was engaging, but it's the least appetizing element of the show somehow. The romance is vapid and fueled purely by physical attraction, despite what Sasaki might claim. But of course, what else could it be? The leads basically have no personality traits to speak of. They both like BL (boy, does the show want you to know they like BL), but other than that Miyano is insecure and Sasaki is prone to intense bouts of jealousy. Real keepers, the both of them. Supposed delinquent Sasaki never even gets shown breaking any school rules, aside from I guess briefly beating up some kids who were beating up another kid in episode 1. The most characterization we get is when the show dips into dated BL manga tropes that I remember being sick of in the early 2000s. For example, at one point Sasaki meets up with Miyano in an empty classroom, and he secretly locks the door behind him, and no one even comments on him doing this afterwards. I'm sure the show is going for the "Aw, he's so in love with him that he can't help himself from behaving badly" angle, but the sexual assault connotations really don't help its case.
What I'll give the show is that it's decent enough production-wise, though the overuse of geometry-adorned bloom effects gets tiring very quickly. It looks okay, which puts the show heads and shoulders over most BL anime. If you want something with substance however, I recommend looking anywhere else.
lil-pie
A very heartwarming story with enjoyable characters! Normally I do not make posts about any anime I have watched but this BL was so good I had to. Sasaki to Miyano is a great representation of a LGBT relationship. Their relationship didn’t feel forced or rushed in anyway. The way Sasaki and Miyano interacted with each other always felt natural and positive. Characters: I loved all the characters in this anime! I have seen a quite a few BLs and I was glad to see they skipped the toxic relationship trope that most BLs love to included for the drama. *cough* *cough* Gravitation…It was relatable to see Miyano’s journey in discovering who he is as a person and really growing into himself. You get to see Miyano start to question his sexuality, and sometimes he even asks himself what would a typical character from one of his BLs do.
It was great to see a supportive love interest. Sasaki doesn’t force the mc to give him an answer right away and doesn’t want to change anything about the mc. Sasaki likes him for who he is, not just for the way he looks.
I was also really happy to see how positive and supportive all Sasaki and Miyano friends were. They are the types of friends I wish I had in high school. They always go out of their way to support the mc.
Animation: The animation was beautiful! I love how bright and light it felt.
Overall: I would recommend this anime to anyone who is a fan of BL’s or anyone who is wanting to watch a BL for the first time!
YunoGasaiKinnie
Good queer representation in anime is rare, this is one of those rare anime. Sasaki to Miyano is a pretty amazing romance anime in general. It has the perfect mixture of everything. It's pretty damn wholesome, and overall when i was watching it, it was just good vibes all around. I finished the whole thing in a day, because I was that addicting to watching it, and that's exactly what this anime does. What I loved especially about this anime is that is portrays an actual HEALTHY gay relationship, which is a trope I find sadly rare in GL/BL and anime in general. The main characters (Sasakiand Miyano) are shown to set healthy boundaries, communicate their feelings, and generally, their love blossoming is not only heartwarming, its lighthearted and fun. I even caught myself laughing at this anime (which is actually quite rare for me to laugh at an anime haha) Their relationship doesn't seem forced like a lot of anime tend to do, it feels natural and what can I say? I'm a sucker for that. Speaking as somebody who has been in a similar position as Miyano when it comes to the confusion and questioning your sexuality in school, the anime does a pretty damn good job at showcasing the feelings and experiences one may have, while going through that time in your life. The denial that slowly transcends into acceptance feels satisfying for both him and the viewer.
But enough about that, the actual story itself. It's pretty cute. The main characters bond over a similar interest, and they enjoy listening to each other's opinions 'bout it, this slowly transcends into them developing feelings for each other. It's a simple story, but it takes the simplicity of it and turns it into something much more with everything that happens in between. The quirky yet relatable and supportive characters, the 'sweet and spicy' metaphors, the finding out which feelings equal love. IF you are looking for a GOOD romance anime in general, this is perfect. I have rated it a 10 based off story, characters and most of all, enjoyment. I'd reccommend this anime to anyone, if you are thinking of watching it, please do! You won't regret it.
shroomieheartz
Okay Okay Okay. Here we go This was a great anime like very great. It has a non-toxic relationship which is rare in Bl. It's cute, it's fun, it does it's job quite well. I loved it. Sasaki and Miyano are adorable. It has a fun and unique premise. It did drag in the middle tho, but the start and end (esep the last episode) make up for it a ton. Story: 8. It is not the most complicated. It's easy and simple. It's cute, very cute. Art: 9. idk why a lot of people do not like the art, i enjoyed it. Sound: 7. It's fine but notmy fav
Character: 8. They are definitely not deep, but they were still enjoyable and that's what matters.
Enjoyment: 9. One point off for nothing happening in the middle. But I really enjoyed this anime for the most part, I would have given it a ten if it was not for those few episodes. The ending was so solid. It made up for it.
Overall: 9. Amazing anime
ArminGux
Loved the manga but this is better. I am loving every second, especially episodes 3&8. It’s funny, it’s extremely cute, it’s relatable. This isn’t some weird bate for women to project themselves onto. This is something I would say is more akin to horimiya. The characters are cute and interact great with each other. A great contrast is between the leads, one is shy and the other is a lot more extraverted. So we get to see sasaki be a lot more forward in his feelings in a extremely realistic way. And we get to see cute little miyano cook his brain thinking about hisactions and there meaning. Which again again is extremely realistic for a high school gay romance.
The art is just a perfect mach for this stile of show, colourful, light, fluffy and cute beyond belief. I legit sometimes pause the show just to scream “cute”. I know I am saying cute a lot but this is giving k-on a run for it’s money.
You should definitely watch this.
PS:This is my updated review after I finished the show
NomineMalum
After watching all 12 episodes of this anime, I asked myself this one question. Is it wrong to have an affection towards a boy when you are a boy yourself even if it's sexually orientated? Well it depends really, I mean we live in a corrupt world where different people are not accepted for who they are in terms of their sexuality. There is always that problem with society acting like it's a norm that being gay is considered wrong and does not make them human. As a straight man I say this with the short answer being NO. PLOT In the series, we have Miyano, a young teen witha feminine face who attends an all-boys school. Miyano loves reading manga, BL manga to be exact. One day, Miyano sees a fight between some students to which Sasaki intervenes and gets somewhat ruffled up in the fight. Around that time, Miyano introduces his upperclassman to BL. So, it begins with Miyano loaning Sasaki manga, and they would then talk about the different motifs of the genre. Through it all, the two become more aware of the increasing feelings they have for each other.
It is a simple story that I can see being done several times. What makes it good, however, is seeing these two boys pondering their feelings for each other and you could tell that they are confused about what they should do about those feelings. But at the same time, it felt right. I appreciate that the show does not rush to them suddenly falling for each other. Instead, it takes a slow-burn approach planting the seeds for their relationship until it started to bud.
ANIMATION
The animation itself is also pretty simple, it befits the soft, gentle atmosphere of the series. Being made by the fast-food chain of studios Studio Deen who have made masterpieces such as Seven Deadly Frames, this was for sure a surprise.
CHARACTERS
The main couple is just adorable. Miyano starts off being hush-hush about his interest in BL manga, but when he gets Sasaki invested in it, he becomes very passionate about what he loved about the genre. It doesn't take painstakingly long for Miyano to recognize Sasaki's feelings for him, but he is conflicted about them because he held onto the idea that he liked girls due to a minor relationship with a girl he knew years ago (though someone should really tell Miyano about bisexuality). Joking aside, Miyano is a good protagonist.
Sasaki, the supporting protagonist, is the "delinquent" who takes a liking to BL when Miyano introduces him to it. I just love nearly everything about Sasaki. He treats Miyano with such tenderness, it is too cute. Unlike with Miyano, it doesn't take Sasaki too long to realize his feelings for his kouhai, but he's the type of guy who would allow the significant other to think about it instead of pushing for it which would make the other uncomfortable. It was also sweet to see him have moments of being defensive of Miyano.
The supporting characters are good. There's Taiga who also looks out for Miyano; Jirou, a "bad boy" who doesn't understand BL manga since his girlfriend was deep into that genre (even though she doesn't expect you to take part in her likes my dude) and is never without a sucker in his mouth.
SOUND
The opening and ending themes are very good. Not the best music you would hear ever in anime history but it certainly does the trick for what it does.
ENJOYMENT AND CONCLUSION
This anime is really very good, I really like it. This is the first time I've seen a BL anime that really drains my emotions, I can't help but smile even when I'm outside the house. And yes this is coming from someone who is straight too.
10/10
FINAL MESSAGE
"Be proud of who you are. In this world there will be people that wouldn't accept you for who you are. But don't let that affect you in life. Always stay close to those that will accept you instead"
Thanks for reading my review
aquachan91
If anyone would ask me what my favourite romance anime is, I would no doubt say it's Sasaki to Miyano (unless the person is not inclined to bl haha). I love it, so so much. I love how slow and soft the romance is. I'm very fond of slow-burn romance, and I really can't take it if the romance develops too quickly. With Sasaki to Miyano, it's perfect. They're such a healthy bl couple which is pretty rare to see in anime. They're very thoughtful and so so respectful of each other's feelings. It's also very sweet, the development between them from just senpai to kouhai, tofinally realizing how they actually feel and what the other truly mean to them.
I've read the manga a little, and felt very satisfied that the adaptation is pretty faithful to the original material and even manages to bring more of its potential! I like the added effects in the anime, it has this feeling like watching a manga come alive, with all the glitters and effects every time the character is feeling fluttery or in their romantic moments hahaha><
As for the plot itself, it's very lighthearted. There's not much drama, doesn't use much misunderstanding as a plot device, and doesn't have any antagonistic characters, it's just warm and fluff everywhere. Perhaps there are some people who doesn't like this? Though for me, it's very much my cup of tea.
I also like the side characters, they're all very interesting >< even their girlfriends are interesting hahaha. Also Hirano and Kagiura *wiggle eyes*, Kagiura doesn't even shown that much in the anime but I want to know about him!! I want to know more of their stories!! And yes they have their own movie too!!
Okay that's all, it's a good anime go give it a watch!! But yes it's very slow, if you like slow-burn romance like me or want a warm and comfy slice of life romance anime, this anime is perfect for you. However, if you prefer to watch something fast paced, with a lot of drama, or twist and turn, you won't find it here.
KisaChan94
Possibly one of my favorite Shonen-Ai's along side Given. This series does things different than other Shonen-Ai's does and its very refreshing. I already loved the manga and they handled the anime so well. I loved the characters and the anime made me love both Sasaki and Miyano even more, even the side characters like Kuresawa, Hirano and Hanzawa just lovable characters but I especially love Sasaki, his cute reactions and face just made me love him more and more. The visuals and animation was really good not over the top, but they made sure to capture the mood with the right colors and visual eventhe soundtrack was very pleasing to listen to so I have to praise them
They handled the story well and it didn't even feel rushed they handled every moment well, even adding little moments that were just extras into the episode was a surprise, but seeing that they did that was just very nice and I loved it.
Overall I loved this show and they did everything right I just enjoyed every episode each week. I'll be honest if someone wanted me to recommend them a good Shonen-Ai to start out with, I would 100% recommend this series along side Given. This show just has good representation of LGBT relationships and everything from the story to characters were just handled with so much care. So 100% I'd recommend people to watch this series its just a fun watch with great story and lovable characters you won't be disappointed, I'd recommend read the manga as well its just as great as the anime. 10/10 series!
Its over for now but with a possible anime season in the works (or even a movie) we have something to look forward to, so I can't wait for more, from this great show ^^
ThatFlowerGirl
It's been a while since I had a review for something, and I had the urge to write one, especially for this particular BL anime.. my first-ever review had to be on a BL anime.. lol. Well I don't mind since I'm a fujoshi, but having the chance to read and own almost all the latest volumes of the manga of this anime, I felt like I needed to say something. First of all, some mangas are better left as mangas than animations. That's what I've been thinking the whole time I've been watching this adaptation midway through. I'm not gonna drag this out longer butI need to point out how Miyano's "Fudanshi Blabber" is so awkward and cringe when displayed with a voice, whereas in the manga it wasn't like that. Japan's way of making an excited person shout when excited about something is getting dull now, ESPECIALLY when Miyano doesn't want to be found out for liking BL manga. I always imagined him blabbering to Sasaki at the manga to be more conversed at less louder but I guess Japan's anime standard for excitement is different than mine. Also his voice makes him really feminine too, when he doesn't want to be feminine I always imagined his voice to be more boyish?? Or even forced boyish like voice but not too boyish? I dont know I just hate his VA (BUT sasaki's and others side charac I like)
Another thing to point out is the character designs, I like Sasaki but HATE Miyano's design, having those 3 dots on his eyes is so off as I liked Miyano's more natural look at the manga. People who haven't read the manga may like this but I DONT. Also the animation, can I say.. STOP WITH THE KIMI NI TODOKE BUBBLES FOR JUST A MINUTE WTF!?!?!? Every "emotional" scene there are randomly some shapes floating around. It just feels so... forced? Like "OoOoOh look at this!!!! bubbles omg so romantic hehehehiihihi" BRUH? I don't know man. Also the gradient eyes is very lateish anime style. I like Sasaki's and others but Miyanos... its just so... ugly? I don't know they just destroyed Miyano's charm for me.
The pacing of this anime is also pretty bad. I dont know.. the manga feels more natural whereas this adaptation felt weird to me. maybe because my standards were too high but I dont know.. I also skipped out some dialogues at episodes 7-11. It felt so redundant with all the fillers. I'm just so disappointed. But as for the OST, Its the only redeeming factor. I like the constant use of that one OST when Miyano and Sasaki were together. It's very catchy. and the OP is pretty good (although I hate some parts of the animation in that OP). Actually I hate many animated parts in the span of the 12 episodes I've watched (most of them, no, ALL OF THEM includes Miyano)
When I heard this manga was receiving an adaptation I was just so excited because It was the first time I've read the manga first before watching the anime. (I first watched this on 2022, but put it as on hold at episode 4, then tried to watch it now.. 2 years ago..) I dont know man, I just expected something better. Go watch this if u want but I'm just... disappointed with how things turned out. If you're REALLY THIRSTY for some BL please read the manga, its bazillion better. But eehhh whatever Kimi ni Todoke S3 will be out in the next months and Im pumped for that. So yeah that's it.
TLDR: hate Miyano here, like Sasaki, but manga still wins as always.
katkatkatkat
A healthy relationship??? With characters who respect each other's boundaries?? In MY anime?? Absolutely unheard of. I put this on to be background noise while doing work and I was completely blown away how good it was - especially the dub. Story: The story was nothing crazy but it was surprisingly wholesome. I didn't mind that it was an extremely slow burn. Animation: The animation was good where it needed to be. Any shot bigger than a cowboy you could see some clunkiness and inconsistencies (ie: everyone had legs that stretched to next tuesday). I really thought it was creative to redraw scenes in flashbacks witha thicker, more dynamic brush to give a different feeling - I've never seen that before and I appreciate the effect it added! There were also a few compositing issues here and there as well.
Overall a really great show with a great atmosphere.
lulu_miine
I watched this anime on a whim, it's not even the kind of series I usually watch, but I'll try to be objective. - Honestly, the style of drawing or animation is good, if you like the "cute" and colorful side, you'll like it. - The opening is good, overall the music are very cool. - The scenario is nothing special. I wasn't attached to the characters either, they were simple. It's still a simple and pleasant anime to watch if you want something relaxing. I also specify that I never read the manga, and that my opinion is entirely based on the anime.
Ahlex
Sasamiya is one of my favourite BL manga, so I was very excited for the anime. Did the anime deliver? Yes, but with a problem. Is it worth watching? Yes. It's a good anime for BL fans, for anyone who is looking for something to pass the time, for anyone who wants to watch something cute and light. Stuff about the characters, story, etc., I have already said in my manga review and it still applies here, so I won't mention it again. On to the rest. The animation is good, flows smoothly imo, the colours are appealing and go well with the soft vibe, therearen't many weird-looking panels that I have noticed. The sound is fine too, op and ed are nice but probably unmemorable, voice acting sounded good.
So, what is the problem that I mentioned before? The draged-out scenes. In the first episodes there aren't any issues, the story sets off fine. But somewhere in the middle of the show you will start noticing that some episodes/scenes feel so dragged out it becomes boring. I gave a seven to the story because of that. The show should have 8 episodes max, 12 episodes is too much for what it has to offer. Now, you could argue that the manga is slow-burn, but let me tell you I love slow-burn and love the manga for that, but that is not what I'm talking about. While the anime is also slow-burn and there's nothing wrong with that, that's not what I'm referring to, it's about the dragged out scenes. I don't care if it takes 12 or 20 episodes for someone to realise their feelings, for a couple to get together, for a fight to happen, wtv wtv, as long as those 12 episodes aren't stretched. Some scenes feel like they needed to drag stuff to make it to the 24 (?) minute and 12 episodes mark. That happens somewhere in some episodes in the middle of the show, then it becomes 'normal' again in the last episodes (I think?? I'm watching the episodes as they air and my memory is shit, but I think the last episodes I watched were fine.) I don't think they are that bad to watch and the show is still a good show nevertheless.
Was it enjoyable? Yes, definitely. Would I recommend it? Definitely (while also telling you to read the manga if you can). It was fun, it was cute, it was nice to watch despite the dragged scenes. I love the main characters and side characters (my fav is even a side character), the story is light and plays with its own clichés, the last episode was so cute it made up for any problems the anime had... I'm looking forward for the next season.
Curlybrace101
Sasaki and Miyano is a romance anime based on the concept of falling in love with a guy over the gay porn he lends you, which is just an inherently funny premise. I was hesitant at first, when I found out the characters in Sasaki and Miyano were active fans of BL. This is because BL is a genre with a fraught and controversial history, so I was fully prepared for it to be full of unfunny jokes about uncomfortable tropes. Thankfully, I was wrong! Sasaki and Miyano uses its self-aware nature to its advantage. Some might criticize it for affectionately joking about and including BL asa major part of the plot in a way that is almost entirely uncritical (as, like I said before, it is a genre rife with controversy and tropes worthy of criticism), but I disagree. I think most people would agree it's okay to like a genre that is often done in poor taste (or even to like it *because* its done in poor taste so long as you're self aware), and I don't think affectionately joking about and including that genre without criticizing certain tropes it is inherently agreeing with the more controversial side of it.
I mean, it's a lighthearted school romcom. What do you expect it to do? Pause the story to say "by the way, what did you think of the rape scene in the last volume I lent you? I know that BL tends to include tactless depictions of rape, oftentimes done by the love interest in a way that is supposed to be romantic, so I wanted to know your opinion. Personally, I just can't stand for when BL includes rape scenes like that" or something?
(Not to mention there actually is a time and place for that kind of writing, but that is an entirely different essay I will not go off-topic by writing here)
Furthermore, I don't even think it *was* entirely uncritical. Primarily, it makes BL jokes that are not, in fact, based around the uncomfortable side of BL, yet at the same time doesn't completely ignore it. At one point, it takes a short time to recognize that certain tropes are not okay in real life (remember, fictional stories do not hurt anyone like real life actions do) which is surprisingly mature and refreshing from a lighthearted school romcom. And I think that that's proof enough that the author is well aware of the seedy side of BL, and you shouldn't assume they aren't just because their lighthearted story doesn't pause itself for serious literary criticism.
My point is, Sasaki and Miyano stands out from a lot of other BL due to its self-awareness of its own genre, and it does it in a way that's funny and charming, and it hikes my enjoyment way up. Honestly, it was probably the main reason I enjoyed the show so much.
Though, the real driving force of the show is obviously the romance, which, to be honest, I probably should have opened with, but what can I say? I'm a literature student.
Anyways, Sasaki and Miyano (the characters, not the title of the show) have a dynamic that kind of seems like it was written for the Tumblr crowd, but that's not a bad thing. It's the insecure nerd x oblivious himbo dynamic, which is a real crowdpleaser, but it is for a reason. Their opposites dynamic is cute and charming, and it's incredibly heartwarming and refreshing to see Sasaki so earnestly interested in Miyano's hobby, which is often considered niche, weird, and socially unacceptable. They're very different people, yet there is no judgment between them. It's so earnest and empathetic.
And the development of their relationship was...God, how many times can I use the word refreshing? They fell fast but took things slow. Sasaki resolved to wait for Miyano for however long he needed to figure out his feelings. I found it to be very grounded. There's just so much care packed into their relationship that I feel a lot of us could take to heart and apply to real life.
Everything about their relationship is just so...*kind.* It's incredibly kind.
Now, it's certainly not peak writing or anything. The plot is inherently dumb and it doesn't take itself seriously at all. I may have opened by praising the literary merit of it, but it's not high art. But that's okay. It doesn't have to be. And it wasn't trying to be.
It still falls into some tired romance tropes (like miscommunication or the whole "how can I like boys?????" thing) but I can kind of excuse them on the grounds that these characters are like, 16. Pretty accurate for teenagers in all honesty, even if I'm tired of seeing it.
TLDR: Incredibly cute and heartwarming with some literary merit buried underneath it due to how well it utilizes self awareness of the BL genre.
BabyGirl06301
I've gotta say this is very unlike any romance anime I've seen, but I think it was mostly for the better. The main point I want to make about it both covers the little thing I would've liked to see changed and everything I love about it. That point is that everything is about the two main characters. In most cases, I would be saying that's a bad thing, and here's why: in a cast with as many supporting characters as this one, it feels like a waste not to explore them. Now, granted, this series has a spin-off, but that only covers two characters. InSasaki to Miyano, I did spend some time wishing that the few plot points brought up about these other characters were investigated a bit more closely because I think the characters were actually all really well done. They've got defined personalities without being over the top, and it would have been worth it to dig into them more.
That being said, the excessive focus on Miyano and Sasaki is something I actually like about this anime--far more than I would in any other anime. Maybe that's because Sasaki to Miyano is quite relaxed so it feels nice to spend all the time with the two main characters, but I think what it really is is that so many romance anime are overcomplicated. Yes, this one is a bit simple (which I just talked about), but it's so much nicer than a messy love triangle, various friendships that go awry, and dramatic or tragic events happening all the time. It was lovely to go into every episode knowing that I wouldn't walk away missing the opportunity to have a nice moment or two between the two main characters. This anime, unlike every other romance anime, was a romance first. Not an episode was wasted in that regard. Everything else was secondary.
Some people might not like that about this anime--perhaps they would have wanted to see background stories from Miyano and Sasaki that weren't there--but I actually think the minimalism of it all was done well enough that it doesn't feel like any holes are left anywhere. Doing that well is very rare, and I don't think I've seen another anime be successful at it. Typically, having a lot going on with the characters is nice, but Sasaki to Miyano is nice, too. Enjoying a high-quality, simplistic, sweet romance is sometimes exactly what's needed. So, if you want to give this a go, do. It handles the genre and the topic of LGBTQ+ people very well; I don't know that it tops Given in terms of normalizing non-heterosexual relationships, but it comes very close with how casually it talks about the subject, rather than making it a showpiece (though it does at times, which is why it isn't quite as good as Given). All in all, I'm super glad to have watched this. I'll come back to it.
