Went in expecting to hate the ignorant childhood friend, came out loving Takaya the most. ...

Went in expecting to hate the ignorant childhood friend, came out loving Takaya the most. God Takaya is fucking /reckless/ and it's a good thing it worked out for the two of them, but honestly that kind of straightforwardness was what Touma needed. Touma himself admits multiple times that he's a coward and even with other people urging him on, he's unable to confess until the person of his affections fucking pushes him down and goes, "Are you in love with me?"

Don't get me wrong; I think it was perfectly natural for Touma to have been scared. Moving past friendship is frightening, especially when the friend already has a partner and may not be receptive to homosexuality. But I do feel like Takaya forcing him out of his nervous shell was the best for him and for his self-esteem. Because Touma basically spent years wanting to change himself (to become and girl), even hurting himself (starving himself) or contemplating hurting himself (cutting off his fingers). Touma needed someone to tell him that his worries are wrong and that people will accept him for who he is, not only Takaya but their parents and friends.

To be really blunt, Touma doesn't appeal to me as an uke. I know that's shallow because there's more than sexual positions to a relationship but that's how I feel; he's not attractive in my eyes. But I still really enjoyed the sex scenes because god the two idiots are so in love with each other. Takaya is shamelessly horny and in love and Touma just soaks it all up with a flushed face and body. My point is that I can be fairly shallow and not find something enjoyable if the characters aren't in the positions I prefer them, but god the emotional connection between the couple in this manga was so strong that I loved everything and it trumped my preferences. ♡

I know that the manga has flaws. Some of the paneling was confusing, the pacing near the end of the story seemed rushed, some people found it difficult to connect with Takaya and still rooted for Yone-senpai at the end of the book, and it admittedly employed some clichés, such as jealousy issues and beach sex. But for all its flaws the manga also had many positives, like Yone-senpai's understanding characterization, Touma's realistic (and perhaps relatable) self-deprecation, and Takaya's refreshing break up with his girlfriend to chase after Touma (rather than trying to keep both and causing unnecessary drama).

It's not a perfect manga but it definitely got its job done and certainly brightened up my day. Thank you to the mangaka for writing/drawing this up. ♡