This is a weird one because you can almost ignore the fact he's in high-school, if only they stopped talking about every 5 minutes. Because, like, outside the characters themselves talking about it, it has pretty much no bearing on the plot.
No one else speaks on their relationship outside One (1) mention that quickly derailed into something else entirely, Muhaki himself is barely seen doing high-school activities (they literally don't even talk about his exams, which are usually the most high stakes period in a high schooler's life), Aoi is never actually upset over the "oh my god I slept with a high-schooler" thing for more than a few days (he seems moreso upset that he was lied to), and physically people can frequently look like they're below or above their actual age – not that this means much for a *manga,* but still.
The conflict here is never ACTUALLY about Muhaki being in high-school, which is why it's weird. This could've easily been a few years in the future, and there would still be conflict because Mukahi's obsession over their age difference is because he wants to be seen as mature enough to spoil Aoi. If he was like, 21 and Aoi was 26 (or, heck, maybe even a bit older) there would still be conflict because HE IS STILL YOUNGER, and therefore it's valid for him to worry about being perceived as more or less mature than his partner. Their characters arcs would STILL be the same. Nothing would change story-wise except the lack of uniforms.
So on one hand I can't even look down on this for Mukahi's age – because honestly, the narrative doesn't quite treat him like that! And on the other hand, things feel ESPECIALLY weird because. Again. Why Are You So Keen On Talking About His Age!!!!
... Ahem. That being said, it was an okay story. The cute moments were cute, but the pretty art is doing 90% of the heavy lifting here. Story's pretty ass and the characters (both mcs and extras) are kinda boring.
This is a weird one because you can almost ignore the fact he's in high-school, if only they stopped talking about every 5 minutes. Because, like, outside the characters themselves talking about it, it has pretty much no bearing on the plot.
No one else speaks on their relationship outside One (1) mention that quickly derailed into something else entirely, Muhaki himself is barely seen doing high-school activities (they literally don't even talk about his exams, which are usually the most high stakes period in a high schooler's life), Aoi is never actually upset over the "oh my god I slept with a high-schooler" thing for more than a few days (he seems moreso upset that he was lied to), and physically people can frequently look like they're below or above their actual age – not that this means much for a *manga,* but still.
The conflict here is never ACTUALLY about Muhaki being in high-school, which is why it's weird. This could've easily been a few years in the future, and there would still be conflict because Mukahi's obsession over their age difference is because he wants to be seen as mature enough to spoil Aoi. If he was like, 21 and Aoi was 26 (or, heck, maybe even a bit older) there would still be conflict because HE IS STILL YOUNGER, and therefore it's valid for him to worry about being perceived as more or less mature than his partner. Their characters arcs would STILL be the same. Nothing would change story-wise except the lack of uniforms.
So on one hand I can't even look down on this for Mukahi's age – because honestly, the narrative doesn't quite treat him like that!
And on the other hand, things feel ESPECIALLY weird because. Again. Why Are You So Keen On Talking About His Age!!!!
...
Ahem. That being said, it was an okay story. The cute moments were cute, but the pretty art is doing 90% of the heavy lifting here. Story's pretty ass and the characters (both mcs and extras) are kinda boring.