Ambrosia's manga / #Music(1)

list - master Absolutely beautiful and atmospheric. Might be one of my favorites so far by this author. They have a brilliant knack for expressing emotion in their art, you don't need a lot of dialogue, though their dialogue is masterfully written as well. There's something poetic, scenic, meaningful, fulfilling, melancholy, thoughtful, tender in their stories. This is the type of story where two people meet each other by chance and change and grow because of the other. They are both struggling with their own problems, and both are written so well with complex feelings and thoughts, it makes them feel very human and real and alive. This author has only gotten better at that. Isuzu is deaf but very well put together, but of course there are still things he struggles with. I like that the author explores not only the practical difficulties of deafness, but also the isolation and struggle to communicate and connect with others, as well as the daily toll to live in a world not very accommodating. Added to that is Isuzu's own personality. He is very reliable and independent, but because of that he struggles with letting others in and relying on others. He doesn't want to burden anyone, but that makes others feel like he doesn't need them. He is used to smiling and nodding and letting things pass him by, but because of that he feels lonely and like he can't open up to others. He's done his best so far but of course he can't be perfect. Touka is also an interesting character who was a bit hard to understand at first. A type of rough loner who does things at his own pace and isn't good at connecting with others. He is a violin prodigy but struggled for a while because he couldn't figure out what the violin meant to him, or how much it meant to him. He didn't learn classical music traditionally so he feels dumb and behind in school since he can't understand classes or read sheet music, and I think he tries to play it off that he doesn't care about it bc it makes him feel bad and frustrated. But he wants to improve and is always practicing in secret. He has trouble understanding his emotions sometimes, but once he knows what he wants he goes for it. Very straightforward and brazen, but still respectful of his boundaries. Both are loners in a way, and it's beautiful to read how they slowly grow to become friends and more. How they fall for each other slowly as they learn more about each other, how each of them widens the world view for the other, how they start opening up to each other, how they get warm up to each other and fill the loneliness in the other. They also have great communication. Touka was kind of rough or abrupt in the beginning, like a cactus who didn't want to open up, but once he opens up he is always very direct and straightforward. Isuzu is also very good at matching Touka's earnestness and is always very clear and direct with him. He is very kind but also very clear and firm about his boundaries. It was a great start to their story, with a gradual building of the relationship to where we can very much feel and understanding how they fell in love. Right now Touka has confessed his feelings and is open about it while maintaining and cherishing their friendship, and Isuzu is just beginning to develop and become aware of his feelings, though he's only admitted it to himself so far. I'm very much looking forward to volume 2!!