dreameragain's manga / #Friendship to Love(40)

This made me happy on many levels, in part because I have a friend who could easily live as someone's pet like this, with similar compassion and motivation. They compliment each other beautifully as friends, even before she starts thinking of him as more than a companion. I love the character growth through the story, and the realizations about how what we think we want doesn't always give us what we actually want deep down. When she finally realizes he is an independent adult and how much she values him, I want to cheer.

So beautiful, both in art and in story. The relationship between the two and the development of their friendship over shared interests leaves me deeply happy and satisfied. I love how they interact with their community, too. A rare 5* from me.

Loving how this relationship began, and how they learn from each other and mature as they go along. I appreciate stories with real problems, external to the main characters, that force them to figure out solutions together and communicate with each other. Deafness highlights the necessity for communicating clearly in relationships all the more.

[Page 9 - I love how the romance develops within the friendship in this story. The miscommunication between them is natural, and not overdone. 3*] [Page 45 - The younger of two childhood friends refuses to hide his feelings, and the elder is relieved to go with the flow. Cute and simple. 2*] [Page 64 - Night and day students become friends due to candy left behind in the desk. Romance ensues. 3*] [Page 98 - Bromance develops into romance just as these friends are inevitably parted. Sweet. 3*] [Page 116 - Four leaf clovers and kindness form a connection between a chronically ill student and his energetic classmate. Love it. 3*] [Page 154- I love the family in this story. They're so welcoming to a stranger, yet hands-off his decisions. It's lovely. I also enjoy how gradually the relationship develops, too, and the ways they interact with each other. (Add in a gorgeous musician, and I'm guaranteed to read this again and again.) 4*] I always enjoy the art, pacing, and emotional flow of this artist's stories, even the most basic plots.

Communication is a powerful theme for me, and the fact that she loses the ability to speak highlights this element in a meaningful way. Beautiful, sweet story.

Ch 1-3: A seriously clumsy relationship between a scatterbrained boy with an intensely one-track-mind and his childhood friend. 2* for the overdone character. | Ch 4-5: He enjoys teasing his adorable room mate who is in love with him. 3* for his kindness and honesty at the end.