Notably, this was developed later in his life, not that he was born with it. Our main protagonist Kouhei, is hard of hearing. Both Kouhei and Taichi were so earnest in their development that it’s earned that distinction from me.Ĭharacter-wise, I Hear the Sunspot has a diverse but balanced cast. Personally, by the end I was much more inclined to read the story as actual gay representation, verses merely more ‘real-world’ shonen-ai. The story is more a slow burn relationship, straddling the line between shonen-ai and LGBTA+ representation. It’s a nice bonus at times that brings certain storylines to completion, or action to a peak, but it’s never the main point. Since in my honest opinion, the skinship isn’t even the goal of the story. It’s also incredibly slight, as throughout the story there are very few instances of skinship. It’s introspective and reflective of two young men coming of age, with all the pitfalls and successes that come with it as well.Īnd yes, the story does fall very much into shonen-ai as the two leads are very clearly intended to be a couple. ![]() I found it more striking then a mere follow-along story. Following the duo, together and apart, in their daily on-goings showing how they differ and mirror one another. Speaking directly to the slice-of-life elements, there is a fair amount of pages that does just that. There’s so much more to the story then the usual troupes associated with those genres. I honestly have to say that the I Hear the Sunspot series does itself a disservice calling itself a shonen-ai and slice-of-life story. But it shows Taichi and Kouhei dynamic really well Their relationship, more then friends but not quite something more, is developed and continued in I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness and completed in I Hear the Sunspot: Limit.įrom early pages of Theory of Happiness. The duo end up coming to an agreement that Taichi will be Kouhei’s notetaker in class, and thus that gives Taichi all the leeway to drag Kouhei into his shenanigans, and really connect with him. Yet, he merely craves for a lively college experience with making some friends along the way. ![]() Kouhei is often mistaken for being cold, stand-offish if not downright rude due to his hard of hearing. That same level of loudness often getting Taichi in trouble with his other peers. Taichi being loud enough that Kouhei even with his hard of hearing can hear him loud and clear, a real bright spot in a nearly soundless world. I Hear the Sunspot starts with the loudmouth Taichi Sagawa literally falling into the isolated world of Kouhei Sugihara. Ultimately the only way to know if a story is for you, is to read it for yourself so I set out to do just that! As you can imagine I was a little hesitant picking up this title with the internet slurry of ideas and opinions. It was lauded in both the circles of BL lovers, and then with those who advocate for more diverse leads. This series had been making small waves for several years as a small blip on my radar. ![]() Just as Tachi questions his own actions, we should always remember-are we being an ally, or are we just doing our shtick to look good or make ourselves feel better? It's a great question, and I loved seeing it here.This is a series that I actually picked up physical copies of back in January. I especially liked Tachi's speech when he points out that one young woman is interested in Kohei not for who he is, but for fulfilling a roleplay, as showing that sometimes our desires to "help" are really performative. However, the idea that Kohei's hearing loss impacted him differently from others who are completely deaf, for example, the description of the tests and technology, and a company designed to increase access for those with hearing loss/deafness struck me as showing that Fumino had done her research. That means, when I say that I felt like Fumino approached Kohei's limitations with respect, and highlighted how many people there are who do not respect others with needs, I say that as a person who has only experienced this by watching others be jackasses. I am exactly the opposite and I have never lived as a person with a physical disability. The other interesting part of this manga is its approach to the varying degrees of hearing loss.
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