Sasaki and Miyano

SASAKI AND MIYANO
Yaoi, BL, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Main Characters
Miyano – Male protagonist who is distinguished by his feminine features and small stature. Miyano is a self-proclaimed fudanshi (male who enjoys reading BL manga) who considers himself heterosexual.

Sasaki – Senpai to Miyano and the other main protagonist. Distinguished by his height, orange hair, and lackadaisical nature.

Brief Summary
The series begins with our introduction of Miyano and Sasaki. Miyano notices one of his classmates in a fight. Steeling the courage to step in, Sasaki stops Miyano and intervenes instead. As Sasaki walks toward the fight, Miyano is overcome by respect and admiration for his senpai. Fast-forward three months later, and Sasaki is now referring to Miyano as Mya-chan and finding every chance to show friendly affection. Bringing up the topic of manga, Sasaki asks what kind of manga Miyano reads. He discretely hands Sasaki a manga in a solid bag and explains he just likes the stories and is “not like that” referring to sexual orientation. The next day, Sasaki expresses that he was a bit shocked, but ultimately enjoyed the story. And this is where the adventure into the growing relationship begins.

Obviously, borrowing manga is a means to get to know Miyano better. We learn through the first episode how Sasaki found himself wanting to see Miyano after the fight which questioned his sexuality. He keeps reiterating that Miyano is, indeed, a male. Sasaki slowly realizes that despite Miyano being male, he was feeling emotions that no other person invoked.

The show centers around these everyday interactions that slowly begin to build a strong friendship. As time continues, Sasaki confirms that he is, indeed, in love with another male.

My Thoughts
I know that there are many people who are repulsed by same-sex relationships. I am not one of those people. Like Miyano, I enjoy BL content because of the stories. There is usually an additional layer in BL manga/anime that stands out from its hetero counterparts. I think it is my desire that same-sex relationships become normalized. But, that’s my opinion. We don’t have to agree and/or debate about it.

We assume that both protagonists are heterosexual males. However, their feelings for each other change. They question what is considered normal and what feels right. While, yes, it is a typical slice-of-life love story, it’s also an adventure into self-discovery. Both Sasaki and Miyano have to question their sexuality and explore the feelings that are developing. I think that is representative of all of us, whether hetero or not. We have to take special consideration of the consequences of our actions, and Miyano takes this aspect very seriously. Decisions regarding others shouldn’t be taken lightly. This display of care and consideration of Sasaki’s feelings is something we can all learn and exercise. Relationships should not be approached like a bull in a china shop. Instead, we should treat them like fragile pieces of china. Delicately and with care. This is what I enjoyed the most about the show. The great care that Miyano had in his decisions. His decisions were not based on fleeting looks or caught in the moment. It was a deeper decision to abandon all preconceived notions of relationships and go with what felt right. That is why I really enjoyed this anime. It is not a repulsive thing to love who you love. Everyone is deserving of happiness. Everyone.

The one thing that bothered me are the manga-esque floating shapes when a romantic scene or feelings come up. We get it! It’s a love story LOL. But, seriously. This was an absolutely adorable anime that didn’t unnecessarily push any boundaries in a lewd or dishonest way. It’s a sweet falling-in-love anime that I recommend if you’re looking for something low-key and heart warming.