Winter 2022 First Impressions – Sasaki and Miyano

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Miyano is a male fan of BL manga – a “fudanshi” in the parlance. This is something he generally keeps under wraps until he meets the rough-and-tumble Sasaki, who intervenes to stop a fight Miyano witnesses. Miyano is happy for the intervention, and even happier that Sasaki seems interested enough to appreciate the BL stories that Miyano loves (even if Sasaki is a bit freer with his attention that Miyano tends to like).

Sasaki, for his part, not only finds that he enjoys spending time with Miyano, but also seems to appreciate Miyano’s soft features and earnest nature. The longer that the two maintain their friendship, the closer that Sasaki is to coming to terms with the fact that his admiration is steadily becoming closer to affection. He eventually realizes that he has feelings for Miyano, but does Miyano reciprocate those feelings?

Impressions: Strangely enough, though sex and sexuality are strange topics for me to navigate, love and romance definitely are not. I enjoy stories about characters falling in love with one-another, especially those sorts of stories that skew more toward the cute and fluffy (as opposed to turbulent and occasionally toxic). Sasaki and Miyano, a story of two high school boys who meet by chance and cultivate a shared interest, seems to be just the kind of cavity-inducing fluff-fest that I tend to enjoy.

What makes this episode successful is its portrayal of the small details that make budding relationships start to blossom into something more substantial. Much of the episode is shown in flashback as the two main characters meet and begin to get to know one-another. Both boys seem interested in learning more about the likes and dislikes they each have. Sasaki likes sweet drinks, so when he’s struggling with the aftermath of consuming a cordial candy Miyano brings him his favorite peach soft drink. Miyano, on the other hand, rides an earlier train to school, so Sasaki wakes himself up early enough to catch it with him. Miyano shares his umbrella when Sasaki forgets his, and Sasaki simply loves listening to Miyano talk about the BL manga he enjoys. They’re all a lot of very simple actions, ones which, in the grand scheme of things, may not mean all that much. Yet, they’re also favors that take on a larger meaning when someone is in a time of need or feels emotionally vulnerable.

While this episode does a good job of handling the sensitivity of teenage feelings, it’s also definitely a romantic comedy, bringing with it a mixed bag of gags that can be hit-or-miss. Some of the visual humor is pretty sharp – I enjoyed Sasaki’s physical reaction to eating a bon-bon that unexpectedly had a liquor filling, which he doesn’t want to spit out because Miyano gave it to him. On the other hand, there’s a lot of slapstick-style humor throughout the episode – some of it pretty intense – and considering that a major plot point of the episode is the intervention in a fight involving bullies this material starts to feel a little bit discordant after a while. It’s definitely the sort of thing where one’s mileage will greatly vary; I know slapstick isn’t usually meant to translate directly as actual violence being committed in the same way as abuse or something equivalent. However, it’s also something about which some folks (like me) might have a visceral reaction to it.

However, taken as a whole I think that this series might have a lot to offer in the way of warm feelings and good vibes, especially for fans who are on the lookout for a cute romantic offering.

Pros: I like that this episode spends a good amount of time on Sasaki’s internal narrative as he tries to work out the unexpected feelings he’s having toward Miyano. We get a good sense of his confusion, which seems to be primarily an effect of never really considering that same-sex romantic feelings might be a possibility for him. These musings tend to be framed within the idea that Miyano has somewhat soft, feminine features (thus making him seem more like a girl), which perhaps isn’t the most constructive way to think about the situation, but I do think it’s an honest thought that one might have if they’d never considered themselves to have homoromantic feelings in the past. I hope that subsequent episodes might provide Miyano’s perspective on the relationship as well.

Cons: Sasaki definitely develops an intense need to be close to Miyano – to hug him and touch his shoulders – very quickly, and in a few cases this contact is clearly unwanted and can veer into being a bit creepy. I think the point that’s being made (poorly) is that Sasaki’s feelings are suddenly very intense and he doesn’t have a framework to know what to do about it, other than to visit Miyano repeatedly and be a general pest about it. I think for some this might simply come across as a mechanism to outwardly portray things that are otherwise internal, or perhaps may simply read as the awkwardness of teenagers and their lack of respect for personal space (which is not universal by any means), but I have a difficult time framing it as something other than unhealthy.

Content Warnings: Bullying. Schoolyard fighting, resulting in bruising. Unwanted physical contact. Slapstick humor.

Would I Watch More? – I’m already finding myself invested in the characters’ relationship and its development. I feel as though romance-focused series have been in the stark minority lately, so to stumble upon one that hits many of the high notes I look for is something that I appreciate as a viewer.