Sasaki and Miyano Vol 1 Review

Well, this has got to be the most adorable Boys Love manga I’ve read in a good long while! Shou Harusono’s Sasaki and Miyano was originally self-published on Pixiv before being picked up for physical publication. It’s largely told in the format of 4-panel gag strips and chronicles the blossoming love story between an awkward BL-fanboy and his tough, but warm-hearted, senpai who only has eyes for him.

Synopsis:

Miyano is your average BL-loving nerd, he’s shy and unassuming, but passionate about what he loves. When he happens to witness a fellow classmate getting beaten up, he knows he has to help but doesn’t know what to do. That’s when Sasaki shows up and steps in to rescue the victim. Sasaki looks like a bit of a punk and is frequently getting into scrapes, but he clearly has a good heart and Miyano can’t help but be impressed by his courage. Turns out, he left quite the impression on Sasaki too and, after that incident, Sasaki keeps popping up at his class to talk to him. Miyano likes Sasaki a lot but he can’t help but be embarrassed by how open and touchy-feely Sasaki always is with him. I mean, it’s not like this is a BL manga, right?

Nope, nothing BL-like going on here.

Review:

While Miyano is worried about people getting the wrong impression about what’s going on between him and Sasaki – and more then a little concerned about getting the wrong idea himself – Sasaki has no such worries. He wants to get closer to his crush and find out more about him, and that includes learning more about those boys love manga he’s always talking about.

Yep, Sasaki ends up borrowing some of Miyano’s boys love manga so that he can finally get all of his references. Sasaki’s sincere efforts to understand Miyano’s interests, coupled with his complete lack of any embarrassment or judgement, is both sweet and funny, as he keeps trying to talk to Miyano about the manga at school, including the sexy parts!

Some people just have no tact.

Poor Miyano doesn’t know what to do with Sasaki, who is pretty open with his affections, short of actually asking him out, that is. Sasaki and Miyano is more comedic then it is romantic, so, despite Sasaki not being exactly subtle about his feelings, it doesn’t appear to have sunk in yet for Miyano that his senpai might actually be interested in him.

He’s seriously not being the least bit subtle about it, though.

I could see this will-they-or-won’t-they stalemate potentially getting frustrating if it lasts for too long, but, so far, I found both Miyano and Sasaki to be very cute and I got more than a few chuckles out of Miyano’s reactions to Sasaki’s lack of social awareness (or maybe just lack of common sense).

With its sweet romance and oodles of humor and charm, Sasaki and Miyano is sure to appeal to Boys Love fans who prefer their BL manga on the wholesome and light-hearted side. I had a good time with this one and I’d say it’s worth checking out!

Final Score: 8 out of 10

What did you think of this manga? Do you think Sasaki is going to wind up becoming a real BL fan after reading all of this manga? Let me know in the comments!

For more information on this manga, visit Yen Press’ website.

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Be sure to check out some of my other recent Boys Love Manga reviews:

• The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions Vol 1 Review
• The God & the Flightless Messenger Review
• Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu Vol 1 Review
• Birds of Shangri-La Vol 1 Review
• Canis: Dear Mr. Rain Review

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