Shoebill

Seriously? Last Twilight? At least Sunspot isn't ableist inspiration porn where ableist parental abuse is swept under the rug and forgiven.

Imo, it's best to watch this as a coming-of-age disability drama. The romance is good but it's slow and isn't the main focus, so it disappoints some people hence the mixed reviews. But if you are looking for great character development, acting, and disability commentary it is worth it.

Yes, though I think she DOES want to like Taichi. She feels alienated by everyone around her, but when Kohei, someone with the same experience, tells her that there exist hearing people out there who care, it gives her hope and she looks forward to meet that person. But when she sees Taichi's messy notes, she feels disappointed and angry because he's actually "just like the others". But this EP Taichi shows her that he is indeed the person Kohei says he is.

"Taichi, I like/love you."

(The word is "suki", but can be translated to like or love depending on context and the translator)

It's a BL because it is published in a BL magazine and is categorised as BL in Japanese bookstores. Not something you arbitrarily define.

Suki often gets translated to I love you because in English "love" is much more casually said. There's no 1:1 equivalent and it's more like a translator choice

No such thing as "shounen ai". Explicit and non explicit BL manga are both just BL. It's definitely not editorial restrictions because it's serialised in the same magazine as eroguro cannibalism demon manga MADK, so it being non-explicit is the author's choice

Nah watch it again. If she was turning it off she'd press on her ear and put down her hand right after. But her hand goes behind her ear to lift the hair up and stays there for quite a few seconds.

They're both grown adults so there's no issue there. I recommended it cause it's also similar in its realism, slice of life, and meaningful life lessons, though it's more comedic than Sunspot. If you like mature older men BL like What Did You Eat Yesterday you'll like it too.

I'm not talking about whether the audience likes the character or not. That's not my point. I was referring to audience's ability to interpret and comprehend the scene at the end. Many comments suggest that Maya will continue to try to stir up trouble between them next Ep, or stay the same as she was in Ep7, when it's clearly depicted in the final scene that she has understood Kohei's unwavering love for Taichi — signified by her brushing her hair behind her ears to listen — and her expression looks more touched/emotional than bitter/angry.

It's so funny to see Maya haters assuming things about the preview without knowing the context 🤣
Anyway, it should be obvious enough that by the end of the episode Maya has accepted that Kohei loves Taichi no matter what. People still seem to be stuck on her rant in Ep7 and ignore the nuances of the actress' performance and how the camera portrays Maya's reactions to Kohei's speech this EP. That's not an expression of denial/bitterness/jealousy.

Mr Mitsuya's Planned Feeding is very good.

Beware of manga spoilers below this comment!

Please don't directly post manga spoilers!

Yeah at first he was going to chicken out when he told Kohei about the burger story and Kohei didn't hear him. Chickened out again when he said he didn't mind the kiss and Kohei didn't hear him. Then took 2 episodes to work up the courage to ask Kohei about notetaking, even his friends had to interfere by pushing him, and in the end it was KOHEI who asked him first. He is NOT straightforward about his own feelings at all.

I know right, she didn't even do anything this EP! She was clearly emotionally affected by Kohei's words and even brushed her hair out of the way to "listen". This whole time she's been slowly becoming receptive to Taichi.

And people blame her for Taichi and Kohei's separation but it's actually their own established insecurities and their inability to communicate.

It is. But I think his hearing aid breaking is also drama original. If I remember correctly, in the manga he had just gotten it adjusted due to his worsening hearing.

It's implied in Ep5 that Kohei broke his hearing aids after standing in the rain. He got them replaced and apologises to his mother for breaking them. So they do know about it, but somehow it didn't come up in the splashing scene.

The presence of other disabled characters is very important to the overall story, like it or not, to show their diverse perspectives and how it clashes with and influences Kohei's own. This story has always been more invested in Kohei's struggles as a disabled person over romantic interactions, so people who are looking for the usual BL romance formula will not get it here. There are no fillers; every scene, every spotlighted character has something to contribute to the story.

He's actually my fave so I am NOT looking forward to defend him if we do get S2 :/