Hirano and Kagiura Shows That Sometimes Romance Can Be Complicating.
Totally in love with Hirano, Kagiura chooses to tell him early on. He is gently turned down, but later he acts boldly in rejecting Hirano's rejection. The proceedings thereafter center on the two investigating the concept of a romantic relationship between them by means of several approaches. Discovering the "how," not the "what," is where the Manga really appeals. The degree of emotional upheaval young males go through is amazing.
Bits of the original Hirano and Kagiura light novel are used in the 10-minute short running before the Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation film. Crunchyroll has it available for stream. To say the least, the introspection the major characters undertake upon themselves is stirring. Even for a BL, the fact that neither of them exaggerates the likelihood of developing feelings for another man is pleasant. Instead, they examine where their emotions originate, how to properly negotiate the other person (something they are not very good at), and what are they really seeking for in a relationship?
Fans of Hit Boys Love Shojo should definitely check the other underrated gem of the author.
Thanks to certain highly praised shows like Given and The Stranger By The Shore, BL animation has lately become more widespread. A very lovely narrative, Sasaki and Miyano became rather well-known worldwide shortly after 2022 debuted. Along with a brief film adapting elements of the author's other manga series, Hirano and Kagiura, Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation was published. Though they differ greatly, the stories are parallel and feature some same people and events.
Although Hirano and Kagiura is sometimes considered as some type of spin-off to Sasaki and Miyano, its light novel was actually created before the Sasaki and Miyano Manga even started. The narrative tracks Taiga Hirano's friendship with Akira Kagiura, his junior and roommate. Where Sasaki and Miyano are straightforward and lovely, Hirano and Kagiura is full of tension, conflict, and insightfulness with emotional benefits instead. Their romance grows at a far slower speed.
Searching hearts: The real protagonist of Hirano and Kagiura
While Hirano and Kagiura have less supporting characters than Sasaki and Miyano, they instead explore the ideas of the heroes quite deeply and extensively. Hirano is a particularly interesting case: although he clearly values Kagiura, he is not at all interested in a romantic relationship, to the point where he is BLind of the emotions he is "supposed" to feel when confronted with usually romantic situations. This has caused some of the supporters to wonder if this is an aroace representation issue.
In the light novels Sasaki and Miyano: First- Years and Sasaki and Miyano: Second- Years, where the fact that Hirano and Sasaki are in the same class acts as a uniting element, the characters and plots cross more obviously. In Sasaki and Miyano the narrative is driven mostly by the interactions between the protagonist; in Hirano and Kagiura advances the more the two young men unravel the feelings in their thoughts. Though the events in Sasaki and Miyano occur in the future in connection to Hirano and Kagiura, Harusono does an amazing job separating the slow burn tale from others. Hirano is the common link between the two; his presence in the present Sasaki and Miyano plot don't contradict or validate anything regarding his current relationship with Kagiura.
LGBTQ representation isn't always the best even in a media that would seem receptive to all kinds of stories; these books thrive where others fall short.
Each of Hirano, Kagiura, Sasaki and Miyano excels in their own right. They do not hold back when presenting the challenges of being LGBTQ+ and the battles with self-acceptance, understanding, and social expectations, though. Particularly Hirano and Kagiura demonstrate that romance isn't always sunshine and rainbows and that even the most touching events can be preceded by a lot of inner conflict. The narrative also explores how young men negotiate their emotions in a society sometimes difficult to grasp.
Excellent illustrations of the rising popularity of the Boys Love genre and the possibilities it offers to produce varied and fascinating stories exploring the several subtleties of relationships are the two tales. While still offering a feel-good experience, Sasaki, Miyano and Hirano and Kagiura show how boys love stories can be both playful and realistic, focusing on the difficulties that come with love and the road of self-discovery.
