It’s all the time refreshing to see romances that discover unusual views and relationships, telling love tales that do not typically get instructed. It’s much more refreshing once they do it with as a lot kindness and empathy as Love and the Highly Sensitive Person does.
This one-shot, PG-rated BL follows the hairstylist Yoh as he navigates his love life, profession, and self-worth as a highly sensitive person (HSP). For Yoh, excessive sensitivity means he experiences sights and sounds extra intensely than the common individual. He notices and cares about little particulars most individuals overlook, making him empathetic and attentive but in addition a giant ball of social anxiousness who struggles to divulge heart’s contents to others.
The writer mentions in the afterword that she researched and spoke to individuals with sensory processing sensitivities, and it exhibits—generally to a fault, as just a few moments learn like a clumsy “HSP 101” Very Special Episode as a substitute of informal dialog. Despite these didactic hiccups, the analysis does assist her create a balanced depiction of Yoh as a substitute of falling into stereotypes. His delicate nature is neither blessing nor curse, however a impartial trait with distinctive strengths and weaknesses.
It’s these strengths—significantly his potential to narrate to others—that permit Yoh to achieve his profession and develop nearer to Chiyo. Our love curiosity is a little bit of a cuddly grouch, brusque however by no means merciless, and fast to take duty for his errors. Like Yoh, he has layers, and is extra considerate than he appears at first blush. (Bonus: he likes cats. Swoon.)
As a pair, Yoh helps Chiyo pay nearer consideration to others’ emotions, and Chiyo encourages Yoh to talk his thoughts. “Opposites attract” romances can generally wrestle to create plausible chemistry (or, worse, veer into abuse territory), however Love and the Highly Sensitive Person takes care to point out how Yoh and Chiyo stability one another out and make the different higher. I used to be not solely rooting for them to get collectively, I’ll have teared up every so often.
Don’t let my weepy eyes mislead you, although: this isn’t a woe-is-me melodrama. There’s quite a lot of levity and humor mined from Yoh’s Big Feelings, whether or not he is overthinking a benign social interplay or getting tremendous stoked about petting a cat. The narrative is sympathetic to Yoh, however it would not draw back from stating (and poking enjoyable at) his quirks and flaws, both.
All of those parts mix to create a honest however not-too-sappy story of affection and acceptance, each for oneself and others. In addition to being simply as gosh-darn candy as apple pie, Yoh and Chiyo’s gradual romance pushes them to understanding, respect, and communication. It’s a priceless narrative for anybody, however it’s particularly heartening should you’ve ever struggled with self-worth, anxiousness, or fearful about becoming a slender definition of “regular.”
The artwork pairs nicely with this general theme. The linework is easy however sleek, with a sketchy softness that fits the story’s tone. A recurring underwater visible metaphor helps depict Yoh’s temper, however that is principally a manga the place you take a look at good-looking males interacting with one another. This consists of some wonderful comedic Anxious Faces in addition to extra understated glances and touches to convey the rising attraction between our leads. Sex is implied however by no means proven, so these little moments of intimacy go an extended approach to constructing bodily in addition to emotional closeness.
One-shot manga typically really feel rushed or overstuffed with panels and narration, however Love and the Highly Sensitive Person understands the worth of a quiet, lingering scene. It is aware of when to take a beat and let the artwork inform the story, equivalent to when Yoh spends a whole web page wordlessly, joyfully receiving one in all Chiyo’s letters. It’s not flashy, however it’s fairly beautiful, and makes me curious to learn extra of Saruwaka Chimi’s work.
(Also, the manner she attracts cats? 10/10, would bury my face in Kurotake’s stomach.)
Adaptation-wise, the translation is easy and natural-sounding, and the letterer does a artistic job matching the English sound impact fonts to the Japanese furigana. However, there’s quite a lot of narrative textual content that blends into the background and is troublesome to learn (or a minimum of it was in my overview copy). Thicker outlines would actually assist with legibility, particularly since this title is, as of this writing, digital-only and could also be learn on smartphones.
Other than having to squint at the phrases every so often, this was a rewarding and straightforward learn, albeit an unexpectedly emotional one. Love and the Highly Sensitive Person is as fascinated with its protagonist’s private development as it’s the central love story, which helps it stand out as each a BL romance and a character-driven dramedy. Thoughtful and heat, this one-shot has quite a lot of crossover attraction and would make a wonderful addition to many digital bookshelves.
