Reviews for Kowagaranaide, Soba ni Ite

This manga, just wow. I haven't read something this emotional in a long time. I'm really glad I did though, because the ending was definitely worth it. The story is about someone who forgets his lover after banging his head, which seems like a good setup for a happy reunion. However, the forgotten man (Yukihiko) is hesitant to get back together for more serious reasons (I don't want to spoil anything!!!). This is my favorite kind of manga: short and sweet. The sweetness, however, is greatly improved by the hardships/feelings the main characters overcome. If I wasn't in public while reading this, I probably wouldhave have teared up a bit. That being said, I highly recommend this! The art is very soft and the story is told from both characters' perspectives, making it all the more enjoyable. Enjoy!

This manga is definitely a hidden gem, absolutely beautiful. Despite being only 6 chapters long there is still so much depth in the characters and storyline, the art doesn't disappoint either. The story is about two lovers, who, after an argument one gets a blow to the head and ends up forgetting the other. The forgotten person decides not to pursue his lover after this incident due to some reasons (not gonna spoil), and the story shows their encounters and what happens to them next. I've read this story three times and each time I've cried. Even so, I would love to be able to erasemy memory of the story just so I can read it for the first time over again. 20/10 would recommend to all yaoi fans. Even if you're not, it's still a heart-wrenching yet cute and heartwarming story that you would not regret reading.

Yeah the premise is a bit overdone. Nothing's wrong with that personally speaking. Just because a bakery has perfected a certain cake does not mean other places can't make that same cake. However, my main problem it is the execution is itself very much by the books. Whether the story structure, the character dynamics, the plot beats... everything is predictable that at some point you just breezes through. On top of all that, the story does drag the angst a little bit. As a result, the drama fails to become delicious because it's lacks any new iterations. Characters is also pretty stereotypical. Of course it's a GoldenRetriever x Black Cat pairing. Of course the Golden Retriever is the one losing his memory. Of course they fought because of the Black Cat's internalized homophobia. Of course the Black Cat is the one hiding and keeping his pain by himself.

That being said, the execution still feels pretty solid. Nothing feels rushed, and the payoff at the end is still present and still very, very sweet.

All in all, it's still a good delightful cake.

Was I supposed to cry...??? Very, very mediocre. If you're up for a clichéd, boring plot, with typical gay characters, a hackneyed (and annoyingly so) backstory, a too-good-to-be-true ending (which, of course, won't be a legitimate, consummate yaoi ending without the oh so loving awkward sex at the last chapter bombarded with too much i love yous to the point it's cringy), you still shouldn't give this manga a read. Even if it's only 6 chapters. Even if the art is pretty okay. Unless you don't want to waste your time, that is. I truly believe that people who actually read this seriously is just looking formaterial to cry on. If that's not your purpose then just don't even bother with this one.