A review by miistical
Classmates Vol. 1: Dou kyu sei by Asumiko Nakamura

emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

"You're finally kissing me."
"Huh?"
"So, like... I've wanted to kiss you ever since the train."

Nakamura described the making of "Classmates" as something cliched and hackneyed—she called it "the f of fundamentals and the b of basics" for the BL genre. Well, she pulled it off perfectly. The main characters are very simple, but not in a stereotypical way. They're charming in their simplicity; this then makes their eccentricities, like Sajo's studious yet flustered nature or Kusekabe's flamboyance that masks his insecurities, stand out even more.

The pacing is very quick (this first volume covers an entire year!), but if you're paying attention you can catch it. Still, it does hurt the story since it just makes me want even more of our couple. I audibly squealed over certain pages and damn near cooed at the end. They're just so cute and sweet and I wanted more from their relationship. Maybe that's good marketing, though, since I immediately got the next volume. I think the art helps this feeling as well. It's not for everyone as it's very fluid and stark at the same time, but I love the way it flows from page to page.

It is hard to talk about this series without mentioning the 35-year old elephant in the room. Other readers might ding the entire story over the very heavily implied student-teacher relationship, but I've read too much BL for it to be the biggest negative ever. The author nor the characters treat it as dubious consent, but it is a man in a position of authority trying to kiss a 17 year old. It's skeevy, obviously, but it's 2008 BL - there is far, far worse.
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