Enoki is practically the poster-boy for what a typical nerd looks like: short and slight, complete with big round glasses and social awkwardness. His main hobby is making video games, and he's used to not having many friends at school. Then, he meets Shirataki, a former member of the baseball club and his exact opposite; tall, muscular and sporty. Despite their many differences, the spark of friendship between the two boys begins to grow into something more...
By Atsuko Yusen
Series This Wonderful Season With You
Volume 1
Release Date 11.02.2021
Genre Yaoi
Age Rating 18+
Publisher Tokyo Pop
CW None
Rating ★★★☆☆
My Review
The "popular guy and nerdy guy" is a popular trope in high school romance manga. Enoki (yes, mushroom) the nerdy guy in the story- he’s so pure and innocent that you can’t help but find him adorable. Shirataki, the popular jock type of character, is completely the opposite. I do not find his character design nice- but he fits the role of total opposite of Enoki. I found that often in scenes he looked a bit weird, as in the proportions were off and everything was just a huge... chin.
Like many high school or BL stories, it has the classic tropes. You’ve got awkward encounters, accidental touches, misunderstandings, and eventually the confession—all of which we’ve come to expect. The same happens in This Wonderful Season With You as well, it's kinda predictable. Besides that, there were a lot of random plot points and bits of drama introduced that just didn’t get addressed again. It’s like the story took a detour to nowhere and forgot to tie up its loose ends.
One part of the story that really bothered me was the smut scene. To be honest, it felt unnecessary, like it was thrown in purely for the sake of including it. It almost made things uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help but think that it could have been left out altogether. The inclusion felt forced, and I think the story would have ended much better without it.
But is it a bad story? Not really. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing that it doesn’t fall into negativity, which is something we’ve unfortunately seen in some similar stories. It’s not problematic, just... a bit bland.
In conclusion, while this particular popular guy and nerdy guy manga isn’t very interesting or memorable, it’s not a disaster. It’s an easy read for those who enjoy the genre but might not offer much beyond that.
