MANGA: Senobi no Housoku

Senobi no Housoku – Okuyama Puku

A transfer student enters the class of Kousuke, a second-year in high school. Raku is tall and good-looking, the exact opposite of the shrimpy Kousuke, and very popular with the girls. Kousuke was jealous of Raku at first, until Raku comes clean about a certain secret, and asks Kousuke not to tell anyone. Ever since then, Raku seems to have taken a liking to Kousuke, and all of a sudden, they become really close! This is a high-school romantic-comedy about a mismatched pair!

This is a hyper-energetic, slow burn, slice-of-life story of two dorks who fell in love before they even realized it’s happening. The title translates to “The Rule Of Standing On Tiptoe”, referencing the height difference between the two MCs.

Chibi Kousuke met the tall Raku on the first day of school and they hit it off right away. The two, together with their group of quirky friends, navigate daily school life and beyond.

The story covers the year Kousuke and Raku’s relationship develop. The two each have his own hangups. Kousuke has issues with his height. Raku, who is half-American, wants to keep his ethnicity a secret because people tend to treat him differently. He went as far as dyeing his blonde hair brown and wearing black contact lenses.

These are not something they’re really angsty about but these run throughout the story. It’s also part of the reason why Raku was drawn to Kousuke. He did not make a big deal about Raku’s ethnicity and he kept it a secret.

There’s an unexpected love triangle at latter part. It wasn’t the annoying, thankfully. I want Hane, the third wheel, to have his own spinoff.

All the mangaka’s stories I read had so far been kawaii overload. This is no exception. Even the secondary characters were adorbs. I want to be friends with them. Everything looks so fun! It made me nostalgic about high school.