#implicit or ambiguous

A magic school student named Alto summoned a demon called Vermeil as a familiar. Demons are an almost forbidden race with crazy strength compared to others, so Alto keeps her identity as a demon secret while attending the academy.

Also mentioning this because it’s cute: the opening has Alto happily cooking breakfast for Vermeil

Tangential rec because I’m obsessed with this anime movie- Origin: Spirits of the Past,

has taller f shorter m. (Toola and Agito) he’s younger but not by much(unless you count Toola being in cryosleep for 300 years lol).

The story is post apocalyptic, set 300 years after nature awakened to full sapience and took over the world and ruptured the moon. Agito lives in a communal town built out of ruins from the previous civilization that is trying to coexist with this dangerous Forest. He accidentally awakes Toola, who was sealed in cryo to survive the apocalypse. Toola’s inner conflict about the state of the world is the driving force of the plot.

Also important: Agito wears a skintight sleeveless crop top after a physical transformation. An outfit I need to see more boys in. Yesterday!! Also what reads as some kind of queer(especially trans. And more than just the shirt resembling a binder) allegory with Agito’s transformation. he stays a little guy and the height diff is not reversed, he’s just basically on T now.

I would say he gives me sub vibes, and he wears a dog collar and matching arm cuffs, and gets beat up a lot. Kinda a guard dog sub vibe. Their dynamic is pretty much canon and all the promo art is ship art, though they do not kiss or get together in the traditional sense.

First image: Alto and Vermeil, second and third: Agito and Toola (my white hair x dark hair bias is showing lol)

oh man these recs are awesome!! i actually didn't know kinsou no vermeil (it's my fault i never look at this genre too closely) and while origin was on my list, i also almost never look at my anime list too so you made me re-discover the fact that i want to watch this 🤩

i already love both the mental picture of the boy cooking for her in the show and this queer subtext you can take from the movie :D

and thank you so much for the pics too, it's always better to get a feel of what we'll be dealing with and just like you i am a firm believer of little guy in crop tops !!!!

Yes I have!

Not gonna lie, it was a tad bit frustrating how the manga starts with full-on sh0ta hints but, by the middle of it, it becomes simply a found family thing... Not that I think it should absolutely have developed into romance, of course, I know how these things work. But I would have liked a bit more ambiguity. Even the biggest drop-of-the-ball ever (Watashi no Shounen) had more ambiguity/hints by the end than this one, if I recall correctly.