Mihai has always been considered intimidating, and the more others avoided him the more socially awkward and anxious he became. Content with two friends, his grandmother, and his beloved cat Muffins, he never felt the need to change... until university started and the charming Adilene moves in next door. Will Mihai resist opening up his life to his polar opposite? Or will he realize that all change might not be so bad?
This series contains themes regarding anxiety and depression that may not be suitable for all readers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Photo from Ep. 15: How to make decisions
Tags:
m mc, m&f, m/f
drama, romance, realistic
familial, school
found family, mental health
location: Euro (England)
rating: 4.5/10
I didn't find this one particularly noteworthy. I've been following the artist since I joined Tumblr and you can tell that this is the work that got their technical skills to where they are now, that is to say, flourishing like crazy. In that sense it's pretty cool to see the slow development of the art style over time, as well as the understanding of storytelling, but overall I like their second work (Ray of Sunshine) a lot better. The initial character designs and established dynamic is really satisfying— Adilene who is good with people but isolates herself, and Mihai who has trouble engaging but wants to pursue deeper connections— and I like that they become each other's “exception” to the rules they've set for themselves. That said, I don't really like the way it goes about this: a lot of the scenes feel very dialogue-heavy and because of that most of the drama feels like it's not amounting to anything other than temporary petty grievances.
The plot didn't really stick with me, and apart from the two leads, the cast doesn't feel that interesting. The depictions of non-toxic masculinity and a male main character who actively seeks to connect with others, as well as a female lead who is characterized by her lack of empathy and faces real consequences for this, are all things I'd love to see more of, but even so, the execution isn't great. Both of the leads have mental health issues to work through as the story progresses, and the themes of relying on others and self-improvement are sweet, but the pacing of each section of the story feels like being dragged through molasses. Even so, the end themes are tied together nicely and it has a satisfying conclusion.
On my points system, this one scored in areas 2) worldbuilding, 5), theme building, 6) character nuance, 7) self-awareness, 8) realistic dialogue, 10) lack of same-face syndrome, 13) bechdel test, 14) visuals-colors, and 15), visuals-anatomy. I think the things I liked best were the depth into all the four main characters in some way; by the end they really did feel fleshed-out and realistic. The growth between Adilene and Mihai was solid and even if I don’t think the actual development of it was satisfying, it ended in a good place. The story addressed mental health topics with the care and caution they deserve… but my main critique was just that I didn’t actually find the storytelling interesting. I won’t be rereading it, but, y’know, to each their own.
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