Yukidoke no Koi

This manga is very sweet. It's kind of a stereotypical romance between teacher and student, but I feel like it was done well. The main story (chapters 1-5, and 7.5 at the end) is well-developed, and the climax in chapter 5 is very enjoyable. The conclusion leaves a little bit to be desired (a.k.a., seeing their relationship now that they're together), but the existence of chapter 7.5 helps a little bit.

In this manga, the reason the sensei rejects the relationship initially is not because the other person is his student (and a man, it is clear the sensei is gay), but it has to do with the sensei's complex past. I like how this is used instead of the "but we're both guys!" or the "you're my student" trope that seem to pervade the BL genre.


A note about the one-shots (chapters 6 and 7): they are slightly stereotypical, but still enjoyable nonetheless. My only issue with them is that the main characters in both look REALLY SIMILAR to the ones in chapters 1-5. When I first read chapters 6 and 7, I thought the main characters were already cheating on each other! Thankfully, the names are different, but if you're bad with names like me, then beware of that.

This is my first review, so I hope it was helpful.

A budding romance between student and teacher is beautifully portrayed in Yukidoke no Koi.
Alongside its imagery of snow and blossoms, every aspect of the story has a delicate and ephemeral nature to it. It addresses the question of whether love is something that is just as transient as everything else.

Sensei is still recovering from the trauma of losing the man he loved. He experienced how easily broken a gay relationship is when faced with the dictates of society to have a “normal” relationship. A student in his class, Sumiko, is in perhaps what is the most delicate period of a young person’s life. He is still growing and changing everyday, and has many uncertainties about the future. Sumiko ends up falling in love with his teacher. Sensei, afraid of the past repeating itself, rejects Sumiko’s advances because he believes that the young man will also one day leave him when he decides to pursue a heterosexual relationship instead.

This is a manga about finding moments of eternity in the face of things that could easily vanish along with the snow and blossoms.