ゆびさきと恋々

YUBISAKI TO RENREN

MANGA

STATUS
RELEASING
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
Invalid Date
CHAPTERS
Not Available

DESCRIPTION

Yuki is a typical college student, whose world revolves around her friends, social media, and the latest sales. But when a chance encounter on a train leads to her meeting friend-of-a-friend and fellow student Itsuomi-san, her world starts to widen. But even though Itsuomi-kun can speak three languages, sign language isn’t one of them. Can the two learn to communicate the budding feelings between them?

(Source: Kodansha USA)

Notes:

Ranked 17th place for the Tsugimanga Award in the Print Manga Category in 2020.
Nominated for the 45th and 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2021 and 2022.
Nominated for the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shoujo Category

CAST

Yuki Itose
Itsuomi Nagi
Oushi Ashioki
Shin Iryuu
Rin Fujishiro
Kyouya Nagi
Emma Nakasono
Motoki Ichishima
Yuki no Haha
Yasuhiro Sandanbata
Yuki no Chichi
Itaru Itose

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO YUBISAKI TO RENREN

ANIME RomanceYubisaki to Renren

MANGA RomanceHibi Chouchou

REVIEWS

Benkei
84/100
Spoiler-free review of A Sign of Affection. A sweet shoujo manga exploring disabilities.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Considerations ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ● __This is a spoiler-free review.__ ● 80+ in my rating means really good. ● I've got to read this work on a friend's recommendation. I didn't look too much into the synopsis and just started reading. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Yuki, even with her disability, is a typical college student. While she's going home by train, she meets a college friend. When he tries to talk with her, he realizes that even with his knowledge of three languages, he can't communicate with her as he doesn't know sign language. From that point on, as a language enthusiast, he starts to look at her with more interest. The story of "A Sign of Affection" is pretty good! I am not very enthusiastic when it comes to Shoujo, but the idea of having a deaf main character really caught my attention right from the beginning. The way that the author describes and adapts sign language in the manga is very well done. With the repetition of certain words, you start to learn the signs, and the manga feels even more special. The story is very comforting and warm, as expected from a Shoujo. The romance is pretty well done, and there's a very nice approach to some of the difficulties that someone with a disability can suffer from. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Art Style ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art style is good! Shoujo often has a lack of background information and a lot of light play. However, with this work, they use edited photos to have a detailed background at times. Combining that with a really nice character design, with different clothes, traits, and hairstyles. You have a very nice experience reading it. (She's so damn cute) There's also a very nice chibi style that makes really cute panels. A good mix of black and white backgrounds to express thoughts and emotions. The drawing of the hands (for the sign language) is pretty well done. There's nothing for me to complain about in this department. ‎ ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There are a moderate number of characters in this work. Yuki, her college friend, partner, his friends, and a few other supporting characters. They're well done. I especially like that the core characters have their own friends to help them deal with their problems. It's not like all the characters are just supporting the main character. As I always like to talk about the main character, Yuki is a really nice character. She's super cute and sweet. Her reactions to people and her way of behaving are also nicely explained during the work. ‎ ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point: __Maybe read it__. I know Shoujo mangas aren't for everyone, but Sign of Affection has a more detailed art style and a very nice thematic that is worth exploring. If you're into romance and shoujo in general, it's really a must-check out.
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RoseFaerie
100/100
A story that holds great potential in the beautifully watercolored hands that sign.
Well, I finally got around to reading one of the most popular current shoujo romances. It took some badgering, but I finally did it. I honestly had no excuse since the first volume was literally sitting on my shelf. I was just procrastinating on it. I keep finding some good romances lately because I just acquired two favorites in a row. I don't usually get this lucky. I may need to start finding some bad manga again so that I humble myself.

Anyways, A Sign of Affection is about Yuki, a Deaf college student. She lives in her own world surrounded by the same friends and loved ones she's known for years. However, in an encounter on the train she meets Itsuomi, a well-traveled, multilingual man who's actually one of her best friend's friends. Even though he knows many languages, that doesn't encompass sign language, he decides to learn from Yuki and enter her world. Yuki finds herself drawn into his vibrant life as well.

The thing that made me fall in love with this manga was how it portrayed sign language. suu Morishita consulted with actual Deaf and hard of hearing people and actually worked with someone from that community to write Yuki and her experiences accurately. The illustrator at least is learning sign language and is consulting the woman they're working with to ensure that the signs are drawn accurately. There's so much care put into this manga, and I just really appreciate it. It makes me happy to think that the story was created with authenticity in mind.

The relationships are written in a way where it's easy to root for them. We have Yuki and Itsuomi, who are brought together by a chance encounter and a mutual friend and bond over sign language and learning about each other's lives. The progression in their relationship feels natural. They are attracted to each other quickly but take their relationship seriously and handle things maturely. The side couples are adorable, and the love triangle felt natural, along the lines of something that would happen. Technically, there are two love triangles, but one gets resolved early on with how it was an unrequited love for years. When Itsuomi and Yuki's relationship started, that one-sided love became hopeless and lead to a potential relationship with someone who was also battling unrequited feelings. The other love triangle begins when the relationship starts, as you can't expect for the one you love to stay single forever, even if you're too scared to make a move yourself. The relationship between Yuki's best friend and Itsuomi's cousin was probably the weakest and most boring to me, but they were still cute, and it didn't feel like it came out of nowhere, since they had history before the series started. The relationships all feel natural and not contrived in the slightest.

I also just straight up adore the way it conveys how Yuki understands the words of people around her. When you're viewing the story through the characters who can hear, the speech bubbles are like normal. However, when it's viewed through Yuki's perspective, when she's reading lips, the words they're saying are lighter. When she can't catch the words they're saying, they're backwards. She has an inner monologue, and the sign language used is translated. It's cool and does an excellent job of showing the different communication styles.

Yuki is adorable and lively, taking everything in stride. She's determined to do her best no matter what and lives life with heart and passion. I admire her strength and optimism. Itsuomi has more of a calm demeanor, but he really is quite social with friends all over the world. He's passionate about travel, learning, and other cultures, and I'm excited to find out why since that will be a huge reveal later. I'd say that Rin and Kyouya, Yuki's best friend and Itsuomi's cousin, don't really have strong personalities and I'd say they're the weakest of the cast. I hope they get development later on. Yuki's childhood friend, Oushi is a major tsundere who enjoys teasing Yuki, but he easily becomes abrasive when someone he perceives as a threat to himself or to Yuki appears. He's much less mature than Itsuomi and views him with animosity. As for Emma and Shin, Itsuomi's childhood friends, they are very lively, and I adore them both as individuals and as a potential couple.

The art is gorgeous. The character designs are some of the most beautiful I've seen. It's very delicate with the shading and color choices, and the color art is to die for. The eyes are so sparkly and detailed in the color pages. I'm obsessed. Sparkly detailed eyes are an oddly specific art weakness of mine. The designs aren't complex in the slightest, but they convey so much. Even characters who are related look similar but nowhere near identical.

I just think this series is super cool and offers a unique touch to the mainstream shoujo-sphere. It's cool that a manga about a disabled character is getting so much attention, and I think it deserves it. Even if some of the characters are on the weaker side, I think its storytelling, representation, and artwork make up for it. I can't wait to see the places this manga goes since it holds so much potential. Also, why doesn't this have an anime? It deserves one and it's certainly popular.
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