High schooler Eito Tachibana has always hated his name, including all of the jokes and puns about the number 8 that have come along with it. It’s as if the number has haunted him like a ghost ever since he was a child. One day, he meets a classmate named Tomoya Hatta, aka Hachi-the Japanese word for “8.” What begins as casual greetings and small talk in the hallway soon becomes something much deeper, and Eito realizes that it’s more than just a similar nickname that draws him to Hachi. Could the number that Eito resented for so long finally bring him something he’ll love-and is that someone Hachi?
Source, Buy (AD)
Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha
I frequently search Netgalley for Graphic Novels, Comics, and Mangas for in-between the more time-consuming books I read. When I do, I especially look out for queer content, as I want to support the diversification of stories by reviewing and recommend those. In case of this manga, I’m not too sure of speaking out in favor. It’s not problematic at all, don’t get me wrong. I simply was a bit disappointed by its story. Initially, I was quite intrigued by this idea of names/numbers getting our protagonists in contact. But I think this issue had me quite confused at times. Therefore, I couldn’t really feel the trouble produced by the confusion later in the story.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed my short time with Eito and Hachi.
Both appear to have quite opposite personalities. When they coincidentally meet, they nevertheless connect—at least Hachi seeks the other out again and again. Through his insistence, they become friends whose interactions I liked reading. Especially the more ambiguous and even romantically charged they became. We are allowed to follow both characters through their days and their thoughts, which helped to catch their blooming feelings. Of course, they were also connected to insecurities of first love and overall queerness. Some of their interactions (also with their friends) really amused me and warmed my heart.
Flaws
I would have enjoyed this story way more if it wasn’t for smaller problems. It caused me quite some trouble to figure out which bubbles were referring to speech or to thoughts, further, to which speaker/thinker. Additionally, I was not always sure about the characters, as two important ones had light hair, the other two dark hair. I would have wished for more distinctive drawings. Furthermore, I couldn’t fully grasp Eito’s emotions at some instances. I felt like his facial expression was mismatching the overall situation. Nonetheless, his actions most-often spoke louder than words or looks.
In conclusion,
I was looking forward a lot to this one, but it unfortunately did not meet my expectations. The story was a bit slow and, for me, did not offer any real highs or lows. It is a nice friends-to-lovers story, but I could not fully grasp its inducing word play.
The creator:
Nagisa Furuya is best known for being the author & artist of The Summer With You, The Two Lions, My Summer of You, My Ultramarine Sky, and Number Call. Source