Studio Deen's take on Shō Harasuno's manga of the same name: Sasaki and Miyano is a high-school romance that seems forgettable at first-glance; yet manages to excel with a refreshing and much-needed take on male spaces within the queer animanga sphere.
First serialised as a Pixiv web comic in 2016, the anime adaptation of Sasaki and Miyano combines the first 6 of Harasuno's takōbon into one 12-episode series. And while this might seem like a lot of ground to cover, Sasaki and Miyano's pacing is anything but rushed.
Sasaki and Miyano initially approaches its narrative in a non-linear fashion, a creative decision that serves each of its duel titular protagonists well by avoiding many of the cliches often found in the first introductions of high-school romances. Both younger student Miyano and his senior Sasaki deconstruct the usual tropes associated with a kōhai and senpai hierarchy dynamic. Sasaki never actively takes advantage of his "senior superiority" over Miyano, rather the complete opposite. A large portion of Sasaki's personal narrative revolves around his fears of pressuring Miyano into a relationship he might not want, given the senior is very-much in tune with his own sexuality from the start.
Miyano on the other hand, rather than subscribe to any notion of passiveness or forced feminisation due to his younger age and smaller stature, vocally challenges not only assumptions of himself based on his appearance, but the harmful stereotypes of gay men within the genre of BL ("Boys' Love") manga, something he is is deeply passionate about. Miyano's interest in this niche of fiction is at the heart of the series, and becomes the driving force that strengthens his bond with Sasaki, who begins to lend from his collection. Miyano's deep love for the genre stems not from any sort of graphic sexual content, but for its approach to romance and narrative storytelling. Sasaki and Miyano takes the time to deconstruct some of the damaging labels of the BL genre such as Seme (associated with more stereotypically masculine traits) and Uke (romantic passivity and- to an extent- femininity). And while its execution isn't always perfect, the ways in which Miyano learns through his relationship with Sasaki that the stereotypical traits he has been reading about cannot be applied to the real world, is particularly admirable.
While it suffers for its repetition and sometimes sluggish pace, Sasaki and Miyano makes up for this with a genuinely enjoyable and- at times- surprising cast of characters. What stands out most is its attention to creating and diving deep into a safe and positive all-male space that embraces new-age masculinities and queer identity. Sasaki's upperclass peers are particularly strong in this regard, taking on sometimes paternal roles in helping Miyano grow in confidence. Initially self-conscious of his features, Miyano learns to reject the outside pressures he feels to prescribe to feminised standards of male queerness in a way that is genuinely intriguing to watch. The casual acceptance of queerness- both Miyano's and Sasaki's, as well as in the wider world around them- still feels like something that was sorely needed, in spite of the positive strides queer anime and manga have made in recent years, thanks to the broad success of series' such as Given (2019-).
Sasaki and Miyano feels like a love/hate letter to the BL genre. It acknowledges its flaws and offers a refreshing solution that feels both progressive and natural. It is a surprising gem of the 2022 winter season, and one that offers an important glance into the positive direction that queer representation within anime is capable of making, if only it continue to strengthen its efforts.
Season 1 of Sasaki and Miyano is available to stream now in its entirety on Funimation, with a second currently undisclosed anime project having already been green-lit.