“Don’t let anyone make you disappear.”
Netflix's adaptation of Alice Oseman's beloved web-novel, Heartstopper, is ever-bit as charming, uplifting, and important as its comic origins. It's no exaggeration to call it the teen romance of today's young generation, offering queer audiences an honest and hopeful portrayal of love and friendship that they so desperately deserved.
Despite being foremost an animation and comic/manga blog, as a huge fan of Oseman's graphic novel I felt entirely compelled to talk about Heartstopper the series. Adapting the first two volumes of the series, Netflix and See-Saw (still reveling in its last Netflix collaboration on Oscar-winner The Power of the Dog) succeeds in nurturing what it is that makes Oseman's story so special and beloved. Rather than simply pluck Nick, Charlie and Co straight off of the page, Heartstopper the series embraces the very real and honest portrayal of queer adolescence that Oseman created, and offers them an elevated and truly vibrant voice.
Allowing Alice Oseman to take the reigns in adapting Heartstopper to the screen was one of the production's best decisions; cherishing the author's core talents for natural dialogue and embracing character as key. While simple in style, Oseman's art is candid, with emotion often exaggerated to a sugar-sweet degree on her character's faces. These sort of features- so integral to Heartstopper's story- could very-well have been lost in translation, as has been the case for many other not-so-fortunate comic adaptations. Heartstopper however, has such a delicate respect for its source material, something that the series' cast and crew alike must be praised for.
It is refreshing, in a media sphere saturated with hyper-sexualised, and at times violent depictions of queer adolescent experiences, to be able to embrace an array of queer teen romances portrayed by actual young people. Heartstopper's core cast of characters- many of which are offering debut or early performances- are outstanding. The on-screen chemistry between leads Kit Connor (Nick) and Joe Locke (Charlie) is superb, with each young man offering performances that leave one weeping and blushing in equal measure.
It has been a true pleasure to watch the young cast blossom and thrive on their press tour leading up to the series' release. Locke and Connor, as well as Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, and every other young actor in Heartstopper deserves all the praise coming their way, and it will be truly exciting to see how each of these talents continues to bloom.
In a scarring, hostile political period that threatens LGBTQ+ lives daily, be it from the US's Don't Say Gay Bill or the abhorrent exclusion of trans people from the UK's latest laws regarding conversion therapy, Heartstopper couldn't be any more important for queer teens than it is now. And while we continue to see LGBTQ+ relationships formed and explored more and more frequently on our screens, none of them capture the innocent spark of young love quite like Heartstopper.
Netflix's Heartstopper shows us all the good that comes from giving queer artists and writers a level of creative freedom to let their own work not only thrive but excel beyond the page. Nick Nelson was the bisexual character I needed when I was growing up. It is impossible to stress just how much each of Heartstopper's characters offer young queer people an avenue to see themselves and know that they deserve love, friendship and quite simply, joy. I am so excited for all the young people who can watch (and read!) Heartstopper and feel seen.
Please watch Heartstopper now if you haven't already. And then go and read Alice Osemon's work. It is stunning, and powerful, and important.
Heartstopper is available to stream now in its entirety on Netflix.
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