Reading: DEKO-BOKO SUGAR DAYS - Atsuko Yusen

This sentimental (though not overly so) m/m romantic manga follows the story and friendship of a pair of Japanese high school students, the athletic/outgoing Yuujirou Matsukaze and his gentle, kind-hearted best friend Rui Hanamine, since the boys were very young and Yuuji rescued little Rui after he got stuck in a sewer grate. Now full-grown young men in high school, to Yuuji's surprise the more innocent, gentler Rui was hit with puberty hard, now towering over Yuuji in height and making his tougher and more aggressive friend feel intimidated ... especially when Yuuji admits to himself that he has more than friendship feelings for Rui, but assumes that even if such feelings were reciprocated the height difference would be a problem. Not that it matters, as he doesn't dare bring up his attraction to Rui, even though (at least to anyone reading this story) it's pretty obvious, if unstated, that Rui feels the same. To me what makes this stand out from so many similar m/m manga romances are the characters - truly, though a couple times he borders on a bit silly, Rui comes off as a young man anyone could easily fall for, and though it takes a bit longer to let Yuuji grow on you, readers will soon root for both boys and this relationship - but also I appreciated that this story avoided many of the tropes you find in similar manga (misunderstandings keeping the boys from being together, a third person trying to break them up, etc.), instead focusing on the guys and their friends and treating this male/male love story as if it were are everyday as any between a boy and a girl. Sweet, and even at its goofiest quite a charming friends-potentially more tale.  4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.