Candy
Apple
Kisses

I have a long standing devotion to mutual pining and "yeah I want to be with you but we can't... With that said I need there to be a good reason a good reason for them to not be together and 2 that reason usually can't hit too close to home. Which... look good luck finding something that isn't problematic as fuck. So incest, not my preferred cup of tea but still drinkable, so when I spotted this manga during a late night "I'm bored" rummage of various manga sites I thought heh why not? And zero regrets.

Our boys pine so beautifully. Younger brother Yutaka's blatent longing looks, wanting to spend all of his time with his brother, wanting to touch but not feeling like it's ok, so when they do hold hands its so much more electric (dare I say erotic). Just so good. And the fact that for a decent part of the manga, Yutaka doesn't understand his feelings and even after he gets it, there's still this sense of confusion that is both utterly adorable and really fun for me. To quote his friend Momoka: "You know what It's not your brother you love. It's Minoru." To which he replies "aren't they the same?" Just squee!

Other brother Minoru's pining is more subtle, helped by most of the manga being from Yutaka's POV, but he gets his fair share. He is the "pull pigtails" type. Which one of those 'hit or miss' tropes for me but it works really well here. Mostly because a lot of it also looks like brotherly banter which adds to the complicated nature of their relationship. He's also very soft twoard Yutaka even in his teasing. All he wants is his brother safe and happy and, being older, is more aware of his feelings and the issues surrounding them.

Quick segue here to talk about my favorite scene. The kiss this shrine is named after. You got a sick Yutaka who asks for a candy apple from his brother, who's going to the festival. Later that night our good big brother goes to him with the apple and checks on him. And here he breaks and, after taking a bite of the apple that Yukata tried to eat (an indirect kiss!!), we get an actual kiss with the fireworks in the backgound. The way I swooned, y'all. And then Yukata wakes up the next morning, wondering if it even happened or was it all a dream. To be fair, the first time I read it I was also wondering... *chinhands*

Next there's the sneaking around and everyone's reaction, more great forbidden romance plot points in this manga. While there isn't much (seriously sequel when?) what we do get is great. It helps that they are brothers and are known to have a bit of a complex about each other. TLDR everyone knows something's off about their relationship but they can't quite make the jump to incest... Maybe. There's a couple characters where it is implied they know what is going on. But, except for Momoka, we never receive any conformation one way or the other (and I'm not even 100% sure she knows).

Finally there is the way they get together. At first Minoru is like "No, as much as I want to we really can't" and oh the feeling of pain I feel with the boys. So good. But a day or so later Minoru breaks and admits that as much as he's aware this is not a good idea he still wants to try. To be together for as long as they can. It's just the cutest thing and a lovely balm to my romantic heart after 9 chapters of pining and confusion and rejection.

As for the epilogue the writer made a wise decision that while it's "happy for now" with an hopeful ever after vibe, there are some hints of the problems our boys face in the future. Like yeah, once Yutaka goes to university they are planning on living together, but how long is that going to last without people asking questions? And Minoru already has his mom bugging him about finding a wife... and wasn't too pleased with his not so joky answer of "I'll just marry Yutaka!"

Honestly this manga is a fantastic example of why, when done well, the forbidden romance trope just works so damn well. To top it all off you have some gorgeous art and fantastic characters which has made this manga a favorite of mine for several years now.