となりのメタラーさん [Tonari no Metaller-san]

moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus]

Rating: really liked it
first of all, if yk my reading taste, i'm usually more into the emotional/angst/dark side of romance and i need to be in the right mood for a cute, lighthearted one; however, i'm starting to think i don't have a preference when it comes to (romance) mangas but, for BL romance mangas, the cute and wholesome ones are definitely my cup of tea. it just brings me so much comfort and serotonin—something i've come to realize with the ones i've been binging recently.

i adored both Kento and Soushi, but i have a soft spot for Soushi bc he was so relatable yet adorable at the same time. 🥺 one thing i wish was done differently was the telling over showing from the end of ch 1 to the beginning of ch 2. we were supposed to believe these two had bonded over the course of one year but, when i turned to ch 2... it was already a year later?? i'm disappointed we were robbed of their cute moments, especially bc that could have been used as a progression when it came to showing how close they had gotten during that year of being neighbors and sharing meals together. bc of that, it did feel like the romance in the last chapter was rushed.

i loved this regardless bc their interactions were just so... cute and wholesome. literally brought a smile to my face whenever they interacted. i'd recommend this if you want a manga filled with warmth and comfort. <3

bee

Rating: really liked it
『 ★★★★ 』

A story of a socially anxious metal fans who has a difficulty to talk to people with an extrovert and cheerful postgraduate student who actually had a deep sense of insecurity and a worrywart.

Basically, polar opposite: [check]

The cover art and color palette sold the entire manga. From the moment I saw it, I just know this manga would be wholesome and warm and nice.

Even though the characters and stories didn't really get enough time for more through development to label this as an "excellent" manga ((since the author throw in a year-long time skips, but well— it can't be helped since it's a stand-alone and not a serial)), I still like all the characters, their characterization, and the subtle little development.

p.s:
1) SOUSHI's GAP-MOE IS JUST TOO MUCH TOO HANDLE— ((i mean: he cooks? he bakes? he knits? he's literally perfect??? i can't i want to [squish] him so bad what a cinnamon bun he is— okay i'll shut up.))
2) The band names-play was a really nice touch! "System of an Up"? "Pan Tera"? I was legit wheezing LMAO good job author!

rain

Rating: really liked it
can't believe i found such a precious gem i'm completely in love with soushi and kento 🥺

Katerina

Rating: really liked it
4/5
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What an absolutely wonderful story of found family and friendship, love of music, trust, and finding your own voice.

Tonari no Metaller-san "My neighbor, the Metalhead" follows the story of a young man, Kento, who gets trapped in the the middle of winter - outside his apartment - and is found by his neighbor, Soushi. Who also just so happens to be a serious fan of Metal music. Soon both of them find themselves eating breakfast and dinner together and growing closer together.

I absolutely adored this manga! The art was stunning and I could honestly look at Mamita's work all day if I could. The panels felt simple yet told such a big story at the same time. I loved how well the dialogue and art flowed together and how it was so easy to transition from one person to the next.

However, what I loved more was watching Soushi and Kento grow closer together over the year they have spent eating with each other. At the beginning you can obviously see that Kento finds Soushi attractive; however, he never really does anything with it. Kento and Soushi are completely night and day and the mangaka expresses this through her artwork. Soushi is the quiet metalhead that wears black and Kento is the bright and bubbly, never have a worry kind of guy.

I loved how much plot we were given in this stand-alone manga. We were able to delve into Soushi's past and understand why he is so quiet and not very outspoken. Music is a powerful thing and it brings people together, and it was so interesting how Mamita uses this technique as a way to express Soushi in words when he himself does not like to talk and is very soft spoken.

And then of course there is Kento who is anything but soft-spoken yet has the fear of coming out to Soushi. Kento tends to cover up his feelings with talking too much and exerting a lot of energy. It's an amazing contrast to that of Soushi and maybe that's why these two fit so well together. They just make sense. And can we take a minute to appreciate the fact that Kento is becoming a pre-school teacher! UGH that ripped my heart in two.

And if you are looking for a BL manga that is focused on plot and very little sex (and I mean little like a 2 pager), then I definitely recommend reading this manga.

**If you want to read an English version of this manga than click HERE

✧ Marureviere ✧

Rating: really liked it
☀️3.5 stars☀️

This BL introduces and follows the slow burn romance of Kento and Soushi. Kento, a pre-school teacher-in-training, was one day saved by his anxiety-riddened metalhead neighbor Soushi when the latter found him outside his apartment almost freezing to death in the middle of winter. Their relationship started and evolved from there, and for about a year, the two of them ended up hanging out and eating together every day.

This manga tbh gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. Plus the lovely artstyle suits the overall atmosphere and theme of the story. I loved Soushi, the socially anxious metal-enthusiast who likes to knit, bake, and cook. He fairly easily summoned my protective instincts, especially with his gap moe. 😭 He was also very relatable to me in a sense that he suffers from social anxiety and is thus severely conscious and anxious of what other people think of him. Externally, he's all dark aestheticーhe always glares at people and maintains an intimidating expression. He also listens to metal as a form of escapism because he's terrible at social interactions and confrontations. Although deep inside he's emotionally vulnerable and just wants to be loved and accepted by someone for who he is.

Kento, on the other hand, is his polar oppositeーhe's warm, friendly, outspoken, and basically everything that Soushi is not. I enjoyed their opposites attract dynamic and it was a joy to witness when they eventually got together. 🤧

My minor complaint here would probably be the lack of an in-depth development when it came to their romantic relationship, though it is understandable since it's only 6 chapters long. But still, because of the length constraints, the manga suffered a bit in its last chapter where (view spoiler)[Soushi was only starting to realize his romantic feelings for Kento and was still confused about his sexuality (hide spoiler)]. As a result, the ending somewhat felt rushed and sudden. If only there was more build up and if we delved deeper into the change in their relationship dynamic.

However, this was still a good read! A palate cleanser that you can read in one sitting and I recommend if you're into:

☀️ friends to lovers
☀️ grumpy x sunshine trope
☀️ opposites attract
☀️ slow burn with minimal smut

Renata Silveira

Rating: really liked it

★★★★★
______________

Cute! I love the cover and all the winter vibes in this manga. I wish I had the same kotatsu that Soushi has at his apartment.

yayu.

Rating: really liked it
—3.5 ★

This manga hits right in the feels. I wanna put Soushi in my pocket and protect him from the world. Their relationship is so healthy I couldn't have asked for more. Review to come.

Pilar Videla

Rating: really liked it
3,5 but ok

Martu (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Rating: really liked it
Cute!
The modified band names, lol~

tobi

Rating: really liked it
ah yes the classic story about a bisexual, metalhead, long haired cake decorator with crippling social anxiety and... a guy? a (respectful) simpy extrovert. classic

Sky

Rating: really liked it
Have I ever mentioned that I love cute and wholesome BL stories? And that I like music-themed stories? It might be true that in this case, music is rather present in form of a hobby than the main theme itself, as one of the main characters is a big fan of metal, however, it really adds a nice and very different flavour from other things I've recently checked out. The metalhead Soshi who here is eponymous, is an absolute adorable man, way friendlier than he might look at first glance. He's actually very shy and it is hard for him to communicate with other people. However, after saving his new neighbour Kento from freezing to death and developing a sort of friendship with him, Soshi seems to warm up little by little. One day, Kento suddenly approaches Soshi in a way, the latter would never have expected, just to then vanish from Soshi's life, without talking things through. But Soshi has to realise, that he doesn't want Kento to not be part of his life anymore...

This story is extremely cute, the characters are absolutely lovely and the drawings are very nice as well! It's a very well-rounded one-shop and definitely one of the most wholesome, adorable and funny BL mangas that I have read in recent years. Highly recommend it!

Helen Hnin

Rating: really liked it
If you want a mellow and cute gay story with no unnecessarily complicated drama or tragedy this is for you! And if you like social ball of sunshine x kind-hearted loner trope, this will even be a better treat.

Now onto the review: dare I say this is one of the highlights of my year. I decided I couldn't handle long, dramatic or tragic stories and searched for slice of life romance tags. What do you know, I found this lil' gem! There are only 5 chapters so it's the definition of short and sweet. The art is beautiful, no doubt about it but what really impressed me is the characters and the chemistry between them. The characters have distinct voices and backstory but they mesh together very well. I've read many mangas and I'm in awe of how the artist managed to fit in a vibrant and full-of-life background in 5 chapters and pulled the romance off at the same time. My only wish is that it goes on longer but I'm pretty satisfied. Please give this a try if you have time!

maha

Rating: really liked it
It was really cute. I loved the winter loneliness contrasted with nice food and warmth energy. It was pretty heartwarming. I also loved the romance therapy sessions with the child...it was funny. The artwork was great, the story was short but everything about the characters and their hobbies and issues was explained. And most importantly, consent was emphasised and that is really rare in the BL genre so ofcourse...plus points for that.

blueberry cony

Rating: really liked it
SO CUTE!!
I loved both characters, and their personalities. It is a fairly simple plot, but I love how we can see their relationship develop.
Soushi is a bean and must be protected at all costs

Read 25/05/2022
score: 5/5

Alice

Rating: really liked it
The man listens to metal, cooks AND knits, what would more you want from this story?