Manga "Horizon of Belonging" 🌊♨️

This work is a coming-of-age ensemble manga by Tayo Watanabe, currently serialized. The story is set in "Kakino-yu," an old public bathhouse in a seaside town. High school student Ryoma Kakiuchi runs the bathhouse with his grandfather when one day, a boy he's never met, Reo Shibasaki, suddenly appears, claiming to be the illegitimate son of Ryoma's deceased father. With just this setup, it could easily have turned into a super melodramatic family drama 🤣 But Ryoma says to Reo, "It's okay to act spoiled. We're both still kids, and no one is at fault." I really like this line, and I feel it perfectly captures the essence of the entire work. The complex relationships left by the previous generation don't become a reason for the two children to resent each other. Instead, the story develops into a warm and comfortable narrative from a premise that could have easily become a soap opera. Moreover, the work doesn't just focus on the brothers. As the story unfolds, it gradually delves into the lives and troubles of their classmates. The first character who left a strong impression on me was a female classmate. When she started appearing frequently, my radar went on alert: Is this going to turn into some romantic entanglement? 🤣 But it wasn't that direction at all! I love how the manga naturally depicts interactions between boys and girls, without forcing romantic tension just because they are of opposite genders. Instead, it portrays everyone as "people" with their own families, preferences, and worries. What I'm most looking forward to now is continuing to learn about the stories behind more of the classmates 😊