I Hear the Sunspot (I Hear the Sunspot #1) (2025)

Kouhei × Taichi
Taichi × Kouhei

I’ve always been on a real boys love kick, so every now and then I read a bl manga just to quench my heart.

I am constantly thinking about what will happen next because there are two more volumes to go and my schedule is so messed up. I am in love with the art , the characters , story , dialogues , everything.

I LOVE THIS SOO MUCH !!🌈❤

So what's it about?

A hearing-impaired college student, and a outgoing and charismatic young man meets by chance on campus and how they explore there friendship and find comfort with each other.

It was a full, heartfelt, sweet-swoon-soft, enjoyed ride! 💞

The romance is much more subtle than you’d usually see in a BL manga and it works well for the more realistic style of the narrative with beautiful, emotive character designs and clean, realistic artwork.💙💜

Fumino beautifully captures emotions of her characters without being overly dramatic, making for a much more relaxed read than I’m used to finding in series dealing with such aheavy subjectmatter.

Also, I really like one of the main themes/message of the story, which is don't judge someone without trying to understand them first. This is such a good and important message that everyone should put in their hearts, because we judge too quickly and that causes pain and trouble.

This book was so cute yet meaningful! It has that friendship/relationship dynamic where one person is goofy and loud and the other person is reserved and cynical, so I loved seeing the two main characters interact. I also like that it was a story of budding friendship in which Taichi was sort of an advocate for Kohei and people who romanticized his deafness.

I'm requesting my library buy the rest of this series because I can't wait to see where the story goes.

Watched the movie adaptation first. Loved it but the manga is much, much, much better!💫

*SE DESMAYA*

this comic gave me my gay rights

this was so cute and the disability rep was managed so well and the angst made me cry. -1 star cause the ending dragged out a bit but otherwise it was perfect and the art >>>

I Hear the Sunspot is a one volume manga about Kohei, a hearing impaired guy who gets a note-taker to help him in his classwork. Kohei in exchange gives the note-taker, Taichi, lunch every day, which as it turns out Taichi actually needs.

Kohei is an inner-focused guy, pretty somber, and because of his hearing not very connected with campus life, and Taichi is gregarious and outspoken. This is a story in part about raising consciousness about people with disabilities all around us, but it is far more complex than that, as the two work hard to understand each other and become friends, with a few challenges. If you take your time you can also see that it is a queer romance, but it is so subtle you could actually miss it, a fact I actually appreciated.

The focus is on character. And not much really happens, actually, but I thought it was pretty sweet.
As you can tell from the title, this is more about intense self- reflection than action. With lots of white space to slow down the pacing. I like it just fine and imagine a lot of people might like it.

I Hear the Sunspot ★★★★★
I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness ★★★☆☆

As far as watching the romance slowly bloom between Kohei and Taichi, if this tells you anything about how invested I am, it took me all of 10 seconds between reaching the end of this book and borrowing the ebook for the sequel from the library. 🤣

This book was recommended to me by Ellyn for my 2022 12 Books in 12 Months Recommended by 12 Friends challenge! ♥

✨ Representation: Kohei is deaf; Kohei and Taichi are both queer

✨ Content warnings for: ableism, bullying, poverty, medical testing

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5/5stars

I LOVED THIS? LIKE WOW COULD I HAVE PICKED A MORE PERFECT MANGA TO TRY OUT?? this has LGBT rep, deaf rep, so much explanation of the deaf community, and just UGH THIS WAS SO PERFECT.

Also, while I'm NOT apart of the deaf community (i do know sign language and know a lot about it but I'm not apart of it) I have never in my life seen portrayal of tinnitus which I do have chronic tinnitus - which, ya know that ringing you sometimes get in your ears? I get that several times a day, and while I haven't had hearing loss yet, I probably will in the future because of it. But never in my life have I seen any type of media even MENTION it let along portray it and show what its like for the person experiencing it.

This book just had so much good about it. Read if if you're apart of the LGBT community, if you're apart of the deaf community, or if you want to know more about either of them. This was wonderful and I can't WAIT to read the next one

This was such a sweet story about a boy with a hearing disability and a friend he makes despite constantly being misunderstood by others.

This manga brought tears to my eyes and smiles to my face, it was just so lovely! Despite its length, I Hear the Sunspot packs a strong message with really amiable characters to follow along the way!

Yuki Fumino’s art style was wonderful. I found myself really enjoying the way Kohei and Taichi were depicted as characters, as well as the scenery to accompany everything. The whole manga gives of a soft atmosphere, which was great.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the sequel, as this was such a touching story!

I think I'm gonna be emotionally wrecked by the end of this series

Il manga yaoi più dolce che abbia mai letto 💜

*Reread 8/1/2021*
Rereading because it’s been a while and I still haven’t read Limit 3. This is still so good. I love them so so much. What sweethearts!! It still made me tear up and oof I’m ready to get back into this. What a good series.

*Original Review 4/26/2019*
I loved this!! It's so cute and precious and it made me tear up :') I'm so happy.

Kohei là một chàng sinh viên năm nhất mắc chứng khó nghe sau một đợt sốt nặng hồi cuối năm lớp 9. Khiếm khuyết này khiến Kohei dần dần xa cách mọi người, trở nên lặng lẽ và cô độc hơn, vì cậu không thể tham gia những cuộc hội thoại theo cách như trước kia. Những người khác vì thấy cậu không nghe được ngay những gì họ nói, cứ thế đi lướt qua họ mà nghĩ rằng Kohei kém hòa đồng vì bản tính cậu thay đổi. Trong một lần ngồi ăn trưa một mình, Kohei vô tình đụng mặt Taiichi - cũng là sinh viên năm nhất, tính tình hoạt bát, ngây ngô, lại cực kỳ thích ăn và hay thèm ăn ^^ Từ dạo ấy, Taiichi trở thành bạn chép bài của Kohei, đổi lại bằng những bữa trưa do mẹ của Kohei nấu.

“Lắng Nghe Tiếng Nắng” là một cuốn manga BL (boys love) ngập tràn những khung hình và lời thoại đáng yêu đến mức hài hước, nhất là những cảnh có Taiichi trong đó :)) Thế nhưng, ở tận sâu trong nội dung của câu chuyện, “Lắng Nghe Tiếng Nắng” vẫn khắc họa được những uẩn ức và nội tâm đáng để thấu hiểu của cả hai nhân vật, nhất là nhân vật Kohei. Thính giác của Kohei chưa mất đi hoàn toàn, điều này khiến cậu nằm giữa ranh giới của người không khiếm thính và người khiếm thính, khiến cậu cảm thấy bản thân không thể thực sự thuộc về một phía nào. Kohei thấy người ta đi học thủ ngữ (ngôn ngữ ra dấu bằng tay) nhưng vì vẫn còn nghe được, nghĩ rằng mình có thể đọc khẩu hình kịp nên cậu còn chần chừ mãi chưa chịu học. Để rồi giữa những cuộc hội thoại với tốc độ nhanh và âm thanh ở tầm trung, cậu lại gặp khó khăn rất nhiều trong việc bắt kịp những điều người khác nói. Duy chỉ có Taiichi với kiểu luôn ăn to nói lớn là Kohei luôn nghe và hiểu được cậu ấy nói gì.

Dần dần, giọng nói của Taiichi trở thành thứ âm thanh quý giá đối với Kohei, là tiếng gọi thân thương mà cậu luôn muốn nghe mỗi ngày. Khi chứng khó nghe của Kohei dần trở nên nặng hơn, có thể dẫn đến việc cậu không thể nghe thấy gì nữa, thì điều khiến Kohei sợ hãi và đau đớn nhất chính là khi tưởng tượng đến viễn cảnh không thể nào nghe được giọng nói của Taiichi. Taiichi, với tính cách của một người thẳng thắn, luôn sẵn sàng đứng ra bảo vệ Kohei trước miệng lưỡi của những người luôn thích đánh giá cậu, đã trở thành một vị cứu tinh của Kohei, người duy nhất thực sự thấu hiểu được tình trạng của Kohei, nhìn ra được một con người có lẽ đã từng rất hòa đồng từ trước khi chứng khó nghe này xuất hiện. Và Taiichi đã làm tất cả những gì có thể để được nhìn thấy nụ cười của Kohei, ngay cả khi Kohei vì nghĩ rằng mình sẽ chỉ đem lại phiền phức cho Taiichi mà phải nuốt nước mắt bảo Taiichi không cần phải làm bạn chép bài cho Kohei nữa…

“Lắng Nghe Tiếng Nắng” tập 1 đã đưa đến những thông điệp quan trọng về cách đối xử và nhìn nhận những người mắc chứng khó nghe và khiếm thính như Kohei. Nhất là khi Kohei nhìn bề ngoài hoàn toàn là một người lành lặn, cậu chỉ bị hạn chế ở khả năng nghe và bắt kịp những gì người khác nói. Mình muốn khóc trước tấm chân tình của Taiichi, trước cái cách mà cậu đã đi ngược lại những gì người khác luôn nghĩ về Kohei, về tình trạng khiếm thính của cậu, để mà hét lên với Kohei rằng “Không nghe thấy đâu phải là cái tội!”. Nỗi niềm của một Kohei luôn sợ rằng mình sẽ không bao giờ còn nghe thấy giọng nói của Taiichi nữa, cũng đã làm mình rưng rưng nước mắt… Hy vọng sang tập 2 sẽ có nhiều diễn biến hấp dẫn hơn trong tình cảm giữa hai bạn trẻ này, và nhất là hai bạn sẽ sớm hôn nhau :))

Mi corazón ha sido destrozado de la mejor manera

My kokoro hurt a bit for sure for this :(

Finally a kiss … review to follow …now onto part 2

3,5 🌟

That was so cute! Also, Kouhei falling for the first guy who was nice to him... What a disaster gay!!!

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OMG THIS WAS SO CUTE I LOVED IT ❤️🎉💕

Kohei has a hearing disability, and uses it as an excuse to withdraw from others, until he meets cheerful, outgoing Taichi. They soon strike up a friendship. Or is it something more?

Although this is a Boys Love title, the BL content is fairly mild. In her afterword, Fumino gives the impression that she had initially left that aspect of the story out until her editor reminded her. As it is, it's mild and almost ambiguous enough that I could believe someone could read this story without picking up on that aspect of it at all. Maybe. I think you’d have to be wilfully ignorant to miss it, but I do think it's possible.

Anyway, the focus of the story is more about Kohei slowly coming out of his shell and learning to be more comfortable with his diminished hearing rather than seeing it as a cross to bear. Both young men are fully realized characters, and their friendship is totally believable. This is also one of those rare instances where the entire story is contained in one volume. Yes, that's right: a one volume manga! What will they think of next? This was quite enjoyable. Recommended!

Ayyyy qué dulce es este manga, la edición y el dibujo es absolutamente delicioso, muy cuidado.

Lamentablemente y a pesar de que el retrato de la discapacidad de uno de los MC me ha parecido sublime, no le puedo dar más estrellas porque la historia de amor, para mi gusto, se queda muy corta, y hasta cierto punto no la termino de ver.

Aún así leeré el 2, como digo el dibujo es maravilloso y me ha dejado el corazoncito con ganas de ver si esa relación va a más.

Perfection. I've been trying to write a review for this for days, but I honestly have no words to describe how perfect this was for me. I loved every second of this manga. The characters are wonderful and felt so well-rounded and fascinating. The romance is SO WELL DONE in my opinion (I love the slight, slight slow burn) and I enjoyed watching these two characters become friends and then something more. The drama that happens actually felt real and like something that could happen in real life (which I enjoy! No stupid drama that adds nothing to the plot). I also enjoyed the discussion around disabilities and how people view you differently because of your abilities or disabilities. There were two scenes in this that made me tear up and had my heart exploding from how lovely they were.

Overall, I loved this, and while I am hesitant to say this is a new all-time favorite manga series (I don't want to jinx myself!), I think this could very well become a new favorite series of all time. I cannot wait for the next volumes!!

This is the first instalment in the ひだまりが聴こえる manga series.

When Taichi first meets Kohei he seem proud and aloof. He refuses to engage in conversation or to allow for Taichi's cheerful nature to rub off on him. Taichi soon learns he is not the mysterious figure he initially thought him and instead feels isolated due to his hearing impairment. The two become sort of friends and sort of something more, helping both with the struggles they face in this world.

This was such a sweet and slow blossoming bl story and I loved the representation it also included. I slightly less appreciated the actual story contents though. Some parts felt a little disjointed and I longed for more of a prominent plot to appear. However, I soon understood that this was to be a far quieter story, focusing on two individuals and allowing for moments of self-reflection for both them and the reader to appear.

I liked this manga a lot 😍 It was very hard hitting with interesting characters. I felt like I learned a lot while also really enjoying the heart aching story. I could feel the characters and just imagine their existence in real life and what that would be like. I love the representation as well. The book proves a point that people with disabilities don't always need help unless they ask for it. This book really encapsulated that feeling for me and made its point loud and clear. The main negative thing I have with it was that I personally thought the art style was just okay. As a artist the art is something I really pay attention to...buttt... All in all this book was very good and may even be a 4.5 for me. It depends :)

Love, Loss and Hearing Aids

A beautifully-rendered love story about a distant hard of hearing man and his incredibly eager, kind and passionate friend who makes notes for him during college classes in exchange for a bento box.

I usually read shonen-ai for the fun of it without much expectation for the story and character development, and I definitely don't expect a realistic and well-informed look at a hard of hearing and Deaf individuals.

Kohei is a college student who partially lost his hearing as a young boy due to a viral infection. He is withdrawn and often chided for being quiet and cold, but in reality is stuck in a whirlwind of loneliness, caught between the world of the hearing and world of the Deaf; hearing individuals think he is snobbish, while Deaf individuals don't often involve him in conversations since he cannot use sign language.

I can't speak for anyone with a hearing loss, but I'm a speech therapist with a few Deaf and HoH friends with an (incredibly) basic understanding of sign language. Both my Hard of Hearing friends feel isolated from both worlds, just like Kohei, since they live in a kind of purgatory where neither world understands them fully, making them isolated as a result.

Enter Taichi - an incredibly cheerful, painfully self-unaware college kid who breaks his back working to take care of himself and his grandfather. When Kohei sends out an ad for a note writer, Taichi jumps at the chance to experience something new. Despite being a big doofus, he is utterly unbiased and sees people as people and not as their disabilities, while still making a deliberate effort to accommodate Kohei without being condescending in the process.

Taichi sees the beautiful side of Kohei and doesn't believe any of the rumours surrounding Kohei. As it turns out, most people don't even know that Kohei is hard of hearing and attribute his distant nature to simply believing he is better than others due to his good looks and wealthy parent. This is a great reflection on ableism and misunderstanding that doesn't feel at all preachy.

I absolutely adored that despite the backdrop centering around hearing loss, the author managed to portray a thoughtful and healthy queer love story that would stand well on its own. However, the well-researched backdrop with believable leads and side characters from varying backgrounds ranging from a spunky deaf-at-birth boy to a poverty-stricken hearing person, just inches the story that much higher up to my favourite manga. It's also absolutely refreshing to see a host of intriguing side characters who don't hinder the story.

I tried to write this review more from a mature perspective instead of a "grrrr so cute im gonna die" viewpoint since those entail the majority of the reviews, and are definitely attractive to current shonen-ai fans, but not so much for those unfamiliar with the genre. I really hope someone picks this up, even if it is outside of their comfort zone. There's so much to learn hear about love, loss and hearing aids.

A sweet start to a slow romance with some nice deaf representation.

The characterisation was great. At first the level of deafness the protagonist had was something to raise an eyebrow at as manga tend to feature deaf characters that don’t fully embrace Deaf culture just like at the start of this one. But as the story progressed there was a sufficient amount of character development that meant the protagonist’s deafness was changing and the way that effected both his personality and his relationship with the other main character was really interesting to see. The protagonist’s outlook on his deafness changed too and that allowed for deeper exploration of what it means to be deaf and why you shouldn’t let it close you off.

The art was overall quite nice but sometimes a bit iffy. It was usually the eyes that were a bit off at different angles, especially for the protagonist and it sort of ruined the sweet aesthetic but not enough to distract from the character progression.

The romance was very slow, the story eased into it and I think that pacing worked well because it gave the story time to set up a friendship between the two main characters before romantic advances were made. But there’s still a long way to go with their relationship so I expect to see much more of it in the next vol.

(Recommended by Chara)

I wanted to like this manga more than I really did. The the hearing impaired protagonist is great to see, but the book's playing with chronology is are poorly executed and reveal themselves for what they really are--- a means to dole out conversations a piece at a time in order to artificially heighten the drama and stretch out the thin plot to a full volume. The romance also feels tacked on (something confirmed by an authors note which reveals the editor had to remind the creator she was publishing with a BL magazine).

Una delle storie più dolci e delicate di sempre. Fantastica anche la rappresentazione della disabilità, fatta con rispetto ad attenzione.

[ Re-read in 2023. ]

3.5/5
This is a sweet, shonen-ai manga that features a hearing-impaired character called Kohei, and Taichi, the guy that’s helping him taking notes at college.

Kohei lost part of his hearing when he was young, so he’s not totally deaf, and in this case, people tend to treat him bad. His classmates ignore him or some assume that he always needs help or that he can read sign language. He’s a man hated by other guys who don’t take the time to actually know him, and on top of that, he’s treated as a ‘price’ by obnoxious girls that are only drowned by his looks.

So when Taichi comes into the picture, his bright smile and his bluntness is what Kohei likes. Taichi always speaks his mind and his kindness makes him beautiful by Kohei’s standards.

I think this is an entertaining introduction to a manga that promises to be more than just a relationship between two guys. It’s about understanding and growth and ultimately, kindness.
Truth is hearing-impaired people are different and it’s rude to assume things about them. And more often than not, people tend to make a judgment before taking the time to know the reason behind pretty much everything and everyone.

Anyway, though the art style is not really my favorite, I do plan to continue with the series.

I did not expect the emotional punch from this manga! Kohei is a hard of hearing university student who tends to isolate himself from others. His disability is not considered "serious enough" by authorities, so he is not given support. Similarly, his peers treat him differently, because his hearing isn't good enough. One day, though, another student accidentally crashes his secret lunch spot - this student is Taichi, who comes from a poor background and needs to work all kinds of jobs to support himself and his grandpa. The two strike a deal: Taichi is going to be Kohei's note-taker in exchange for lunches.

The romance is not the main theme (in this volume at least); instead the book focuses on Kohei's experience which I found so authentic and poignant. It broke my heart every time someone didn't want to repeat what they just said - I could feel Kohei building another wall with every such interaction. But Taichi is there, and I loved that his loud and boisterous voice was the one that got through to Kohei. The way Taichi always strives to make Kohei smile, because no one else does... uffff my heart! Really looking forward to the next volumes!

Rep: hard of hearing mlm main character