Sasaki and Miyano

A spin-off manga by Harusono titled Hirano and Kagiura (平野と鍵浦; 'Hirano to Kagiura') has been serialized in Media Factory's shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene since March 2019 and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. Miyano follows the story of two male high school students as their friendship gradually becomes romantic. It centers on Miyano Yoshikazu, a timid high school student who secretly enjoys reading boys' love (BL) manga. One day, he crosses paths with an older student, Sasaki Shumei, after a brief incident at school. Curious and intrigued by Miyano's interests, Sasaki begins borrowing BL manga from him, leading to frequent conversations and a growing friendship. The story unfolds as a gentle, character-driven exploration of self-discovery, friendship, and the slow realization of mutual affection between the two boys. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Deen aired from January to March 2022. An anime film, Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation, premiered in Japan in February 2023.

It is recorded as the work of Shō Harusono. Publication is recorded by Media Factory and Yen Press, LLC. The recorded date of publication is 2016. It is associated with Japan. Recorded genres are comedy anime and manga, romance anime and manga and slice of life anime and manga. The recorded subject matter is male homosexuality, otaku and school.

Sasaki and Miyano is a slow-burn romance that centers on the evolving relationship between two high school boys, Miyano Yoshikazu and Sasaki Shumei. Miyano Yoshikazu is a first-year student at an all-boys high school who spends most of his time reading boys' love (BL) manga. He is self-conscious about his feminine-looking face and keeps his interest in BL a secret from most of his classmates. One day, he witnesses an upperclassman intervening in a schoolyard scuffle. That student is Sasaki Shumei, a second-year known for his laid-back, somewhat rebellious attitude. After their chance meeting, Sasaki becomes curious about Miyano and strikes up casual conversations with him. When Miyano shyly reveals his hobby of reading BL manga, Sasaki expresses genuine interest and asks to borrow some titles. Their shared conversations over manga become a regular occurrence, gradually deepening their friendship. While Miyano is initially surprised by Sasaki's openness and charm, he begins to feel comfortable around him, even as he remains unaware of Sasaki's growing romantic feelings. As Sasaki spends more time with Miyano, he starts to fall in love with him, though he initially chooses to keep his feelings to himself out of respect for their friendship. Meanwhile, Miyano begins to question his own emotions and identity, unsure whether his admiration for Sasaki is purely platonic or something more. The story follows Miyano's internal journey as he explores his feelings, influenced both by his experiences with BL fiction and his real-life connection with Sasaki. The narrative unfolds through everyday school life, conversations between friends, and moments of quiet emotional introspection. While their romance develops slowly, the story places strong emphasis on mutual respect, communication, and consent. Supporting characters, including their classmates and friends, provide additional perspectives on relationships and help flesh out the school's social environment.

Yoshikazu Miyano (宮野由美, Miyano Yoshikazu) Voiced by: Soma Saito (Japanese); Joshua Waters (English) A short, bishōnen first-year student. Despite being attracted to girls, he is a self-identified fudanshi, a male fan of yaoi manga, and is watchful for tropes of the genre when they appear in his real life. He hides his hobby from most people out of embarrassment, though he happily shares it with Sasaki. In middle school he often felt self-conscious about his androgynous appearance, an insecurity he gradually grows out of after reaching high school. Sasaki affectionately addresses him as "Miya-chan" (宮ちゃん), or simply "Miya" in the anime's English dub. Shūmei Sasaki (佐々木秀鳴, Sasaki Shūmei) Voiced by: Yusuke Shirai (Japanese); Kellen Goff (English) A tall second-year boy who befriends Miyano at the start of the story. Though he is generally friendly and open to others, his appearance and demeanor have earned him a reputation as a delinquent. He is more expressive than Miyano in his emotions and is the first to recognize his attraction towards him. He eventually becomes Miyano's boyfriend. Taiga Hirano (平野大河, Hirano Taiga) Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese); Brandon McInnis (English) A classmate of Sasaki and mutual friend of both him and Miyano. Being a year older than Miyano, he shows a strong protective instinct towards him. Jirō Ogasawara (小笠原次郎, Ogasawara Jirō) Voiced by: Yūki Ono (Japanese); Jonah Scott (English) Masato Hanzawa (半澤雅人, Hanzawa Masato) Voiced by: Yuma Uchida|Brendan Blaber}} Tasuku Kuresawa (暮沢丞, Kuresawa Tasuku) Voiced by: Ryōhei Arai (Japanese); Kayleigh McKee (English) Gonsaburō Tashiro (田代権三郎, Tashiro Gonsaburō) Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Ichiki (Japanese); Y. Chang (English)

The series is written and illustrated by Shō Harusono. It has been serialized online via pixiv Comic website since 2016. It has been collected in eleven tankōbon volumes by Media Factory. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press. The spin-off manga Hirano and Kagiura is also licensed in North America by Yen Press.

An anime adaptation was announced on November 20, 2020. The adaptation, later revealed to be a television series, is animated by Studio Deen and directed by Shinji Ishihira, with Yoshiko Nakamura handling series' composition, Maki Fujii designing the characters, and Kana Shibue composing the music. The series aired from January 10 to March 28, 2022, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "Mabataki" (Blink) by Miracle Chimpanzee, while the ending theme song is "Ichigo Sunset" (Strawberry Sunset) by Yusuke Shirai and Soma Saito as their respective characters. Funimation streamed the series outside of Asia, which was later moved to Crunchyroll following Sony's acquisition of the company. Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia; and is available for fans to catch on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel, iQiyi, bilibili, etc. An anime OVA episode was released with the ninth volume of the manga on July 27, 2022. The series was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan across 4 volumes, each volume containing 3 episodes. In North America, Crunchyroll released the complete season on Blu-ray on January 3, 2023. After the final episode, it was announced that the series would be receiving a new anime project. It was later revealed to be an anime film, titled Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation, with the main cast and staff returning from the anime series. It premiered in Japan on February 17, 2023, along with an anime short adaptation of the Hirano and Kagiura spin-off manga. Crunchyroll licensed the film, and screenings were held at Sakura-Con and Anime Central before premiering online.

Kadokawa has released two art books, both illustrated by Harusono. The first art book, titled Candy - Shou Harusono Art Collection (Candy - 春園ショウアートコレクション, Candy - Harusono Shō Āto Korekushon) 978-4-04-681330-5, was released on March 26, 2022. Yen Press released an English print of the book on November 19, 2024 979-8-8554-0700-6. The second art book, titled Sasaki and Miyano Complete Guide -Graduation Edition- (佐々木と宮野　コンプリートガイド -卒業編-, Sasaki to Miyano Konpurīto Gaido - Sotsugyōhen -) 978-4-04-682825-5, was released on September 27, 2023. A manga anthology, titled Sasaki and Miyano Official Comic Anthology (佐々木と宮野　公式アンソロジーコミック, Sasaki to Miyano Kōshiki Ansorojī Komikku) 978-4-04-681329-9, was published by Kadokawa on April 27, 2022. Yen Press released an English print of the book on October 17, 2023 978-1-9753-6646-9.