リンクアンドリング | Link and Ring

Story and Art: Tsuyuki Yuruco (つゆき ゆるこ)

Translated by: Amimaru Translation and Localization Services Ltd

Status: Completed

Available at futekiya (EN), Rakuten Kobo (JP)

Summary from futekiya

“If I ever get brave enough to say I like you from the top of my lungs–” Bessho coincidentally meets Makita in a university lecture they share, finding out that they both like cute things. While Bessho hides his preferences like a dirty little secret, Makita makes no excuses for who he is and what he likes. Despite the twists and turns, they encounter along the way, the pair of lovers deal with their possessive and jealous urges on their slow journey to answering the age-old question: what is the best way to fall in love?

I was lured by the sweetness of the couple in the cover, but the pervert in me was sad when I saw the low spicy ratings. lol Link and Ring proved to be just as sweet and endearing as its cover.

Makita and Bessho are the typical loner x outgoing type. They might seem like worlds apart, but their otaku needs meet, and a friendship bloomed. This kind of trope and character design has to be one of my favorites. What I really adore, though, is their relationship because more than the chemistry, these two have an easy camaraderie despite the differences in their personality. It’s quite obvious that they fit in whatever relationship they have.

Except Bessho is a closeted otaku, among the other things he isn’t quite ready to share with the world.

Unlike most romance stories, Link and Ring is more than about getting together. If anything, I’m disappointed in that aspect because they got together rather fast. But the succeeding chapters show that getting together is just the start; the real struggle happens in maintaining that relationship.

Keeping an interest in an established couple is hard. Still, somehow, Tsuyuki Yuruco managed to keep me turning pages after another, eager to find out how the couple is going to sustain their earlier attraction. In a way, I didn’t just read them fighting for their love but also watch them turn to be better persons.

Another thing that I loved is the atmosphere. Each page, each panel feels light and “breezy” — it reminds me of those scenes in the anime where the male and female lead meets amongst the falling and fluttering leaves in the background. It has the same pure, warm, and fluffy feel that Dokyuusei has.

There’s also a chapter about their friends, which is an excellent addition but terribly unsatisfying, leaving me disappointed because now I’m rooting for them and I don’t know if they have their own books.

This is for those looking for… (✯◡✯)

☑️ Light romance

☑️ Slight angst

☑️ University students

☑️ Otaku

☑️ Friends-to-Lovers