Well I finally got around to reading one of the most popular current shoujo romances. It took some badgering but I finally did it. I honestly had no excuse since the first volume was literally sitting on my shelf. I was just procrastinating on it. I keep finding some good romances lately because I just acquired two favorites in a row. I dont usually get this lucky. I may need to start finding some bad manga again so that I humble myself. Anyways A Sign of Affection is about Yuki a Deaf college student. She lives in her own world surrounded by the same friends and loved ones shes known for years. However in an encounter on the train she meets Itsuomi a welltraveled multilingual man whos actually one of her best friends friends. Even though he knows many languages that doesnt encompass sign language he decides to learn from Yuki and enter her world. Yuki finds herself drawn into his vibrant life as well. The thing that made me fall in love with this manga was how it portrayed sign language. suu Morishita consulted with actual Deaf and hard of hearing people and actually worked with someone from that community to write Yuki and her experiences accurately. The illustrator at least is learning sign language and is consulting the woman theyre working with to ensure that the signs are drawn accurately. Theres so much care put into this manga and I just really appreciate it. It makes me happy to think that the story was created with authenticity in mind. The relationships are written in a way where its easy to root for them. We have Yuki and Itsuomi who are brought together by a chance encounter and a mutual friend and bond over sign language and learning about each others lives. The progression in their relationship feels natural. They are attracted to each other quickly but take their relationship seriously and handle things maturely. The side couples are adorable and the love triangle felt natural along the lines of something that would happen. Technically there are two love triangles but one gets resolved early on with how it was an unrequited love for years. When Itsuomi and Yukis relationship started that onesided love became hopeless and lead to a potential relationship with someone who was also battling unrequited feelings. The other love triangle begins when the relationship starts as you cant expect for the one you love to stay single forever even if youre too scared to make a move yourself. The relationship between Yukis best friend and Itsuomis cousin was probably the weakest and most boring to me but they were still cute and it didnt feel like it came out of nowhere since they had history before the series started. The relationships all feel natural and not contrived in the slightest. I also just straight up adore the way it conveys how Yuki understands the words of people around her. When youre viewing the story through the characters who can hear the speech bubbles are like normal. However when its viewed through Yukis perspective when shes reading lips the words theyre saying are lighter. When she cant catch the words theyre saying theyre backwards. She has an inner monologue and the sign language used is translated. Its cool and does an excellent job of showing the different communication styles. Yuki is adorable and lively taking everything in stride. Shes determined to do her best no matter what and lives life with heart and passion. I admire her strength and optimism. Itsuomi has more of a calm demeanor but he really is quite social with friends all over the world. Hes passionate about travel learning and other cultures and Im excited to find out why since that will be a huge reveal later. Id say that Rin and Kyouya Yukis best friend and Itsuomis cousin dont really have strong personalities and Id say theyre the weakest of the cast. I hope they get development later on. Yukis childhood friend Oushi is a major tsundere who enjoys teasing Yuki but he easily becomes abrasive when someone he perceives as a threat to himself or to Yuki appears. Hes much less mature than Itsuomi and views him with animosity. As for Emma and Shin Itsuomis childhood friends they are very lively and I adore them both as individuals and as a potential couple. The art is gorgeous. The character designs are some of the most beautiful Ive seen. Its very delicate with the shading and color choices and the color art is to die for. The eyes are so sparkly and detailed in the color pages. Im obsessed. Sparkly detailed eyes are an oddly specific art weakness of mine. The designs arent complex in the slightest but they convey so much. Even characters who are related look similar but nowhere near identical. I just think this series is super cool and offers a unique touch to the mainstream shoujosphere. Its cool that a manga about a disabled character is getting so much attention and I think it deserves it. Even if some of the characters are on the weaker side I think its storytelling representation and artwork make up for it. I cant wait to see the places this manga goes since it holds so much potential. Also why doesnt this have an anime? It deserves one and its certainly popular.