While it does not fully tackle their respective pasts, To the Stars and Back Volume 2 is a feel-good delight that leaves a smile etched on your face with every turn of the page.
On one hand, To the Stars and Back Volume 2 moves incredibly fast with its BL romance. On the other hand, it feels just right for this pair. It’s easy to love a romance that has a happy-go-lucky type of man with hidden depths paired with a reserved, cool young guy learning to be more open with his feelings. The romance is sweetly adorable. Why wait if you believe in the relationship? While it does not fully tackle their respective pasts, To the Stars and Back Volume 2 is a feel-good delight that leaves a smile etched on your face with every turn of the page.
Created by Peglo, the story continues the relationship between apartment neighbors Bo Seon and Kang Dae as they circle the desire to be something more. The yaoi or BL romance is strong, especially the levels of cute in the color illustrations. Certain aspects feel rushed as it sprints to its conclusion. However, the overall connection between the pair makes it no less a delightful read. Still, it would feel more complete with a genuine and healthy exploration of navigating child abuse. Fortunately, the story does not dump it and move on, but takes some time with it. It just was not enough.
To the Stars and Back Volume 2 Ups the Heart Flutters
Alongside Bo Seon, readers get swept away in the romance. But we as readers also understand the reticence when it comes to confessing your feelings to a cherished friend. If they do not reciprocate, the awkward discomfort can lead to a gradual and tragic dissolution of the friendship. So Bo Seon seesaws between wanting to confess and the fear of losing Kang Dae with the confession. But it’s adorable because though Bo Seon is clueless, Kang Dae also struggles with psyching himself up to admit his “more than friends” affection for Bo Seon. To the Stars and Back Volume 2 has one of the sweetest examples of the lovestruck style of “circling each other.”
Once they learn the other reciprocates their affection, it’s adorable little hearts constantly drawn next to their faces as they see each other. There were even adorable small flowers next to Bo Seon. It reminded me of the happy scene in Kimi Ni Todoke when Sawako heads to meet up with her first friends. The story often makes Kang Dae too obscure. But there is still an appeal in the lightness of most aspects of the story. But even Bo Seon’s friends, Kyo and Cindee, seem to get more attention than Kang Dae.
Moves Too Fast
When a story chooses to tackle abuse, it’s important to give it space. To the Stars and Back Volume 2 tries and to a degree succeeds in exploring it. It’s especially warm how they show that it does not always have to be verbally communicated. But after that, Bo Seon talks about possibly seeking out therapy to help heal and move forward, and that’s it. That, combined with howthey praise each other as the only thing required to heal, is not healthy. If a person depends on another to get past trauma, what happens when that person is no longer around? The story is so warm and open with so much more potential underneath, but it rushes to a conclusion.
To the Stars and Back Volume 2 is a cute, sweet, fun, and comedic BL that keeps you hooked on the core relationship. But you also love Kyo and Cindee’s (cheers to Cindee carrying Kyo!). Much of what the story does, it does well. It tempers the emotional moments of heartfelt joy with passionate moments and laughs as they come together. The ending feels like a logical conclusion to their relationship. However, the path to it still feels hurried, with not enough attention given to handling an abusive childhood. Overall, To the Stars and Back Volume 2 is still a fantastic end to the romance between two neighbors who became something more.
