Our Dining Table

… Bruh. I’m so happy about this getting a physical release really soon because this just became one of my favorite manga. I’m gonna start with the only problem I had about this story and that’s the amount of affection Yutaka had towards Tane. You can kind of understand why Yutaka was at peace around Tane because of his backstory but the author didn’t give Tane much of a similar connection to kid!Yutaka to justify why he’s happy to see Tane happy and it comes off as a little creepy.

I know the author wasn’t trying to write him that way, but without Yutaka talking about how he wished he was as happy as Tane is as a kid and/or showing that Yutaka is really good with kids in general to make a good father figure is a missed opportunity to me. Yutaka’s childhood was a lot for him, so much that even eating in front of people was uncomfortable. But after meeting Tane and Minoru and having that “found family” moment was he really able to be happy and feel like he was part of a family. In that sense, I can also see why he cared for Tane like a son/little brother. It just wasn’t written well enough to 100% convey that affection.

Other than that, I loved this story. I love the characters and how it focused on their development. I also love Tane’s crush on Yutaka as it’s very clear from the start to see it and made me laugh. The time skip was very adorable and I thank them for writing that bit in.

Found family, lgbtqia+, adoption, death of a parent


I don't think we give much thought to how intimate sharing a meal with someone else is. The invitation is offered to come into one's home and into one's thoughts. Even if it's out to a restaurant. You are sitting down and naturally you start to share parts of your life, your thoughts and feelings. You share your likes and dislikes based on the foods you choose to eat or not eat. On the flip side, we might not give much thought to how life changing sharing space and a meal with someone can be. Without knowing we could fill a void in someone else's life by just asking them to share a meal.


This was a beautiful read in every way.