"Tanaka Kanata and Yoshikawa Kazuki from Class 2-B are mature".
Middle schoolers Tanaka Kanata and Yoshikawa Kazuki are mature beyond their years, perfect model students admired from afar by classmates and teachers alike. However, when school's out, these two childhood friends can let loose as average fourteen-year-olds, fresh in the throes of puberty, adolescence... and the persistent, bittersweet pangs of first love.
The manga provide examples of:
- Beneath the Mask:
- A major theme of the series is the difference between how a person presents themselves to the world and how they really behave, which they can only show around certain people.
- Being able to remove their masks around each other is what brought Kanata and Kazuki together.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Kanata and Kazuki grow up together and start going out romantically, even without proper confession. Kazuki does give her an official one before he has to move away.
- Coming of Age: While this is not the focus of the story, the manga does explore teenagers' concerns, challenges and struggle during their transition to adult.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Nagai. Hinohara knows this and motivates him (through questionable means).
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Kazuki accuses Kanata of thinking this way during a discussion about an argument between two classmates.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The main focus of the story is about the love between Yoshikawa and Tanaka, who are 14-year old.
- Fake Relationship: Yoshikawa helps Katou by pretending to be the boyfriend for a girl Katou meets in a park who lies about having a cool boyfriend for a day.
- Fast-Forward to Reunion: Tanaka and Yoshikawa has a reunion at Ichonose's wedding after 5 years of long-distance relationship.
- High-School Dance: Of the awkward variety, the students are very nervous at the thought of holding hands with a member of the opposite sex.
- Huge School Girl: Kanata is a realistic version. She's the tallest girl in her class but she's not freakishly tall.
- Long-Distance Relationship: Tanaka and Yoshikawa when the latter has to move away because of his dad's work.
- Their First Time: Chapter 47: Tanaka and Yoshikawa when they are stuck in a small hut during a blizzard.
- Positive Friend Influence: Yoshikawa and Ichonose to Nagai.
- Relationship Sabotage:
- Kishi tries to reveal Yoshikawa's pathetic side to the class, which is that he's bad with mathematics, in order to increase her chance of being together with Tanaka.
- Several of Katou's classmates try to break Katou and Arisaka apart during their aquarium date since they think he is too childish for a relationship.
- Secret Relationship: Tanaka and Yoshikawa
- Shipper on Deck: Tanaka to Katou and Arisaka, as she's afraid Arisaka will make a move on Yoshikawa instead.
- Shipping Torpedo: Kishi to Tanaka and Yoshikawa, as she is in one-sided love with Tanaka.
- Slice of Life: The story mostly revolves around the daily student life of Tanaka, Yoshikawa and their classmates.
- Teacher/Student Romance: G-rated version between Nagai and Hinohara.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 39. After Yoshikawa pulls a crazy stunt (having Nagai press the fire alarm and Ichonose carry Tanaka's crutches and bag back to class) and piggybacks injured Tanaka to the rooftops in order to be alone with her, with teary eyes, he informs her that he has to move to Nagasaki due to his father's work.
