Details
Title:
Takara's Treasure
Za kolorowym szkłem
タカラのびいどろ
Author: Minta Suzumaru
Artist: Minta Suzumaru
Volumes: 1
Publishers:
Dango (Polish, 2023)
SuBLime (English, 2024)
Shinshokan (Japanese, 2022)
Sparkling Love Held in Your Palm
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
In the vague memories of my 90s childhood, I remember visiting seashore towns with my family, where you could buy many cheap, useless trinkets. Among them, glass marbles activated inner magpies in kids of all ages. I do not recall any games or activities you would perform with them – their main point was to be admired, touched and enjoyed.
The titular treasure describes Takara’s love for marbles and their beauty, but also his struggles with how he feels about love. The dynamic of a brusque senpai trying not to get annoyed by a younger and a little naive crybaby kouhai reminded me how much I love the stories where love doesn’t happen instantly, and characters are aloof. There is some friction between them, but most importantly, love is there. Takara’s Treasure from Minta Suzumaru quickly became my absolute favourite work of hers, and I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
One day, Taishin, a high-schooler, has a mental breakdown outside his home due to the loss of his pet parrot. While crying in public, he is approached by a college student who tries to cheer him up. Only getting the name of the college, Taishin decides to apply there in hopes of meeting him again. His plan comes true when he reunites with the said stranger: Takara. However, the parasocial dream bubble bursts quickly when Takara, understandably taken aback, gives him a cold shoulder. Taishin, with his honest and clueless self, attempts to befriend his aloof senpai, and Takara slowly realises he doesn’t really mind.
You should have told someone from the club, you moose.
This manga quickly stole my heart with its cuteness and the earnest younger protagonist, Taishin. Often, I would quickly get bored with such characters that offer nothing else to a reader than just their cuteness, but I really enjoyed Taishin. His earnest attempt to get closer to Takara by getting involved in a hiking club felt very natural, allowing both of them to get to know each other better.
The author balances perfectly the parasocial vibes from Taishin, who suddenly decides to follow this stranger to study at the same university, with the actual feelings of the person on the other side of the equation. Taishin gets confronted with the ‘Well, you met me again, now what?’. His little dream bubble gets burst, and he needs to process how that makes him feel. Because hey, if I had a younger person follow me to my university, I would also be like “What the fuck, dude”, lol!
Throughout the story, we switch perspectives from Taishin to Takara as we unravel the meaning of the title. The backstory of Takara’s relationship with his grandfather is an absolutely lovely addition, with a subtle foreshadowing that Takara’s relationship with his parents is not perfect. His childhood struggle to appreciate the beauty of glass marble balls, cheap yet beloved trinkets, was an interesting one. He projects his feelings of ownership onto small items. Kids often become attached to their small collections of items, as they bring comfort and a sense of control over their lives, which may not be emotionally stable. However, Takara grows up aware that this possessiveness is not something healthy to apply to human relationships. I really adored his small struggle not to stash his new human treasure away and to try to resolve some of his internal turmoil. Takara became my absolute fav, and I wish this manga had another volume or two!
While the Polish release is of high quality, I wish we had more colourful pages to display more sparkly side of the titled treasure and their child-like wonder. I hope we get a proper art book released by Suzumaru-san in the future, as I’d love to appreciate her colour art on a bigger canvas.
SuBLime has published the English version in their standard pocketbook format. I wish we had a larger size release to appreciate the art fully, but again, you cannot have everything.
If you are looking to get into Minta Suzumaru’s works, Takara’s Treasure is an absolute delight, which is a must-have for your BL physical collection. From the excellent art to the heartwarming cast with nostalgic vibes, you should not be disappointed. Hopefully, we see more of this story in the future with a sequel or spin-off!
