I Hear the Sunspot – Recap and Review – Complete

A Japanese BL about an introverted young man with hearing loss, and the loud extrovert who tumbles into his life.

You can watch the Episode 1 trailer here.

Country: Japan 
Local Title: ひだまりが聴こえる
Year Released: 2024
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Interabled College BL

Main Actors:

Nakazawa Motoki as Sugihara Kohei
Kobayashi Toranosuke as Sagawa Taichi

Pre-Recap Information:

Based on a manga that is available in English, I love this story because it has a hearing-impaired character. Not deaf, but hearing impaired. He can hear enough to lip-read, speaks out loud, and does not use sign language.

Like Sakura and Heart, Kouhei once had better hearing but got one of those mysterious illnesses that causes hearing loss. (These illnesses do exist, they just never have names on these shows.)

Kouhei though, is more than just his hearing loss. He’s probably the most introverted of all the deaf/hard-of-hearing characters in shows that I’ve recapped. He’s pretty much the opposite of Issei and Yuki. His natural introversion has complicated his hearing loss, making him more prone to isolation.

Even though I’m not as hard of hearing as Kouhei, I’ve been hearing impaired since birth. I’m keenly aware of how isolating it can be when you can’t hear the communications of those around you. For this reason, I appreciate seeing stories like this. People without hearing loss can feel isolated, and people with hearing loss may not feel isolated, but I think it’s something that people without hearing loss don’t realize.

Anyway, off my soapbox and into the story.

Into his life, Taichi literally tumbles. And takes his lunch. Taichi is loud and straightforward and extroverted. His loud, clear voice is a positive for Kouhei, but his personality is also a positive. Kouhei is overwhelmed by his boisterous attitude but he needs someone to help drag him out of his shell, hearing loss or no.

Meanwhile, Taichi could use someone more quiet and stable in his life. His loudness is a coping mechanism too, a way of handling the neglect in his past.

An inter-abled couple that is also opposites attract, how can I resist?

You can read my final general review of the series including the ending here.