There’s one glaring problem that we have with Go-Toubun no Hanayome (Quintessential Quintuplets)—the idea that supposedly identical twins could frequently swap identities via elaborate wigs and getups without being found out.

Sora ni Hidamari (Sunbeams in the Sky) feels like it was written to be a direct response to Quintessential Quintuplets—essentially, “twin drama” done right. On the surface a sugary romance with plenty of cookie-baking and twin-swaps, the darker trauma running beneath the story’s surface is a surprising, but welcome, addition.

Join us today on Honey’s Anime as we review Sora ni Hidamari (Sunbeams in the Sky), Volume 1!

Discussion Time

Identical sisters Mio and Himari Akeno have done everything together their whole lives—but upon graduating middle school, they end up heading in different directions. Straitlaced Himari attends a fancier school to focus on her studies, while the bubbly and air-headed Mio is content as long as she’s having a good time.

Himari’s high school life takes an unexpected turn for the worse when she rejects a boy’s confession and ends up being mobbed in an alleyway by his lackeys. Although she pulls through physically, Himari is mentally scarred and sequesters herself at home, refusing to attend school—and remaining intensely wary around men.

Desperate to get her twin sister back to school, Mio cooks up a devilish scheme—feigning sickness, she begs Himari to attend school dressed as her! Reluctantly, Himari goes in Mio’s stead—and meets Makoto, the kind-hearted and studious “class prince.” But Himari needs to keep up appearances and fawn over Mio’s crush, the cold and aloof basketball player, Asaka—all while navigating her own psychological trauma that rears up around these boys.

Kaname Monika’s artwork is beautifully clean and at times borders on a shoujo fluffiness—despite the manga’s origins in the GFantasy shounen magazine, we’d suggest this to shoujo readers, too. With the series complete at three volumes in Japanese, we think the romantic and dramatic elements will nicely resolve without dragging on too long—sometimes it’s better to leave the audience wanting more!

1. Twin Hijinks Done Right

As we mentioned earlier, Sunbeams in the Sky feels like a direct response to some of the nonsensical twin-swapping of Quintessential Quintuplets (or at least, that’s how we felt). Himari quickly learns that, appearances aside, she’s a pretty different person from her sister; but in donning that alternate persona, she allows herself to feel and say things that she’d never do otherwise.

There’s also the dramatic element of Himari wanting to believe that her budding romance with classmate Makoto is directed towards her, and not the “Mio” she’s been impersonating. Despite wanting the whole situation to be temporary, Himari finds herself living vicariously through her sister’s life—but she’s also terrified that nobody likes her for “her.”

Final Thoughts

Sunbeams in the Sky promises a romantic comedy with twin-swapping hijinks and a dramatic layer, and it delivers in spades. Himari’s traumatic experience rears its ugly head at the worst possible times, while frequent gags (often at air-headed Mio’s expense) keep the mood relatively light.

In particular, we love how the mangaka has approached twin-swaps in a realistic manner—both emotionally and physically. We’re excited to see where the series will go and hope our twins get a happy ending!

Are you going to read Sunbeams in the Sky? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading!

Writer

Author: Brett Michael Orr

I'm a writer, gamer, and reviewer of manga & light novels, from Melbourne, Australia. When I'm not creating a new world, I'll be absorbed in a good JRPG, watching some anime, or reading up a storm!

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