Heartstopper

"Heartstopper" is a graphic novel series written by Alice Oseman. These LGBTQ+ graphic novel series are about the sincere friendship between Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson turning into a love affair, but I think it's more than that. There may be spoilers in the rest of the article, so those who have not read the graphic novel or watched the series can stop reading it if they want.

First of all, I don't need to talk about how much I love this series as someone who reads the comics, at least all the published ones, and follows the series closely and finishes the full episodes in one day, but I will probably talk about it.

Our story, which begins in a school setting called Truham Grammar School for Boys, continues to examine the complexity and search for the identity of young people and to make sense of themselves. I don't think we're involved in this story through the eyes of a particular character, both in the graphic novels and the series. So even though the story always feels like Charlie's eyes to me, this series allows us to see it from Nick's point of view.

In my opinion, this series is quite different from other youth fiction. While the exaggerated high school lives and the view of bullying are very shallow in almost every youth fiction I read and watch, these subjects are not handled that way in this series. When Charlie is found out that he is gay, we see that life is not always about bullies, even though there are people who bullied him. Because Charlie has a wonderful group of friends who love and accept him for who he is. Although he has very delicate, I think he is a very brave character, which does not prevent us from being brave anyway.

Nick and Charlie's friendship, after they met, is also going great. Although many of my friends think that bullying will turn into love when they watch the series, this is another aspect that distinguishes this series from others. Nick is never a bully. On the contrary, he is extremely thoughtful, understanding, and kind. I think I might be secretly in love with Nick because I have Charlie’s traits.

The first season of the series includes the 1st and 2nd graphic novels, while the recently released 2nd season focuses on the 3rd and 4th graphic novels. I mean, those are the parts that hurt me the most. Although we see the personal development processes of the characters on almost every page and episode, I think it is impossible to hold back our tears when we learn about Charlie's eating disorder and its cause. Addressing such a sensitive issue, especially from the perspective of young people, is something that not everyone can do. I think it is very valuable that Alice Oseman's perspective and the mental states of the characters are included. I was very touched, especially by the fact that this mental problem, which was experienced when you’re young, was handled so realistically and to see those always stand for him in this process. I think it shows how mature Nick is and how much he loves Charlie, especially when Nick realizes this and holds his hand, and says that Charlie's mental problems are not a burden for Nick. Seeing such kind and deep characters warned me that it's okay to be who I am.

Actually, there are some differences between the graphic novel and the series, but there is not much deviation from the subject. There are many more topics I want to talk about in the series, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. Just know that when you watch this series, you will feel very safe.