We should always want, dream of, and indeed deserve more.Enjoy this naughty, nasty, and otherwise adult imagery that somehow made it into numerous cartoon shows long thought safe for children… Heartstopper reminded me that there is no reason to measure “enough” queer love and community. The characters’ bliss might seem too good to be true-fantasy is, after all, a hallmark of the romance genre-but the result is a liberating expansion of queer storytelling and a powerful statement about queer and trans people’s humanity and desire for love.įar from thinking that I don’t truly need more media representation to reflect my queerness, I found Heartstopper deeply compelling precisely because it shook my confidence-confidence that I am sated, that I have enough inspiration to sustain me, that I defiantly don’t seek external validation. Ultimately, Heartstopper is a warm, hopeful, and self-assured love story, fleshed out by an endearing cast-any one of whom you would root for as a future lead. This too is handled remarkably, as Nick’s bisexuality is readily accepted without a whiff of disbelief or pressure to “pick a side.” The Right’s Long, Misguided Attempt to Claim Comedy’s Greatest Iconoclast for ThemselvesĮventually, Nick discovers a bisexual vlogger and subsequently comes out as bisexual.
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The lack of sex-or even allusions to it-is notable because the series is not ashamedly avoiding a topic that’s historically been stigmatized as inappropriate or deviant, but rather leaning into the lush emotional landscape of young love and all the non-sexual aspects of queer relationships. Heartstopper offers queer kids the same chance. We have always accepted that heterosexual relationships comprise more than simply sex, and allowed straight people to have emotionally rich and varied experiences. Daydreaming is deemed intimate on its own, not merely a prelude to some greater intimacy.
This is where Heartstopper excels: capturing the electricity of longing for someone and being unsure of how to act on it, let alone whether your feelings will be reciprocated.
We feel Nick’s intrigue and hesitation as heat literally crackles between his and Charlie’s fingers. In a clever homage to the tale’s roots as a graphic novel, animated stars, hearts, birds, and leaves flutter around the characters during upswells of emotion. When Charlie falls asleep during a movie, Nick apprehensively reaches out for Charlie’s hand, only to pull away. While Charlie’s friends are wary of the “giant moronic rugby lads” hurting him, their skepticism is largely, miraculously, unwarranted.Ĭharlie is smitten with Nick, who in turn is drawn to him. This is not a jock who needs to bolster his masculinity by surrounding himself with fawning girls or distancing himself from his effeminate classmate. Nick doesn’t skip a beat when befriending Charlie. Wryly compared to a golden retriever, Nick Nelson offers us something different.