The Moon and the Sandals

The Moon and the Sandals
Cover of the first volume in the English edition.
月とサンダル (Tsuki to Sandal)
Genre	Yaoi
Manga
Written by	Fumi Yoshinaga
Published by	Houbunsha
English publisher	NA Digital Manga Publishing
Demographic	Josei
Magazine	Hanaoto
Original run	March 1996 – February 2000
Volumes	2

The Moon and the Sandals (月とサンダル, Tsuki to Sandal) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga, her debut work. Originally serialized in Hanaoto magazine, the individual chapters were collected and published in two tankōbon volumes by Houbunsha in March 1996 and February 2000, respectively. It follows the romantic relationships of high school teacher Ida, his lover, a student named Kobayashi who develops a crush on Ida and is rejected, and the fellow student whom Kobayashi comes to love afterwards.

The series is licensed and published in English in North America by Digital Manga Publishing. It was nominated as one of the Young Adult Library Services Association 2008 Great Graphic Novels.

High school student Kobayashi goes to the home of his history teacher, Ida, to confess that he is in love with him. When he arrives, he overhears Ida arguing with his lover Hashizume. A talented chef, Hashizume is planning to move to Kyoto to work at a famous restaurant and wants Ida to come with him. Ida, however, cannot transfer out of the city and would have to quit teaching to go. He debates doing it as he would lose his job anyway if someone found out he was gay, but eventually decides not to as teaching is his life dream. Kobayashi begins visiting Ida regularly and cooking meals for him. Eventually he kisses Ida and asks him to date him, but before Ida can reply Hashizume arrives. He quit the Kyoto job and found one instead there in Tokyo, and asks Ida to live with him. Heartbroken, Kobayashi runs off. Eventually he gets over the rejection and remains friends with Ida, visiting him at school and acting as his confidant about his relationship with Hashizume.

Hashizume and Ida begin searching for a place to live together, but no one wants to rent an apartment to two unrelated men, saying they would be messy and less reliable for payments and renewing. Kobayashi wonders if it's an excuse to avoid renting to a gay couple. Ida suggests one of them adopt the other, which would be the equivalent of gay marriage. This would also allow them to say that they are brothers for the purposes of renting. Hashizume initially rejects the idea, causing Ida to think he does not love him. They have an argument in which Ida accuses Hashizume of having never said "I love you" and Hashizume ends up slapping Ida and running off. Crying alone, Ida remembers how they first became a couple and that Hashizume said the words the first time they kissed. Hashizume returns, bringing the adoption forms as well as an old marriage registry showing he had wanted the same thing for a long time.