As Netflix continues to sweep novels off the shelves and develop into the newest fan favorite, they never seem to miss the mark. Streaming is a way for books that usually go unnoticed to have their shot at the spotlight. The latest adaption on the ever growing list of Netflix originals is “Heartstopper.”

 Released April 22 fans quickly binged watched the first season. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the show used inspiration from the first and second volumes of the series. Readers of the books will be thrilled to know that the author, Alice Oseman, is also the writer and creator of the TV show. She was involved with the production and kept the show true to her vision. 

The show begins with Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) starting his second semester of year 10 at Truman Grammar School for Boys. He is ready to kick off the brand new year right. He has a solid friend group, a teacher he can trust, and a relationship he wants to announce to the world. Nothing will make this year any more perfect than it is already. That is until he sat next to Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) in his form class. 

As the semester continues, Spring learns more about Nelson and begins to have feelings for him. His friends,   Elle Argent (Yasim Finney), Tao Xu (William Goa) and Issac (Tobbie Donovan) try to convince him to not let his hopes up. It’s pleasant to see teens looking out for each other in a show when usually friendships break off.  Nelson is the least likely person to ever fall for Spring, but he can’t help feeling butterflies for the year 11 boy. 

After a bad encounter with his vague boyfriend, Spring breaks it off with him for good. Nelson, who saw the interaction, tries to comfort Spring and help him through the experience. Spring brushes it off and just wants to let it go while Nelson is still concerned about him. This leads to the two becoming closer friends. 

During the progression of the show, Nelson is trying to figure out how he feels about Spring. His heart skips a bit when he is around him, but doesn’t know what this means. Throughout the season we see him be able to come to terms with his feelings toward his best friend and with his identity. 

“Heartstopper” goes through the experiences that LGBTQ youth deal with today. It deals with the topics of coming out, bullying, manipulation, homophobia and transphobia in schools. The characters all go through things that no teenager should have to face. It shows that the world is not as kind as one would hope. 

One aspect of the Netflix series that I really enjoyed was the use of animation to depict the emotion of each scene. Whenever the characters were feeling excited, there would be a breeze with leaves. If there was a scene of warmth or love, there would be sparks. This helped convey the comic type feeling on the screen. 

“Heartstopper” is a cute teen romance that high schoolers can finish in a weekend. It is filled with a cast that are actually teenagers, in contrast to the “Euphoria’s” of Hollywood. It is refreshing to see people that actually act and look like they are in their first years of high school. IMDB rated the series with 9.1/10 and it deserves this amazing score. This show has a calming atmosphere and makes me want to give it a hug. Anyone who wants to have their heart stopped from adorableness should go to their TV and press play. 

Contact Bridget Nye at [email protected]