WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sasaki and Miyano, Episode 4, “Limit,” now streaming on Funimation.
The seme (top) and uke (bottom) issue is a big deal in the BL genre; the trope associated with the two is that the seme is the much more masculine character while the uke is more femininized. BL as a whole has been criticized for perpetuating heterosexual norms in homosexual stories, which is problematic for LGBTQ representation. However, this trope has been more frequently subverted in recent titles, including the seemingly conventional Sasaki and Miyano, which features a nuanced portrayal that dissects what it means to be a seme and uke.
According to BL conventions, an uke’s appearance does not only look more feminized but is usually also shorter and thinner, or overall physically weaker than the seme. This is definitely the case with Miyano, especially when compared to Sasaki, who is probably a foot taller. This fact is also exacerbated by Miyano himself, who is extremely self-conscious about his feminine appearance. This episode shows that during middle school, he was asked to wear girl’s clothing by a girl he liked, triggering his inferiority complex.
Additionally, in many BL stories, the uke’s weaker physical stature frequently translates into a weaker personality; he is often less resolved, more passive, more gullible and very often succumbs to the seme’s requests/tricks. On the surface, Miyano fits with many of these personality traits. He is more reclusive because of his BL interests, while Sasaki is much more proactive when it comes to pushing their relationship forward.
However, in reality, Miyano is not as passive as he seems. He is the first person to try to help save his classmate Kuresawa from bullies, which alerted Sasaki to this issue. He is also the one who gave the band-aid to Sasaki in the first place, which made Sasaki fall in love with him. In a sense, Miyano is actually the one who started their relationship. So far, Sasaki is also going along with everything Miyano likes to do, so Miyano is leading in terms of interests and activities as well.
One of the reasons why Miyano is reluctant to start a relationship with Sasaki -- and probably with other men in general -- is that he does not want to be seen as feminized. As a fudanshi, he has internalized all the stereotypes associated with an uke, and he knows that he will very likely fall into the uke role if he ends up in a same-sex relationship. Miyano unconsciously sees being viewed as an uke as a threat to his sense of masculinity, so being more firm about his heterosexuality is one way to feel more secure about his identity.
However, the series is also trying to deconstruct the conventions of seme and uke. In Miyano’s fantasies, as he imagines he and Sasaki in a relationship, he sees himself as the seme. This episode even shows Miyano “kabedon” Sasaki, which is usually a very seme thing to do. And Sasaki is so frazzled by Miyano that he had to skip school; an emotional response that seems more traditionally uke. The series is demonstrating that uke and seme need not be so set in stone and that stereotypes can be broken.
Miyano’s advice to Ogasawara also serves as potential advice to himself. When Ogasawara asks why his fujoshi girlfriend is imagining him as an uke, Miyano replies that maybe she is not seeing him in these terms because she loves him as himself, not as an extension of her interests. Ogasawara astutely points out that this is why Miyano doesn’t see Sasaki in these terms either, shocking Miyano. If Miyano can see past his own preferences and fears, maybe he can finally be ready to accept Sasaki.
