竹宮惠子
As one of the first ongoing serialized manga in the "shōnen-ai" genre, "The Heart of Thomas" is noted for its impact on the contemporary boys' love genre. In her survey of boys' love authors, sociologist Kazuko Suzuki found that "The Heart of Thomas" was listed as the second-most representative work in the genre, behind "Kaze to Ki no Uta" by Keiko Takemiya. The manga has attracted significant academic interest, and during the 2010s was one of the most studied and analyzed manga by Western academics. Shamoon notes that much of the Western analysis of "The Heart of Thomas" examines the manga from the perspective of contemporary gay and lesbian identity, which she argues neglects the work's focus on spiritual love and homosociality in girls' culture.