Rika the Breeder is simply awesome world-building. The mangaka constructs an insulated, violent and perverse society, where bullying and sexual victimization are run-of-the-mill events. It's like a gay version of Lord of the Flies, with even more cruelty thrown in.

Hiro, our main character, transfers to a boarding school in order to solve the mystery behind his brother's death. His brother was a student at this school, and was apparently involved in the bullying there -- but was he a victim or a perpetrator? As Hiro draws closer to the truth, he witnesses horrifying atrocities committed within the school, and falls deeper into the seductive trap of Rika, the school's resident fag.

I cannot express my love for this series in mere words. Let's just say that Rika is as complex and conflicted as he is beautiful, and Hiro is as desperate and hungry as he is noble. None of the characters are one-dimensional. There are depths to this story that are frankly frightening, and if you thought high school was hell before, this manga will convince you never to set foot in a school again.

If I ever have kids, I'm home-schooling them.

But damn. Rika was lovely.

... Last updated on June 22nd, 2007, 9:01pm

Have you read "The Lord of the Flies" - yes? Than it's will be poping in your mind wile reading manga. The plot is brilliat - just imajine high school with no rules no teachers only teenages who are full of greed rage lust and all instinkt's. They have no restrictes and whey won't couse whey are the future rules they only need to know how to reighn or how to obey. And in these living hell came a new stone and the stable sestem start to shaike. Nobody knows what will hepen next. The artwork is gorges and just what need for the plot the charakters you have to reed yourself (here is no just bad or just good person they are leeving beens and sometimes even the crulliest desigions can be understandeble). So I think, espessualy if you like psichology and books like the lord of the flies it's yours.

... Last updated on December 1st, 2007, 2:58pm

... is one of the most disturbing, mysterious cliff-hanging images I've ever come across. As far as psychological yaoi goes, Rika the Breeder is the murky deep end of the pool. It is impossible to feel neutral about this work depicting the savagery of a private boys school. The worst excesses of the genre: powerful preying on the weak, numerous victims and dreadful, scarring injuries ... all beautifully and hauntingly rendered. Repellent, but you can't look away. Perhaps Motoni-sensei needed a vacation from all this stuff, but I hope she picks it up again!

I started reading this cos I wanted to try something different for a change. And it's different all right, just not in a good way. I think this manga has received a lot of undue praise for its dark psychological themes, but that alone doesn't make it good. There are a lot of problems with it.

First of all it is so confusing! Lots of characters introduced all at once and the whole system wasn't really explained until later on in the manga. That might have worked nicely as a stylistic device as the reader learns the rules along with Hiro but it could have been done way better.

Then the plot was all over the place! I actually quite liked the main idea of the manga. Hiro joining this crazy school of bullies and sex maniacs to find out about his brother and all. So far so good but it just wasn't well written. Sometimes it's the writer's decision to purposefully make it confusing, like real life with no apparent plot with beginning, plot turns, climax and ending. In this case, however, it just felt like bad writing. Even real people have motives for the things they do. Here it seems like nothing makes sense or even needs to make sense as long as it's as brutal and cruel as possible. Overkill!

What irked me the most were the characters. Deep? That's questionable... Someone said no one in this manga is one-dimensional. Well I think it's more like they're bi-polar! There's no consistency with any of the characters. It's all completely random. Rika might have been an interesting character who isn't what he seems but since all the characters are kind of hard to figure out in all their randomness even this trait kinda falls flat.

Not to mention that none of the characters were really even likable, at least for me. Maybe Natsume but he was all over the place too. Caring and good but the next minute cold, cool on one hand but then again surprisingly naïve and weak (I mean, if you've been warned someone's gonna push you down the stairs, watch your back, right!?)

The art wasn't completely awful but nothing to rave about either. I think this manga is pretty much a good idea with potential badly botched up... And this is coming from someone who doesn't mind themes like rape with or without love, bullying, torture and brutality. I just had the nagging feeling the entire time while I was reading this that the whole thing was the mangaka's desperate attempt to write a psychological, dark and twisted story. It wasn't a good story that had these characteristics but rather these characteristics crammed in a story, so in the end it didn't seem to flow naturally but was forced full of as much gore as possible whether or not there was any basis for it in the plot.

I did read it as far as it's been scaslated so I guess it wasn't completely without merit (though I kept asking myself why am I still reading this.) I can't say I'd recommend it though even if it wasn't a complete waste of time.

a sad story about guys in their puberty, portaiyed in a very cruel and graphic way. there was a lot of rape, not with the typical yaoi meaning of the word, and many heinous crimes (homocides, gang-rapes) were commited by high-schoolers, so if you can't see beyond that what the mangaka (probably) wanted to say ( how corrupt this world is- well not to that extend, but anyway- how people care only for themselves and take advantage of their fellow men, etc), then you should just choose something else to read. you definetely won't enjoy reading that if you just want to pass your time.

even though this manga is great, i can't say the same for the mangaka, cause she left the manga incomplete and never gave it a proper ending, neither did she considered to write an ending in a light novel form, for the sake of the readers.

... Last updated on August 20th, 2011, 7:07am

Okay, this manga is so so so very sad and disturbing. But at the same time I have to admit, that the way the mangaka presented the whole story was facinating. But what is buggin' me, is the fact that I didn't get it. I mean, all the rapes and violence... and what was the purpose? For what reason did they do all of that nastiness? For the fun of it? Because of the system? There were no clear motives abuot it.
As for Tetsu and Rika
They are both so pitiful and broken creatures.
And now I've got so many questions afred reading this manga (and the prequel to it)
Like, who the hell needed and established that f***ed up system?
I'm so so confused about the whole thing. The saddest part is, that we'll never get to know what happens next. Damn it, the whole thing upsets me.

... Last updated on March 25th, 2016, 2:49am

What happens next? That's bullpoopie! haha poop. Anyway, there was aLOT of rape.There was some angst. The saddest part is the school rape otherwise excluding Tetsu and Hiro's past it's not all sad. I thought I would have nightmares or cry forever by everyone description but it's fine. Not my favorite angst probably due to cliff-hanger... or not? ANYWAY...meh.

This wouldve been great if the mangaka finished but otherwise a great read its extremely intriguing guesome but somehow you cant stop reading it wouldve been a ten if it ended with everything tying together

if you don't mind sex without love, then you wouldn't mind reading this. for those who thinks love is essential in a relationship, this would probably not be a good read ^^;~
the art is pretty good, but it is fairly violent ^^

... Last updated on July 18th, 2008, 12:25pm

the bullying scene made my dreams turns to nightmare... well, spoilers, but as i dont know what hjappen, so fine... Rika gets an envelope with somebody 12 nails inside... that's creepy. i found myself goosebumps when looking at the Jap version (i dun understand, another desperate attempt to continue reading something i am addicted to).
after all, weak heart, dont read.
strong heart, beware.