well, it may be a beautiful manga, but dialogs and situations in it are way too lame and childish, the plot progresses ridiculously fast. It all can be ok only for those readers who just started getting acquainted with yaoi genre. It was really a waste of some nice art.

I really liked this collection of stories. They were very serious and gripping. There could have been a little more character depth though. But other than that it was a really good read! Especially the art I must say was very gorgeous. I like detail so I definitely appreciated the backgrounds in the first two stories.

warning: contains several rapes, and assaults thrown in for good measure. quite violent.

i don't see how this is particularly realistic; i don't know any congressmen who raped their childhood friend (out of thwarted love, natch), raped him again many years later, and threatened his sister with rape if he'd not agree to sleep with him again several years later. nor secretaries who help with the assaulting, and who take revenge for being scorned in such a manner, and get away with it. i can't say that i particularly relate to anything in it either. it is quite melodramatic.

but it is intense, yup. and dark. i did get drawn in, which means the pacing is good, but i am not sure i like it overall, because of the melodrama, and how unhealthy the relationships are. the politician/childhood friend left behind is a fairly typical seme; can't say "i love you", but raping is A-OK. he's cruel to those he doesn't need anymore or those he wants to use. and it's intimated that he's involved in shady dealings that warrant police investigation (this part of the plot is left completely hanging). contrary to most of his fellow emotionally stunted seme, he has at least something of a reason, but does that redeem him? his sole virtue seems to be that he stood up for kyou once when they were children. ok, so he's really tortured, and i feel for him to some degree, like i do for all abandoned and abused children, but it's not enough for me to like him -- and if i don't like one of the main characters then i don't root for the relationship.

i can't say anything about the art because the scanlation team seemed only to have access to truly horrible scans; they're too dark for me to appreciate detail.

if you like massive angst, melodrama, and childhood friends who become lovers after much hardship (and raping), then i'd recommend this, because it is fairly well told.

... Last updated on April 6th, 2011, 4:37am

This manga is rather dark, but very authentic.
Everything that happens following the meeting of the two protagonists is believable and the development of their relationship realistic and everything but rushed. It seems surprising, what with this manga only having 2 or 3 chapters. But I think it is just this ability by the author, to make a story work in a few chapters without leaving the reader feeling he/she just read a fairytail and not something that one could actually relate to, that makes this manga worth your time.
Not your typical lovey-dovey Shonen-Ai, this is a story about two men obsessed with one another and not the caricature of two girly boys by an author, who only wants to show us how sex between men works out. This story is real life. A realistic illustration of all the horrors and disappointments. A story about losing and winning.
After reading this I looked up every other manga available by Honma Akira and clearly her other works are just as brilliant, well told and beautifully drawn.
So just read it.