...and upon reading G Senjou no Neko I was once again proven right in thinking so.

Of course, I didn't read this because of the art (though it's rather pretty) or the ratings / comments (which I no longer trust at all) ; but because of its (apparently) unique concept. Dissociative personality disorder is not a common theme in manga, and it is basically non-existent in the BL genre, so I was expecting something very interesting here.
But no -- that was simply too much to hope for. There is very little difference between G Senjou no Neko and every other BL where there are two guys fighting over the uke.

And Riya is the typical girly uke (both in looks and in personality) who can never seem to make up his mind on who he wants. Oh, but what's this?! Turns out that he's suffering from split personality due to the pressure of pursuing a career as a professional violinist since he was a child...so that actually makes the story very much deeper, more touching and more emotional than it would have been if he didn't have such a disorder, right?
Wrong!
Really, the whole mental disease issue is a trick - a trick that teenage yaoi fan-girls fall for very easily and go all
"Kyaa! Sooo brilliant!!! <3" over.

The characters (and their actions / thought processes) are boring, annoying and cliche. I suppose Atsushi is nicer than most of the 'seme types' in yaoi, but since I don't read yaoi I can't really see anything special about him. That level of decency is usually to be expected of a normal human being...and if you think he is a saint just because he didn't rape Riya, then you've been reading too much yaoi and had better stop before it warps your mind permanently

I didn't actually finish the story, though. Stopped somewhere towards the end of book 2 months ago and haven't bothered to slog through the 3'rd volume yet; and I doubt I ever will.

A bit of advice to people who think this manga is awesome -- go read some psychological seinen titles. Then you're sure to realize how shallow and contrived G Senjou no Neko really is.

... Last updated on May 1st, 2011, 1:53pm

This manga manages to feel different from the others. It's not perfect: there are some clichés here and there, but there also are original parts. It's like Miyagi-sensei was used to make clichéd manga, and then she thought: "Now I'll make something different". Some stereotypes can still be founded though, for example:



Okay, that's what I didn't like. And now, the strong points of this manga! Because, yeah, you should read it ;3 It's absolutely worth reading!

1) Wonderful drawings. The art is so pretty! Loved it.
2) Original plot, well developed, with a nice ending. Even if people said they didn't like it, I did. It was the right ending for this kind of story.
3) The mental illness was very well developed. It was not something put in just because: "in a yaoi manga a mental illness is so cool!". No. The mangaka did a wonderful job: she was able to create an amazing and captivating psychological manga.

So, you have to read it, especially if you love soft yaoi with a good plot and a good art!

... Last updated on July 2nd, 2017, 1:38pm

If I ever get to read volume 3, maybe I'll come back here and adjust the rating and review. For right now, I found reading this series equally intriguing and aggravating. The characters aren't changing at all, just putting themselves in worse and worse situations emotionally. Maybe volume 3 will bring a pay-off that will make the first two parts easier and more interesting to read. I would definitely wait until all volumes are out for this series before starting in on it. This review based on the English language volumes (of which there are only 2 right now).

Once again, the raitings mislead me. I guess seeing such high raitings made me expect alot from this manga but frankly it wasn't satisfying at all. Sure it was dramatic, deep, emotional, bla bla bla but overall it doesnt click, know what I mean? It didnt give me that "that was so great" feeling at the end. I was really in a hurry to finish it while reading cause I wanted to know the ending so bad..and usually that's a con for a plot. You want the manga you're reading to prolong and keep you wanting for more. This just purely bored me and the end was a bit disappointing. Well that's just how I wanted it to be so you dont really need to share my sentiments. Anyway, the only thing I liked about this is Ikeda. I think he was the perfect character for such a role and his personality was well written. I liked how he restrained himself and understood "black" unlike in most cliche situations where the seme would "go for it". He was a really strong character for me. So many pros about him. I wish I could encounter more semes like him in the future.

Now with the raiting, I would go real harsh since the progression of the story left me unsatisfied. But because of how Ikeda was written I'll boost it up a little. And thanks to the beautiful art I forced myself to read till the end XD

... Last updated on December 15th, 2010, 8:00pm

In my opinion, everyone is very stupid in this manga except for Riya. Why? Because almost all of the characters know about how Riya was abused as a young child, and NO ONE did anything to stop it. They all just condoned, and yes it was partly due to him being an illegitimate child but seriously? People actually let an older man inflict severe physical abuse on a young boy for god knows how long.
That is disgusting to the core. I felt sick at the violence scenes.

As for Riya and his spilt personality disorder, that was interesting. One of the few things I liked about the manga. His Senpai - Kousaka or something, he just really pissed me off. I haven't hated a character with that much vengeance in a while.

The art was nice, and the story's psychological aspect is something much needed in the yaoi manga genre, but for everyone being stupid and the sickening child abuse, a 5/10 is a generous rating.

This was a very good soft core yaoi, so if you're not into a whole lot of sex than maybe this is for you...
The art seems to change for the better after the [Black] section (first three chapters of the manga), presumably because it has been first published long ago.

The characters are nice but most don't have a lot of background like Riya does.
So basically, you have a "Black" Riya: the strong one. And a "White" Riya: the weak one. You may get confused when trying to figure out which Riya he is at each moment. Unless another character notifies which one, but I don't think you'll have to worry about it too much.
I was/am more rooting for Atsushi. I never really liked Kousaka because he seemed too much of a laid-back and possessive type. I don't know what anyone would see in Kousaka because if you read volume three, you'll see what a sadistic bastard he is...



... Last updated on October 12th, 2009, 1:19am

I am not a yaoi fan. But the art of this is just to beautiful to pass up. I loved the first volume. It didn't seem like a yaoi at all. In fact, it only seemed like a yaoi in the second volume..at the end.

I didn't like the second volume cause of the ending..or whenever they did it.
I thought that ruined it. It was a great story otherwise.

Like anything that is controversial, this book is going to get those who can't stop marvelling at it, and those who despise it. I marvelled.

What drama!! What touching human interaction!! What an intriguing story line!!
Each of the three volumes has at least one scene where I literally held my breath, as I slowly re-read the frames over and over. This is one of the best manga series I have ever read.

I surprised myself with the art -and isn't that what art should do, make us really LOOK- because at first I didn't like all the wispy, exaggerated limbs and skeletal frames. But the more I looked at the illustrations, the more I read the words, I became increasingly mesmerized by the unusual art. Their faces, although bizarrely deformed, evoked such passionate feeling - all three of the main characters. The backgrounds were done competently and cleanly, but the focus was the human interactions. The frame, angle and relaying of scene selection was vivid and alive - I was swept along. It ended up combining into a haunting sort of melody.

The story itself is fascinating. MPD has always been controversial as to it being a valid mental disorder; correspondingly, those it shows itself in receive varying degrees of respect. (Conversely, Japan is one of the countries that does not have it listed as a valid medical problem.) There are many different behaviours associated with it, but one of the most common reasons that seem to trigger it (Yes, I'm a believer in the strange power of the mind to self-preserve), is a desperate attempt to escape an existence that seems physically inescapable, or helplessness. Broke my heart Riya did, but he also inspired me personally with his realism, strength and indomitable spirit.

I'm truly impressed that Sensei didn't make the 'bad' guy bad. He was multi-dimensional human beings with jealousies, tempers and beautiful ability to save someone else.

As for the saver of broken puppies - what a heart warming young man. Even he was not infallible, making a 'mistake' near the end, and questioning himself. But his loyalty and the way his happiness was a strange sort of manifestation through Riya was a very insightful perspective on different definitions of happiness.

Even the secondary character of the cousin was realistic. As a young child, he saw what was going on with Riya and his abusive father. As a teen, he started to understand. As an adult, he knew his power was minimal. He did nothing but come and chat with him and check on him. HE wasn't a vigilante or a philanthropist for Riya's cause. He was a pacifist mostly. But it didn't mean he didn't love Riya dearly. (A great reflection on familial love contrasted with such horrors of families as well.) He helped in his own way by giving Atsushi his chance.

Wow. I could go on forever.

... Last updated on October 23rd, 2009, 2:17am

@ kurosu_yuuki:
I agree, but I wouldn't pity the other seme as much as the dead personality. I haven't researched this or anything, but the personalities "killing" themselves off is a possible end result of dissociative Identity disorder=MPD=Split personality.
I see them as polarized, Black basically existing in order to rebel. what kind of keeps me from speculating ahead in this series is that very little information about what the personalities WANT is given, other than that the things they want are opposites.

This is an interesting series, and really makes you think about the brain.

I started this a long time ago, but only got to finish it now (hence why I changed my rating and comment). Well, it's a complicated one! At first I wasn't paying much attention to just how deep it went, but after a while it messes up with your head so bad you just can't ignore its complexion. I had to really stop and think about things, or I'd get confused. Even so I liked that it had a somewhat light feeling in comparison to what I could've been, considering the complex theme.

The characters were very deep, too.

Atsushi is the only one who isn't as intense as the others. He’s not underdeveloped in the slightest, he's more like the one who's there to save everything. It’s part of his personality that he isn’t disturbed as all the other characters, he’s just plain and simple. Then again, as he realizes his feelings for Riya, he starts to reveal a different side and even him, the perfectly nice guy, loses control at times and wonders – only wonders – about getting his way. I think he did realize his love for Riya right when they met, but didn't admit to himself. I’m not saying he’s perfect – at least not for me. For starters, he’s not my type of seme, which of course doesn’t make me like the manga any less or rate it any lower. He’s just right for his role. But some things pissed me off a little. Like how he considers Riya one person. He shouldn’t treat him as one, because the way he spreads his love to both of them almost seems like he loves two people at the same time. That makes it annoying, since White Riya doesn’t even love him. In the end it got pretty clear that he loved [i]only[/] Black Riya, so he didn’t need to pretend to love them both, since it only hurt Black Riya and made no difference to White Riya.

My favorite character is Kousaka. I adore him. I didn't like him at all at first because he came out of nowhere and I thought he was too cruel. Indeed, I absolutely love cruel semes, but there was just something about him that got on my nerves. But as I understood him more and more, and how he picked on Riya like a little kid just because he couldn't be straightforward, he made his way into my heart. Also, it shows that really loves Riya, if you look closely enough. And oh, boy, what's attitude, if not that?! He's pushy, even forceful - in the sexy way! He doesn't leave any room for Riya to run or escape! I love how he teases him and gets into his mind! The way he expresses his feelings for Riya is utterly beautiful. It's got something so wrong about it that just makes it more interesting, the kind of sick love I'm obsessed with! Even when he hurt him. It was a mistake, of course, but every human being makes mistakes, and manga usually ignores that like people are perfect. The fact that Kousaka had to hurt Riya to realize just how twisted his love was just makes it even more appealing to me.

Riya himself is as complicated as he's supposed to be, though he's quite a common uke (either personality). I'm totally divided regarding his two personalities. White Riya, I dislike. I can't stand ukes that cry all the time and are so weak. But as his relationship with Kousaka progresses, it gets better, since I actually enjoyed their parts more than the Black one’s with Atsushi. Then again, I love Black Riya. He's such a troublemaker! He's spoiled and pretends to have his mind all made up, but still can't resist Atsushi. Cute!

Oh, oh! And then there's Saki! He's not a major characters, but he's sooo adorable! I love him! Wish he'd have his own manga. He's either be that gentle seme who turns out to be a little rough (probable option) or overpowered by a stronger seme (which'd be surprising!). Also, I make my words @MightyMaeve.

As for the couples, I actually wanted White Riya to end up with Kousaka and Black Riya to be with Atsushi. Unfortunately, that's not possible, so I'd have to stick with one. And with that comes a problem: I can't see Riya as one person at all. I would rather he divided himself in two, really. So, the ending... That's what happened to me, but I guess everyone's got different opinions on that.

Also, I really liked the art. It's been some time since I've read something with such a beautiful art. It's delicate and suits the story. It reminded me a little of “Only the Ring Finger Knows”’s art.

I recommend this manga. It's painfully sweet and it's got something sad about it that makes it that much more beautiful. It's a little frustrating (in a good way) that you can't tell what you prefer. Oh, and it's really unpredictable, even being full of clichés! I guess what I really liked about this manga is that it gave a feeling no other has ever made me feel before. Like a manga from Key, but yaoi.. It's like I was conscious of both the personalities, but made them clearly apart and rooted for different endings for them.

... Last updated on November 22nd, 2011, 10:56pm