I haven't read a yaoi or shounen-ai manga in ages because I'm grown tired of the unconvincing and superficial premises they all seem to have. However, CTK represents a positive exception in that stagnant field. Here is why I like her works:

1. No “no homo” trope: CTK's characters are gay. They are not guys who consider themselves necessarily heterosexual despite having an affair with another man. They are not narrow-minded people who despise the possibility of being homosexual – or bisexual –, nor they are open-minded people who don't care about the gender of their partner -- there's nothing wrong with this, of course; nothing, apart from the fact that the author uses this as a poor excuse to justify the weak plotline. CTK's characters are simply gay and they are not afraid of ammitting it. Also, the author hints at the character's past relationships with other men to definitively confirm their sexual identity. That's an interesting perspective in a BL world where usually the protagonists either have never experienced love or they have only dated women. This new approach could be connected to the setting – they are in America, not in Japan –, but I still think that this change is worth mentioning.

2. No pre-determined roles: in BLs the way the characters are portrayed – both psychologically and physically – determines their role in the relationship and that's what I hate about BLs the most. That attempt to apply the heterosexual stereotypes to a homosexual relationship is plain wrong. Fortunately, CTK has demolished that idea.
First, tops and bottoms, semes and ukes, “cats” and “dogs”... forget all that. CTK's manga do not focus on sexual connotations. The characters are presented for who they are as individuals, not as erotic means. What happens “under the sheets” doesn't concern us. What's important is how each character contributes to the relationship on a daily basis.
Second, there are no relevant differences in their external appearence. Generally, authors draw the “semes” – I really hate to use this terminology, but bear with me, it will only take a few lines – as stronger, taller and more “masculine”-looking than the “ukes”; on the other hand, “ukes” are usually smaller, skinnier and have androgynous features and gentler manners. Well, you won't find this distinction in “On Doorstep” or “Midnight Rain”. Jimmy, Reese, Ethan and Mike are all very different, but at the same time they are equal. No one is clearly taller or smaller, no one has more delicate looks, no one has a standardized behaviour. They are just different types of men and there's no symbolism behind their appearence and attitude.

3. Their presence: generally, BL characters are handsome, fresh and neat. Contrary to that preconception, CTK's characters have neglected beards, bags under their eyes, little wrinkles, bruises and cuts. They are certainly more realistic. They also end up being all handsome in their own, unique way.

4. The age range: in BL manga the characters are always young-looking, be it because they are young – they are often students indeed – or because they look younger than their actual age. In any case, they never exceed a certain age. As a matter of fact, they are almost never in their 40s; most of the times, they are not even in their 30s. In CTKs “On Doorstep”, Jimmy is in his 20s, but Reese is probabably in his late 40s or in his 50s. In “Midnight Rain”, Ethan and Mike are most likely in their 30s or in their late 20s. In conclusion, the age spectrum is a lot wider than in most BLs.


If you have reached the end of this long review, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and found it interesting or useful.

... Last updated on November 22nd, 2019, 4:18am

The art is a masterpiece. Both of them are so manly that I don't even know where to look sometimes. The peace of the manga could be a bit slower, it makes it look like they fell in love in a week or so, but I think it was longer, it just wasn't shown too well. Plus, they saw each other almost every day at work and went on dinner dates so I don't see it as something so weird. They themselves didn't know the strength of their feelings
For me, it's the first time in yaoi manga when the theme of forgiving was done so well. Good job CTK-sensei, pure love rules.

... Last updated on August 22nd, 2017, 10:53am

This is a very special story. The setup of a con and cop (or in this case ex-con and ex-cop) if fairly cliche, but the depth of the characters is impressive and adds an unexpected richness to the story. The mangaka also does an incredible job illustrating the physicality of the characters emotions: things like blushing and stuttering during an apology or clenching theirs jaws before saying or hearing something difficult. Those aren't typical markers in manga and you don't see them used this way often.

I also like the art style in general (I much prefer a BL story where both characters look like adult men).

This manga is really, really good, but the story needs more development. There is so much room to expand this story beyond what is here. It is such a shame that such a great manga is only one volume long. I've read some pretty stupid yaoi that spand 5-6 volumes, so it breaks my heart that something with this much potential doesn't have more. I need more drama and more angst! The conflict in this manga was too small, even though the execution of it was great. I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel. The art is freaking fantastic, btw.

... Last updated on July 21st, 2018, 7:14pm

The story has really great potential and was very well executed. It just feels too short. Both men look manly and both have strong sides and softer, more sensual sides, as well. As characters they are well balanced, and the development of the relationship is really fun and believable-ish.

The story feels fresh, but Reese and Jimmy being from two different worlds, cop vs. criminal, could have made for some really exciting plot developments that unfortunately weren't explored. This shouldn't have been a one-shot; the story has the potential to be a really good start of great series with, at least, three volumes.



... Last updated on October 3rd, 2019, 3:02pm

It's not like the story is really that mind-blowing and I feel like we barely got to learn anything about the characters either? I don't know, the manga just didn't live up to the supposed hype it has for me. It's got its cute moments but ultimately didn't pull me in or make me become attached to anything be it characters or story at all. I wish the execution had more meat to it rather than just barely scratching the surface like this.

It has so much undeveloped potential, I would have happily read another volume or 2. But the story is good for its length, short, simple and sweet. The characters seem interesting but I wished they had more backstory. The pace was good, and the artwork is absolutely stunning. I had a great time reading it.

As always the art is GREAT since the artist is CTK, I personally liked midnight rain more than this.

and I think it's the biggest asset of this manga cause the plot didn't meet up with my expectations. Let's just say it's underdeveloped. Characters are interesting, smart, sexy so I can't brag about them, also there are bad boys in this manga (who doesn't like bad boys?).
Unfortunately both stories ended up out of the blue, before anything interesting really happened. I don't know how should I put this, it feels like it was dropped by mangaka? like something is missing here... Well, as a whole it's "okay read", but it's way too plain to deserve 10. Although the art really is something.

... Last updated on August 12th, 2019, 8:31am