I think I read that the mangaka decided mid-series to retcon a lot of the beginning chapters and basically rewrite the main couple's relationship. Which is damn confusing because it doesn't seem like the scanlations have caught up, if the author indeed rewrote the beginning chapters or is just retconning through flashbacks.

regardless, Takenaka's story is quite compelling. I feel deeply for this youth that never had a safe space to be himself ever and was betrayed by quite a lot of people. I found myself wishing ardently for his happiness, even if right now he's in a delicate place emotionally.

The problem now is, I'm not quite sure who I should be rooting for. Yamazaki's development has been wildly inconsistent and his character keeps changing, even though I think he is who the author intends Takenaka to end up with. The moments they share together are unbearably sweet and it tears me apart when the author keeps implying (and not showing) that Yamazaki does bad things (like rape Takenaka and beat up Yoshimura). I honestly found myself half wanting Takenaka to go back to Yoshimura since the man is a saint and their relationship looked quite sweet. It did seem like Takenaka was using Yoshimura as an emotional crutch, however.

Ahhh!!! Such an angsty and complicated manga xD I'm glad that through all this murkiness, the drama doesn't feel melodramatic or soapy. I'm looking forward to the conclusion!

To tell the truth, I wasn't a big fan of volume 1. Because, I didn't like Yamazaki-senpai at first, since he looked like a dirty old man, and he didn't seem to be a very nice person, either. But his looks increased exponentially in the course of the story, and after learning more about him, he seemed to be quite decent, after all. So I wasn't ready to give the series up yet. And when volume 2 came out, I was glad about my decision, because it turned into such a sweet yet melancholy tale.