I can kind of see why some people think the series should have ended after the second volume. The longer this manga goes on, the less I seem to be enjoying it. But more on that in a minute; let me first speak generally on what I like about this series:

The premise of the manga is rather unique: An 18 year-old boy finds out that his father (who he hasn't seen since he was a child) has passed away. Coupled with that shock is also the discovery that he has two older step brothers that he knew nothing about, that he must live with those two older brothers for a month, that only one of them can inherit their father's estate, and that the step brothers are also having an affair with each other. It's an extremely messy situation right from the get-go and the manga sucks you in as a reader wondering just how they're going to resolve it all. Also rather cool is that the brothers' personal lives spill over into their professional lives as the main character (Souichirou) and his eldest step-brother (Masato) soon find themselves working on a movie together. Besides personal drama, we also get movie-making drama and the manga's supporting characters include another fellow actor, the movie's director, the producer, a financial backer, etc., etc. All this helps to keep the manga interesting.

The problem with all of this is that none of it is developed in a particularly great way. A lot of what happens in the manga feels rather superficial, from the way the characters have been developed to the plot twists and turns. In a short, 1-2 volume series it wouldn't matter as much, but in a 4+ volume manga, I'm really starting to miss the fact that the characters don't have a lot of depth to them. They have a hell of a lot of angst, but angst is not the same thing as depth. Take Souichirou, the main character, for example. His one and only job in the series is to be the perfect, comforting seme for Kaname. Kaname is the only thing this guy has on his mind, and that's boring. All the things which gave Souichirou some depth in the first chapter--his anger at his father, his worries over being in a movie for the first time--are forgotten about pretty quickly. The flow of the plot is also just as superficial as its characters. In almost every volume, an interfering third party shows up which triggers a regression of Kaname's PTSD, Souichirou gets a heroic moment where he comforts him, and Kaname has a breakthrough on his condition, all for the cycle to repeat all over again in the next volume. As of chapter 18, we are currently on our third interfering third party. Add in a grossly manipulative and unlikeable uke (the second interfering third party) who is probably going to be fobbed off onto Masato in the end (run away Masato!), and I'm really not enjoying where this plot is going any more.

The art is amazing. For that alone, this series deserves a look, but I'm iffy about recommending it for anything else.

i love this manga so much!! i really cant wait 4 the next chapters!!! i love kaname - H.O.T!!! ^_^

... Last updated on November 25th, 2008, 11:37am

It's pretty interesting and fairly complex, with a cast of varied characters and so forth. Much better than the boring ol' "let's screw" BL manga where there's no shortage of angst and extreme melodrama.

Oh and I kinda like Souichiro: he's persistent and determined to stand firm in times of issues and troubles. That said, this series is a refreshing departure from all those shoujo series with similar plots but highly annoying and brainless creatures.

... Last updated on May 3rd, 2008, 9:17am

I completely agree with brid. I really liked the original idea and how the personal and professional lives of each started to flow into each other, but what I'm disliking more and more is any real depth to the characters. They're seeming to be more and more just products of their situations . The further I read into this story, the more the characters get flattened out - opposite what I want to see.

Reading brid's comment reminded me of Souichirou's original depth which I had completely forgotten existed at one point. To the point I've read, he's become a simple-minded character only capable of protecting or thinking of Kaname, and every now and again acknowledging Masato's existence. As for Kaname, he's struggling to let go of his past, and somewhat getting over it, but there's NOTHING else. He only has his past. That, and the ability to become the perfect homemaker. As far as I know, he doesn't have any goals or dreams for the future. As for his relationship with Masato, it seems to have completely disappeared despite their previous living together and extremely intimate relationship. And because of Kaname's and Souichirou's closeness, Masato seems to be completely separated from them (except when required to fill in the 'brother moments') and his story is becoming more about the drama around the film world. At this point it almost feels like the mangaka should just drop him as a character and give him his own story (or I'd like to say that if he had enough depth for it) because he doesn't really serve a purpose to the protagonist anymore other than aiding him when Souichirou needs a mature opinion on a matter.

So, for a plot which screams to be character-driven (what decisions will they make regarding the circumstances they were thrown in, how will their relationships develop further, how will they grow to become a family, how will it change their characters, etc...), the characters are completely falling flat. As a result, as it currently stands for me, I wouldn't recommend it, but I'll continue to keep reading for a little while longer (I have a high tolerance for bad/boring storytelling after all).

... Last updated on September 26th, 2012, 12:05pm

from the start, I think the potential of this manga is sorta wasted. The main couple is weird to me, and the more interesting romance story (Masato's) never fully develops. Just as I thought that it finally would lead somewhere, the story abruptly ends. It's like there was no thought put into the story at all.

I seriously liked it more than I thought i would, i read so many comments of people disliking this that it made me doubt if i should read it or not, but hey, its Kisaragi after all so why not?
I truly enjoyed the character Souichirou, he was so bold and honest, i was over the moon everytime i saw him, and he didn't come across as helpless or useless (as it could have been based on the difference in ages)
Three really nice brothers, a bit complicated at times but it was (also) nice to read (and look at)...

i liked the art and the story too, i like the relation ship between brothers( een though they r not) ! but what make feel kind of down is the fact that we didn't any real love scence between kaname and Souichirou even though i was so looking forward to see some hot love but i was desepointed to wait untill the end of volume 5 and the love scene they put is not even worth it :/
but still i like the story

... Last updated on May 12th, 2014, 5:38pm

I got through 1 1/2 volumes and just had to stop. My worst fears were confirmed with the comments...that whatever had just happened (Kaname's "attack," Souichirou's valiant rescue, a bonding experience) would be repeated in every volume to basically the same effect. Not only that, but the characters are lacking depth and are just not relatable. Someone else said it perfectly, that "baggage and angst...is not depth." Souichirou is spunky and exciting, but it truly bothers me that he is/will be the seme! Especially when Kaname is so seme-like. I'm not saying an uke can't be masculine, but his expressions, his cold and aloof demeanor, all make for a perfect seme, but instead it's flip-flopped. Some may find that refreshing, but I just found it lacking depth and confusing. Masato is an interesting character, but he also doesn't seem to have a definitive personality...he's mean one moment, then completely aloof the next, and sometimes he's even kind. He's not likable. I think as a love-triangle story, he could have been a VERY interesting character, because we would have been invested in him, but instead we're not. He's just there as a mean and protective older brother. He's not...interesting. Which is sad, because I want to see him more developed.

Overall, the plot was just very contrived. It's dramatic for the sake of drama. I don't any real pull to the characters except Souichirou, and even he isn't developing the way I had hoped. Also, I want Kaname to stand up for himself. He halfway does, but then Masato and Souichirou step in. Let him be a man, please! If he was willing to defend himself and get over his condition, why did he slip into an attack when Souichirou's fight was over? It seems as if his "illness" is contrived and only there to make him the "damaged" uke. Maybe I have a low angst tolerance, but I can't help but believe that if you're going to have drama, it better be 100% real, 100% believable, and 100% in-context, balanced by some lightness elsewhere...which also doesn't exist. The whole "cleaning" thing is a poor joke thrown in to make the volume lighter...it doesn't work.

I will say though, the art is GORGEOUS. And the language is very good. I just simply wish the plot were better.

Read it for the art, read it if you get off on contrived angst and enjoy drama, read it for an interesting relationship between Kaname and Souichirou...but don't read it if you're looking for a well-rounded story with developed characters.

There is a LOT going on in this series. Too much. The basic story had plenty of drama, so I don't think piling more drama on top of that did it any favors. I think this could be four+ volumes long, but it needed to go in a different direction for me. I would have liked more concentration on the characters and their development. Their relationships eventually start feeling rushed and forced. There is no need for that with so many chapters to work with. It could have been a very emotional and touching story, but instead it fell off track. That is not to say that I hated it. The art is lovely and at least the first few volumes or so are quite decent. In the future I can only hope that the story concentrates on a different pairing(I'm thinking masatoXmiroku are not an unlikely outcome?) as continuing much with kaname is sort of beating a dead horse. When the characters suddenly changed, it killed the chance to really flesh him out and deal with his recovery(which would have been a much more interesting story for me).

I was so in love with this manga before I read the fourth volume. The art is so beautiful and it flows so effortlessly from frame to frame. A real pleasure to read. I love the three main characters too, especially Souichirou is such a breath of fresh air as a would-be seme. The setting in the beginning was brilliant and, as the plot began to develop, the romance between Souichirou and Kaname was and is one of the sweetest, most beautiful things I've ever come across in BL manga. This all earns a 10/10 rating from me.
But what's with the later developments? Looks like the mangaka is trying to force some more drama in there and the whole buying people thing just isn't at all believable to me. Human trafficing for the sex industry is illegal, you can't do that. I might accept that if this happened in some kind of criminal circles but these people are just filming a movie... I'm worried cos I really want to continue liking this...