This series is very disturbing, but it is also one of the best series I have read so far. The mangaka does not shy away from depicting the abuse and the psychological consequences of it, so it is not for the faint hearted. However, the realistic and detailed way of depicting it is also what makes this story such a good read. It is really impressive, and it leaves you numb and raw from emotion after reading it.

The most special thing about this story is the psychology behind it. At first, I expected the story to start after the actual abuse, but the author shows the abuse from start to finish in 36 chapters. Many people in this comment thread find this long, but I found this necessary to accurately depict the psychology behind it. It depicts how Jeremy is influenced by the abuse, how he deals with it, the distress signals he sends out to his environment, and how everybody in his environment either fails to pick up the signals or chooses to ignore it. This is very realistic, as often in the case of an abusive father the mother chooses to ignore the evidence, or people don't want to believe someone (of good reputation) would actually do such a cruel thing. It is very disturbing, but the accuracy of the depiction is also stunning.

I also like the way the author depicts the interplay between Jeremy and Ian after the murder.


The story is almost fully translated by now (up to chapter 84), I am curious about the ending. I would recommend this series to other people, but only if you can digest it's disturbing content.

If you're in the mood for emotional torture and depressing tearjerker, you're at the right place.

What this story offers is pure tragedy. Exactly the kind of shit can possible happen to people out of blue. How everything will not go the way you want. Ever. What happens to the protagonist is the worst case scenario, and trust me on this, this happens in the world everyday.

The way characters interact is so realistic; how they try to reason, deny, and find solutions to the problems. Their flaws makes them humane and at the same time, makes them extremely frustrating to follow. It gives them depths.

I, for one, would like to read it till the end to see how to author wrap this story up. It's a heavy one to read, but it is worth the time.

... Last updated on July 28th, 2013, 1:45am

Personally dig the art. There's this decorative yet static feeling to the manga.

Also, as much as I love Yoneda Kou's Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai, I wouldn't say it's any more believable than Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru. Both are different depictions of psychological state(s) of a rape victim though I think Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru confronts the more uglier aspects/details. Also, the characters here are understandably "difficult." To think that a wonderful, selfless man you love will save you from yourself and solve everything is a fairy tale. It takes more work than just romance. But anyway, both mangas are very dear to me. ...Still, a score of 2?! Really?!?!

... Last updated on February 7th, 2013, 2:35pm

when jeremy fell into the painful world, i fell together with him. hagio sensei are skill full in using imagery of breaking and crumbling in showing the inner turmoil in jeremy and in doing so my own mind was shaken too. how many times had i cried along with jeremy i wonder? with every painful encounter with greg, with every pieces of him chipping away to nothingness tears kept falling down. hagio sensei knew how to draw every painful memory out of the reader and mingling it together with jeremy's, the art style that seems simple is actually the most valuable tool in showing true emotions and tragedy in this world.

but i dont only hurt and cried. surely some readers that have this kind of fetish can also feel it - throbbing of desire deep into our core. i had read many yaoi that deals with the issue of control where a party is helpless and his body is own by another - but no manga ever make me thirst so much, consumed by the pain and by inflicting the pain. this is a tastetement to hagio sensei skill in drawing the most painful expression of terror and helplessness that without any explicit scene even the most yaoi hardened reader cannot stop but felt tingling of excitement. other readers might view us as weird - but to any reader that have the same inclination as me - read this.

that is for the first part of the story, the solitary death of jeremy that is both painful and arousing. the second part of the story is the collective madness of the world, where ian and jeremy wound and heal each other with various other broken characters heal and wound them too. this part is slow and moderate unlike the first part. jeremy's pain in the first part is too intense that after that everything else become duller. that is not to say it is boring - far from it as various events happened and everything unfold as we understand the characters bit by bit. but the readers can calm down and try to understand each character without being caught up in the pain. sometimes i feel there are too many wounded characters in here and make everyone's pain diluted, but hagio sensei were able to handled them to make every one of them lend a hand towards jeremy's salvation.

im glad i fell down with jeremy and im glad to be able to crawl out of it together with him.

...but the tragedy/drama of it all can become rather exhausting. I don't know... I thought it was exhausting, but I read the whole thing in one go, raws and all. Someone commented that the main characters' sexuality was not given any depth, but

On the other hand...

I think this tumultuous tale is a hard read because from about 10+ volumes, Jeremy becomes more and more unstable, punctuated with periods of lucidity. He's surrounded with people with mental disorders and suicidal tendencies, drug addicts, some very ODD portrayals of gay men... and the whole thing is interesting... but exhausting.

I enjoyed it, but I was glad it was over.

I've been reading this manga for OVER TWO YEARS. Initially, the story was contained and full of possibilities for me because I had only read one volume. I was saddened by the lack of what I had available to read and decipher. However, as more chapters were translated, I was drawn in by the intense energy and emotion. I knew from the summary what tragedies would occur and that Jeremy's horror with Greg would only be a small length of the story that would create a large impact on his character and the rest of the volumes. It seems like happiness is ephemeral and short lived for these characters, which is sad. I am currently on volume 11, and it is madness and so forth on what has happened to these characters.

The reason I have given this an 8/10 is because Since I'm not finished with the manga, my view will surely change but right now I'm a bit put-off by the characters...

All in all, this is truly a landmark in manga by the amazing Hagio Moto, who has created so much depth and darkness.

... Last updated on June 24th, 2012, 5:04pm

I absolutely adore the 1970s style art (despite being made in the 90s), & I genuinely enjoyed the first half, & that part I do recommend reading, but it all went downhill in the second half....Well, it was more like a roller-coaster of intrigue & annoying gobs of emotional baggage & useless banter.

I could never get past the fact that I really can't stand Jeremy as a person; even before his train of life-changing tragedy left the station, he rubbed me the wrong way & I only grew to dislike him more & more as the series progressed. I can't help it if we have polar opposite personalities or if I have the emotional range of a sea sponge.

It also has a non-ending. It's not tragic, happy, or a cliffhanger. There is also, in the last quarter of the story, an ungodly amount of inane chitchat/small talk that contributed nothing to the story or character development, like talking about the weather & what have you. I could tell you the 2ed half was about a group of rich people with relationship problems touring the world & talking about college, it would be right on the mark.

So the ending was unforgivably lackluster, as if the author herself didn't know how to end it & just said "whatever, I'm done with this." Much like GetBackers, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, & Zetsuai/Bronze; all really long stories that took years to read, the ending was like a crushing blow, an act of betrayal, a stab in the back; it smothers all the good memories.

... Last updated on April 4th, 2014, 6:09am

I admire the author because she understands the feelings and actions of people so well. I see myself in this manga, the feelings are described so well, that's exactly what it feels like... her story telling is good but it gets quite messy sometimes. Despite that, you can't help but 'feel' the characters, you can feel their pain, anger... all sort of emotions are conveyed..

This story is so complex. It is like the perfect eye opener for those whom get caught up in the fairy tale of a perfect married life and romance. So many emotions are stirred up in me i am like a raw nerve just from reading this. Not for the faint of heart true enough. I feel tho it is still a must read. The art work is wonderful the history i just love it all and as i wait for more chapters. I have such fears for not just the two young men but everyone...

So first things first, the art is typical 90s manga art. It's not that pretty to look at.
There's a lot of weird faces, awkward anatomy and let's not forget ridiculous hairdos and outfits!
That being said, I really liked reading this manga.
It's incredibly deep, dark, disturbing. It feels very realistic, like a documentary or a real story.
This does not take place in the crazy world of manga, much less the even crazier world of yaoi land.
The protagonist suffers, a lot.
The manga is mostly about how these things gradually, slowly happen. How he reacts and how they change him, driving him slowly insane.
While not everyone might like this approach, I loved how it was just very realistic.
A boy who cares a lot for his mother and is being forced into sex and threatened with his mother's health or happiness might not be able to just say "stop".
This covers the basic themes of sexual abuse. He wants help, he wants out, but he doesn't always have the courage to just say those things out loud, especially while he knows that nobody might believe him, or that his mother and others might suffer.
The other people might seem ignorant but come on, even if you notice your child acting strangely, realistically speaking, who would honestly think of even the slightest possibility of abuse? Not many. That's why there's many many more cases of abuse happening than are recorded.
To me, his slowly succumbing mind seems very believable. He can't think straight anymore, loses his rational thinking... even thinks about his own death or ending it all by killing his step-father.
It's beautifully told, and sort of poetic sometimes.

So, this is realistic, slow... it's torture for the protagonist both physically and emotionally.
Do not read this if you are looking for something light, happy or funny!
If you enjoy dark, gloomy, no-hope kind of stories though, and the theme of sexual abuse and all the details on how characters deal with it then give it a shot!