I like this manga, I really do. The emotions and tribulations of the two friends over a ten year period is realistic and kept me reading. The art is very nice, and the plot moves at a good pace. I also liked the flashbacks we see of Hidetoshi's and Kengo's past, leading up to the present where we see the two main leads still holding onto deep feelings for each other even after so long.

Unfortunately, my real issue with this manga is it's portrayal of domestic violence, which may be reflective of the mangaka's personal beliefs - or not. Nevertheless, throughout the plot it is implied and even mentioned- that the recipient of the beatings - namely hidetoshi, although also with a side female character, that it is - at least in part - their fault for the beatings they recieve. To even imply that a person beaten by their partner is in someway responsible quite rubbed me the wrong way - to the point I had to go away and come back to finish this. It is this fact alone which has prevented me from giving it a higher score.

hmmm... perhaps I am looking at this manga to critically, as I tend to do when such topics are raised. Overall I would definately recommend it, as the plot kept me going and I am a sucker for a decent story.

... Last updated on August 23rd, 2010, 12:43am

it's a good story with some depth, it moves at the right pace, the characters are well defined, the art is nice and fits the story well. the reason why i am not rating it better is the story's attitude towards domestic violence -- there is too much blaming of the victim going on. that may be a japanese attitude, but it's not mine, and it detracts from my enjoyment of a manga. that might seem weird coming from somebody who generally takes the common domestic abuse in BL in stride, but the difference is that this manga purports to be realistic, and that's why i am treating it according to realistic criteria.

i tried to like this, but i didn't really enjoy it (be aware this is really long)

the domestic violence stuff that happened upset me, not because it happened, but because hidetoshi was so apologetic about the abuse happening to him. like he seriously thought it was his fault, which was fine at first because that's how victims usually feel and one of many reasons why they stay in abusive relationships. however waaaay after he had broken up with his abusive boyfriend, he was still saying it was his fault and that he deserved it because he was in love with kengo!!! WTF?! i mean i know these things take time to heal, but still. dude come on now. i mean yea the ex sort of apologized but you can tell with the way it was written, that the fault was hidetoshi's and that's just not cool.

i'm aware that this is just a story and my friend told me that i should separate it from real life and that this abuse is a common trope in yaoi manga, so maybe it's a cultural thing. i don't care. abuse is abuse and transcends cultures mkay? the problem is that these messages easily influence people's way of thinking. my friend thought hidetoshi deserved the beatings for leading another man on, so i mean...that's a prime example of why sometimes the topic needs to be addressed.

another thing that bugged me was kengo forcing sex on hidetoshi, right after the abuse and it was glossed over a bit, but not that much. apparently this is a common trope in yaoi. speaking of which kengo, while i found his emotional pov interesting, i was really freaking mad when he said that he understood why hidetoshi's abusers abused him (because of his disinterest and the distance he placed between himself and his lovers) and that all they wanted was love, so they hit him. uuuh i'm sorry but what the hell?? there is no O I UNDERSTAND WHY ABUSERS DO THESE THINGS NOW I TOTALLY FEEL FOR THEM O MY GOD. that kind of thinking just excuses their behavior. like was that line supposed to come off as deep and emotional? because it just came off as gross. so instead of kengo coming off as someone yearning for hidetoshi's love, he just became a potential abuser in my eyes.

it also didn't help when the story shifted to look at kengo's ex girlfriend from highschool, who was also being abused by her husband, and kengo stated that she probably deserved it. i wasn't aware that when abuse happens, it's probably because of a misunderstanding and that the victim should apologize for that after being punched in the face or choked! gosh thanks for telling it like it is kengo. and the cherry on top was when he said he didn't feel sorry for her because she always acted overtly friendly towards men, which sends the wrong signals and that obviously meant that she deserved to be beaten. wow you're totally getting the best dude award now kengo. there are many other instances of kengo being a total asshat, but this review is getting super long.

i'm seriously starting to question whether the mangaka views domestic violence victims as people who deserve it and if so, i'm not reading her works anymore.

positive things: the art is lovely. so you know. if you like pretty art then read this while simultaneously erasing your brain (because you should not take the message of this manga seriously, it is toxic). the main couple were cute too, but the DV issues in this didn't help matters, so i couldn't enjoy their interactions as much like other readers did. i mean if kengo was a total douchebag about other DV victims, why would i want him to be with hidetoshi?! it's sad because i honestly liked kengo in the beginning, but then he turned into this horrible person with these horrible views and it's worse that he's in a relationship with someone who was abused.

... Last updated on April 5th, 2013, 5:43am

Why has this gotten so many good reviews? I don't get it.
I really wanted to like this one as it did start out well; I liked the beginning when Kengo seemed to be supportive and caring, and I thought the domestic violence would've added more depth to this. I wanted Kengo to continue protecting Hidetoshi, and I thought it would end up quite sweet. But from the hot spring scenes (I can't remember which chapter it was), it just went downhill. Kengo suddenly starts making it seem like it was Hidetoshi's fault that he was often abused by his lover. Seriously, wtf? Some other reviewers have also pointed this out, which makes me feel relieved that I'm not the only one to be disgusted by this. Domestic violence is never the victim's fault! Even if Hidetoshi did cause his lover to doubt his feelings for him, that was still absolutely no excuse for him to get beaten up! Ugh, it pisses me off just thinking about it.
I first read this manga a long time ago and wasn't impressed (as I mentioned above), but I thought that perhaps I was too hasty in my judgement so I attempted to re-read it, but I only managed to get to chapter 7. And even that was a struggle. I once again felt uncomfortable reading it from the point when Kengo starts to "understand" why Hidetoshi's lovers abused him, and even after I stopped reading I was still left feeling bitter. I also remember that there's something to do with a woman who is also in a violent relationship, and if i'm remembering correctly, Kengo once again basically says it's her fault as she makes her husband (or boyfriend?) feel insecure or some crap like that. So basically Kengo just comes off looking like a total douchebag in my opinion. (Please excuse my language but seriously it angers me so much)
The only good point was the art. The spin-off is much better, so don't bother with this, unless you agree with the twisted view on domestic violence.
-- Rant over. --

... Last updated on January 18th, 2013, 7:49am

It's been a very long time since I've been waiting for releases of a manga, and this one was a very welcomed breathe of fresh air.

I've read a couple of Yamamoto's other works; she's got a very unique and pretty art style-- her uke's are all very attractive and cute, while her seme are just as cute, but manage a sense of masculinity about them. Unfortunately, she's not top-notch when it comes to storytelling

However, with Sakiya, it gives her art a whole new twist-- the collaboration between the two is amazingly good with its great, developed plot and wonderful images full of emotion and feeling.

The characters are extremely well-thought out, and all very likable, even Hidetoshi's abusive lover. You're able to see all sides of emotions from all the characters, and can understand why they do the things they do, and why they feel they way they feel.

What really shined for me about this was the drama and angst-- there's so much of it! On every page, I felt like my heart was wrenching for what Hidetoshi was going through, and how Kengo was feeling about it, even after his resolve. If you're a fan, you'll absolutely love this.

The story is no where near shallow, and it's full of depth and meaning. If you want a worthy story that's more than just uke-in-distress-seme-to-the-rescue, you'll absolutely find that here.

I agree with other reviews that the attitude towards domestic violence in this manga kind of ruined it for me. I did enjoy it a lot until the end and the things Kengo said to the woman who was abused. Strangely I could take Hidetoshi blaming himself for being beaten because he was the victim and a lot of victims do in fact blame themselves, but everyone knew it wasn't his fault. Kengo told him it wasn't his fault, but how the woman was treated was beyond horrible. I know it's not real life and I usually can completely separate RL from BL manga, but for some reason I just can't enjoy the manga or the characters as much after that chapter. Other than that it is a pretty nice story, a bit melodramatic but with nice characters and a good resolution.

... Last updated on June 29th, 2011, 2:40am

Overall I do quite like this series, but the victim blaming forces me to knock it down a few points as it really does NOT sit right with me. This couple though is very sweet. I am a fan of the art, even if it may be on the cutesy side. Yamamoto kotetsuko draws some of the most sensual kisses ever.

This one is really good!

The art is good, but it is the story telling that's especially good. The complex feelings of trying to figure out your sexuality, and what love IS is greatly described. This gives the story depth, and makes it realistic, compared to many of the yaoi stories out there.

A sweet and heart-rending story!

the main character finds out his ex is being abused, and say this about the situation.
"he may have hit her but it wasnt so hard"
he goes on to explain its her fault for causing misunderstandings. if her husband had divorced her for flirting with other men. or because she went on a date with someone else, which she did do, then i would agree with him. she was wrong for doing that. but even if she did cheat, there is NO EXCUSE to hit someone. whether you are a man or woman, there is never a reason to do that.

Kengo said it was a despicable thing to do, but still kept making excuses for the husband. it was really sad to read. especially since his bf used to be in an abusive relationship. he says he only feels bad for his BF, because his BF was always honest with his partner.

People accepting abuse is a real mystery. I have someone in my family who has this kind of problems for more that 25 years and a lot of drama happened, but at the end of the day she will go back to him, disregarding her family's opposition and support. Of course, these things are sad, but unfortunately outsiders can't do much if the victim is not willing to cooperate. I think Kengo did the right thing advising his ex to go home and talk things with her husband, because she first has to decide what's there to be done and nobody else can do that for her.

Anyway, even if I can agree with Kengo on this particular matter, he did treat her badly when they were together, the narration of their relationship really annoyed me. Somehow, I managed to ignore his coldness until the last pages; I know it is not unusual for Japanese to visit their parents one or twice a year, yet not visiting for 8 years (considering he started university 2 years later than Hidetoshi) for an unreasonable (in my opinion) reason is just too much. In that moment I got fed up with his behavior. OK, love is selfish and I felt that the author tried to create this image of him being more human only for/with Hidetoshi, but I can only think he's nothing more than a heartless bastard.

Besides this, I think everything was a little chaotic and tended to not make sense at times. For example, how Hidetoshi would go to Kengo's place all beaten up even if he actually wanted to avoid him. I can't relate to the story or the characters at all, the only character I liked was Mio, Kengo's co-worker.