I think I would have been more impressed with this if I'd read it when it was new. It's well structured, well paced, the characters behave reasonably, the plot is realistic, the sex is consensual, the characters are adults, etc etc. But in 2023, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

It's genuinely not terrible! Worth reading if you're just looking for more content. It feels a bit shallow, like it doesn't fully lean into being smut or romance or a family drama, but touches on all 3. To be fair, I haven't read the manga it was adapted from, so that might provide some depth. I do think this stands well enough on its own.

The original title is beautiful, and "A Raven That Cries but Sheds No Tears" is a good translation that preserves the feeling by staying a little shy of literal, but "Where Night's Blackbird in His Sad Infamy Sings" is way too melodramatic for this slow-burn romance. Yes, there are some stereotypically dramatic manga moments/plot devices (which drag down my rating somewhat), but they're anchored by consistent and believable character development - whenever I think "come on, would he really do that" it's immediately followed by "yeah, probably."

I don't love the art style, but it does somehow fit the feel of the story, and the cover illustration is beautiful.