Edit: The very fact that the rating chart is so varied on this volume cause me to have more respect for the creator. She had the courage to create something that is controversial (thus the vast scale of rating and strong feelings.) Regardless of our personal opinions, I think we can all applaud her for her ability to create something that evokes powerful feelings one way or another! 🙂
De gustibus non est disputandum (There's no accounting for taste.) I don't dispute anyone's opinion. Opinons are indisputable. They are our own and we don't need to defend them. BUT I feel I need to add another perspective to this misaligned manga.
I couldn't stop thinking about this one - it was so extraordinary. So many mangas that I read are all too forget-able. This one is not. It grabbed hold of me, made me think about relationships and the power one can hold over another; how someone can act differently or be immobilized by certain people in situations that normally wouldn't phase them if it was a different person. It made me explore myself and my beliefs. Think: disturbing content = Theatre of Cruelty (not what you think - Check it out!) as created by Antonin Arnaud.
I am a fanatic fan of dark BDSM fantasy so this one is also incredibly HOT to me.
The only reason I hesitated to rate this tankobon a 10 was because I was so disappointed when it ended mid-tension! I ached for at least a few more tankobons to further this fascinating page-turner. Alas, it wasn't to be. I hope a doujinshi circle picks it up!
I believe the ratings are misleading on this tankobon. If I didn't like a genre before I even picked up a specific manga in said genre, of course I would rate it low. For example, if i didn't like yuri and it squicked me beyond comprehension, and then, for some strange reason -perhaps I didn't realize it- i picked a yuri manga up to read, I would most certainly have a low opinion of it. So, if one doesn't like dark BDSM and it squicks one completely, then one shouldn't pick one up to read.
Maybe the problem lies not in the graphic nature and disturbing content. Maybe the problem lies in it being marketed in the wrong genre? I don't know - it seems that it was labeled clearly at Liquid Passion. But maybe it wasn't clear enough.