This series never fails to surprise me, and this entry is no exception. I’m loving every single chapter so far, and I can’t wait for more. Review will continue with spoilers below (as of chapter 4):
I’m continuously stunned by how seamlessly Nakamura-sensei took such a detestable character, Sajou’s father, and made him out to be one of the series’ most interesting, nuanced, and sympathetic characters.
The more chapters I read, the more I start to wonder if Nakamura-sensei was planning this sort of arc for his character all along. It’s seriously so brilliant.
There’s so many little clues about his character that you wouldn’t think were clues until you look back at them in retrospect. The distance from his wife, even going so far as to constantly take overseas jobs so he would always be away from her. His stern, overly masculine disposition, almost like he’s overcompensating for something. His harsh and cruel reaction to realising his son was gay, and all the internalised nasty feelings that spilled out because of it.
It all makes so much sense, and very easily paints a picture of an extremely closeted and repressed gay man from a generation where being gay wasn’t ever an option for him. But now, faced with his own son's coming out and marriage, he's left to reckon with his own personal feelings and situation.
With this all in mind, having the younger Juichi enter the picture who knows very well what it means to live the life of a gay man in this world creates such an interesting dynamic between the two. I can’t wait to learn more about Juichi, as he’s one of my favourite characters added to this series in a long time. He has such an interesting worldview, and I think he was a very necessary addition to the cast in terms of this series’ queer characters.
One thing I’m especially excited to see play out is Sajou realising his father is also into men, and the conversations and drama that will inevitably come from that. There’s a lot of generational trauma to unpack there, and I very much trust Nakamura-sensei to unpack it well. There’s other things besides their sexuality they seem to have in common as well, as they both seem to suffer from anxiety attacks. I think that could also be an interesting topic to explore.
Now… so that we can end things on a lighter note, I just want to add that I adore Sai as a side character and that he’s an absolute delight! I’d love to see him in the manga more often. Seriously though, all the characters in this are so good. I love seeing how they all play off each other. Can’t wait to see how they all progress in chapter five. Until then!