The plot is gripping and the drama feels so real. Some people are complaining that this is too complicated, but that is one reason why this manga is amazing. It shows there is depth to this story and depth is something I want to explore. Yes, there are plenty of fun and light yaoi mangas out there but once in a while I like to read stories where the two main lovers have to really struggle and fight to be with each other, positions are barriers and seriously break many people up, so I like how I am reading about one and the struggles that come with it.

The two main characters are meant to be, they really played at my heartstrings. I also love plots where there is a history between them....childhood is such an important part of ones life and not everyone is lucky enough to have had someone there all along. Katsuragi knows Kuze inside and out...watched him grow up and make mistakes...he has been there all along and Kuze has been in love with Katsuragi for most of the time they have been together.

... Last updated on January 5th, 2014, 2:30pm

Dont you just want to kill a baby waiting for a next scanlated chapter? It's right, this is DRAMA, and not exaggerated, teen drama of an uke wondering how the seme feels for him while picking flower petals. It's MEN. Men's conversation. Men's thinking. Men's shape. Pretty, but no the-uke-looks-like-a girl-with-dick type of pretty. If you've gone bored with your whiny uke blushed miserably whenever his seme played basketball (or something like that), and cried dramatically while he was humped in the bed, then try this.
But again if you basically want to read porn with simple plot, don't read this.


anyway, mangatraders have it till vol 8 the last time I saw

... Last updated on September 10th, 2011, 8:10am

In hindsight, like many people, I initially avoided this manga due to "dry" plot line that felt cliché to the T. Also, I didn't like the art style.
A lot of time has passed since then, and only now, do I realise that there are only a handful of yaoi manga that top this one on my list. Before I re-read YNA, I'd already fallen in love with the art style without knowing from reading her other works.
The characters are beautifully crafted to subtly develop unexpected traits that flourish with the help of each other.
The story follows Akihito, who's characterisation is punctiliously romantic. His intentions are incredibly deliberate and very obviously subsists on love and affection as he's grown up absent from such tenderness. At times, it pushes him to do terrible things, but we all learn from our mistakes, and it shapes him into a benevolent, selfless protagonist.
I don't know if this is specific to me, but I've realised that when starting out with yaoi, you tend to indulge in popular manga like Sekaiichi, Love Stage, Junjou etc, straying away from realistic art and slower plot lines.
Only when you've read mangas like YNA, or other rich, slower progressing realistic manga, do you realise that you've developed this magical acquired taste to mature sentimentalism, and that can never really go back to generic yaoi. YNA has something extremely special about it. Something that can keep you reading it non stop for hours on end, a force keeping you at the very edge of your seat. Something heart wrenching that is ever so tenderly felt when taking your sweet time to squint at the meticulously crafted images and read between the lines.
I admit that there's a lot of complicated social structure/politics dialogue (which I congratulate the scanlators for translating so well) and I know many people tend to tune out to this… For me, it adds stratified depth into the story, and creates wonderful textual integrity.
Not only is YNA an absolute masterpiece in itself, but personally, I've discovered that each time I read it, I never fail to find that it encompasses new treasures that were hidden before, making it an absolute pleasure to read. Yes, YNA is painfully slow to some, but time and time again I find myself scrolling to the end of my manga list, to satiate myself with this deliciously alluring gem. Needless to say, I highly recommend!!!

... Last updated on July 29th, 2015, 4:43am

This is, hands down, a true masterpiece.
It is long, develops at a steady and nice pace, has a great, interesting and exciting plot and very likable, understandable characters, that develop throughout the story.
The art style is just great... there's really no flaws what-so-ever; Hidaka Shoko sensei handles any situation perfectly well, not only anatomy but the facial expressions speak louder than words in this manga.
The sex scenes are incredibly steamy and emotional, and they are just frequent enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next while not feeling unsatisfied at all.
The whole setting and plot seems well researched, there's no plotholes or things that feel odd to me personally... yes it's heavy on politics and it has pages with a lot of talk - but as far as you don't mind that, it's a perfect manga.
I love the characters, both Akihito and Katsuragi, and what I love most in such pieces is the change in them... how they slowly change their opinion or view on things, how love slowly grows... how characters act in certain ways, affecting one another... it's all implemented so well!
Really, there's not one negative thing I can say about this.
I was drawn in from the start and unable to put this manga down until I reached the final so far released chapter. The only bad thing here is, that it is still ongoing, and will leave you wanting more!

If you are not into stories, just looking for the typical BL manga with dudes meeting and then hooking up, this might be too deep or boring to you, but anyone else, please do yourself a huge favor and read this!

From reading the 2 scanlated chapters, and the raws, I can say that perhaps this is one of, if not the, best yaoi master-butler up to date. The way it flows are like the usual Hidaka Shouko; not exactly melodramatic, a little bit tight and choking, and her men are one of the most pleasant, balanced men seen in yaoi, as far as body shapes are concerned. And again, she likes breaking seme-uke expectation..

Initially, I avoided this manga like the plague - the first two chapters had everything I HATED in a yaoi manga: younger brat seme, a cold uke, pathetic puppy love and then, ordered rape. I thought it was going to follow that pattern, and I couldn't understand why this manga was so respected.

A few months later, I forced myself to read it again, and having read till chapter 25, oh. My. Goodness. I couldn't have been more wrong; I've stumbled upon a gem of a work.

I thought Akihito (younger seme) was very pathetic in the beginning, the ordered rape was revolting to the extreme, but thank goodness, he matures a few chapters later, developing a shrewd, resolute mindset of his own, standing equal and occasionally, one-upping Katsuragi in his own games. People who used to regard him as a naive child are forced to change their opinions of him the moment he entered politics, and how he plays the game indeed. The story follows his perspective, but there're even times when I couldn't predict what Akihito would do. I absolutely love this kind of characterization, where in 25 chapters, he's virtually unrecognizable from his self in chapter 1! That's how good the story is.

And with Katsuragi, we learn a little about his personality and convictions, and how good is it to read moments whenever he's being thrown off his game by Akihito, and that mask just slips a bit and we see his REAL feelings bursting out? It is a bit of a cliche, but here, it is done wonderfully, and the unresolved tension between them is oh so heavy and delicious indeed. How far he had come, from heavy disdain for Akihito, to...something else. We get peeks of it in Katsuragi's unguarded moments, and that's all I will say in the matter.

To sum it up, bravo! People, do not pass up a chance to read this title like I almost did. You won't regret it.

More than a classic, actually. A masterpiece would be the better term. Hidaka Shoko's work never disappoints me, but Yuutsu Na Asa is something special. Hidaka's always been very subtle with feelings and emotions, and that just makes sudden outbursts so much more powerful. It's got my heart throbbing from the beginning to the end. This is real angst, not your typically jealousy blushy high school drama. Great plot, excellent characterization, fantastical art, highly recommended.

I wonder why the manga hasn't get adapted into at least an ova. This is an 1 out of 100 BL manga type. Have plot so deep and I love how it chose plot over obligatory sex scenes even if it isn't shounen-ai. Katsuragi is one of the best uke I ever found, he acts like a man too. And Kuze's character development awe me. I love how "love" is depicted in this manga, from something horrible like rape turned into something too sweet, and the conflict isn't a mere third-wheeling and all which we have a lot in the romance genre. I wish this got animated or got a live action with decent actors.

... Last updated on September 11th, 2018, 1:30pm

This manga is a complex one, and hard to get into as a series, yet I cannot tear away from it as it got going. Re-reading the first 5 volumes, I think I can give a more accurate review:

What I liked:
1. I like that it is more plot driven than most yaoi manga. Sex is great, and m/m coitus is part of what drew me to yaoi, but at times it can be tedious and lead to too many repetitive storylines. I'm glad that in Blue Morning the author gave us a break from that usual repetitiveness by setting up the characters, setting, and the plot before we got to our first sex scene. This is something I loved in "Little Butterfly" and I'm glad the mangaka decided to go this route here.

2. It is nice to get to know Japan during the dying days of the feudal system. I always enjoy manga and anime that teach me more about the culture they grew out of.

3. The characters grow from stiff to compelling. It makes me wonder if the author did this on purpose. My favourite narratives, whether book or manga or comic of movie or TV show, are those where things are not always what they seem. So what better way to do that than paint these characters as the stereotypical seme and uke characters that people are expecting, and little by little unravel their real identities as fully developed and flushed out characters? Brilliant if you ask me!

Things I Didn't like:
1. Still did not like the rape scenes at first. Coming from someone who has written gay romances before, I really do not like the trend of "rape= love" that is rampant in yaoi. I'm glad that it fit in with the plot, and wasn't used as a crutch, BUT after reading in many forums stories by men who have been sexually assaulted, I cannot appreciate yaoi that subtly or blatantly tries to re-write violent acts in which a person horribly violates another human being as an act of love.

2. I find this story is hard to understand if one does not have a basic understanding of the Japanese Feudal system. On the positive, reading it is compelling me to do research about it. I probably will share information on the forums on it.

3. If it comes to an end in volume 6, I won't like it!

My favourite work from Hidaka Shoko. This manga captures perfectly the tug-of-war between heart, mind and circumstance. The story's plot is well-thought out and has great build up and tension—every chapter I'm kept with baited breath waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. Also one of the best taisho era mangas I've read as well. Everything is believable and the political drama sweeps you up.

One of my favourite things about her works is that the relationships are built up. They aren't pulled out of no where. The attraction between characters isn't pulled up out of thin air; you get a good sense of why they want/love each other, the struggles in the relationship and you're there from square one. One of my pet peeves is when characters (in any manga, not just a shounen-ai/yaoi) have an instant attraction to each other without much care about the *why.* Usually mangas can get away with instant attraction without much back story because the characters are well-drawn/good looking so the reader doesn't really mind, but in Shoko's works the foundation for their attractions are deliciously written.

Recommended. You will not be disappointed.