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.