I've always avoided historical yaoi manga because I've always thought that things would be slow paced till the point that I will lose interest.
However, this manga is the total opposite! Since page one I've been mesmerized with the characters, their different personalities, and the emotions portrayed with mere art are just amazing. I would say the characters here are very peculiar, in a good way unlike the usual yaoi manga and the character development is very good. I love it when Akihito becomes more mature for the sake of Tomoyuki, how the characters are somewhat vulnerable at times and during these situations they will find comfort in each other.
I love the way the author made them confess their feelings to each other, simple words but words that mean a lot.
Artwork of course, is splendid. The main thing that makes this manga so very good is its detailed plot with its unexpected twists and turns, making the readers crave for more. It's a masterpiece.

more chapters can't come out soon enough!

but really the history and political intrigue in this is spot on and super realistic, in turn making the angst and star-crossed-ness of the romantic angle even more poignant and gripping. at the same time i love how the barrier between the two characters is not, in fact, their difference in rank itself. it's their own selves and how each of them deal with their difference in rank that separates them. akihito in all his desperation seems to be willing now to burn and build every bridge necessary to get to katsuragi, and you can feel katsuragi's trepidation in watching akihito act so directly in the midst of all the politics around them and not being able to do much about it. it's a careful, dangerous, and very sexy dance they make.

hidaka shouko, you've done it again.

I made an account on here just for the SOLE purpose of reviewing this manga and giving it a 10/10 rating which it truly deserves. I'm a fan of Hidaka-sensei, so I knew I would love Yuuutsu na Asa even before I read it. I was correct, I loved Akihito's need/want for Katsuragi, I loved Katsuragi's tsundere personality, and I loved the historical aspect of it, since in those times homosexuality was very frowned upon. I even bought all the volumes of the manga in English, and it is better than the scanlated versions. The groups did a good job, but it was at times hard to follow because of the politics and the Japanese terms. At first I didn't like how there was an older uke and younger seme, but I grew to love it just like how I fell in love with all of the characters.

I understand why some people might not like it, but we like what we like and no one can change that. To each our own, I guess.

WOW now THIS is DRAMA!!!! And not in the conventional, over the top sense, but more of a psychological drama than anything else. The master/servant relationship is played out excellently and the status structure that comes with such a relationship used to full advantage. Indeed, much of the drama comes through in the intensity of the dialogues they have with one another, so when reading the raws even you only get half the sense of what is going on... although just by looking at their faces, the intensity of their gazes, the vibes of intensity will just suck you in!!!

The amount of detail put into this story is brilliant, and I have to say, Hidaka Shoko is a master at character development! The difference in the relationship between Katsuragi and Akihito from beginning to end was so carefully crafted.. Akihito really matured into such a wonderful person by the end, and his love for Katsuragi was so pure and endearing. The story had many other interesting aspects as well. It was fun to read about the lives of noblemen in historic Japan (regardless of how accurate it may be), and how Akihito was trying to shift his focus on the industry so as to remain relevant in the future when the peerage is no longer significant. Each and every character was drawn for a reason, and all of them had depth to them rather than just being there to serve as garnish. The artwork is slightly old fashioned for my taste. However, it was still very beautifully drawn and suits the time period of the manga. I think it was around 8 years ago that I stopped reading this so that I could read it all in one go in the future, and I'm really glad that I came back to finish this wonderful manga. Also, as others have already mentioned, this is truly a one of a kind BL manga. You may find it slow or difficult to understand at times, but this is one of few manga where so much time was invested in creating an intricate/interesting story between the two protagonists.

... Last updated on May 16th, 2021, 7:25pm

I made an account specifically for recommending this manga.
This manga is historical and may be a bit heavy and dry especially with the mention of ranks and peerage. But DO NOT let that deter you from reading further, Yuuutsu na Asa is an amazing piece of work, one of the best yaoi manga I've ever read. The art is nice, the character development is substantial and the chemistry between Katsuragi and Akihito is so touching.
Please read it, my heart is crying.

I really enjoyed this, and am eagerly anticipating further updates.

Although at five volumes the story is long, it has plot and a good set of characters, which helps. However, if you are looking for a light, I'll-just-skim-through-it read, this isn't it. The dialogue is essential to the complex, aristocracy-based plot and half of the manga is focused on inheritance rather than any tangible romance.

That being said, I loved the relationship between the two main characters. I particularly enjoyed the first few and middle volumes, watching the power balance shift and Akihito's growth into the lord he becomes. I liked watching Akihito struggle for power over Katsuragi and laughed at every time he was coolly cut down, just as you thought he was finally about to get one over. I liked the rape, I thought it worked with the character's emotions, and unlike some other reviewers I thought it actually enhanced the dynamics of their relationship, and worked with their romance as K. slowly fell for Akihito.

I also loved Katsuragi as a character; his cool, mature aloofness, and sometimes very harsh behaviour, combined with his unexpected, but absolutely adorable softening as the series progressed (especially during some of the sex) worked together well with Akihito's youth and unexpectedly fiery temper and immaturity (although he mellowed out as the series progressed). Katsuragi definitely made the manga for me (at the start, he reminded me a little of Sebastien from Kuroshitsuji). And Katsuragi is a MAN, which I loved. No girly ukes here, this dude could seriously kick some ass if he wanted.

Despite this being set in the taisho (?) period (not one of my favs) and being a master-servant relationship, this just worked for me. I cannot stress how beautiful I found the art, and along with Hana wa Saku ka I plan on buying this series when I can.

So definitely read if you have time and want something different from the normal same-old same-old yaoi.

P.S. Don't read for the sex, but if you're finding it lacking a bit in both panel-time and description the series does get more explicit as it goes on longer. Although the scenes are not overtly graphic, there are a couple really tender ones where you can really see/get/understand the emotions of the characters that they are feeling at the time.

... Last updated on September 4th, 2013, 10:51am

The plot is really gripping. Serious drama... It's so tense at times, and the role of social status is played out well. It actually makes me anxious about how things are going to play out when the confines of rank are so stringent (dare I say it's realistic?) This is a great historical manga, and the flow of the story is so addictive... not to mention the yaoi part. Haha, add that in, and it's like, ten times better XD Akihito and Katsuragai are great characters- I want to read more about them! I wish more chapters were scanlated, I would read them in a heartbeat.

... Last updated on August 21st, 2012, 5:48pm

Well I've only read the one scanlated chapter so far, but Yuutsu no Asa is quite delicious. Great build up, intriguing characters, kickass art (though I wonder again why the hell Kuze is blonde...), an air of mystery, can't wait to read more...

Somehow it seems rare to find an 8 volume complete yaoi of this caliber. It is outstanding and will be re-read again and again. I wish for more like this.