A yaoi manga that’s actually good. Yeah, aren’t those a rarity these days. Actually, I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. I went in expecting the usual Stockholmy crap with maybe a decent smut scene or two and ended up caring not about the sex but about the characters instead. And when characters distract me from smut, Author, you know you’ve done something either commendably good or damningly bad. Fortunately, this manga a rare example of the former.
So, let’s break it down:
Art: This ain’t your grandma’s BL art with needlepoint chins and sparkly ikemen around every corner. Kuraka’s art isn’t conventionally pretty, and it’s got a decent amount of grit to it with dark tones and lots of stark black and white contrast instead of flowery screentones. I won’t say it’s my favorite art style ever, but it is ridiculously refreshing compared to your standard overused yaoi art. I feel it had more of a seinen/josei-ish bend to it, and overall, I found it worked well with the story.
Plot: While heavier on the plot than most yaoi, this one’s was a rather thinly-veiled backdrop to set the romance against. I don’t mean that as a bad thing, and it served its purpose well enough – any more than what was given would have distracted too much from the characters and their relationship, which is, of course, the main focus. While it could be convoluted at times, it didn’t distract from the quality of the story and generally blended nicely into the background. In any case, the story didn’t end the way I was expecting, which was a relief, though I do have to agree with some of the other reviewers in that the final “twist” of the ending was kind of an ass-pulled cheap shot.
Characters: I’ll say it; they were a lot of fun. From the start, they kept far away from traditional yaoi archetypes and were genuinely interesting in their own respects, not just for all the hot sex they could have (which was also fun). I honestly feel it would be irritatingly remiss to force them into that detestable seme/uke scheme, mostly because they feel too real for that. While it’s undeniable that Itou is the more dominant partner and Kyosuke is the more submissive, the seme/uke roles reek of stereotypes and unfortunate implications that I really don’t think these two characters embody.
Anyway, I agree with another reviewer in that they had their awkward and annoying Twilight moments, and Kyosuke’s reason for “loving” (and I use that word loosely) Itou was ridiculously underplayed. I think the author using the word “love” at all is what irked me. If she had chosen “obsession” or “fixation,” it would have been much more believable. But perhaps I’m just being pedantic. The word itself doesn’t change the relationship, so I’ll just assume Kyosuke picked the wrong word to use.
And speaking of the relationship, I generally really liked it. It wasn’t overly gushy – these are two severely damaged individuals we’re talking about, and their fascination with each other was fairly realistically played out. The sociopathic Itou gaining the ability to feel his own emotions and exercise his own will and the emotionally detached Kyosuke latching onto an object of perceived affection made for a relationship that was both straightforward and mired in depth and uncertainty. There was, at times brutal, honesty between the two, and the problems that arose between them didn’t feel contrived or rely on petty miscommunications and misunderstandings for the sake of drama. The drama was just there, fostered by the tension in the atmosphere and the friction between the characters. It never grew tiresome in the same way most trite yaoi seems to, and that was refreshing in itself.
Smut: The sex scenes in this manga are good. They weren’t too long as to drag, nor were they short enough to leave me wanting more. And since I genuinely liked the characters and cared about their relationship, I found the sex that much more engaging. While there wasn’t anything particularly adventurous in it, it was still very enjoyable and served its purpose nicely.
So yeah, while far from perfect, this manga thoroughly impressed me, and I’m leaving it with a solid 7. And with this, we have the debut of a promising new artist whose future works I’ll most certainly keep an eye out for.
Oh, you wanted to hear about the side story at the end?
9/10, would smut again. I mean read. Damn, that was hot as hell. Hot boys, hot bondage (hell yeah, straitjackets!), and hot, hot, hot power dynamics. Yeah, don’t go into this one expecting another case of CSSS – that is, “Contrived Stockholm Syndrome” Syndrome. That twist at the end really threw me for a pleasant loop. I was also glad to read the author’s note at the end mentioning her struggles with subverting the “love” aspect of “boys’ love.” Very unconventional, Author, and very much appreciated. And that one quote at the end (
”I don’t love you.”
) cinched it for me.
So, once again, I will be looking forward to this author’s next work.
(-34)
(+110)
