I don't know why some asian girls hate Aki that much?!

He's never been afraid to take on Asami in any situation. He should get gold stars just for that.

Tbh, he doesn't get as much credit as he deserves. People are too hard on him, always focusing on his faults and never on his strength.

But that's their problem because he's not going anywhere.

true, Aki is mentaly very strong. and he's never scared to take Asami on whatever the situation. People who nag about Aki being weak should go and look for a different manga.

I agree so much!

Takaba is a distinct character. At time he was introduced, where were not that many ukes written as a male (strong). when I say strong I mean as a counter to Asami. He fights a strong emotional battle not to fall in love. Takaba losses but gains Asami and you need to be strong to handle him. In this process Takaba has trained Asami to eat right out of his hand. The real center of power in that relationship is Takaba. Takaba just doesnot know it.

And some female readers in Asia criticize that Aki is not good enough for Asami. Well, how FUNNY!
I think they are just jealous of Aki. ╮(￣▽￣)╭

Girl, It's just their opinions

why cannot we criticize takaba?
he always get caught and asami has to go for rescuing him.
takaba is really jst a trouble-maker.
whatever aspects, feilong is much better for asami but asami is stupid for not choosing him but an annoying and troublesome boy.

If you don't like one of the main characters, why read a certain manga?! So you can bitch and moan about how uncool that character is? And about Feilong being right for Asami...you poor child, how does it feel to live in a world as delusional as yours?

Personally, I usually don't like ukes that always cause hindrance and never cease to cause trouble. It still stands true, Aki kinda disturbs me a little in that aspect, but I like Aki and he's an exception. He's not the "weak" uke, and that's the main thing I hate about the troublesome types. Akihito is pretty strong as a person. His internal strength is the very reason our seme Asami likes him, and frankly if the stage of this story was in a normal life setting, Aki wouldn't appear so "useless" to some. I mean, he's a photographer, he's not even supposed to dwell in the underworld so deeply. He's a well established character, and him not turning out to be some femme fatale is enough proof of his strength.

Jesus Christ, girl, pull that stick out of your ass and untwist your knickers. Beauty (or whatever her name is) enjoys certain elements of the manga just like everybody else. Everybody has different preferences. No reason to insult others on a personal level just because their preferences and likes don't match with yours. Tolerance. Look it up on Wiki if you must. You might learn a thing or two.

Because Feilong was "touched by the darkness of the underworld". Akihito wasn't, and that's what he was looking for.

Dear Elle, you also insulted the person who criticized this Beauty person. Hypocrisy. Look it up on Wikipedia. You might learn a thing or two.

I think that Aki is strong in his own right. I understand why some other fellow fans might be more enthusiastic about a "thing" going on between Asami and Feilong than between the former and Aki, however Asami lost interest in Feilong long before he met Aki.
Of course, it didn't help that Feilong held a grudge against Asami for what he thought to be the latter's wrongdoings against him and the man who raised him.
However, in spite of all of that, Asami didn't see it necessary to clear his name before Feilong ... to capture his heart and body. Maybe it is like some other people have suggested, it is due to the fact that Fei is involved in the underworld, that he is a rival. I have nonetheless another interpretation. I think Asami felt sorry for Fei ... It was compassion more than lust. He could see his wounds and torments and acted upon what he saw. With Aki, it is lust at first sight, a lust which augmented and then evolved into love.
Asami was attracted to him in the first place because he provoked him with those indomitable eyes. Asami liked to be challenged, it entertained him. Aki is sexy, bustling with youth, lustful (and can even exhibit a seductive sexual prowess), steadfast (he is not a social climber, and Asami saw that), stubborn and sometimes a little bit intriguing and mysterious (because Asami fails at times to see through him). He may not be physically strong but he isn't a weakling. Finally, it is fair to say that Asami is a man who likes to be provoked (and to become perked by it), and what a better way to achieve that than by associating himself with a lover whom he wants to dominate and seduce, precisely because he knows he is indomitable. It keeps the flame burning and the desire at its climax. No wonder that he is willing to follow him to the core of the abyss, if he had to.

Dear Ducky, err, no I did not. I told her to untwist her knickers in order to reconsider her attitude towards others as well as her manners. There is absolutely zero insult in that. Trust me, if I were to insult you or anybody else... you would know it. As for the aforementioned hypocrisy: Pot. Kettle. Black, my dear. Pretty hilarious you would accuse others people of being a hypocrite when you are one of the biggest ones around. Knowing your posts on this board you are the one who needs to take a long hard look in the mirror when it comes to that. Just saying.

Honestly, what beauty said was their opinion and you became a big bitch about it.

@Enigma Really liked your analysis of why and how Asami fell in love with Takaba and not Fei.

yeah, me too :)) that's why, when there was a debate if Asami would still fall in love if Akihito were a woman, i highly doubt it. because women -in most cases- adopt a motherly love along the lines -and with men, it's something that'll never happen. plus -remember when Akihito gave that guy what's-his-name a blow job for information? when he was raped by Fei? when that guy gave him a hand-job? what's your take on that if Akihito were a woman? i know women are sensitive about that stuff (that's why there's lots of debate about rape here) ~men just move on LOL

I suggest you reread the respective posts. I was DEFENDING Beauty and her right to express her opinion here. My comment was directed to the person who insulted her and said she was living in a delusional world. So the next time you call someone a bitch I would appreciate if you picked the right person. Thank you

Well actually I think you have two good points there, they might be described as being tenacious and emotionally independent. Tenacious because it seems that Aki treats all those transgressions as some form of rough "medical check ups" or a non-consequential adversity.
Emotionally independent in the sense of he wouldn't let himself become a liability to the other party (even now after he has decided to face his feelings for Asami, he doesn't want to be a liability. He has set his mind on protecting the man he loves).
It is true that he found himself more than once to be in trouble but needing help in a calamitous situation doesn't mean he lost all the good traits which make him irresistible in the eyes of Asami.
He has never been clingy or needy. He has never fawned over Asami except when he was seduced but it can't be considered as fawning over someone. It is more like letting out his sexiness and lustfulness after being seduced.
I believe that all of this is part of his alluring charm. It is hard, at least for me, to imagine the same setup with someone else other than Aki, be it a man or a woman.
From where I stand, I think that the mangaka has deliberately set up the dynamics of the relationship between the two, to make it so.
Through Asami's body language, eyes' expressions, mouth and hand gestures, we can see his seduction and lovemaking techniques in the motion. He closes in on Aki as if he were his precious trophy - or dare I say, his prey -, provoking and being provoked by him at the same time, only to get provoked more. Soon after, the subtle seduction "warfare" turns into something more as the two fall in love. This is what sets the tempo of this series, this combination of seduction and love which should make the upcoming chapters even more interesting!