Rapey. Really rapey.

All y'all who downvoted that comment need to see a psychotherapist, STAT. Rape and coercion are felonies.

Comment got downvoted because duh, everyone knows this already. And because other readers are smart enough to know that within the context of the story, these elements function as metaphors.

Metaphor? That's a really lame way to attempt to legitimize rape as an act of romantic love. I've seen instances of dubious consent in other manga that clearly do further the story of a serious relationship. This wasn't one of them.

The 147 people who tagged this manga as a romance, and the 97 who tagged it as hot - as well as those who put it on hot & possessive lovers lists - got off on it. I think that's really troubling. But hey, if all you got out of my objection is that I'm not as smart as you, good on ya, li'l buckaroo.

Abuse is not healthy. I'm done with you.

Ok? Pick a fight with the author if you feel so strongly about it...?

lol m8, this is only a metaphor. But I agree with you in some parts, rape or whatever you just said is not romance. And again, it's only a metaphor, this story is not telling us to rape our love ones, our crushes, or whatever, it's not telling us to force them either.

I'm not suggesting that the manga was intended as an instruction manual. What I am saying is that eroticizing abuse does affect the reader. It normalizes it and attaches an attractive sexualization to it. I'm not as concerned about older adult readers, whose self-image and tastes have already been formed, but younger readers are still establishing their own identities.

I'm not even remotely fond of censorship, and I think teens should have as much access to smut as they like - they're already becoming sexual beings - but they're still developing. I think that sexualizing/romanticizing abuse may have formative consequences for these readers, as evidenced by all the squeeing over the kind of abuse that no one should ever tolerate in real life.

Ravishment fantasies have existed in the human psyche long before literature caught up with them. So it's the fantasy that has created the literature, not the other way around. It's a highly normative fantasy that is a healthy part of human sexuality, particularly for women. Literature like this provides a safe place for women to explore those feelings. Or it SHOULD, without people like you, weighed down by negative social baggage, criticizing them. If you don't have faith that readers know the difference between fiction and reality, that is your problem, not the book's. Normalizes, shmormalizes. If that was the case, then Hannibal or The Godfather or American Psycho or any number of other works of fiction are problematic, no? No. People aren't that stupid and they don't need a nanny to tell them what they should and shouldn't read.

thanks a logical comment. to all of you who are using the excuse this is a metaphor, a fantasy, blah, blah. let me tell you japan's eternal problem since ancients times: in japanese society does not take rape seriously. in japan rape get an unusual green light for it, even from authorities. I'm a former human rights advocates of 15+, and I deal a lot with human traffik and sexual crimes. Japan always have problems with sexual crimes. but japanese society is one of shame and appearances. the reason why japan show low statistics is because of the fear of all types victims suffer and never report it. but the reality is japan is one of the highest in rape in Asia and there's a possibility worldwide. Japan has been always a favorite tourist place for pedos and perverts in general. japaneses government always put an effort to hide under the rugs instead of dealing with it. one thing clear is that manga/anime fans are the most ignorants and clueless about japanese sexual crimes. just in 2014 child porn material was illegalized finally, BUT manga got a free pass.

educate yourselves:

http://www.ajwrc.org/english/sub/voice/21-1-2.pdf

http://www.ajwrc.org/eng/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=5&cid=1

http://www.ajwrc.org/eng/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=1&num=10&orderby=titleD&pos=0

http://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00171/

You could make that argument anywhere? Like seriously, written paper material anywhere that involves "fantasized rape", and the country would have sexualized crimes behind it. Manga is probably only a small part of it, but the fact that its online and open is why you're only targeting Japan, trying to make a "point".

shut up kid! I'm a former human rights activist that I started before internet became available to many people (mid 90's). I know too well the problems from countries all over the world. We are talking about japan because is where most mangas are created. And like any form of art is influenced by the good and bad from where writers grew up. In US you see the rape culture through tv, like reality shows, music, etc. In Japan this is show in mangas and anime. and this particular problem in japan comes from ancients times that perpetuates to this day. those links I posted are from one of the most important organizations created by a japanese women and is still a leading orgs dealing with womens rights in Japan and Asia. do yourself a favor, EDUCATE yourself. trying to talk about rights to a human rights activist its like trying to talk about diseases to a doctor, education to a teacher, science to scientists, etc. you get what I mean kiddo?!?! I don't try to make any point for the exception to educate about serious problems to indifferent sheeples people like you. anime and mangas fanatisism is not different to that of sports, religion fanatism. too many japanese women and men suffer daily because of it, and also foreign, especially those with immigrant status problems. men have it hard since japanese law don't consider rape anal sex or anything that isn't vagina-penis.

apart from the green light japanese society gives to sexual crimes; japaneses police are well know to ignore all crimes that doesn't have clear evidence at hands, to keep the statistics low and keep bragging to the world about low crimes. can you imagine low crime with the mafia in Italy, US, Colombia or countries where they are?!?! nope right, then why suddenly in japan with yakuzas are low.. . this is just a little example. but wonder if kids like you can actually get it. done here and don't bother to whine back, just fucking educate yourself for fuck's sakes >.>

It's interesting that you say people who don't agree with you need psychotherapy. What do you tell people in your everyday day life when they don't agree with you... something like "I'm not your friend anymore"? Lol!! There are sooooo many stories that have sooo many people make these same comments that its old hat. You're the only one who decided that other people who don't agree with you need mental help. Interesting and kinda of a bratty attitude. People can read stories and have a positive or negative reaction to such stories and have their own opinions, BUT its insulting to some to suggest therapy in such a way as you did.

Shut up yourself, former human rights activist. Some of us still are human rights activists, nothing former about us, and we don't buy the correlation equals causation fallacy and never have. You're in the wrong place if you think anyone here supports real rape. Stop shouting at women and take your bloated ego back to church.

You're the one acting like a kid though? And you're the one whining about being a "human rights activist", if all you do is bitch and moan then you're hardly what you label yourself. Why don't you try doing something about it, instead of bitching on an anime website for starters.

{YAAAWN}

you go back to church. proud atheist here. yes former since illness prevent form working on it. if you think you're a human rights just because you support through internet and though you're wrong, it's an actual work that needs physical and mental clarity and health. and also you should know about japan's problem... even thousands of japanese people are trying to persuade their government to ban all adult mangas and animes because of the romanticize of rape, pedos, etc and the problem behind it. but you should know about this since you claim to be an activist right. and the problem is the romanticize of it not writing about it.

I've got plenty of street cred, sunshine, and the trouble with riding a high horse is you want to make sure your ass isn't wide open and exposed first. If you want support for your "cause", then prove the correlation between yaoi fangirls reading ravishment fantasies and then going out and raping gay men. Because until you can? You're in the WRONG reading section.

Amazing that you call yourself an atheist, when you act like a witch-burning fundamentalist.

I've worked in sexual assault services, legal education and action funds and crisis intervention for years and building and supporting women's shelters. You're blowing smoke out your ass if you think that reading fictional accounts of rape in yaoi manga or any other romance genre is anything like the actual experience of actual sexual assault in real life.

Furthermore, Europe and North America have no right to lecture any other culture or nation on sexual assaults or other crimes, and if you want to get into a stats war over it, I'll stomp you with them.

I have to applaud your argument.