hyungdo on that king shit, ugh I honestly fking love his energy so much
bro, y'all really have me so emotional over a hug. thank god, he tian wasn't too badly hurt. I love how you can see the relationship dynamics even with the short chapters/panels, with zheng xi covering and protecting jian yi and he tian pushing lil' mo out of the way :'))
I meant to like it
I really fking loved this, everything about it was phenomenal. I've put off reading this for awhile just because I felt like there would be a lot of angst (which I hadn't really been in the mood for), considering the combination of BL and Amish faith. which obviously don't really go hand in hand BUT I regret not reading this sooner. ngl, I did come into this quite ignorant of Amish religion and was also worried that this manga might exemplify the biased misconceptions I had by portraying it in a negative/ignorant light by showing it to be more cult-like, as the author is non-Amish. however, I was proved wrong and I personally feel like the author managed to portray Rumspringa/the Amish well and I'm glad they equally showed both the pros/cons to the faith. showing the lovely close well-knit community whilst also displaying how the lack of individualism/the deeply instilled rules cause limited freedom. Chloe's character especially shows this, as she obviously has regrets throwing away the freedom that she had founded during Rumspringa away, despite her happiness with Danny.
not to forget, Oz and Theo's relationship which was the main aspect and highlight of this piece. their relationship was incredibly wholesome and it was so nice to see Oz teach Theo about the outside world. also, I love that Oz never once mocks Theo's religion and respects it, despite his lack of knowledge on the Amish.
ALSO!! I really love how Theo stays true to his nature throughout the story, before and after Rumspringa. this story could've easily gone down a route in which Theo becomes "enlightened" through the outside world and looks down on his faith/the indoctrination he faced. but instead, the author goes down a route which I prefer and feel was more authentic to Theo's character, as Theo cherishes the values that he learnt/memories he made while being Amish and never at all comes to hate it. I'm sure the fact that Theo is allowed a choice after Rumspringa, played a big part in allowing such a route. but it was just really nice to see a BL that includes challenges against faith, not go down in a way where the main character is given homophobic remarks and forcefully ostracised. furthermore, the ending was so nicely wrapped up and the last chapter was just absolutely beautiful. the scene between Theo and Danny had me tearing up.
furthermore, although Theo definitely does take a great portion of the plot with the focus on Rumspringa/Amish life, Oz's character is just as equally interesting and well set out. out of both characters Oz's was the one I could relate to more, as his background was more familiar. so it was really nice to see him visit Theo's hometown and watch his biased views change. also, his backstory was so upsetting and seeing him open up about it to Theo was just really nice.
tldr; this was just such a good refreshing read, the perfect balance of BL, plot and character development. I wished we had more but at the same time, I'm not dissatisfied with the ending and actually really like where it ended. this may be wishful thinking but I really hope this gets adapted into an anime/movie or drama. it's so beautifully written and set out.
I had a feeling that would happen but ohmygod, the stress that it put me through.
//SPOILERS!!
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They really gave us a hella wholesome and cute scene and ended it with that. I understand Danny's perspective but at the same time, Theo and Oz clearly truly really love each other. Theo has such a big decision and it sucks that he has to choose between two things he cherishes, his family or his newfound lover. Ughhhh, the angst :((
vv wholesome, wanted to see more of their domestic life together w mito staying over and maybe even moving in w karaki :')
for my peace of mind, I hope the author gives us an au extra chapter in which they meet up again after highschool under normal circumstance and reconcile or smthn along those lines. I just wanna see them have a happy n' healthy relationship, man :'(
we are eating good todayyy lads, fk yeah this imae x ryujin content has me thriving!! ah, ryujin finally made a move, he better remember all this when he sobers up stg
ahhhhh that was so sweet and wholesome :'))