This was interesting until chapter 4, at which point I just lost interest. Yet another asshole seme whose a trash human being that will no doubt proposition the uke for sexual favours, who will in turn fall for him cause his dick is just so amazing and BIG it will turn anyone into a slut with zero self respect.
Sigh, I pray for the day we get better stories and characters in manwha. Oh well, maybe it’s good for porn.
I bet Uenoyama and Mafuyu's first time will almost certainly be a little dubcon-ish now (shivering, crying and plenty of "wait!" phrases), based on every other couple we've seen.
But how to turn someone as sweet and considerate as Uenoyama into an asshole on Akihiko/Shizu's level? Simple: just make him incredibly insecure and jealous because he thinks Mafuyu's still in love with Yuki. The scene writes itself.
Yes, it's just a blatant copy of Shizu's arch, but the author has already been copying the same story twice now, so not like she's opposed to the idea.
And yes, I predict this arch too will resolve when someone decides to sing a song on stage.
We’re probably now gonna get a dubcon between Uenoyama and Mafuyu too, huh? Well, at least the author is consistent
The art is gorgeous but the translation is terrible.
Man, the author has really butchered this series by dragging it out this much, almost all of Mafuyu’s development has gone down the tube by bringing up Yuki and milking the suicide this much after vol.2
I really wish we’d just get back to the main story and end this nonsense with hiragi and his robot of a boyfriend. Fortunately, looks like the author has run out of boys to force into a relationship for the sake of tension.
This series makes me really nervous for Acid Town. I thought Kyuugou could write before this...
Way to walk back all that character development from the last chapter. Well done Daichi, you spineless moron. Also...
“If your back to being strangers, then you can try to patch things up and start over again.”
Bitch, are you for real?! Your actively encouraging your friend to get back with the con artist?!
Anyone else find it believable that soohyun would allow the guy who raped him to top again? yeah me neither. hope the author throws a curve ball soon, because this is getting predictable
It's interesting thus far, but I hope the author avoids the usual cliche's of powerplay BL, namely having the uke reduced to a shivering maiden by the sheer charisma of the seme when it comes time for the sexy scenes. It works well for the initial encounter, but can get pretty frustrating and predictable if there's no growth beyond that dynamic.
Also, for those hoping for a reversible, it's probably not gonna happen.
Hot intercrural sex scene...... (ツ)
"No homo, just you bro"........ (ಠ_ಠ)
To be honest, there's no way the author can save this trash fire at this point. Given so few chapters remaining, what will most likely happen is Karino will probably double-cross Enio and then abolish the caste system, then confess his love for Azusa. We'll then get a forced happy ending and maybe one sex scene.
It's going to be hilarious watching the author try to sell us on something like that.
It’s a fine manga on its own terms, but there isn’t really anything unique or novel about this series that sets it apart from the rest of the genre. In fact in certain respects it’s kinda standard fair.
From the cover I pretty much expected a tall, ikemen seme pursuing a small, effeminate uke who will blush profusely and emotionally overreact to even mild flirting and touching. And that’s pretty much what I got for the most part. Hell, they even pulled a “straight, but with an exemption” trope. In fact, it feels like the entire series is Miyano slowly coming to the realization that he’s a generic uke in a generic bl manga.
Now, this isn’t a bad thing in itself, but if I can predict the couple’s romantic dynamic from just looking at the manga cover, it means the author is too easily resorting to cliches and stereotypes, rather than trying to flesh out the characters as believable human beings on their own terms
Ultimately though, it’s a lighthearted, non-serious read with the art being undeniably the highlight (though there is some sameface syndrome), and the supporting cast are just entertaining enough to retain attention. I don’t think 6+ volumes are justified, but admittedly everyone’s mileage will vary. I’ll probably check back in a few years to see how this ends.
6/10
The biggest problem with this series is that thus far, almost every arc has had the exact same plot because the author decided to drag the series out too far.
The pattern goes something like this:
Two boys want to form a romantic relationship but are prevented from doing so because one of them still has unresolved feelings towards a musical prodigy (Yuki / Ugeretsu), which is then finally resolved when someone sings a song on stage.
Given was originally only meant to be 2 volumes long and that makes sense from a story perspective because at the end of volume 2 Mafuyu gets the confidence to love again and move on with his life. The concert wasn't just meant to be the beginning of Mafuyu's new love, it was supposed to be the climax of the entire series.
But now, as a consequence of stretching this series way past it's planned resolution, the author has had to resort to recycling the same formula over and over again for all her new couples and it's the clearest indication that she has absolutely no idea how to proceed with the story...because she never planned that far ahead to start with.
What initially felt like a fresh take on sublimating one's grief over the loss of a loved one, has slowly deteriorated into an endless trope fest of BL cliches and repetitive narrative cul de sacs. Seriously, this will be the third time 2 guys will have to resolve their romantic conflicts by having someone sing a song on stage.
And I get it, one makes allowances for manga stories, but it really is a stretch that 100% of the bishie guys in every band end up being paired off with each other in this series. Sure it is possible that they all were so inclined but the happenstance, presented with little concern, foreshadowing or explanation beyond “lightning strikes” strains believability. And the author wanted this to be a realistic Bl...
(And as an aside, why can't anyone talk like a normal person in this series?)
It's also been 4 volumes and who knows how many years and there has barely been any development, or even romantic interaction, with the main couple since vol.2.
I think it's clear the author has a good understanding of how to generate melodrama, but absolutely no idea what to do with her characters once they are in a relationship. Maybe once the Shizu and Hiragi arc is finished she'll finally be forced back to the main couple seeing as she's now run out of boys to pair up. Maybe we'll finally get back to that. Maybe.
(Or who knows, maybe that one straight photographer will come out as bi and start persuing Ugetsu)
Art is gorgeous, but the plot and characters are just too ludicrous to take seriously on any level. Wish more mangaka would collaborate with decent writers.