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I just read the raws and here's what happened:

*spoiler alert*

Seme did find out that uke went out of the court grounds, he interrogated the brown-haired manservant and beat the crap out of the poor thing. Then the uke hears of this and learns that seme intends to kill him (manservant) too, he was advised by the dark-robed dude to plea with the seme if he really cares. Uke went up to the archery grounds to know more and seme says yeah, he did torture the brown-haired guy coz uke went behind his back, and since he can't hurt his lover, he had to find another way of teaching him (uke) a lesson. MC pleas for seme to let go of the manservant since he only left the court to visit his brother's grave which he knows the seme won't like knowing. Then seme says something along the lines of how much attached the uke is to the manservant considering the sincerity of his appeal, next thing you know, manservant gets dragged out and tied to a tree, then seme hands uke a bow and arrow, before ordering him to shoot.

Look, I know the manservant character is a likeable one that readers adore, but at the same time I feel like the author is also not afraid of killing him off, and with the ML's profile, it also wouldn't be a surprise for him to do it himself if the uke refuse. But then again, he might also end up passing it off as one of his twisted jokes to put the uke on edge. I guess we'll just have to see how this one goes.

Ryuusei is tasked to be the star in a prank video in an attempt to go viral. His objective? Confess ...

Aww, the poor thing got caught up in a lie that he didn't even mean to do in the first place. I really like this, the motives for the characters and their dynamics with each other makes sense, the fluff and drama is just right too. Also I know some are hating the twins right now but they're still good for me, they're just stupid and prank-obsessed BUT they do care for their friend, and that's the only reason why they revealed it to Sawami too, coz they felt guilty and interpreted the situation as Ryu becoming burdened by being the seme's bf, had they known better, I don't think they'd 'fess up.

I've read several BLs with this pretend BF trope before but it's usually either the uke is straight and just developed feelings along the way or it's the uke that's being played by the seme, I think it's the first one for me to see the uke doing it coz he actually had feelings for seme and is taking advantage of the opportunity for a safe outcome-- if he gets rejected, he can just say that it's a prank, and if he accepts then his love gets reciprocated. I'm so into this, I'm so invested, but judging by the upload time, the next one's probably be released in another few months T.T

I saw somewhere that this has a total of 5 chapters and and extra, but I can't find even the japanese raws. If ya'll know where I can hit it up please drop it down below for us plebs. Or if you know any other work that's similar to this, please share it too

Ryuusei is tasked to be the star in a prank video in an attempt to go viral. His objective? Confess ...

and I bet that's the main reason why people are moved into giving this a high rating, coz my gosh the plot is so freaking angsty and dramatic, quite boring tbh. I get the translator's notes too, I also found it hard to finish this work and lost interest midway; good thing it's short.

Basically the seme is just a horny sadboi tattoo artist who fell in love with the uke coz he's pretty, and then the uke is this implied boytoy (also a sadboi) for a known artist who's just pathetically codependent from start to finish. I guess they wanted the sensei (artist in the story) to be the villain here but there's not enough backstory or interaction to justify it, so when he slapped the uke and asked him to leave immediately it felt lukewarm, like where's the internal struggle for the uke? why should he be attached to the sensei in the first place? is it because he (sensei) was the first to appreciate him? the first one to shower him with admiration? after all, he was his muse. It would make sense if the uke is not conventionally attractive for that appeal to work tho, coz if everyone already thinks he's pretty what's more to another nice treatment and compliment, you get me? if however it was simply because he was picked up by the old fart and was raised to be the beautiful "creation" that he is now, then his attachment for him should be stronger than his attachment to the seme whom he just met a few times and now has developed feelings simply coz 'his touch is different', ya kidding me? he's just handsome and ya'll both horny, that's all there is to it.

The supposed sweet moments also come off as cringey and the characters were just essentially flaunting their beauty like a pretty vase that's all hollow inside, which to be fair, do have its merit coz the artist really is talented when it comes to drawing pretty characters, author-san just lacked skill in character and plot development.

it doesn't really feel like he's into the seme. Might actually be straight for real, and if the seme wasn't a cute girl when he crossdress, the uke might've not even bothered to get to know him. Meh plot. meh characters

though it kinda makes sense for him to have that kind of trait considering his profession, he also communicates well, so that's good. The seme, eventhough he has a cool character profile he has quirks here and there too, which is fun.

What I don't like much is the 2nd couple, my gosh their relationship is toxic af, but you wouldn't notice right away coz it's drawn and paced in a romcom kinda way; the seme is a stalker and he's too into the uke that even as a reader I'm creeped out for the uke, on the other hand, we have a supposedly tsundere uke who's just downright mean for no good reason, he literally abuses the seme verbally and physically but has the gall to bait him with crumbs of affection from time to time. The uke pushes the seme to give up on him, then says or does things that motivates the seme to continue his chase again. I thought it was gonna be cutesy during the first chapters, but halfway through, I was just intensely hoping that the seme will finally give up. I don't admire his dedication, it's stupid, masochistic and stupid-- what a fatal combination. But at least he (seme) somehow got what he wanted in the end, so good for him? still not convinced about the older bro's (uke) affection for him tho, coincindentally this uke also reminds me of the chubby older brother in Mad Cinderella who's also a tsundere and who also has a sucky personality which made it hard for me to like him til the end.

Maybe Tsundere ukes are just not sensei's strong suit.

because most of what I read just comes off to me as the author trying hard to have a different dynamic than the typical BL pairing, or trying to subvert the expectation of the readers simply for shock value like "haha, you thought that was the seme, you thought wrong" kinda way. But this one was really nice, the seme might be shorter, but he is definitely a top through and through, the uke is taller but is not like a pretty boy type nor an outcast, he's just an average student. They have just good communication with each other and I like that they took their time going all the way, instead of just ramming it in the instant they get to the mutual confession part. Definitely falls under the fluff tag but there's also explicit seggz here.

the uke is a tsundere that's also borderline yandere coz of the way he treats rivals.

I thought I'd love this, since I'm into assertive bottoms and he's actually taller/appears more masculine than the seme which is subversive. However, it was just the uke being manipulative althroughout the story, there's no development for him whatsoever, no realization either that he should cherish the seme more coz why would he, everything in the plot goes his way.

The gf, (well, ex-gf) was actually nice, I hope she stuck with the seme instead, like fight the bishy uke instead of being a typical whiny girl in yaoiworld, or the seme could just choose the girl instead so we can watch the uke lose his freaking mind over that.

How this pair remained close friends, I'll never know. The uke is legit making himself unavailable whenever the seme is free, and only gives him attention/bothers him whenever he gets a gf, like, I know he's supposed to be a tsundere, but my guy, aren't you also supposed to be in love with the dude so you want him to like you back? How can you risk being out of touch with him? say, he never got another gf, does that mean he wouldn't contact or hang out with seme again?

Another thing, the seme is also a pushover who never actually learned til the end, but at least he's more sincere than the uke, like he legit might fall in love with him in the long run, whereas the uke just looks like he's obsessed and wouldn't budge for the meantime. Definitely not a romance in my book.

I think one of the signs for a good yaoi story is when you wonder who will bottom/top but still not care how the author will finalize the setup because the leads are on such equal footing character-wise that either of them could do it perfectly fine. This was my take on this, the couple could defo switch if they want (they almost did at the end, spoilers!) both leads exhibited femininity and masculinity in their own ways which blended well with the plot. There wasn't much drama, but unlike other stories where lack of drama makes it boring, this one still stands strong regardless of it, probably because the characters are likeable, especially the uke who's really the one who initiates good communication, which is for the best coz the seme is kinda autistic/neurodivergent and he even admits it at one point that he has trouble processing/analyzing emotion.

then I finally read it. Thinking it was hot, I clicked next only to find out it's a one shot, then I looked at the mangaka's other works and of course, it's from freaking Zaria-sensei. They're really, really good at making steamy, steamy seggz scenes with almost always a psychological narrative, this one is too, but it's too short, basically just corn w/o plot about a landlord and some shinto monk (?) who has a consensual affair, but then plays it off as if the uke is being coerced (kink, I guess?).

Seme was repressed his entire life, he grows up and becomes a teacher, met a student, lusted after him, but repressed it too. Then said student went AWOL, teacher (seme) wanted to help, student keeps chasing him out, then student's mom abandoned him for realsies, he wanted to off himself coz of it, teacher saves him, then rapes him in spur of the moment (I know, wtf?). Uke goes to school after that and keeps assaulting seme coz apparently he loves him after that incident (doesn't really make sense), then uke's mom wants him back for something, uke forces seme to assault him again (I dunno, to mess him up again, I guess?), then boom love, apparently. Execution was meh, couldn't care for either plot or characters. 3/5

3/5

Stories 1 and 2: doormat semes x uncommitted/fickle ukes. Story 3, I don't even know man, I was just disappointed each time coz most plot centers around a seme who chases the uke then gives up but the moment the uke coddles them, they're back to being a simp instantly; what was all that realization for? where's the character development for both? as for the 3rd story, it's kinda the opposite coz its the uke who's the pitiful character, the development and establishment of their relationship is wonky, plus the seme's a rapist too since he hired the uke to model for him but then drives him into intercourse, it's appalling coz in a way it's like pushing a broken man into a wall since the uke was literally in need of money, that job was important to him, and for the seme to take advantage of it like that is just plain cruel. It would be better if he offered to buy the uke's body in the first place, at least then when the uke agrees, he knows what he's getting into.

it's cute n all, also interesting since the uke is someone who wants to be the ML in a shoujo, but ends up being one of the leads in a BL instead lol. Still, I dunno, it lacked for me, maybe if the seme was more varied and expressive? all he does in this is be stoic and be stupidly/coincidentally perfect as an ML, he doesn't seem to struggle, so like the entire plot is just being carried by the uke.

I get that he's anxious coz the uke keeps on cheating but that much was just not playful, it's played out comically, but really it's just abuse. Uke too is abusive towards seme in terms of his constant cheating, he could actually be straight if only the seme didn't coerce him into anal seggz, forcing him into a relationship, and basically brainwashing him into needing him; seme even says so in some panels that the way he's treating him is some kind of training/conditioning. But the thing is, he doesn't really have the right to do it in the first place? yeah, he likes the uke romantically but the uke never regarded him that way, not until he's grown too attached due to their "activities", which by the way, he can also do with the right kind of girl, pegging is an actual viable option too, you know.

Really strong 4. Seme is nice but teases uke to get what he wants, which he do get coz the uke gives it to him willingly, all except for a direct love confession. It's interesting that until the very end, the uke is still not able to do that one thing, but instead became consistent in showing his affections through actions and roundabout statements. I also like that eventhough the seme was pushy with his "game" he still trusted the uke enough to know that he will not cheat, and he did know when to call it off even when his goal of making the uke say he likes him is still not attained.

As for the extras on the first couple, really that plot should've been on their main story instead. It would've been a good chase arc for the consistently cheating uke to realize his feelings for seme; coz at this current point in the story, the uke is already repentant of his past and is already devoted to the seme, so to pull off that kind of plot device, it just seems so out of the blue- all you feel is sadness and pity for the uke, and very little sympathy for the seme since he just comes off as paranoid and possessive with a proven record of violent streak. It just doesn't look good for both.

It has the right amount of tension that doesn't drag on, so when the pair finally consummate, it's so worth it and everything's all good. It's a comforting read. I like that the uke did not sexualize the seme when he was a kid and only even realized his (romantic) love for him years later, I thought this was gonna go through the shota/pedo route, thankfully it didn't. The interactions between the pair when the seme was a kid was really wholesome, they love each other, but it was more of a strong friendship kinda bond, I think it's the absence from each other (tho they do keep contact via phone) through the years that made that warm feeling evolve into desire and even romance. All of the works from this author that I've read have been rated 5 stars so far, it's just so good how they present the plot, plus the art style is so nice too.

after that, it's mostly slice of life stuffs which is fine by me coz the main leads are so adorable. This is actually one of the rare ones where I couldn't care much for the side characters-- I like the hetero couple friends and the dark haired secretary, but the rest are just meh, I dunno, the side couple lacked chemistry for me, and the thing with the silver-haired secretary and the chairwoman was just nuanced, not enough weight or tension for me to care whatsoever. Aside from that, top notch pacing from the author, and what an absolutely fantastic and healthy dynamic between the main couple too; the seme is deaf and needs to read lips/do sign language but my gosh the way he communicates with his partner blow tons of toxic semes out of the water, uke too is actively making an effort on his part to make the relationship work, and even though he acts childish at times, he reflects on it. It's just so nice seeing them happy together. Great read, really nice.

the ukes in this stories (well at least the first 2 since I didn't bother finishing) are all simps, the semes are bland af, and the issues just get resolved as if it didn't even matter in the first place. Not for me.

The characters are so cute and the drama is minimal/not dragged on. I can tell the author loved these characters and just had fun drawing them and their shenanigans, they didn't want them to suffer too much.