A lot of people are reacting to chapter 8 as if they haven't prepared for it. I'm more surprised by that fact itself. This is the mangaka Ogawa Chise after all. And to those who seem to have found this more messed up than any she has made, I do remember one of her stories involving an angsty sexual relationship between a father and his son who is a product of rape. I don't know. And I'm not telling you all to fuck off. I'm honestly just surprised.
Yeah, that one is Kusatta--I linked to it below in another topic. I didn't find it as disturbing as chapter 8. As messed up as it was, the son seemed to want to be the "special" one who gets abused--the one who really knows what his dad is like. I'm not saying it was puppies and sunshine, but I felt like the uke had a twisted handle on it, and there was some sort of dark symbiotic relationship where both got something, as crazy as they both were.
Maybe I am just more attached to these ukes. I don't know. I don't see them getting anything out of this but abuse. They need to do something to balance that out.
I agree with you, fellow anon!!
I guess if the measure of how disturbed you are is based on the welfare of the uke and not general concerns then I think I can see what you're saying. Just, Azusa has been getting abused before chapter 8 so I thought maybe chapters 1 to 7 might have been enough preparation for it. If not, then all I can really say now is "Ok." Also I'm thinking, did the others not expect the story to escalate? (And this didn't really seem that much of a jump) If that's so then, ok. Just saying.
Exactly. If she was going to get them raped (or forcibly coerced into sex, in Kusakabe's case), hell why did the author wrote the story it in such a way that made us sympathize with them? I do really like Kusakabe and Azusa, especially after Chapter 8 (before that horrid sex scene), and we learned about Azusa's background and Kusakabe's genuine intentions. And then she throws that scene.
I'm not really sure if you're saying you like this turn or you feel like 'why throw that scene author?' Anyway,that's the kind of manipulation I came for reading this manga. I got caught but the method wasn't really surprising for the author. I get the negative feeling people are getting now, alright. It's just the surprise. He's shown us Azusa's background way before and all the while Karino was just consistently raping him. Isn't that indicative of how the author is playing at this? It's sad, for chrissakes it is sad. But why are people surprised that she'd pull that stunt? Like she shouldn't have done that? It was sad but it was definitely not out of place.
Oh. I've read threesomes like the all sweet their fighting over the uke but in the end fucks him together kind but never this as well. The thing I actually thought that made it sad was that it became a double rape. That Kusakabe was forced to see in a shameful state and fuck someone he's been starting to like and respect and that Azusa had to be revealed in that shameful state to a person he is starting to warm up to. Not necessarily the similarity of the position of the two people who fucked. Ok. Seme x uke rape. Seme x uke rape.... Uke x uke x seme rape! I guess viewed like that it can be surprising.
I was thinking that too! But also, I think that many people had been rooting for Karino and Azusa to fall for each other. When Karino allowed and coerced Atsumu to fuck Azusa while he and Kuze watches, it felt impersonal. No matter how many times Karino violates and degrades Azusa, it was something HE himself ONLY wanted to do to Azusa as if he was the only one who had the right to touch him and to see him in his shameful state. That's what people also assumed when the mangaka made Karino protect Azusa from the bullies. In the yaoi world, this is the closest to romance a twisted manga like this would ever come close to. But when chapter 8 happened, it feels like it might have just been an illusion and that Karino was just a sociopath who enjoys tormenting people. Now people want Karino to burn in hell.
I agree. If there are feelings behind a thressome, then I am okay with it. If it is hardcore smut and I don't care about the characters, fine. If it is dark and twisted and abusive, but there is at least a possessive obsession and the characters have something twisted between them, I can still understand it.
But forcing the ukes to have sex with each other? That speaks of no feeling, not even dark and twisted ones. It's not the author I have issues with, bu I am not going to forgive the characters who did it. In context of the story, they just went too far and they need to be taken down and discarded.
So I've read the spoilers from the comments (I really shouldn't have) and my hearts been effing crushed. What hurts so much is that I saw their story mainly from the point of view of the one that gets cast aside and hurt. He's the one who started the story for me, I followed him, I rooted for him for chrissake only to find out that it's going to be his pain. Based on what I've seen from the comments he hasn't really done anything more selfish than any of the other main characters yet. I know I can't really be mad at Paul and Danny since they're the one who are in love, but damn, it just effing hurts! And I really love the mangaka's style too (not just the art but her style in making the manga as a whole) so I'm not saying this sucks (it's the opposite actually). I'm desperate to read this manga 'til the (yet nonexistent ?) end.
Haaa... if I won't really be able to read this anymore because of, more than being Japanese-illiterate, not being able to buy the volumes or the magazine its chapters are published in, can anybody who knows at least shed some light on what happened on the last chapter or the latest that has been released? I think the chapter title was "Don't Ask Me Why"?
I've reread this recently and I'm so happy that there's an update!
But wait... nevermind... It jumped to 7. I want to wait for 4-6. Thanks anyway.