TachibanaChiharu's Topics (177)

I came here a while back and saw the mediocre rating and the mixed opinion comments, and decided to skip this one. I came back again today, but this time I saw it was a Harada story, so I read it immediately. Harada never disappoints. (๑•ㅂ•)و✧

Kanade is drawn to be extremely cute, LOL. I like how the author took the time to make Kanade's cuteness unique in terms of character design, and that the characters don't just look like palette swaps on the same basic face design.

Like, what I'm trying to say is it's hard to believe a character is a uniquely cute character in a setting (to where someone would be obsessive over it) when all of the other NPCs are visually drawn at the same cuteness level. This story isn't like that; Kanade is stand-out in terms of cuteness even among even the girls (but without seeming girly somehow). Although I will admit I was imagining him with bows in his hair during the sex scene at the end, LOL.

Side note: Ayato and Takamiya looked sort of similar but not similar enough to mistake them. I would love to see a spin-off about poor Takamiya. He's such a good sport.

Also, I like how Ayato is a low-key yandere when Kanade is in approval mode (of Ayato). But when Kanade tells Ayato to step-off, he does without question. Thumbs-up for Ayato!

Lastly, I do think the sudden transition to penetration sex was jarring and rushed here. I get that there are only so many chapters, pages, and panels to work with though. I would've preferred Kanade more solidly deciding and telling Ayato he wanted to date Ayato rather than kind of half-arsing his confession and admission and then rushing into sex. But its not bad even with it like this.

I'm so glad Bexan's mom ended up getting a wrap-up, and not only that, but sort of a happy ending in that she got to see her bae again. Seems like she had a hard life and was forced to make tough choices, and it is kind of nice that through her efforts, Bexan was able to make the choice that she wanted to but couldn't when she was young. I'm glad that by the end she has accepted Bexan's choice and that the idea of trusting (some) humans has become a possibility for them.

I do kinda wish there was something more of Pablo and his crazy lifestyle, but that's for another spin-off or side story (that will probably never happen, LOL).

I also wish there was some kind of closure with Minsuk's family, but I suppose I can live with out it (I'm gonna have to, LOL).

The art, mood, characterizations, and plot were strong up until the very end. The ending falls flat for a number of reasons, but at least it's a "happy" ending (sort of).
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The ending of this is "happy" in that the leads are together and both alive, but the situation also leaves you wondering if these two can really make it due to Jiwoon being disgruntled and Soohan being possessive to the point of obsessive. I choose to view the situation charitably, in thinking that Soohan is concerned that Jiwoon is too visible this close to their escape from the Korean yakuza. If in a year or more Soohan is still trying to prevent Jiwoon from going out and getting a job or talking to other people or otherwise doing reasonable things he wants to do, then it's probably time to be concerned.

I do think Jiwoon is taking the situation a little too lightly considering Yoonshik (yakuza-boss-guy) was gonna have him murder a high profile politician, and he really should lay low for at a minimum of six months. Also, they should probably move somewhere else where chica-who-came-by-to-bring-their-stuff doesn't know they've gone so that there really is no trace left to find them. If she knows, she can be interrogated if Yoonshik cares enough. Just clean up your full trail and then Jiwoon should be able to go outside without worry.


General problems with the ending:
- Yoonshik being in love with Jiwoon is not really resolved. It kind of is if you read heavily between the lines, but he never admits it on screen.

- What happened with the plot to kill the politician? Did the Yoonshik's group go through with it? Did it succeed or fail without Jiwoon?

- What's going on with the disgruntled underlings of Yoonshik now that Jiwoon is out of the picture? Did Yoonshik straighten up his behavior and decide to let Jiwoon go, so now his underlings aren't disgruntled anymore? Did Yoonshik have a meltdown after Jiwoon left and loose his position of power? Did he punish the underling who ignored his order to search for the boys and continue prepping for the assassination?

- Did Yoonshik in general decide to let Jiwoon go and never search for them again? It'd be nice to know if they have to be on the run forever or not.

- Plot threads are introduced at the 11th hour that are then not resolved or shakily resolved: Soohan's possessiveness, Jiwoon being disgruntled that he can't go anywhere or do anything while Soohan is gone for 12+ hours a day, Jiwoon wanting to find a career of his own, Soohan accepting Jiwoon wanting to get a job and not being sh!tty about it, Jiwoon leaving Soohan because he's never there and won't let him go out without yelling at him, etc etc. This stuff was all introduced in the last 2 chapters and almost none of it is resolved.

Jiwoon wants anyone at all to care even a smidge that he exists to the point he's almost suicidal about it; and Soohan wants a relationship where he can carry all the weight in the relationship so badly he can barely stand it. Their neuroses certainly have a synergy to them, but if they don't develop a true respect between them, Soohan is probably going to end up dead at Jiwoon's hands (Jiwoon is a trained killer, recall).



I think the ending would've been much better and more solid if:

- The two escape and don't meet the girl who gives them their stuff, or if they do, they meet her before they hop the bus/train. This would mean they could be a bit safer in letting Jiwoon go outdoors since that zero people know where they've gone. Honestly this is a level of detail we didn't need in the story at all; it's just assumed that they can get by for a few days while Soohan and/or Jiwoon wrestle up jobs in a new town.

- The two escape to whatever-town and are happy being completely obsessed with each other; cut all the angst about Soohan not letting Jiwoon do anything. This would have the effect of still giving it a dark ugly feel because they're co-dependent with each other and still basing their relationship off of their own particular neuroses, but would remove the dangling plot threads introduced at the end that don't need to be there (Soohan's possessiveness). Let them have a true happy ending.

- The two see on the news that politician guy was nearly murdered but escaped with injuries, implying Jiwoon was definitely necessary for the success of this mission, which would give his character much more weight in the story than the alternative. This would wrap up the dangling plot of how the hit went, and show that yakuza-underling was wrong about Jiwoon being unnecessary or more trouble than he was worth.

- A few days after the failed hit on the politician, the boys see on the news that Yoonshik has been found dead from apparent suicide, and is to be replaced by underling-who-let-them-go. The official story on the news implies it's because Yoonshik was depressed because his lover left him, even if it's not necessarily true or completely true. This would wrap-up the dangling question of whether or not they'll be pursued forever (they won't be), and add a little more credibility to the idea that Yoonshik was in love with Jiwoon.


All that said, I still liked this one a lot and feel it has enough positives that more than outweigh the lackluster ending. I still give it a 5/5.

This story had some really great writing overall. The characters, how the plot was structured, the backstories and motivations... all good stuff. Even the red-haired dude got an arc in the story, and he's just a side character that was in like 7 panels at most.

But.... (there's always a 'but'). I still felt there was a fatal flaw that really prevented the story from hitting quite the highest of highs (although I still rated it 5/5).
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The author seems to get her wires a bit crossed on what is considered the wrap-up for Chiwoo's character growth. I think this is why I (and others) probably feel the story is incomplete. Chiwoo is depicted as very reticent throughout the story and his wrap-up should've been him accepting Kyujin by verbally conveying his feelings (i.e., saying "I love you" too). Just a kiss is a cop-out. Chiwoo had never been able to reply to Jihyun's many "I like yous" even though at one time Chiwoo did seem to love Jihyun. And even Chiwoo admits (multiple times!) that his lack of communication was sort of the catalyst for everything bad that happened in the story. Because of all this, he needed to tell (not show) Kyujin that he loved him back. THAT was supposed to be his character growth. Boo.

Anyway, that said, I do remain hopeful since Lezhin still lists this series as "ongoing" we might get a bonus chapter of fluffy nonsense for this couple whereby Chiwoo is done being a tsundere.

A few other points to make:

It seems a little ridiculous that this ended up being a non-R19 story given the level of violence and looming dread in the series. Jihyun's presence was always extremely oppressive and I can't see how lightsaber dicks would be worse than reading about this psycho beating the crap out of people, blood flying, ending up in the hospital, etc.

Also. While I like both Chiwoo and Kyujin, I find their story less interesting than Jihyun's development over the course of the series. I would love to read a spin-off story about Jihyun's redemption. Those final scenes of Jihyun where he was realizing that he not only could love someone, but had, and that his own actions had ruined everything with that person were great. And that you can't force love, can't buy it with money, and that you should treasure the people you care about. Plus him realizing that his personality had inadvertently been shaped by his father's crappy behavior. Wow, this is some great stuff. Give me Jihyun (in America or wherever) finding someone who can help him get out of this self-destructive rut he's in. I would eat that sh!t up.

Also I totally want an R-19 series or side-story of Jihyun's older brother boning Jihyun's teacher. There's so much sexual tension there I about died every time the two were on-screen together. Jihyun's teacher kept poking the tiger with a stick and I kept waiting for the situation to explode, but alas... boo hoo. :)

The character designs are very appealing, and each of the characters had a distinct design to them, rather than looking like the same face with different eyes or hair color. The unfortunate part is this great art is wasted in the smut scenes, which were a bit thin and/or glossed-over. Sad.

The plot setups for each story are good/interesting and have potential, but the stories lack the connective tissue that allows the characters to make sensible logical leaps from one phase of a relationship to another. Like the two in the first story were obviously circling each other looking for an in, but then the seme attacks the uke out of the blue, and the uke is just ok with it? The second story was like, oh, did he jerk him off in the locker room but he's just ok with it even though I saw nothing to think the uke was gay to begin with (much less the seme), and now they're presumed to be in a relationship with no word about it on-screen? Wat? The third story was just nonsense schlock lol.

I mean, that said, I still enjoyed them. I especially liked looking at the art of the uke in the first story. More of my otome game ikemen please!

The first couple is big-time stockholm-syndrome, and the second couple is a yandere/torture kink party. While all of this is questionable at best, the second couple is at least straight-forward to the point of being shameless about it being non-con. The first couple couches the non-con aspect, as well as kidnapping, gas-lighting, and other problems, in a cutesy across-time love story that is only superficial.

It's fine to like either story if that's your kink, but it should only be with the caveat that it is understood that both stories are non-con and the things that happen to the first uke are just as bad (if not worse; his whole life was hijacked from him) as what happens to the second uke.

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At least the second couple is straight-forward about its non-con weird yandere/torture/tentacle kink. I mean, I can accept that when it is making no excuses for itself or trying to pretend it's something it isn't.

This part is a personal opinion and I could definitely see where others would legitimately disagree -- I feel no pity for the fox spirit here; he was absolutely voluntarily complicit for hundreds of years in the search and eventual kidnapping and rape of the mountain god/dog's protectorate, ryuuichirou. I mean maybe that is not an appropriate punishment for what he did/contributed to with ryuuichirou, but I'm just saying, he ain't no saint. Because this was a BL/R18, we get torture rape instead of the mountain god/dog just simply beating the stuffing out of him or straight-up murdering him for it.

Anyway.

The first couple is that sort of insidious stockholm-syndrome stuff that fools naive people into thinking it's cute, when it isn't. First of all, the seme and fox effectively conspired to kidnap the uke, directing his life path to lead him to his eventual rapist, then entrapped him in a situation where he felt obligated to stay. Recall that the seme was not considerate at all the first time he raped him; he didn't prepare him properly and there was blood in the panel (go back and look if you don't believe me). Hardly a "cute" level of consideration for someone who has been searching for his missing lover for hundreds of years.

Also, the uke raises legitimate concerns, that the seme only likes the person who he was 400 years ago. Buuuuut, instead of properly addressing his concerns, he was made to feel bad that he was even questioning the situation (of his kidnapping and rape). Like, "shame on you, naughty uke, did you ever consider the seme's feelings?" Who CARES about the seme's feelings! The uke is allowed to make decisions about his own life and have bodily autonomy and all that! By the way, it was the fox that was shaming the uke like this. What a jerk.

Also, the author properly built up the relationship between the 400-years-ago uke and 400-years-ago seme, which explained why they liked each other. The uke was kind to the seme back when the seme was unreasonably ostracized, then and they started hanging out together, spending a lot of time together. Eventually they decided they loved each other. This is a completely fine natural progression of a romance. But the two in modern day? Maybe the seme has all his memories, but the uke does not. To him, the seme is a stranger. Trying to force a romance between modern-uke and seme-with-400-yrs-of-memories doesn't work. It needs to be built-up like the story from 400 years ago had. Especially if you're going to have the uke question whether the seme likes him or the him from 400-yrs ago. It's a completely valid concern that was never properly addressed.

Also, the author forcing the modern-uke into deciding he loves present-day-seme in like 3 days is bull in the same story where a cute love story took weeks if not months to build up 400 years ago, meanwhile all that's happened in the modern story is that the uke has been kidnapped and raped, none of which is cute or fluffy. What is even going on here?

tl;dr

The writing in the first story is sloppy which is what makes the whole thing bad. The connective tissue was just not there to bring together the romance of the two modern guys, and it also feels like the author didn't think about the implications of some of the plot decisions, like how the uke's life was basically hijacked, while simultaneously not allowing him persistent access to his memories from 400 yrs ago. It makes the whole story creepily non-con, but they also try to pretend the oh-poor-baby seme is a good person, which is incongruent with his behavior toward the uke.

Ahhh~~~ this author sure loves his/her crotchety ukes. I'm fine with this. (๑•ㅂ•)و✧

There are very few comics I can't get through, even if they're bad, but this was one of them. I closed it after the first chapter. I shall explain below. Be warned going into this that if you have any quality standards for what you read, you are likely to be significantly disappointed by this one that has a shockingly high 9.0 rating.

Usually I navigate to a new comic's page, and if the score is high enough, I'll just start reading. This one was high enough so I just went straight to reading it. Well, after closing it at the end of chapter one, I came to look at the comments to try and figure out what was going on with this tepid mess here. At least I can say there's controversy. It always bugs me when I read a title with very poor writing that has a good rating the comments are all full of praise, lol.

Anyway. Because I only read chapter 1, my comments are only for chapter 1. Going forward, I'm going to assume the son is 4 years old because that seems about the right age but it isn't clear in chapter 1, so I'm just stating upfront that this is my assumption.

There were 3 main problems that got me to give up on this, and they're kinda complex, so here's my best attempt at an explanation:

- Dad goes from homophobically straight to buttsexing a guy at the speed of light with almost no build up, context, or good reason. Because he has a kid and was married to a woman, I think it's safe to assume he was more-or-less straight-identifying prior to this. Neighbor is unapologetically gay, and dad even comments on this. Dad then makes vaguely disparaging comments to himself about his gay neighbor being gay even though dad continues to interact him regularly and trust him with not only babysitting his 4 year old, but going as far as allowing him to pick the 4yo up from daycare and walk him home. This amount of trust given to a veritable stranger makes little sense even if we remove the whole gay/straight thing from this dynamic.

- Dad only cares about his kid when it's convenient to the plot. He is inconsistently characterized as both overprotective (the freakout and hitting of neighbor when kid ran away), or horrifically negligent of his kid (when he leaves him alone while sexing neighbor, or letting near-strangers pick the kid up from daycare).

The scene where dad and neighbor have sex for the first time is particularly bad. I was like WTF, because dad tells his 4 year old he'll be right back because he is going to go apologize to gay neighbor, implying he'll be back in like 5 minutes tops, then goes over to the neighbor's apartment, LEAVING THE 4yo ALONE, while he proceeds to angry-sex or rape or something the neighbor for an hour or whatever.

Also, bellowing "I love you" at this point is dumb and makes no sense, especially given all that's happened and how little they really know each other, and how recently dad was having low-key disgusted thoughts about gay neighbor's gayness.

- The elephant in the room: dad hitting gay neighbor for not calling him immediately when gay neighbor found the kid alone at the park. This whole turn of events is stupid for 3 main reasons:
o Not only is hitting someone (who is not threatening you in any way) wrong,
o It's extra wrong when you KNOW (and dad does know this) that he was previously in a physically abusive relationship, and
o Given the completely reasonable extra context of "what if gay neighbor's cellphone's battery had died", would it still seem right to hit gay neighbor over not calling him once he found the kid? Wouldn't the logical thing be to walk the kid home, which is what gay neighbor did? I just DO NOT get what the author was going for with this. How did this even get published in this state?

Also, COME ON. A kid of that age cannot outrun an adult that easily who isn't mobility impaired in some way. Kids are clumsy, bumbling, short-legged catastrophes. They have meltdowns when their shoelaces come untied. That kid would make it about 10 ft before dad caught up, or the kid fell on his face accidentally, or collapsed to the ground having a meltdown over something dumb.

Also worth noting is that the kid is not properly characterized as his presumptive age, and he appears to be drawn too small most of the time for the age he's supposed to be. His dialogue is too clear and proper and adult-like to be coming from a 4yo. It's also generally too insightful.

And this is all in just the first chapter. ‾|_(ツ)_|‾

I love the fact that despite the typical BL premise, this story is anything but typical. There's no laundry list of lame, overused BL tropes here (getting sick from the rain, etc), and the story is firmly grounded in reality instead of melodrama-BL-crazyworld. For instance, when the characters' situation overflows, the two actually just sit down and talk about it rather than (as I expected) a melodramatic chase through the streets followed by passionate bellowing at each other while onlookers stand around looking horrified.

I also love that the uke is characterized as a seme in both personality and appearance. Like, in any other story, Tomoaki would be the seme. I also like that the seme Naoki was totally cool with switching, even if it turned out the uke wasn't interested.