uniquely melancholic atmosphere that isn’t overloaded with cliche. I love the comic-book style inspiration and pop art colours, there’s a really masterful use of lighting and composition that adds to the storytelling even when there’s no dialogue. There’s a very cool contrast between the flashy colours and the story itself. I normally find 3D backgrounds very obvious and unappealing, but there’s clearly nothing lazy about this story, so I find that it (literally) fades into the background. I love the dialogue and its interpretative qualities. Ultimately, a lot of these types of stories end up as pornography with surface-level embellishments, but I don’t get that feeling from this at all. There’s a genuine desire to tell a good story, develop characters, and create a very visually compelling experience. I’m not very interested in Jo as a character at this point, but there’s a lot of potential for him to become significant in a way that isn’t just ‘the other woman,’ lmao. There’s obviously a lot more to the story, so I’m looking forward to his development into something a little more than what is (relatively) a flat character.
Everything you said true and that's why it's important to pay attention to every details because even a background with a colour and a mere object has meaning. There's more to this story than what you see on the surface so you have to dive deep to see everything. Jo is the plot development. Without him the plot would've stayed the same. It's very telling when Jamie (the villain of the story) had to wait for years to finally make a move against Ian, TJ and the gang. He also knows that Ian isn't someone that will get close to anyone other than TJ. Now since he knows Jo exist, he will use Jo and Chris as a bait to go against them. I think his grand plan will has to do something with Jo. I think most of you guys and Jo himself have presumed that there's nothing more to himself than what he is known for which is not true. There's more to him than meets the eye. His character development will finally start when his darkness will consume him. In simple when he actually meet Jamie. Meeting Ian and falling in love with him is the biggest turning point in his life because he will get to know his real self. He has to turn dark in order to see his true self and that only will happen when he finally get consumed by the darkness that he didn't want from being consumed.
so pretty! I don’t have much to say about the characters or plot, they’re not bad, just relatively typical and two-dimensional. I can appreciate the commitment to aesthetics, though. Almost every single panel clearly has a lot of time and care put into it, and makes a very visually appealing story. Seeing as this is marked as ongoing, I’m assuming there’s potential for further development that can make the direction it’s taking a little more interesting. I find that I’m a lot more forgiving towards mediocre plots if they have pretty women in them…
a version of Sherlock Holmes I can get behind. It’s a little fast-paced and predictable, but I don’t really mind. I’m hung up on the nickname Pieta, which means pity/compassion. I’m hoping there’s going to be some sort of reference to La Pietà by Michelangelo, maybe by the end when/if one of them dies. I feel like it would be more interesting if Transi is the “Mary” by the end, it would make a nice parallel and really well written execution of the ending. Just speculation, but I’d be so disappointed if that isn’t how it ends, lol
I normally find metacommentary to be redundant, but I feel like this is a refreshing way to point out overuse of cliches. It’s pretty funny and manages to comment on how ridiculous some plotlines can be, without taking itself too seriously.
reminds me of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I’m grateful it took a different direction, I’ve always liked the idea of a creator that loves his monster more than a creator that hates it. The ending is sad, but the parallel between this story’s and Frankenstein’s is too good for me not to be appreciative. I love how you get to experience the unwilling death of a ‘monster’ whose creator loves him, and the willing death of a monster whose creator hates him. Alternatively, Victor dies of illness and Mamiya appears to kill himself (if I interpreted it correctly). I like the comparison and the contrast, the story is really attentively written and you can really appreciate the development of its characters. I’m not sure if it was inspired by Frankenstein, but I’d be completely shocked if it wasn’t, lmao
Love this little analysis!
^^^^^
It’s good, but there isn’t really a major conflict resolution. I feel like it would’ve really benefited from something to add a little bit more depth and development for both characters, cause by the end I just found myself a little bored and surprised that was all. Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with it per se, I just think it could use something to make the plot a little more interesting.
Yeah, I get what you mean. There was a major conflict but the resolution was too quick and easy. It's to a point where I wonder, "was there a point to bringing it up as a source of contention in the first place?" I was hoping the not speaking your mind, not considering the other person's feelings and future life goals would be better explored to justify the (VERY brief moment of) angst. Alas, they all got swept away as quickly as they appeared.
It’s so charming and deeply romantic I find it hard to criticize it for anything. I like that there is effort into all the right places - the attention to historical fashion, architecture, and interior design makes every scene that much more interesting. I also like how many characters that aren’t the main couple look very different from each other and aren’t the same carbon copy mob characters, yan chu’s father actually resembles an older person and I really like the way he’s designed. I think the chemistry between the main characters is definitely there and comes across really well, developing feelings feel so natural and really warms your heart instead of happening all at once. Have a lot of respect for the author and this work which clearly has a lot of time and care put into it
I’m not entirely sure why so many manga about high-school kids refuse to make their characters actually look like kids, but whatever. Apart from finding it hard to believe the protagonist isn’t in his (late) 20s, it’s fine. I like the art, and even though I don’t find the plot very compelling, it’s not something I’d necessarily call bad. I just find it uninteresting and doesn’t have anything that makes me care enough about the characters to keep reading. My complaint about characters in high-school not looking their age isn’t really specific to this manga, I just find it funny that a student is supposedly in peak physical form you’d see in a bodybuilder. Though it IS possible, I think it’s extremely uncommon, which is why I start getting bored when so many mangas about students have these absolutely jacked protagonists
(sorry for bad english !)
talking from experience, i actually have male friends that look like that, tsubaki rlly hasnt a 'bodybuilder' psyche for me, he is just tall and rlly buff, all my friends ages go from 17 to 21 and if theyre not that tall, theyre definetely that buff from hitting the gym rlly young, they didnt like looking skinny, they talk a lot about volume and protein lmao, so for me when i look at tsubaki i think its kinda realistic in my context, although i don't know in a japanese one. my towns gym's also full of young people that look buff and like models, i think its because my towns small, so they gather in the one few gyms, even before hitting it myself i used to watch a lot of sporty activeish ppl around town overall. but my point being that them being students isnt rlly stopping anyone from looking super muscly and getting jacked, and in my surroundings its extremely common, they don't have weird ass super strenght though or are extremely attractive lol
oh and i have a rlly young friend (2 yrs younger) who was all veiny like that, i think its genetics even tho they werent 'poping off' off his skin (? but when we hit the gym like 2 years ago his veins started to really pop off, i was scared it was from doing too much or idk, but apparently its normal?? im a girl so i wasnt lifting as much weight as him. they do look like theyre gonna burst esp when he is lifting so thats another thing i noticed from tsubaki that wasnt that weird for me from seeing irl but i def thought for others its looks strange
Fair enough, I see where you’re coming from. I think the goal of good character design is to ‘sell’ the type of person the character is, and while I essentially understand Tsubaki’s personality and think his appearance represents who he is well enough, I just don’t feel entirely convinced that he’s pretty much a teenager. I wish the story would put some more emphasis on him hitting the gym a lot or something to make it more believable for me. I guess I’m just a little bored of insanely attractive protagonists, lol. Thanks for commenting, I love hearing other people’s opinion :)
oh i totally agree, maybe one small panel where they talk about how much he works out (maybe even calistenics and not a necessarily a gym), because there's those panels where they talk about how much meat he eats but you can't get that ripped just from eating hehe. maybe little things like that that would have helped to better "sell" the character like you said. And while i'm bored of those type of protagonists as well (not only in this genre), I think this is the mangaka first original work (i'm not sure though!!) so i hope in the future they can bring us more variety, because the art it's amazing.
Id love to see mangas where teens act like teens and look like teens tho, where they have acne bumps or acne scars, or have to shave, etc. and arent extemely perfect looking. I think i have only encountered ONE shonen ai where the teen protagonist is, looks and acts like a teen and has pimples, i love it.
and np i love hearing others ppl opinion as well, or imput on manga and how they percieved it !!
not entirely specific to this manga, but I’m so sick of women being used as plot devices and possible sources of conflict in these type of romances. I can’t imagine feeling sympathetic for someone marrying a woman he doesn’t love entirely. A lot of romances between men can perpetuate some crazy misogynistic ideals. This is just me overthinking it because I’m certain the author didn’t intend anything beyond a conflict in the plot, but man. Justice for women in mlm mangas everywhere
I feel what you're saying and I agree with you
You are absolutely correct and should say it more!!
Most authors are women themselves they hate each other if you look old yaois or even. Some current women in yaois always shown as evil bitch while uke innocent or helpless against women mechanism that makes readers more sympathetic towards uke than women , also seme too I hope by time such things changes.
Japanese women authors stop perpetuating misogynistic ideals challenge (i love Japanese women tho)
But u know what is more funny is that they built their uke like a girl mentally and physically (not all though). Maybe I'm thinking this too deep but I feel like they want a "revenge" cause the gender equality failed women. They make the uke suffers all the bad shits that mostly happen to girls irl such as rape, SA,....
I hate it when when they do that, but it's equally same thing as male authors especially in seinen do to girls, but most of them enjoy uke being tormented and expect uke to be happy at the end. Without any trauma
relatively boring concept of revenge and infidelity is turned into something surprisingly interesting and captivating. I feel like there’s something very natural about the thought processes and patterns of the characters, and though it makes some of them unlikeable, it’s a lot more realistic than clear-cut boundaries of morality (that is to say, morally gray characters are much more interesting than black or white ones). I find revenge to be an uninspired basis for a story, because authors rarely define a logical pattern that leads characters to revenge - but I can’t really say the same in this case. The interpersonal impacts that the characters have on one another make for a very compelling and believable desire for revenge. It can be a little far-fetched, but it’s ultimately very understandable (though not commendable, lmao). It goes to show how boring concepts can be elevated by commitment to realism and developing the psychologies of its characters. Though not a great symbol, I like how Mina’s script foreshadows the events to come and how it implies the different ways that the ending of the story might play out. There are a lot of great qualities in the narrative that make it surprisingly good storytelling.