Intoxicating, the exquisite details and stunning art pull you into a complex tale of captivity, anger, eroticism and fear. Certainly a forbidden relationship filled with taboo and complicated feelings. The plot grasps you until the very end. At its core, a story of master and slave (for lack of a better term). The roles are clearly defined but seem to switch constantly, making the reader pay attention and question what will happen next.
This brings up heavy themes like captivity, beasiality and consent/rape. Though the zhen could speak and had very human features they still enslave it as an object of beauty and curiosity? Though that's not surprising since that's done every day to animals and humans. People really suck sometimes. But it does beg the question, that despite these human qualities people still hold no compassion to these creature? Even though they can communicate? Then there's beasiality and rape/assault which is being romanticized. Though that's nothing new in yaoi, unfortunately.
Zhenniao