miseryxcompany's manga / #⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(6)

Oh my god… The art is so smooth and fine, like a silk dress or an expensive suede heel. And Radu… so effortlessly he embodies both feminine and masculine beauty. Beneath his eccentric facade is a deeply lonely man plagued by his own immortality, who envies the brevity of human life as much as he despises it. He takes Mamoru in as a ‘familiar’ but naturally craves a connection in spite of his fear of loss. Mamoru lives in attempt to fulfill an ideal that his nature prevents, he almost gives up on furthering his education to search for work and through Radu he learns to live for himself. And this embodies the core theme of Dreaming Vampire. Time will not wait for you. Opportunity and fortune will find you and it won’t last forever, but you must seize it anyway. You cannot deny yourself good things because you fear pain. Had Radu stayed true to his plan and stayed in Romania he would have missed out on those valuable memories and experiences his life with Mamoru gave him. And that Mamoru’s death ends with him having a positive outlook on their life together, ready to brave the world again, is a testament to his growth. It also does a great job in transitioning into its comedic bits, there are no abrupt shifts in tone and it reads just as smooth as the art.

The surprise incest reveal oh my god this is gold.

The scent of Rose perfume are the words through which Takezou and Shinobu communicate their desire for one another. It's often said that scents carry with them memories, pleasant or sinister. The flowery scent of the perfume- of those nights spent embracing eachother- stalk Takezou and Shinobu and remains a constant reminder of the shame of their feelings, their lies, their secrets, but also of their longing for eachothers heat. Vestiges of Takezou's touch linger in the scent of rose perfume and Shinobu finds himself wanting to be consumed by that feeling of his brothers embrace. And so, with that scent hanging from his clothes he meets his brother in the wine cellar and it guides their bodies together. In a way it becomes how they communicate their desire for eachother. They never use words to convey their feelings up until they are stripped bare and exposed at the end. From the angle of 'Inhertiance' it is the shame of leading promiscuous lives behind the veneer of class and civility that entangles Shinobu and Takezou in this web of lies. When their parents die the attendees whisper, "Naturally Shinobu will inherity the family business." Ushered into this world of buisiness and appearances, yet desiring something that cannot coexist with it. Takezou himself did not easily slot into the role of an adult. Though they never acknowledge their physical relationship, Takezou makes an effort to force Shinobu to be more mindful of his wife- and honest attempt to push him back into the role of a faithful husband. And through his suicide note we know Shinobu honestly wanted the same. For his wife to be enough, for the security of his lifestyle to get him by. But in the end he could not suppress his love for Takezou, his own brother, and the shame consumed him. Kaname, too, was born into this life. Groomed into the buisinessman he became. But he sees Takezou's feelings for his father and is enamored by the taboo of their dynamic and later finds himself leading a double life similar to his father. And you are not promised a happy ending. In fact, the manga maintains a pessimistic atmosphere. But in those final chapters, amidst the chaos is this sliver of hope for Takezou and Shinobu, regardless of if they really deserve it. And it is snatched away just as quickly.

Kyaaaing at how sweet and tender this is. Makoto and Kazuhiko compliment each other so well; I especially loved seeing Kazuhiko talk Makoto out of his apprehensions about Kazuhiko’s feelings for him and their relationship, and just being so shamelessly in love with him, Makoto eventually letting his walls down and allowing himself to just love Kazuhiko in return. Sharing aspirations and seeing each other in their futures. I loved the flashback sequence in chapter two, where Makoto realizes Kazuhiko is only trying so hard in school for him, and caves to Kazuhiko’s mother’s insistence that he stops their tutoring sessions, thinking the real him does not live up to the Makoto Kazuhiko has grown fond of. And later, when he tries to reject Kazuhiko’s confession while doing a not-so-great job of veiling his own feelings, fearing he’ll come to regret their time together. But Makoto isn’t truly considering his Kazuhiko and is ironically treating him like a child who doesn’t know what he wants. I just loved how Kazuhiko’s assertive, head-first disposition balances out Makoto’s anxieties. You get the feeling that Makoto isn’t afraid of death in the end, and Kazuhiko is truly satisfied with the life they had together.

“You’re a rabbit and I’m a cat!” “You’re a Neko?! Doesn’t that mean I’m the Tachi?”