Aiko's manga / #Historical(5)

All I have to say is :””””””) E M O T I O N A L D A M A G E

5.9/5, to start the art is absolutely beautiful and individualistic, I’ve read a lot over the years but I’ve never quite seen any illustration like this, to make the Edo period look so accurate while somehow maintaining the aura of a pretty soft hearted uke is a balancing act. And on the topic of the Edo period, the fact that real facts of the Edo period were interwoven into the plot added that much more to the stories dynamic. And of course, I really do like the progression of their relationship. Though dubious consent always bumps a rating down by 1-1.5 stars, in this case the dubious side of the consent in the first run-in actually was very quickly and easily consensual; in addition, it was a necessary stepping stone in character development so it didn’t leave me with a pit in my stomach.

100/5. Fkin love this author and their stupendous work. Always the best honestly, been following since it was first posted. Things got prickly but it was necessary pressure for a plot of this type and it’s certainly a signature of this author. Though this story is one with less constant attachment (i.e. the mains aren’t constantly around eachother at a certain point, as implied by being split between locations by their positions of power), this is consistent as a theme and it’s still implied that they are still rather committed by seeing eachother when possible. And from the backstory of both the characters to the nations they reside, to the era, there is so much richness in it all as well as depth that adds flavor to this story. I love it, I’d certainly reread this again.