muse ✨'s manga / #Lawyer(4)

A man becomes wealthy in order to attract the guy he's liked since high school, only to find he's married. This is a frustrating story. Takao, the love interest, is and remains emotionally unavailable throughout, which results in him frequently hurting and worrying Kayano. Without money, they wouldn't be together. It formed the initial tether between them, which makes this unsatisfying as a love story. I'm not even sure I enjoyed it from a purely storytelling standpoint. Takao has suffered because of money problems since childhood, which resulted in his parents leaving him and his siblings, and has issues relating to everyone. He has a cruel streak and little respect for others' feelings. He has no problem actively trying to cheat on Kayano, for example, and laughs during his supposed apology. He does reveal a tender side in the hospital scene, where we see a glimpse of the depth of feeling he has for Kayano, but being afraid of how much you feel for someone is a poor excuse for hurtful behavior. This story may reveal more about him in the art upon re-read. There is a scene where he visits his sister after she gave birth and declares he hates kids; however, we see a photograph of him holding the baby and blushing a few panels later. Still, if you have to constantly guess your partner's emotions, the novelty will eventually wear off and you may find yourself unsatisfied. ETA: This has a sequel. Takao is much more open in that, and it ends on a lovely note. So... I guess things work out. ETA ETA: Re-read this in 2019. I didn't mind it nearly as much as I did the first time around, and maybe that's because the sequel made me like Takao a little more. Raised this from two to four stars.

The story of Danny’s older brother Gene after he left the Amish community and found love with a lawyer in New York City. In the present timeline, Gene does not appear to be living with him any longer, and I worry this may be a sad ending. Waiting on the second volume. Because this takes place in the 1970s in the United States, it contains period-typical homophobia. It also features 2020s United States grocery pricing.