fae456's manga / #sad(7)

I don't know how to rate this one. I really love Aeju's work, and Love Shuttle is one of my all-time favorites that I've already reread like 10 times. After reading the descriptions of this story, I told myself I would resist reading this one and I held off for a really long time. I should have known better, but I just couldn't help myself since Aeju's art was calling to me. While it was beautifully drawn and the story was so compelling that I couldn't put it down, it was also heart-rendingly painful. It's essentially a story of abuse and Stockholm syndrome, and it does not have a happy ending for anyone. I'm not sad that I read this, but it still left me heartbroken and horrified. I think it's time to read Love Shuttle again to wash out the emotional aftertaste of this story, and then to reread Sasaki to Miyano after that to finish up the healing process with something pure and sweet (can't jump straight to that one after reading this monster of a story, though, I need to read something loving but not-so-innocent to bridge the gap between the two). I love everything Aeju does, but ultimately, the only way I can describe the experience of reading this story is that it was beautiful enough to suffer through it to the end.

Not really BL, but more of a realistic LGBT coming of age drama about two boys coming to terms with their truth, and one choosing to be true to themselves while the other buries their true self in order to make their mother happy. There's also a pedophile teacher who became twisted after being punished and rejected by his parents after being found with another boy, who then continued to want to relive his brief fling with boys who resembled his first love. Main boy, who eventually accepts himself, ends up loving one of his bullies. It's a sad and bittersweet story that feels real, but it's beautiful in its execution.