blep's manga / #I absolutely ADORE this Author(7)

i can positively say for sure this is a BL masterpiece

A moving and tragic story with beautiful art, it's about two broken men finding love as respite from their trauma and the world that scorns them. The plot, especially its ending, alludes to other queer-themed movies such as Thelma and Louise, and The Living End, a 1992 indie film by Gregg Araki (only the premise, though I think is unintentional). Yet what sets this manga apart is the unfortunate circumstances the MCs are in, one a sexual abuse survivor living in a staunchly religious family who negates his existence as sin, and another who is a product of an abusive and broken family. Through its story, it also exposes the negative and suffocating impacts of organized religion and its repressive beliefs from the eyes of the survivor. Kudos to the mangaka for their mature handling of these themes, and the development of their relationship, which I felt was justified. Even when I know how it ends, my heart sank when I saw their final moment; it was beautiful. p/s: I love the small reference in ch. 5 to the beach in Y Tu Mama Tambien, also another film that has queer undertones (though the reference is anachronistic since the movie came out years after the story this manga is set in; but it's still a welcomed reference)

this is a profoundly relatable manga, so relatable that i had to take a brief breather from reading it. ryousuke's experience dealing with homophobia, being called girly, the unrequited love that dared not speak its name to anyone else, the loneliness and hopelessness of being queer in a staunchly homophobic and heterosexual Asian society, are all terribly familiar that I teared up reading every chapter. But what I love about it is that it is also hopeful and inspirational, that we queer folk can find love and fight for our recognition in society. I hope we queer lot will be able to make peace with ourselves, find our support system whether from families or friends, and live our lives as ourselves contentedly.