blep's manga / #drama(16)

i can positively say for sure this is a BL masterpiece

This one's so damn good, wish it was a bit longer and more fleshed out because the characters are interesting!

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)

the male leads are fucking hot and sexy. the story's interesting, well-paced and the characters are well-written and endearing too. it's a BL masterpiece.