Inside Full Bloom
Ijiwaru na Tsukai no Netsu ni Oborete
Back to School
Chiwoo’s got issues. Upon returning to school after the “incident” last year, he vows to keep to himself and stay out of trouble until graduation. Easier said than done: his bad boy reputation has made him the talk of the school, and Kyujin - class president and model student - won’t stop being friendly. Trouble arrives soon enough in the shape of Jihyun, a tattooed hunk from Chiwoo’s dark past. It’s gonna be a tough year… ---------- This was such an emotions-filled roller coaster and I was not ready for it at all whatsoever... Really interesting plot, nice art, the characters are so fascinating, hot-headed yet earnest Chiwoo, puppy-like and kind-hearted Kyujin, and finally, the mentally-troubled Jihyun. The author did a very good job at portraying what a toxic relationship is actually like, and why it is always so hard for people to get out of them. The way that Chiwoo's conflicting feelings regarding Jihyun were both handled and used was nothing short of perfection. I also really enjoyed Jihyun's character growth, and just his general portrayal. In no way do I wish for them to be together, Jihyun's deeply troubled and obviously should seek a psychiatrist as well as do some serious anger management. But I felt that his character was very well handled. I truly felt his misery and desperation. I admit that I feel empathetic of his situation, and well, I know he is a fictional character and all, but man do get some help and go be happy in the future. For Kyujin's character, I quite liked his very strong will and kindness, how he'd be genuinely happy just seeing Chiwoo getting better, one step at a time was absolutely heartwarming. He pulls Chiwoo upwards and wants the best for him. His character also made me giggle quite a few times by his quirkiness and overall cute reactions he'd have over the little things. Really endearing. Finally, Chiwoo's character was fascinating. He is a tremendously strong individual. Kind to a fault. I loved, once more, the display of his conflicted feelings towards Jihyun. The love/hate. The trauma, ... I felt that all of it was very well used. I really enjoyed reading his story.
Smells Like Green Spirit
Mishima, a student at a school in the countryside, is bullied by his classmates. The reason is because he's seemingly gay. In reality, Mishima does like guys so he doesn't resist their bullying, and instead, finds solace in secretly cross-dressing. One day on the rooftop, Mishima finds the lipstick he'd lost before in the hands of Kirino, one of the bullies... and Kirino was about to put on the lipstick that Mishima used on his own lips. This is the story of young boys looking for a place they can really be themselves. ---------- Such a rollercoaster of emotions. The MCs are really relatable. I feel so sad about Kirino's character's ending. Seeing how Kirino ended up choosing to put up appearances out of fear of causing (his) mother grief really broke my heart. It was hinted pretty heavily, that Kirino could be a transgender character (as the author included pretty strong hints that Kirino could have gender dysphoria: how the fact that Kirino's voice deepens over time, growing taller to the point of being the tallest in their grade, hands being more and more define, and most importantly how Kirino's in pain from seeing such changes, also how Kirino prefers to talk and be referred to in a feminine manner and wanting to "go to Shangri-La and be a woman"). I just feel so sad for this character, he was never able to reach acceptance, and ends up living a lie. As for Mishima's character, he was able to reach some sort of a peaceful ending, which makes me glad for him. I also liked Yumeno's character growth and how it was portrayed. Learning from the past and moving forward.
Hosik's story