RoseMary's manga / #Psychological(156)

A Cruel God Rules in Heaven - MASTERPIECE, an Award-winning work by Hagio Moto, one of the pioneers of BL. In fact, this deep and mature story is a valuable icon of psychological BL for me. Tragic story of Jeremy, a young boy whose life will be completely destroyed after his mother's remarriage: he'll fall into a downhill spiral, without escape. Content: Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Rape, Drug Abuse / Addiction, Dark Ambience, Mind Break, Sadistic Pedophile, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Murder, Prostitution - Maybe not everyone can take such a heavy story, it could be disturbing for someone, but I think it depicts, in an exemplary way, harsh aspects such as rape, child abuse, sexual abuse, which are serious issues that traumatize the victim and the wounds may never heal... In Jeremy's case, he was stripped of his human dignity, broken into pieces (both physically and mentally), driven to desperation! But I prefer a story like this, which portrays such aspects, cruel as they are, rather than manga where rape is treated lightly, veiled by romance as if nothing happened... Anyways, returning the the plot, Sandra was almost cruel as Greg, because she actually knew everything, but didn't do anything to help her son!! About the step-brother Ian, I actually liked him and I found interesting the development of his relationship with Jeremy. By discovering about the one who killed his father, he also finds out about the abuse Jeremy had to suffer...so he is torn on what to do: wheter to pursue the path of revenge or atone for his father's sins. Soon this dilemma becomes even more complicated when the lust for Jeremy begins to confuse him and the new question is: is this lust or love? Such a tormented story, but at the end of this thorny path, the one who truly helped Jeremy is Ian, so I want to see something good in this relationship between step-brothers!

Thomas no Shinzou (1974) - It was so beautifully written, so deep and full of all kinds of emotions. It's really a masterpiece! An essential, must-read classic! > I also want to recommend the film "Les amitiés particulières" (based on the homonymous novel by Roger Peyrefitte), which, together with some great literary works, also inspired Hagio Moto to write Thomas no Shinzou. The live-action "Summer Vacation 1999" (1988) is loosely based on Thomas no Shinzou - Note: A female cast was used to play the boys in the film, which is also very different from the original story anyway. Prequel: Houmonsha (The title story, about the earlier life of Oscar) Alternate Story: 11-gatsu no Gymnasium

A masterpiece by Hideyoshico - Realistic story of a guy who struggles with his interest in cross-dressing, but it's much more than that: it's about gender identity, finding one's true self and being able to accept yourself. And the author represented this so well! I loved both characters and how despite being so different they are such a lovely couple~♡ Yashiro is scared to accept who he is, to admit to himself he likes to cross-dress, he wants to stop doing that and he even wants to throw away the dresses, but he still likes how he looks in women's clothes... Momose, a gloomy anti-social classmate, finds out about Yashiro's secret, but instead of exposing him or making fun of him, he actually finds himself more and more interested in him... ➸ I really liked how Momo was the one that helped Yashiro to overcome his fear to accept himself...I think that's awesome! To have someone who loves you for who you are and tells you that it's ok to be scared and insecure, may be what you really need! Reading this story, one can really feel realistic emotions: for me it's definitely the best BL about cross-dressing! Live-action: http://myreadingmanga.info/live-action-udagawachou-de-mattete-yo-2015/

Imo, with this short but deep story, Harada-sensei showed what really means to be gay or, more in general, be "different" from others, taking into consideration how the look of the characters was designed. Sensei wanted to make us reflect on discrimination against those seen as "not normal" by society. I think this is the core of this beautiful oneshot. "What is normal?" - The questions Miki asked himself are very important. In fact, thinking about it, it's all society's fault, how it imposes rules on people and the ones who don't seem to fit its standards/requirements are looked with disgust...all this is what led Miki in a corner. At pages 12-13 we see how people look at you with disgust and offend you for being "different". All he wanted was to be able to stay with the person he loves, holding hands with him in public, but he held everything inside, making jokes in front of others, a game of "make-believe", and not being honest even with the seme, to hide his feelings. [MAY SPOIL] He even went to Thailand, cause he had made a brave decision: he wanted to become a woman so that he could have kids, but that's not possible. Drunk and sad, he then got in an accident. The reason why he went there in the first place and his thoughts were touching. It's also meaningful how he lost almost all of his memories but the seme's face: he wanted to forget all bad things but his love for the seme. He came to have a few screws loose, he became like a child who says all he truly thinks...now he communicates in a honest way, saying all the things he didn't before, showing his true personality. But the seme also loves him and, after what happened to Miki, he felt regretful that he wasn't brave before. In fact, when Miki asked to move to Shibuya, after hearing that same-sex marriage is recognized by law, he rejected him, afraid Miki would say it was a joke again... ➳ At least, now they are honest about they feelings and, as the title suggests, they'll start anew! And Miki's memory is also slowly coming back! ➳ At the end, what really matters is what makes us happy, not what society thinks. I really never read anything like this! It was so deep and unique! Ch. 4 of Nega http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/nega/nmt/c004/

A unique series by Nakamura Asumiko Related series - Timeline: 1) Barairo no Hoo no Koro - Ch 1-5 2) J no Subete - Sequel to Barairo no Hoo no Koro - Vol 1 3) 2 Shuukan No Adventure - Adapted from Barairo no Hoo no Koro & J no Subete - Vol 1 ch 5-6 (To read between J no subete vol 1 & vol 2) 4) J no Subete - Vol 2-3 5) Barairo no Hoo no Koro - Ch 5.5 Extra (To read after J no Subete)

Overall, I liked it, but there was too much drama! I don't know if I'd re-read it! But I guess it's ok to read once~

BL Anthology - Tragic stories of those for whom it is decided that they "Will Die Tomorrow" Ch. 1 You Were Smiling by Akane Sora - "I want to hurry up and see you" ( T ^ T )♡ I think the other stories will be really sad too, but this surely was beautiful and so was the art! [SPOILER] He wanted to see his dead lover so badly that he decided to die, he couldn't go on living without him anymore, but if only he could see that he was actually right beside him and wanted to prevent him from dying...ahhh my poor heart!!! Ch. 2 Wakare no Sanka by Akizuki Ichiha - "A creature from a long time ago, whose form, which had been preserved in folk tales, possessed hair like silver thread and near-transparent white skin. On its back, wings that glinted like quartz" Aliyev was very beautiful indeed, with those long hair and wings, but at the beginning I thought "What a beautiful uke!" Haha I was wrong! Anyway, they were cute together. Even if it's a sad ending, in this case I thuoght it was almost sweet...I mean, I felt this wasn't as tragic as the other stories: certainly I feel sad for poor Lutz (p.21 is so heartbreaking), but after 500 years, the time for Aliyev's life to end came, simply as that, not because of some dramatic issues, and what is more, he was happy to spend the last moments of a long, lonely life with his beloved person! P. 19-20 are so meaningful! Pure, beautiful! Ch. 3 Honest Heart by Kai - Master x Android. "Today, I've prepared my lord's clothes, protected the estate from people, and tended to the gardens. Soon, my duty will end. Good night, my lord" - Ahh this really got to me, how the honest android, who tells no lies, always stayed beside his lord till the moment of his death...and even after that, he still continued to carry on the duties his lord trusted him with, till his heart stopped beating! And before that happened, he went to lay down in the garden, right where he buried his lord! This really moved me...it was so melancholic this short story. Ch. 4 Sekai no Owari no Koi no Hajimari by Otono Awo - At the End of the World, a Love Begins: simply beautiful!! I loved this! I loved the setting, the idea the author chose to express the concept of "Will Die Tomorrow"...this was cool and emotional! Thinking about the circumstances in which Michiru met Saiki-san, how could happen that a total stranger helped him in that world...that made Michiru just wish he had met him sooner! "Why did I have to meet you today, of all days? I wish it was a day where there is a tomorrow!". And it's so meaningful what Saiki-san said: "It doesn't matter if tomorrow doesn't exist. Because, we are alive right now. Even if the sky falls on us tomorrow, we have now." Ch. 5 Ochiru/Falling Down by Yuryi - Even if he has to sleep with men or kill someone, Jill would do anything his boss orders him, cause he was saved from his abusive father by him, but he's such a cruel man... [SPOILER] After making use of him, making him do the dirty jobs for him, he orders him to kill himself... "At my final night there's only one thing I want" - omg, please grant him his final wish: he just wants to be embraced by the man he loves, the boss' right hand, William..."It was sweet and lonely, yet I was happy" at least he'll have no regrets! But actually, the seme's reaction surprised me...I didn't expect he'd take his own life! Maybe it was to make things easier for the uke: "Don't worry, you're not alone. I'm sure we'll see each other soon", but I'm glad he loved him back and this was proof that his life would have been meaningless without Jill!! Bittersweet, but beautiful!! Ch. 6 Nido Kureru Honou-bushi by Mayama Rika - Step-brothers that grew up so close to each other, they were always together like real twins, but they can't continue to act like this...After big bro got engaged, little bro has a one-time favor to ask... [SPOILER] Romeo and Juliet kind of story; Plot twist - Little bro failed suicide, woke up to find his bro actually killed himself... Ahhh this hurts, but it's beautiful, cause he knows now what the bro felt when he found him dead...but the big bro at least could have tried to save him, cause he wasn't really dead...if only he made sure of it before taking his life! Ch. 7 Anoxia by Aoi Aki - "The human-eating beast and the man who sated his loneliness for the very first time". How lonely, the life of a man who has to eat human hearts to survive...if we can even call that life! "Until I die, there's still time" - What started as a "convenient deal" became such a tragic, beautiful love! The love between Ray and Julian, an ill man who accidentally saw Ray eating a woman's heart and, despite being afraid at first, was willing to let him eat his heart, because he was going to die soon. But when Ray knew what love is, it was hard for him to take his lover's heart...I can't even imagine how painful it'd be to take the heart of the person you love! And the lawyer asking "Why did you do it?"/"If you loved him, why?"...ahhh man, no one can understand the pain he's going through! "As long as he lives within me, I can't end myself. That'd be like killing him twice. So I have to leave that to others" Ch. 8 Rehearsal by Aruku - "His last request": Tsumugu has cancer and he's going to die tomorrow. Before that happens, his spirit shows up to Masahiko and asks him to rehearse his funeral... It was sad that the next day Tsumugu really died, but his spirit will continue to show up!? ➤ In conclusion, I think that Ashita Shinu is a masterpiece in Anthology category! Imo, the concept is unique and even if the stories are so tragic, they are beautiful at the same time! It's one of the best anthologies I've read so far! The cover, by yoco, is very beautiful too!

One of the best BL stories •♡• So many emotions...such a passionate story! Released in 1989, Zetsuai is one of the greatest icons of BL and for me it's a masterpiece in this category. Such a desperate, absolute and everlasting love indeed. Great psychological BL! -Sequel: Bronze -Side Story: Bad Blood