Itsuki Shu's manga / #Beautiful Art(6)

I never rate until I've completed a series but I LOVE these characters way too much to not give them a 5 * rating. I will probably never do this again, please do not have a bad ending!!! Edit, it did not have a bad ending (doesn't deserve the 10/10 BUT IT'S STAYING GODDAMN IT)

2/10. *TRIGGER WARNING- SEXUAL ASSAULT/RAPE* Beautiful art, uke and seme were both interesting, promising premise. Poorly handled themes of sexual assault and rape, both seme's end up doing morally reprehensible things to the uke that were addressed very poorly, rushed bad ending. -SPOILER WARNING- When I initially started reading this story I enjoyed the dark themes. The uke, despite just leaving an abusive relationship, oozes confidence. He initiates a consensual sexual relationship with the seme, who is considerate and gentle. It was so lovely to see two flawed and damaged characters healing each other, I really wish that things could have continued that way. We get treated to a lovely, tasteful, on-screen rape of the uke by his ex (extreme sarcasm). When I first read it I was shocked and upset for him but had faith in the author's ability to make this plot point work. Initially, it seemed that the rape was meant to simultaneously show how bad the ex is while highlighting how good the new seme is for the main character. HOWEVER, later the seme ends up being rough and cruel to the uke AND the rapist ends up getting a strange redemption arc? This is abhorrent. Loving someone does not excuse rape or sexual assault. He is NOT sympathetic, he is a violent rapist and abuser. This author should not have even attempted to characterise him in this way and I am very disappointed that this is the way they took the story. The ending was rushed and bad. Why did the seme come back? How did all of the obstacles that kept the two apart suddenly disappear? Why is the rapist willing to give the uke up all of a sudden? Are the yakuza gonna just be chill about all of this? There are too many questions that are waived without any answers. We should have an explanation as to why the seme decided to come and find the uke. He was adamant they should stay apart. There should have been more time devoted to them coming together and less time spent on the uke and his rapist ex fucking and living together. There should have been far more caring moments of healing for the seme and uke. Their sudden love and dependency makes no real sense. I could overlook this if the story was better. I rated it a sad 2/10 only because of the beautiful art and the first few good chapters. What a damn shame.

9/10 Absolutely love this story. The whole cast is great, please read it!!!

8/10 Really enjoyable, our main couple are so in sync with eachother and are generally able to intuit the others thoughts and feelings without annoying misunderstandings muddying the waters. I'm genuinely impressed with the relationship between Bina and Lake and was pleasantly surprised by their interactions. There were some minor annoyances like the stereotypical "I don't know what this feeling is" trope. So much of my frustration would be lifted if these characters said that they aren't in love and made an excuse rather than the- "oh, this is an unexplained phenomenon O///O What is this unknown feeling in my chest? :O I feel so warm and uncomfortable inside ". Stop it. When the characters are adults or even teens it makes no sense that they wouldn't understand how love feels. I digress, some other things could bother readers like the way that the conflicts were solved with relative ease. However, for me the draw is our main couple and they make it worth the read. 8/10.

8/10 This story harmed me. My heart and soul have been HARMED. The ending is satisfying even though my favourite didn't win (why do I always have secondary ML syndrome). I love that the author makes these characters flawed in (mostly) realistic ways and I'm overall glad I read this. I'm jealous of the people who will get to read this all the way through with no cliffhangers, fuckers!

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