otakulys's manga / #Beautiful Art(84)

Wtf, never have I read something that was SO shitty and SO beautiful at the same time. The art is gorgeous, and I want to keep reading, but my god. It was gross enough when they were raping him left and right (and lol at the guy saying it isn't fun to watch when it isn't consensual like, uh, excuse me? What do you call the last dozen times you've been watching AND participating?), but when he told the brothers that when he was almost gang raped, he felt bad for THEM, I was like, I'm out. Flipping through, I see it only gets more disgusting. "Semen! I want semen!" Honestly, weird as it is, I'd be fine if it hadn't been rape from the start. If for whatever reason, he'd been into it, and they'd all come together to make a baby, fine. The way he acts during sex is creepy, but whatever. It's the fact that this was rape for the first half, then they all just pretend it never happened that makes all the other creepy stuff that much creepier. The youngest brother seems mentally disabled, and they're all just total freaks with no redeeming qualities beyond being drawn beautifully. This woman needs a writer to help her art find the outlet it deserves. Cause, believe me, having a fragrant anus is not as sexy as you seem to think it is, ma'am.

UGH. GOD, MY HEART. My face hurts from crying. I wanted so badly for them to be best friends forever. Regardless of what Kirino chose. The fact that they never saw each other again kills me. So heartbreaking. But their friendship was so beautiful and important. I'm glad they had it at all. Man, this manga was brilliant and tragic. You never see yaoi that really tackles the challenges of being gay in Japan, or just in general. It comes with so much baggage, navigating the good and bad, deciding whether or not to live a lie. This story really explores all of the outcomes based on different decisions and circumstances. My heart hurt so much by the end, knowing that not all of them would have the happy endings they deserved, but this was so well done, and so unusual. Typically, realistic seems to mean everyone dies or something, which honestly isn't realistic at all. It isn't all misery and despair. There are moments of hope, and moments of sadness. It may not have been perfect, but there's always more living to do. And it's never too late, really. Let's hope Kirino eventually finds the life that's right for him. Another thing I loved was the emphasis on friendship. It's so rare to have two gay male characters (though Kirino may have been transgender) without the two of them having romantic or sexual feelings for one another in yaoi. I really appreciated that they just loved each other platonically. They were best friends, which is very important, and romance didn't enter into that. It feels like we're so often told that romantic love is the most important, but I don't think that was the case here at all. Familial love, the love that comes with friendship, even self love. They're all so critical to happiness. "I'm sure there'll be a lot of people there... like us." That line broke my heart knowing that Kirino chooses to deny himself. It also hurts just knowing how isolated and scary it is for them, being gay, in such a small and homophobic community. The fact that they loved one another so much and were best friends like that... it just breaks my heart. The choices they made meant they couldn't be together, and that wasn't fair. That they'd even have to make those choices, to live the truth or to live a lie. They helped one another survive, and they never got to see each other again. Despite how much this manga killed me, I'm glad I read it. It really was beautiful, despite being so sad. I wish there'd been a more hopeful ending, but I enjoyed the good times when they were there. I'd love to read more just like this, only with them all being happy together in the end.

A little confusing at times (and was he in love with his actual sister? What?), but overall, it's a very sweet, touching story. Sad at times, for sure, but it has a happy ending, and that's what matters. I don't know if this piece was inspired by The Vow or by the story that inspired The Vow, which was a true story, but it's definitely a fascinating concept. There were things I would have changed, but I really did enjoy this manga. And I love the art. So pretty. I'm gonna go devour more of this artist's work and see if she'll be one of my faves.

I was torn between four stars and five until the ending. It was so sweet, so I had to go with five. Beautiful art as always, and the mangaka sure has her little kinks that seem to pop up a lot. She loves two moles on the uke, a seme with memory loss, and lack of communication of feelings causing issues, lol. But her work is great, and she never uses nasty tropes like rape to love, so her little quirks are fine by me. I actually guessed the twist right at the beginning (in a general sense) but I got so caught up in the story that I actually forgot and got surprised. XD That's the sign of a good manga. This isn't my absolute fave by her for a few reasons, but I did really enjoy it. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite mangaka.

I'm definitely a fan of this mangaka. Her art is so pretty, and her stories always have a nice little hint of hope between the main pair. And other characters, apparently, haha. This is a cute one, though I wish she'd explored the homophobia element more. Usually I prefer a world where being gay or bi is the norm, but when it's slice of life, coming of age stuff like this, I enjoy seeing the boys come into their own. The snippet with the poor bullied boy was interesting and sad, and I was looking forward to the guys facing and overcoming bigotry thrown their way. Oh well. It was a sweet manga regardless.

This should be called "Straight Boys and Unrequited Love." That was the theme throughout, but the endings were either happy or open with a sad-ish feel. Nothing was solidly stated. They all end at a crossroads, where a relationship may or may not develop. I love this artist, so I read it, even though I hate straight-gay pairings. The stories were all right, mostly a bit sad, but not nearly as soul-crushing as I was expecting. The comments had me afraid to even read it. But as of chapter 7, things are still relatively light. The longest story had more sad elements, of course, but there could still be more for the guys someday. I know the wish is for the guy who's in love to end up with his straight friend, but I wish more of these stories would end with the friendship continuing in a healthy way, and the guy falling head over heels for someone else who actually loves them back from the start. Why does it always have to be that the straight guy falls for him anyway, or no one gets what they want and everything is sad, the end? There are other options, is all I'm saying. x_x

Uuuuuuggggghhhhh. Okay, the first half of this manga, I thought I had found my dream couple or something. It was so perfect. Then... a bunch of the usual cliches came dancing in and ruined the perfect high. I'll break this into pros and cons, I guess. PROS: * BEAUTIFUL art. Ugh. * Super hot boys. * Genuine love for one another. * True friendship that matters dearly, even if they'd stayed platonic. * Mutual affection from the start. * Some side characters that I really liked. * Funny, cute moments throughout. * Super hot moments, particularly the one that gets this whole thing started. CONS: * MISUNDERSTANDINGS. I hate this trope SO much, and it's in everything. A little bit is one thing, but when it just goes on and on to the point of everyone involved seeming mentally challenged, it becomes more annoying than anything. Using misunderstandings that could easily be cleared up with a little communication is lazy writing. It's a weak plot device, and I can't stand it. Sadly, it's often in yaoi--and things with romance in general--so it's tough to avoid. * "It's okay if it's you." This trope is another one that I can't stand. It was set up in a way to indicate interest in girls had been either passing or just forced, but since bisexuality can never exist in yaoiland, they just HAD to shove in that pointless exchange with him telling the dude he's only into chicks. Why does it always have to be an exception? The cons were fewer in that sense, but they're right below "rape to love" in my list of yaoi tropes that I hate, so it hit me pretty hard. I wouldn't have cared as much if I hadn't liked it so much from the beginning. You may have noticed that it still has five stars, however. If I just ignore those other things, this really is a very sweet story with an adorable couple at the center. I want to read more about these two. I want to read more about senpai and his boyfriend, especially! XD And the art is just so damn lovely. Hopefully some of the mangaka's other work will inspire me in the same ways without irritating me in the others.

Whaaaaaaa, I love this so far!!! I hope it updates soon. Amazing art, great storytelling. I already like the characters. And I have a thing for characters witnessing something bad happening to someone they care about. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.

Ugh, I love this mangaka already! Why does she only have a single chapter up for all of her stuff? At least the newest one isn't just a oneshot. The art is great, the characters are cute, and I just want more. Mooooooooorrrrreeeeee!!!!

I don't like how much he says gay sex is gross (plus I hate the "it's okay if it's you" trope, barf), but this is adorable otherwise. I wish it weren't a one shot. I wanna see them get it on. Maybe there'll be another part? Here's hoping.