otakulys's manga / #bullying(49)

Hmmm.... I dunno. I'm always on the lookout for manga and comics with fat girls or girls who aren't considered conventionally attractive, or both, but I'm not sure how I feel about this one. So-so art, but hey, better than I could do. Since it's chopped into pieces, three chapters is like seven pages, but I do like the confused grandma at the end of every installment. We'll see how this pans out. 2.5 stars for now. ETA: Upgraded to four stars for being cute and interesting. I like how it's unfolding now that it's moving. I hate, hate, HATE the way whoever is uploading cut up the pages. That's a huge detractor and it makes it frustrating to read. But I'm glad it's being posted at all, so hey.

Interesting so far. I'm not completely opposed to the art, but it isn't my fave. I'm guessing this will go a pretty obvious direction, but I'm holding out for being surprised.

It's actually kinda cute so far, and the seme is really hot. The uke is kind of obnoxious, but he's pretty without his glasses. I hope he stops acting like a frail little baby, though. Oh hey, I didn't know there was a tag for that specific "power," but there it is. Hopefully the uke grows a spine. And I hope the translation gets a little better. I would happily offer editing services to these places, but I don't really know where to start.

Those guys are so pretty. I'm forced to assume after a long day they go home and make out. I wish this had been longer. It leaves a lot for you to conclude on your own, which is fine, but there was a lot of potential here. Too bad it's a oneshot. That's pretty much what everyone has been saying, of course. Seems a shame to stop here.

It's a satire of internet trolls. Or trolls in general, rather. These people instigate and find any way to play the victim, purely to screw with people and try to make themselves feel powerful. The usage of random categories like liberal and conservative (especially when he's insulting both, and with no real connection to anything) further backs this theory. It's pretty much exactly how the internet functions and why you should never read youtube comments. Outside of the internet, you can see this sort of behavior in sociopaths and narcissists. They feel weak and impotent, and this is their own, cowardly way to control others without being assertive. Anyway, plenty of weird psychological ways to look at it, but it's nine whole pages, so I probably shouldn't write an analytical essay on it.

Definitely messed up and sad. Seems to imply that the leader was in love with him all along, but clearly had some serious mental issues. It's so brief and abrupt that it's hard to get into, so it reads as torture porn, essentially. It's just there for the cruelty. I wish they'd done more with the concept instead of just ended it there. Also, this artist clearly has a pee fetish, based on her other work.

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.

Very, very odd and quite gross manga. It was interesting, and I liked some of the exploration behind the psychology. I do feel like something fell flat near the end, though. I kept waiting for him to kill one of his boys. He kills things that he loves, doesn't he? The whole thing was bizarre, as it should have been, but it never quite reached the point I was looking for. Also, there was no real punishment here, nor is his fate satisfying, because his children are monsters who may continue this stuff, so... But yeah, I would have liked it more if it had expanded beyond that little group of creeps. Also, despite all the murder, it's always animal death that gets to me, so I had to mark it down a bit for that, too.

Ugh, so sad! At least there was the little text that said they'd meet again someday, but man, what a downer. I would have rated it higher if it were longer and more fleshed out, but for what it was, I did like it. I wish we could get a sequel to this where they do get to rekindle their friendship again. And they both end up with good people who treat them well.

Not my fave by this author, but definitely freaky. Some of those faces, dear lord. Even knowing they're coming, they still make me jump sometimes, haha. This one is more cohesive than previous stuff I've read by the mangaka. Less random snippets and more ongoing themes and connected stories. I'm not sure if I like it or not, but it's definitely interesting. We'll see what happens in volume three.