otakulys's manga / #love triangle(50)

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.

Pretty art most of the time, but sometimes the faces went a bit ug. The part where he runs to confess or whatever made me throw up in my mouth. Typical rape to love. At least this guy apologized for it, which is rare in yaoiland. But he still shouldn't have gotten his twoo wuv in the end. There were elements that would have been cute if the rape hadn't occurred, but that tainted everything. Meh.

I understand why so many people are saying they felt unsatisfied with this manga. There's definitely something annoying about it. I feel like it would have been better if Kichou hadn't been so annoying and wishy washy all the time. At first, it made sense that he was doing things to protect Kagerou, but then he would lure him in and lead him on, then act like a dick, and all of it was supposedly because he loved him, but that didn't really add up overall. I hate how cocky and smug he was all the time. And of course the mildly rapey sex, all with that creepy smirk. So yeah, I'm annoyed, too. I wanted to really see Kichou suffer at some point and truly regret the way he handled things. I feel like I would have preferred an ending with Iwasaki getting what he wanted. But ultiimately, I am glad they have a happy ending. If I take out all the parts that annoy me, I really do like the concept of the story. Two boys, raised in a brothel, and their forbidden love--it was a recipe for a really good manga, and it could have been so much better. But it wasn't awful, and the translation was good. The art had weird moments but it was mostly rather beautiful. So 3.5 or so stars.

I don't know why I'm torturing myself with this, knowing how it ends. I thought I could handle it, then the flashbacks showed up. I don't know if I can take watching a sweet, beautiful love develop, knowing that it all falls apart in the most painful way possible, with no happy ending. But here I am.

Noooooo, update soon, please! I so rarely find manga that truly scratches that hurt/comfort itch. I crave this sort of thing. It's so dark and beautiful and messed up. It made me cry, but in just the right way. I'm not sure what to expect in the future, but I really hope that there's an update soon. I'm worried this has been abandoned completely, since it's been a while. There are so many things I love about this story. I wish there were more like it out there. At the same time, I wish that love triangles didn't have to end in someone "choosing." Why can't he be with both of them? They're all fucked up anyway. They're all so damaged, especially the ukes. You can't entirely blame them for doing stupid, selfish things, given the way they've been taught to survive. Anyway, I'm going to die if this isn't updated.

Ugh, I'm still crying. Why is it that every time I find a new mangaka lately, there's hardly anything out. I love her art and the warmth of her storytelling, and I want more. Mooooore. D: Rio doesn't deserve hate at all for everything. She wasn't certain in high school, just had a hunch. It isn't like he told her he loved him and she ran off and took him for herself. She realized later that they both liked one another, which is why she broke up with Gaku. Obviously she loved both of them very much. If she hadn't died, they would all be together and happy. It's not like she would have tried to ruin things. Anyway, such a sweet and sad story. Poor Rio. But I liked it a lot, and I really want more from this artist.

lol

Things resolved a little too easily for my tastes, but at least no one raped him into submission. I feel like this was on several lists or something that made me eager to read it, but I'm not sure now what it was that had me intrigued. It was decent enough, but nothing groundbreaking. At any rate, it was an enjoyable enough read, albeit flawed in its own ways. The art was usually pretty, though there was one shot where the alpha's neck is SO long like he turned into some sort of snake monster, and for the life of me, I do not see how anyone okayed that. It was scary.

Hmm. Honestly it isn't nearly as bad as I expected given the description. It's sort of similar to my favorite omegaverse story, regarding fate and past mistakes, etc. though this one doesn't handle it anywhere near as well. Still, I'm used to much worse with this stuff. At least the rape isn't brushed off, or worse, played for laughs.

I actually liked the dark, sad nature of the story, but the ending was so abrupt. This guy's heart is broken, and all we get is "damn it." The end. Anyway, I wish it had been longer. Weird way to end it after all that. Otherwise the rating would have been hire, but this is like a blue balling situation. You give us all this delicious drama and emotion, then you just leave us hanging.