TerracottaPie's manga / #Michinoku Atami(11)

When Yuuma reunites with Rei—now a stranger despite their shared past—he learns to navigate the chaos of life with someone who has DID, and slowly becomes a rare source of stability amid the disorder. The author is too preoccupied with the DID diagnosis and treatment to develop the romance. She uses the much loved trope of the pushy and sexually coercive top to hurry the relationship along; Rei kisses Yuuma so forcefully despite his protestations that they suddenly start dating. I hate pushy tops for this reason, it's a cop out for lazy talentless authors who don't want to - or don't know how to - write genuine chemistry and connection; just have the ML jump MC and kiss him so hard until he can't say no anymore, and ta-da! you got yourself a couple. As if coersion wasn't enough, Rei is also manipulative. When Yuuma tries to change rooms because of relentless sexual harassment, he accuses him of being prejudiced against people with DID and guilt trips him into staying—very shady behaviour. Yuuma is one of the flattest characters I've ever read. It's peculiar how even though he's the main character, he feels like a blank slate, or rather, someone whose existence matters only in his capacity as a remedy for Rei. He doesn't feel like a fully realised person, he takes on the role of caretaker for a guy he was briefly friendly with as a child and has forgotten about since. He readily accepts the trauma of a stranger without question, which sounds admirable in theory but so strange realistically. He has to mold himself into shapes to dovetail into the empty spaces inside Rei. The author has undeniably done research, so it's even more egregious that she fetishises the disorder by turning the alters into romantic rivals and some sex scenes into threesomes when she knows better. Apparently she was pressured into writing more smut scenes by the editors so that might explain some of the poor writing. Unfortunately, she doesn't stop at fetishisation but slips in a very sneaky assault scene. Yes, what Kazuha did in Chapter 10 is rape, people claiming Yuuma is a cheater for being raped are insane. This has plenty of shortcomings but I still think it's decent enough. The emotional moments are effective most of the time. The scene with Mutsumi receiving a gift for the first time was especially touching. Girlie just wanted to feel like someone cared for her, and I can relate. I also like how colourful Rei's personality becomes after the integration. I can overlook some inaccuracies for creative licence. It has shortcomings but decent for what it tries to be: 3/5. (2019-20).