TerracottaPie's manga / #psychological(2)

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).

This is a psychological work through and through. What matters isn't as much what goes on in the outside world but more so the characters' inner conflicts and emotional turbulence; their state of mind is affected by the political scheming and medical malpractice happening in the background but takes priority over them. This reads like a psychological novel—the characters' mercurial temperament, the yearning and withdrawal—but I prefer my psychological fiction to work in tandem with the surroundings. I wish the political climate was more fleshed out, because what kind of country offers refugees mansions as restitution? Usually the onus is on the country of origin to offer settlements to victims. The ending felt rushed because as it stands I don't see how Shavonne could've survived that? I also can hardly see why the government would invest so many funds on training people with genetic mutations that simply grant them a strong biting force, an acute sense of smell and hearing, and no body odour—hardly sounds like a useful skill in an age where guns and weapons are readily available. Also how did the sergeant and superintendents never even think of changing their approach after their 6th failed attempt? Didn't they supposedly hire researchers? Any researcher worth their salt would've seen that attempting to break the psyche leads to failure at that point. (I might read the novel to check if any of the plot holes are simply the artist omitting major details). It was hard to suspend disbelief at some points but overall this is pretty decent. Bonus point for being a good psychological work that never relies on shock value or resorts to abuse between the main characters. Will wonders never cease?: 4/5. (2020-22). N.B. I like the stories within the story, the non-linear narration, and surprisingly the constant repetition (works well to represent lack and obsession here).