There are a lot of good things about it; I’m a personal fan of the theme, I like the fact that Calahan’s character design matches the type of person he’s supposed to embody. There’s often a lack of diversity in romances that include men, and it gets extremely old to see the same beardless pretty face over and over again - which is why I liked the novelty (the bar is low). There’s respect for and commitment to the setting, I feel like the “Wild West” atmosphere comes across well. The concept is pretty cool too, but I eventually find that I don’t like the romance well enough. I personally never seem to find a sexual relationship before a romantic one to be all that interesting. Sex that is just a product of physical attraction between two people doesn’t feel that special in a story that’s supposed to be more than that, if the sex is just a precursor to a romantic development. I might come across as old-fashioned or pearl-clutching but I just didn’t like how quickly the relationship developed. I don’t feel chemistry between the two all that much, either. I would’ve liked it a lot more if it were slower paced and developed the characters a little more as individuals before introducing a more personal relationship between them. The theme and the way it’s executed is still cool, though. I’m reminded a little bit of Steel Ball Run, which I like. I’m just not that interested in the romantic/sexual aspect between the characters as much as I am the characters themselves. It’s definitely not bad at all though.
There are a lot of good things about it; I’m a personal fan of the theme, I like the fact that Calahan’s character design matches the type of person he’s supposed to embody. There’s often a lack of diversity in romances that include men, and it gets extremely old to see the same beardless pretty face over and over again - which is why I liked the novelty (the bar is low). There’s respect for and commitment to the setting, I feel like the “Wild West” atmosphere comes across well. The concept is pretty cool too, but I eventually find that I don’t like the romance well enough. I personally never seem to find a sexual relationship before a romantic one to be all that interesting. Sex that is just a product of physical attraction between two people doesn’t feel that special in a story that’s supposed to be more than that, if the sex is just a precursor to a romantic development. I might come across as old-fashioned or pearl-clutching but I just didn’t like how quickly the relationship developed. I don’t feel chemistry between the two all that much, either. I would’ve liked it a lot more if it were slower paced and developed the characters a little more as individuals before introducing a more personal relationship between them. The theme and the way it’s executed is still cool, though. I’m reminded a little bit of Steel Ball Run, which I like. I’m just not that interested in the romantic/sexual aspect between the characters as much as I am the characters themselves. It’s definitely not bad at all though.