Well their happiness won't reach the afterlife that's for sure. Cause Adam, dude, you are ...

I hate too Adam but when I read this review by @ manganiME, I was a little relieved
Here:

This is a retelling of The Red Shoes. Basically, Adam was driven to a sort of madness by Yuriy's mom (it's implied pretty clealry that he KILLED Her by pushing her down the stairs). It's like he came under some sort of spell.

Yuriy became the mother's substitute, and Adam took out his frustrations and obsession on Yuriy, making him pay for what his mother did (he is still in that sort of vengeful madness). Yuriy is like the girl in the fairy tale, as long as he wears the shoes, he has to dance to the devil's tune. In the fairy tale, the shoes are cursed. Adam playing the devil (making Yuriy dance in shoes) and Yuriy under a curse (brought on by his exploitative mother pushing Adam into darkness).

Until the shoes come off, the curse can't be broken. In the fairy tale, the priest takes off the shoes and the heroine dies. In this one, sex begins to break the curse. Adam finally is able to admit HE is the one who wants Yuriy (rather than watch, he's now involved), and that sets free his love. Love ultimately breaks the curse.

In fairy tales, a kiss is magical. Here, w e see how a true love kiss has a powerful effect. It starts to heal both of them.

When Adam chooses Yuriy instead of shoes, he's able to admit that the beauty is in Yuriy, not the shoes. And then Yuriy is healed. He knows he's what is valuable, not Abalkin. They can both walk away from the cursed shoes.
And the aphrodisiac that Yuriy dopes Adam with is the thing that loosens his inhibitions. He's been a controller all along, and this loosens it. See how horrified he is, his eyes. The devil in him is fighting it. But the devil loses. Adam starts to become Adam again.

And the aphrodisiac that Yuriy dopes Adam with is the thing that loosens his inhibitions. He's been a controller all along, and this loosens it. See how horrified he is, his eyes. The devil in him is fighting it. But the devil loses. Adam starts to become Adam again.

Well, that's a rather optimistic and "fantastic" way of describing a person who basically made another person PROSTITUTE himself for the sake of money and fame, and then tossed that same person aside when he stopped being useful.

It's nice and cute and all, but I remember Yuriy being raped several times, selling himself like he was less than trash, and it was Adam's fault. That's a big NO for me when it comes to forgiving someone. I mean, I've read far less fucked up mangas and hated one of the characters for far less hahahaha

For me, yeah, hell, I love happy endings, specially when I know the innocent party (Yuriy here) wouldn't have survived if Adam had died, but I hate to think that someone like that can end up happy and in a loving relationship with the person he hurt the most.

If it were reality, for me, the "princess" would've needed a whole life of psychological help for all those years of abuse. Healing oneself it's not like lifting a curse, automatic. I takes time.

I still like the story tho~ Don't misunderstand me. If I hadn't liked I wouldn't have bothered analizyng it. I love this author 'cause in those kinds of fucked up stories the character's personalities are rather interesting, but it still bothers me when abusers get what they want without paying a price. Losing an arm wasn't enough.

Anyway, thanks for your comment. I loved the way that user explained it

I understand you.I'm not the biggest fan of Adam. All I wanted was Yuriy's happiness. So I'm glad with this ending

Adam was horrible to Yuri, but I do see it as a sort of "Satan possession" (like the devil that cursed the dancer in the fairy tale). In the tale, the girl is rebellious and wants to dance. In this one, Yuriy is so obsessed with Adam, he'll let his body be used and feet deformed.

They both are screwed up, and until they break free of the shoe curse (Abalkin and the mother-legacy), they can't be good people, living quietly, helping an orphan and making shoes for the poor.

Adam punishing Yuriy in place of his mom (Yuriy is the one who said he's take his mother's place, so the hate Adam had for mom, the need for vengeance, fell on Yuriy).

They both had to work out a dysfunctional relationship and mom and obsession issues.

Adam was awful...but he changed. He got a second chance. AS did Yuriy. But the shoes still have power (they still have kinky shoe-wearing sex, the remnant of the past has become just theirs and not destructive.)

Yeah, I get you, but since the "Devil" for me is just a tale in itself, and as a psychologist I'm rather critic, I see a victim and an abuser. For me people with issues (traumas, for example) who do bad things, they need help alright, but that doesn't excuse those bad things, neither it makes it better for the victims. Call me realistic or whatever, but Adam should be in prison or in a psychiatric ward.

Then again, your way of picturing it is more reassuring and makes it easier to symphatize with Adam, but I feel identified with Yuriy. Even if he "let himself be used" that makes him even more pitiable. He loves Adam so much that he acepts the pain, that doesn't make him less of a victim, nor makes Adam less of an abuser (and the worst kind of person ever, too, since he knew what he was doing).

I'm not against second chances, but think of it as if it happened in reality, to someone you know, would you think the same? Would you be able to say to a person "hey, forgive him, cause he was possessed"? I hope not!

Our opinions are radically different xD we can't agree on this, but it's always interesting to listen to others opinions so thanks for the comment =D

In the end, what I mean, it's that everything is Adam's fault, either Yuriy accepted it willingly or not. So even if I'm happy that Yuriy is happy, I can't agree with Adam's happiness because he doesn't deserve it. It's simply not fair.

Oh, absolutely, if this was intended to be realistic, this is criminal, abusive, and I'd want to rescue Yuriy and have him get a great deal of helpful therapy. Adam and the uncle would be in fricken prison. (Well, Adam as murderer, pimp, etc).

But this is clearly a retelling of The Red Shoes (look at title, look at the repetition of "dance for me" and how both the uncle and Yuriy are captive to some degree to the red heels.) A fairy tale retelling that's really dark and modern, but it still relates to some degree, with the devil being in Adam and the curse on Yuriy (and the uncle to some degree is both the devil and the dancer...)

And for that I have to praise the author and applaud the storytelling because it was terrific!