Second half falls off

It's been a while since I've read this story, but I don't know why I disagree with what you've said.

I would say that even if it might not look realistic to you, you can't really put a box to what it should look like, because you're not him. And even though these ARE fictional characters, the thought looms that what IF someone acted like that in real life, would you call that unrealistic? Sure, there are common signs of what one would be like after such trauma, but that doesn't guarantee that they would act like that.

But then again, that's what I would say if I actually knew what I was thinking. You might be on to something here.

It's realistic up to when he goes back to london. Acting out, attempting to end it, dropping out of school and making money the only way he knows with the only person who really understands his pain (cass, great character btw), depression, hopelessness.. that was real. But all the stuff with ian afterwards is almost like a different manga.

Like I said I haven't finished it yet and I'm not really putting the time I could into explaining myself, but theres a great comment on like page 9 from 2021 from someone called "the zedmeister" that's a lot more detailed and explains this.

Okay now that I've finished it.. I feel like it's not that bad. The last chapter works really well as an epilogue.

That said I feel like half of the chapters in the second half could've just been cut out. Most of the stuff between his return to england and his breakdown with dr pen. All of this focus on Ian's feelings feels out of place because he's like... a womanizer, there was frankly no indication that he loved Jeremy in the first half of the story. If there had been, that would've kinda improved things, but it still feels out of place to focus so much on his feelings when Jeremy is in the state he's in.

Nadia was also done dirty. I seen some people bash her but it's like come on bruh. Ian is leaving her to fuck his traumatized, underage, stepbrother. Uhm... girl's allowed to have a moment.

Imo the story would've worked better with Ian in a more purely mentor/protector role. If their attraction had been hinted at from the start and Jeremy had been shown to be bi from the start too, that could've made things better but its honestly just kinda yucky as it is.

I feel like Jeremy did not receive the support and healing he deserved. Both from Ian and his psychologist. Like he just blurted out the truth in front of her but that plot point goes nowhere. There's kinda no closure and it feels like Jeremy can only ever be free with Ian, in a sort of sick twisted way.

Imo Ian should've used his money to bail Jeremy out of trouble after having him confess to the police (using the photos as evidence, as they mentioned). Someone in Jeremy's place would've wanted to do that themselves at some point. Like, he was cornered, but that shit is heavy on his conscience and there's just no moving on and creating genuine bonds while keeping that secret. So for me, the ending isn't really satisfying.

I'm also annoyed by how everyone is constantly quoting poems and traveling all over with no worries (does no one ever work?) but I guess that's supposed to be part of its charm.

Tho i agree with most parts because like yeah, Ian has been shown as a womanizer since like he was introduced, even for Nadia, that Ian did her dirty, but i think the focus was how she blamed Jeremy for it despite knowing what he went thru, instead of saying how Ian is wrong, she blamed the victim, which was wrong of her.
I do agree, and honestly I kept on saying how Ian and Greg are the same, predatory and pedophile (you can disagree if you want but thats like what happened, Jeremy was just a kid, and he was until the last chap)
Most of the adults in the story felt so useless to me.
I agree with the other points you mentioned as well, tho I did suspect the story to be an open ending. i made dibs if it will have a sad ending with Jeremy dying, Ian going crazy and stuff like or happy ending but it was either- their relationship is ambiguous giving fhe story an open ending. Also as for the traveling and all, i mean, they are rich ppl. They are Britishers lol do i say more why they dont need to work? Lmao

I get where you're coming from but I have to disagree, everyone deals with trauma differently and I agree with what U_U commented above.

I really like the second half because it deals with the aftermath and confronts the reader with the uncomfortable fact that time doesn't stop for a victim of sexual abuse, as cruel as it may be, life continues even if you're not the same anymore.

It also shows a deeper side to other characters and how essentially everyone has demons to fight. Hagio Moto has a way to depict these traumas in such a raw and realistic way.
I don't think there was a forced "yaoi angle" but two broken individuals finding solace in each other. Although I would question the genuity of Ian's feelings since I think part of his affection might have been a coping mechanism to deal with the guilt of being in denial to the truth and the son of Greg.
The father he respected turned out to be a monster and he's scared of becoming like him.
But having someone who knows the truth and whom Jeremy could show his inner "damaged" self to, brings a sort of peace in itself.
I liked the open ending because they never lost that connection, while born out of something cruel, it brought them closer to each other and I want to believe that it helped mend some of the damage Greg has caused.
While each of them has their own life to live, they still meet and come together in December.

In the end I think the story lives up to its title, a cruel god reigns but we still continue living in the world he created, forming bonds and dealing with the scars created by others.