I wanted to like this, but it's just not my kind of story. It has all the plot and what not, it's not badly written, I like how the characters actually display dimensions (shame and guilt about rape, revenge plots, betrayal; loneliness and self deprecation), but at the end of the day, it's a story where a dude falls for his rapist and starts doubting his revenge plan because he feels sorry for him as he gets closer to him, and pities his unrequited love while projecting himself in it. I don't enjoy that. The art style is peak tho.
I see the author's vision - they wanted to bring two kinda sick, kinda broken people together. An aspect I enjoy is the fact the ML saw the MC as someone likeable before he was raped by him, creating an inner conflict where on one hand, the ML developed his own twisted feelings for the MC and even felt jealous cause of his love for his former superior at work, but on the other, he was violated by him in the most disgusting way possible, pushing him to hate the person he wants to like, and be liked by. That's kinda complex, and a level of angst I find interesting. In that line of thought, the ML was betrayed twice by the MC, once due to fact he wasn't the good person the ML thought he was, and then because of the rape. It's a complicated relationship and in that regard, it was somewhat well executed. Other than that, I don't particularly like a redemption arc for a rapist, even if well executed and thought out.
I wanted to like this, but it's just not my kind of story. It has all the plot and what not, it's not badly written, I like how the characters actually display dimensions (shame and guilt about rape, revenge plots, betrayal; loneliness and self deprecation), but at the end of the day, it's a story where a dude falls for his rapist and starts doubting his revenge plan because he feels sorry for him as he gets closer to him, and pities his unrequited love while projecting himself in it. I don't enjoy that. The art style is peak tho.
I see the author's vision - they wanted to bring two kinda sick, kinda broken people together. An aspect I enjoy is the fact the ML saw the MC as someone likeable before he was raped by him, creating an inner conflict where on one hand, the ML developed his own twisted feelings for the MC and even felt jealous cause of his love for his former superior at work, but on the other, he was violated by him in the most disgusting way possible, pushing him to hate the person he wants to like, and be liked by. That's kinda complex, and a level of angst I find interesting. In that line of thought, the ML was betrayed twice by the MC, once due to fact he wasn't the good person the ML thought he was, and then because of the rape. It's a complicated relationship and in that regard, it was somewhat well executed. Other than that, I don't particularly like a redemption arc for a rapist, even if well executed and thought out.