I disagree about "no love in any form".
I feel the main character uses sex as his "form of love". It's true he may never "love" another like he loved his dead lover, but it's like he is going out of his way to recreate what he felt through other people. To him, sex = love.
P.S.: I LOVE this author's works.
I understand what you mean and would agree in other story lines. May I clear up what may have been confusing in my comment? IMO, the MC neither holds nor shows love to any of his currently living partners. Love is not meant to satisfy ones self, it is meant to be given to another to bring them happiness. The main character only has love for a dead man and withholds it from his partners. Selfishly using sex to fill the hole in his heart left by his dead lover does not equate to "giving love to another to bring them happiness" because his "love" takes no shape outside of sex - no respect, empathy or even consideration to his partners feelings. His partners are merely tools to satisfy his own needs. Granted, his partners are aware of his selfishness and share in it, and his motives, but they don't love him either. The "pet" desires a safe haven, the prostitute desires money. The MC can offer both of them what they want, in exchange for the sex he wants. They may NEED each other to fulfill their desires, but love is not part of the bargain they have struck. This is where I draw my opinion and comment from. It was also meant to serve as a warning to readers seeking a "fluffy love story". Even "love" as you've described it would not make this story "fluffy".
I also love this mangaka's works. The art is breathtaking and the depth of the stories is found among few other mangaka in this genre.
Thank you for offering me a chance to hear your opinion and clarify my own.
...that enjoys a manga full of kawaii love and bunny cuddles STOP RIGHT NOW - THIS MANGA IS NOT FOR YOU!! This is a manga devoid of love in any form (for the living). It is a dark drama filled to overflowing with "empty" sex and heart wrenching pain, without an HEA. That said...
This is a beautifully written story of tragic loss and the cavernous scars left behind. The art is beyond phenomenal. There is no character growth because each is too empty to move forward, but that is their appeal. As a literary work, this manga is exceptional. As a love story it fails miserably, but it never claims to be a love story. If you seek a beautifully written and drawn, dark drama - this mangaka's writing and drawing prowess is not to be missed. If you seek a love story... skip this one.