if there's a word to describe this manhwa it would be 'overwhelming'
I think there's too many characters that the author put focus on. Kangjin, Jungkwon, Chisoo, bodyguard guy, Roah, and even the two owners of the gay pub.
the author put in scenes for each of them, revealing some kind of mysterious thing around them (bodyguard's scars, the two owners' relationship, Chisoo's past etc.) and just decided to never tell the whole story. What was it all for then? What was the point of showing/mentioning any of that?
Obviously it was probably because the author wanted to finish the story quickly and not dwell on it and didn't flesh out the character's stories well except for the two main ones. Begs the question of why didn't you just focus on three characters, leaving the side characters as side characters?
The ending felt unfinished too, I know they're like actors or whatnot but it feels like a joke so I'm taking it as a quirky thing. Its like when everyone back in middle school finished their short stories with the sentence "and then they woke up"...same energy here.
The ending tells you nothing about what happened to anyone at all except Jungkwon and Kangjin. Even then it's still a little unsatisfying. Aside from the ending clearly being unhappy it's just so...dull.
I think the author focused a lot on shock factor and plot twists, things like trauma, r@pe, gore, violence, unrequited love, drugs, suicide/ideation; none of these topics were looked into deeply, just surface level at best. leaving a ton of plot holes and unanswered questions. It's gives off the feeling like there was no script/outline written for this beforehand.
I'm gonna nitpick a little here but when they talk about Irina Kasparov and Dmitri Petrova, all I kept thinking about was the fact that Irina's surname should be "Kasparova" not "Kasparov". And Dmitri's should be "Petrov" not "Petrova".
Russian surnames differ between gender. Essentially "Kasparov" and "Kasparova" are the same surname with the difference in one letter 'a' at the end, which makes the surname female. So "Kasparov" is a male surname and Irina is a woman so at the end of her surname should be an 'a'.
Dmitri's surname should not have an 'a' at then end. He's male and it should be "Petrov".
It's bothering me cause it feels weird af to read "Ms. Kasparov" or see the popular male name 'Dmitri' followed by a female version of a surname.
I honestly started second guessing myself thinking maybe I'm messing up their genders...like maybe Irina is actually a man and Dmitri is a woman??? I'm getting GASLIT!!
I don't know if it's a translation error or the original author made this switch on purpose but it's super weird to read as a Russian person
I dropped this around ch. 17 cause it was just so slow and the chapters were basically the same, smut, monologue, flashback, smut, monologue, flashback etc.
the ml deserved better too, he's clearly an innocent guy and the age gap made this feel a little predatory cause she took advantage of his inexperience and naive nature to forget her ex
idk why this has such a high rating either and I couldn't get past the stupid classmate reunion scene where she uses the ml to make her ex and past classmates jealous that she's 'dating' a younger dude.
all these stories made me so anxious gosh. but they were all so beautiful, the portrayal of love made my heart flutter and all of them being on the backdrop of summer (my fave season) made it all the more amazing, plus the stunning art. I took much too many screenshots.
The first story was so scary, I can't believe how quickly I got attached to the characters that one of them potentially dying made me tear up before I even finished reading the story.
the second story was just so raw and is unfortunately a relatable story for many queers, minus the happy ending. Almost reminds me of call me by your name.
The third story was just so sad, getting over the loss of someone close to you is really difficult and even after years of their death, a person may not have been able to overcome it. A great story of overcoming grief and I'm glad it didn't get overshadowed by a new romance, rather added onto the ability to overcome it.
This manga is insanely good. My jaw almost dislocated from shock when usui said he was seventeen.
Yes the age gap WAS weird and the fact that a minor didn't tell the 29yr old mc that he was a minor was weird and probably a crime(?) but it's not just a weird BL that has an age gap and minor for the sake of having it for no reason (or fetish reasons ig), instead it's an integrated part of the plot that pushes the characters into development and shows how such a relationship doesn't work and forces the characters into figuring out how to be patient to make the relationship work.
The portrayal of usui trying to figure out his own feelings and emotions towards the mc and how he regrets his actions, apologizes and makes up for assaulting the mc is an amazing part of his own character development. It's not something you see in yaoi like...ever. This manga has an aspect of repentance and, for some reason, people hate stories where a character changes, repents and regrets because it's easier to hate a person who doesn't do any of that and remains an asshole. You're faced with the fact that people CAN change and it makes you uncomfy.
Usui has a character development that I think is respectable, it's insanely difficult to change yourself especially at a young age. The mc also has character development that is different from the mc's.
I can see how it could be boring for some people but I found it enjoyable, seeing these characters grow.
wow this was so breathtakingly beautiful. It even made me tear up a little in the end when eddie went back to London.
I love the two aspects of creating here, the music and the graphic design. Showing how both can be difficult, but fun and in the end merge together to make something great.
The characters are great too, I wish this a bit longer though because it was pretty rushed.
I truly wanted to enjoy this story way more than I did because, although I skimmed it cause I got bored halfway, I could tell the portrayal of jealousy, feeling of being lost/stuck and passion was intense and great.
but oh man this was overwhelming, so much dialogue/monologue, I didn't have the time to take in the art and it's almost overwhelming. I also had this weird feeling like everything was foreshadowing a bad ending while reading it
wait cause why is this so cute??! Kotaro is absolutely adorable, especially his child self (the uncle tho egh...) and he's really simplistic and funny.
The shock I got when the scene of Kotaro wearing his uniform is crazy tho lol, an insane plot twist. And the dynamic of yakuza to florist is super cute.
I don't like omegaverse at all but omggg I LOVEDDD this one. I love how the beta mc points out all the weird shit about omegaverse and I love that it's a beta x alpha. I was so scared it would be a beta turns to omega type of story lol the RELIEF I felt when it wasn't.
I also love Gido and kinda wished the mc would end up with him, especially because their domestic life is too cute and relaxing. Still love the male lead tho dw dw
As a Russian person, I was really surprised at the mention of my favorite cake (medovik)!!
I hate honey with a passion but that cake is honestly so good, if anyone ever has a chance, it's actually pretty easy to bake, idk why the mc was saying it's hard to make lol. But the description of it here and him baking it was so accurate I love it. It made me extremely home sick.
And it's funny cause every Russian mom ever, makes this cake.