But they felt really empty and unfulfilling to me. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the translation, but I often felt confused by the dialogue. I could grasp the gist of what was going on, but the finer details, all the things that help a reader really connect to a character, seemed to be missing. The art was interesting and not very common for this genre. It's very "busy" and ink heavy. This is more commonly seen in seinen, action and horror genres where the busy art gives a sense of tension to action scenes. In a romance style genre, that tension doesn't translate well. Love is often imagined as a "warm and comforting" feeling vs a tense and exciting feeling. The art fits with the sex scenes because it induces that "exciting tension" of sex, but falls short in the softer romance scenes where a reader expects to feel peaceful and comforted. I think this is why other readers were turned off by the art style. I think the mangaka has great potential, just not in the romance genres.
Character growth is often an important aspect of storytelling that gets forgotten in this genre. The tsundere remains tsundere, the weak, kittenish character never grows a spine, etc. This is fine for short serializations or one shots, but anything longer than two or three chapters gives this reader a feeling that even a happy ending can't be long lived if the protagonists never grow together. This story really highlights the need for character growth and is essentially the theme for this story. Two protagonists with horrible personalities in the initial chapters learn and grow together by the end. Though they do it separately, they share common goals both professionally and personally. This is essential in a relationship in reality. Thus, the feeling of "realism" outweighs the fantasy aspects of the story, making it feel like the reader is connected to the characters more than in a strictly fantasy type story. The reader could almost imagine this scenario happening in real life. I'm not usually a fan of too much realism in my escapist hobby, but when the realism is focused on a positive aspect of a relationship rather than a negative one, I can say I really enjoyed it.
I relate a lot to the second story. I lost someone I loved dearly and there were many things I had left unsaid. Whether it was anger, cowardice or just willful ignorance, it doesn't really matter what kept me silent. I regret that so very much, even now, twenty five years later. What I learned was that regret hurts so much more than rejection or a petty squabble. I have, for twenty five years, never let an opportunity pass to speak the words in my heart and on my mind, especially to those I love. We often think, "They must know how I feel, right?" Trust me, you need to say it out loud. Not just for their peace of mind, but for your own as well. Even if you'll be rejected or if your feelings are unsure, communicate your thoughts and feelings. My feelings have been rejected, though, I don't really remember the particulars of those instances. My regret, however, is as painful today as it was so many years ago. You get over rejection, you never get over regret.
Same. It's been 10 years for me, and even if we've both moved on, I can't help regretting some of my actions.
I refuse to regret it is a burden that is un-needed, saying that I'm sorry that you feel like this, write it all in a letter then burn it watch it til the flames die and tell yourself with the dying flame dies your regret, it's something I do to overcome sadness and depression I hope you feel better soon much love and light to you
I sincerely appreciate the advice, though it is advice I have already tried. I didn't lose my lover to a break up, she died rather suddenly. We had a minor fight over something petty the evening before she died. So, she stayed out late and slept on the couch. That is where I found her body the next morning. I learned a hard lesson right there and then. I can't tell her how much I loved her, how beautiful she was to me, how proud I was to be her lover, none of it, not anymore. What I can do is make sure that kind of regret is something I will never feel again. I tell anyone close to me everything I am thinking or feeling. Good, bad or indifferent. And if there are hard feelings or arguments, they are cleared up or at least called a truce to before I sleep. I never want to wake up that way again.
I'm so sorry for your loss, yeah that makes it a whole different thing, I apologise
Oh no, please don't apologize. Your reply and advice were given with the best of intentions. You have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for your kind words. Time has softened the edges of the pain. Although I do find that I think of her often, now it is only with warmth and fondness. The end of one thing always means the beginning of something else. Her loss taught me many lessons about life and how I live it now. Ironically, it was only after losing her and learning those lessons that I have been able to live happily. The saddest moment of my life taught me how to be happy. If that isn't irony I don't know what is.
<3
The angst Kei felt really hit me, but the elation I expected to feel when he and Fuji got together wasn't there. All the impact was absorbed by the sisters self-involved whining and a "she's a fujoshi" gag. I guess in her case, even when she learns a valuable lesson, a leopard can't change its spots. As much as I disliked the sister, she was written well. Or perhaps it was because she was written well, I disliked her. She was the primary antagonist, so she can't be a saint. Kei's sleeping around was not developed enough. This should have had a greater impact on his personality, yet it seemed to have no effect at all on his sweet and innocent demeanor. You don't get to a point where you will sleep with every dick with a pulse and not seem outwardly jaded. This mangaka seems better suited to writing female characters because we got a pretty in depth look at the sister, but the protagonists are as one dimensional as you get. I've read FAR worse manga, but I've also read FAR better. Being exceedingly generous, I'd give it 3/5 since the art was better than the story.
First, let's talk about the manga. It's very sweet, but felt sooooo unfinished. Particularly the second story with the school president kid. Even the main story felt incomplete. Where do they go from here? Long distance relationship? Blondie moves back to Tokyo? What?
Second, let's talk about comments. If so many readers have such hang ups regarding men and sex, why in fuck's name are you reading homoerotic manga featuring men? I am confuse. Gay men are not women, yet readers seem to have this idea that gay relationships function with the same dynamics as a hetero relationship. Sorry, they don't. I'm not saying that the love felt is any different, but the way it is expressed and the dynamic between the people in the relationship is VERY different. Placing heteronormative ideals on a homosexual relationship is like expecting a cat to bark and a dog to purr and then being pissed that the dog barks and the cat purrs. The dog and cat are behaving appropriately, it is only your expectation that is incorrect.
Which, all in all, is saying a lot. The plot and premise are both interesting and fascinating. The story takes the basic psychological profile of a serial killer and puts it into manga form. Moderate to high intelligence, holds a steady job in a respectable position, liked by coworkers and acquaintances but close friends are few, starts with animal abuse that ultimately escalates and ends in the animal's death, white male 25 - 40, aspects of the crime are ritualistic, aspects of the crime excite the perpetrator sexually, etc. If the main character's name had been Jeffrey Dahmer rather than Andy, I would not have been surprised. That said, it was well done and researched fairly well. The art was as beautiful as it was graphic. Overall, the quality of the manga was exceptional though the topic, plot, situations and themes may be repulsive to some.
I agree completely and I immediately thought of Jeffrey Dahmer! To me the ending was the most graphic scene. It ended with the fact that Andy was still alive, which we then knew that Bran’s life would continue to suffer, as well as other victims. It’s repulsive in the sense that it ends like most comedies do (despite the tragic content of the story) — leaving us to know that our characters lives still continue on instead of ending definitely like tragedies do. But I think the most terrorizing thing of all is that even if Andy continued on his torturing spree, the world would continue on as if nothing happened. The victims are just another speck in the world, even if we feel that their lives are important. That being said, the same goes for Jeffrey or Andy like you said. Both are indistinguishable from the other, and are merely specks in a world.
I wasn't sure if Andy had survived or if Brandon had snapped from all the trauma and imagined Andy returning and preparing food as he always had. Since Brandon already suffered from a brain injury,(which, by the way, was well depicted with impulse control problems, rage episodes and severe mood changes) it would not be strange for him to see hallucinations as well. Which would have been a posthumous form of torture from Andy. Many survivors of violence and attempted violence report having dreams and even hallucinations of their attacker. So, Brandon, even without the TBI, could have been traumatized enough to hallucinate Andy's "return".
We often assume it is the mangaka who decides how and when a story ends, but readers, editors and publishers all have their say in things too. So, I will not berate the mangaka here.
The story was both unique and interesting and would have made a fantastic series. Unfortunately, the ending was undoubtedly rushed. The art was beautiful and the characters were well developed. Though a longer series would have developed them even further in my opinion. The mangaka did a great job at the start with plot and character development. The pace seems slow, but it never left me feeling like I didn't want to turn the page to see how things played out. Honestly, it felt like this story was paced for a much longer series that just never panned out. I hate seeing stories like this that have so much further to go yet end so hurriedly. Regardless of the rushed ending, the mangaka did a fantastic job with the rest of the story.
and mom to 9 feline fur babies, this really made me cry. I lost a beloved friend (my cat Goki) a few years ago and I'd have given anything to have been able to have a last goodbye with him.
They have an air of angst, like things could go bad at any moment, but they all end happily. I wouldn't call it "fluff" per se, because of that feeling of tension and worry for the "what if" that lurks in how deep these stories actually are, but they are all very sweet. Actually, in retrospect, these stories are all incredibly well written. The depth and complexity of the underlying situations, bad home life, broken hearts, tortured pasts, lies told to cover vulnerability, are all so sweetly sugar coated that the average reader might just pass them by, never the wiser. Yet, when you look closer, there is a touch of darkness and sadness that threads all of these stories into a very rich tapestry. I can honestly say that I'm impressed.