Not a plot you see often. A little rushed, but not confusing. The story and characters were written well, but there wasn't any "personal growth". There is a 5 year time skip that only serves to age the high school student to adulthood for plot purposes. All in all, I would recommend reading.
Beautifully written story of tragic loss, love and redemption. A compelling and heart breaking story line with fantastic artwork, that keeps you turning pages until the happy end.
...the story is remedial, at best. At first I thought, maybe, it was a "lost in translation" type of thing, but upon further reading I realized that was not the case. I believe that a good story with characters who learn and grow throughout it, can make up for the most atrocious artwork. (perfect example is Happy Yarou Wedding Series) This does not work in reverse - artwork making up for a poorly written story.
The characters show little to no evolution in six chapters. As a matter of fact, the premise of the story is that the characters WILL NOT change over the course of a SIX YEAR separation. A ludicrous premise.
If admiring the artwork is your reason to read, this one is a great choice. If you read for a good story, you may want to skip this one.
I don't know if that's really a fair assessment. This isn't a story that's trying to be some great epic, it's a fluffy little sequel to an equally fluffy yaoi. It's relatively lighthearted and easy to enjoy and you don't have to take it too seriously. They may not go through serious turmoil or grow deeply as people, but the focus is on the fact that their love and desire for each other grows and expands. Of course a six year long-distance relationship isn't realistic, but the idea is certainly romantic. A lot of people like the idea of an enduring, everlasting love despite all the odds and all that jazz. It's a silly fantasy, like a lot of yaoi is. If you're looking for raw realism and great literature, then let's be honest, you're in the wrong genre.
You're absolutely correct, you won't find a Cohelo, Steinbeck or King in yaoi. I have, however, read plenty in this genre that didn't seem to be written by a 12 year old. Even the light, fluffy, bunny cuddle, shounen ai stories that I've read (and enjoyed immensely) showed a writing depth that this story (and it's predecessor) lacks IMHO. Considering the fact that yaoi is, technically, written for those OVER 18 - shouldn't the mangaka write with that in mind? Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy Rowling and Meyers as much as the next 'tween, but their writing ABILITY is on par with Rice and Harris. Even though they all share a genre, their target audiences are different and each author writes with that audience in mind. This is what I meant when I said "the story is remedial, at best".
P.S. Your comment was very eloquent and intelligent. Though my opinion may not agree with yours, I still appreciate that you took the time to reply to my comment and offered me an opportunity to have a civil and thought provoking debate. Thank you.
BUNNY CUDDLE!!!!!!!
This story is a slow burn...lots of shounen ai until chapter 16 but you always feel the love. The story is compelling and, at times, gut wrenchingly sad. The characters are well written and they mature (both as characters and in drawing) right before your eyes. There are supportive females, who make me proud, and conniving, deceitful skanks who get their just desserts. A remarkably written tale worth reading. The art is a little "dated" looking at the start but it is fascinating to watch the mangaka's style mature alongside the characters.
Genre is shounen ai, not yaoi, to be clear. There is only implied sex and some kissing. The stories are touching, funny and poignant. The art is clean and easy on the eyes. If you are looking for a quick, sweet read sans (French for without) heavy smexyness, check this one out.
Thank you for the comment! It's the reason i read it and loved it :)
Glad I could help!
This manga is too adorable for words. I love the two "flamers" when they are watching the gym teacher! They remind me of so many of my gay friends. I feel bad for the "shotacon sensei" though. He needs love.
This story is charming and sweet. A fairly accurate description of coming to terms with one's sexuality (at least as far as a manga can provide). The questions, fears, prejudices and even the triumphs are portrayed in a charming and funny way. Even the chicks are tolerable so far! 2 thumbs up! Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
What? Don't feel sorry for a pedophile, he is clearly set up to be a creep.
With all that I wrote, THAT is what stood out to you? I'm at a loss.
... too bad the mangaka was bad at writing. Only one story fits the yaoi genre. The rest are shounen ai at best and shojou at worst. If you read manga for the art and can overlook the story, this one is for you. Otherwise, it may be a waste of time.
... I am normally the kind of person to gladly defend what is customarily called "rape" in yaoi...however, this first story goes beyond my capacity to defend it. In yaoi, poor abused ukes will get hard and come even if they were hit by a truck. They may even go all tsundere and get angry afterwards, but this kid is borderline suicidal. It's because of this point that I can feel justified in saying, "This is a portrayal of rape".
The S&M aspect was hot but would have been hotter between the two doctors.
I agree!
I agree too (づ￣ ³￣)づ
Well said. While reading I was seriously waiting for lil bro to jump off a building and big bro to go mad...
"in yaoi, poor abused ukes will get hard and come even if they were hit by a truck" omg I almost chocked. Well that's actually why can't stand most ukes...specially because since they're airheads, they always fall for their rapist without even reasons enough to classify it as Stockholm syndrome. It's ridiculous, but hey it's yaoi world.
I hope you were choking on laughter - at least that was how I meant it to be. I have no issue with the "ravishment" or "forced intercourse" trope - I actually like it, both in real life "play" and in fiction - but there are a small handful, among the nearly 1500 yaoi I've read, that just make my skin crawl. This was one of them. I'm personally into S&M - as a practioner - so, the "yaoi rape" is child's play to me. However, this story went to a level that we won't touch even in hardcore S&M - where the "victim" is actually emotionally scarred by the act. The whole idea behind the "yaoi rape" trope is the "ravishment" fantasy. The idea that someone wants you/loves you so badly that they can't control themselves. Pure unfettered desire. Thus, yaoi is not supporting "rape" per se, but rather the "ravishment" fantasy. That is why the uke falls in love, to justify the idea that the "ravishment" is not only okay but reciprocated. Some mangaka get this and can pull off a good story with this trope, others don't and you have that "rapey" feeling left behind. "Ravishment" is a paticularly popular fetish in Asian cultures because there is so much reservation. To allow oneself to succumb to desire to the point of dropping all that reservation, speaks to having a love that has no bounds - or a desire that has no bounds. From their perspective, it is actually quite romantic.
A person's capacity for selfishness, mistakes and redemption is at the heart of both the main story and one shot in this manga. This is a story well worth reading beyond any "uncomfortable" plot conflicts. The characters are written with the flaws found in everyone (how those flaws are portrayed may not be to every readers tastes) and eventually fix them, thus finding redemption and hope. Undoubtedly a beautifully written and drawn manga.
...It was nice to see characters drawn to ACTUALLY look Asian, but the story itself was slow and quite boring at the end (middle since it was dropped). Normally, I am crushed when a manga is dropped and incomplete, this time I really could not have cared less. It's sad, the story started out so eloquently and had lots of potential. Then, suddenly, it went into low gear and just seemed to crawl along. Lame conflicts with no resolution due to being dropped. Really a shame because the art was beautiful.
Whoa.... my do is the reaction to your profile pic
Not do, dp I mean