Lex's manga / #Sexual Assault/Harassment(79)

Conor, a Korean-American, lives in a city where same-sex marriage has been legalized, but where racist and homophobic hate crimes are still frequent. He joins a band with the blonde hair, blue-eyed Simon and the two go on to create their own “dark heaven” in an abandoned church. Feelings develop between the pair, but light cannot dwell with dark, and their time together will soon come to an end. ---------- This is such an emotional roller-coaster. I've lost count how many times I got sad, angry, anxious, ... the list goes on and on. The characters are all so tangible. I kept on getting triggered at all the racism & homophobia in this one. It made me want to throw fists so much. It's such a beautiful and realistic story, but dang, does it make me angry at the world. This is so well-written in its depiction of unfairness, xenophobia, racism, homophobia, abuse, white privileges, .... The list could go on and on. But as it is so well-written, that's what keeps you motivated to keep reading it. It brings up such harsh topics and doesn't hold back for a second. The characters are all extremely well thought-through and fascinating as well. Especially Connor & Simon. Their relationship is such a deep one that I couldn't help but get invested in. It just feels so real. You can truly feel their feelings for each other the entire time as you read through each and every chapter. They complete each other, their love is such a strong one, and the author does an amazing job at displaying it. The Art's also one-of-a-kind. I've never seen anything quite like it before.If you want to read this, be aware that it's extremely triggering. But it's also absolutely worth your time. It's been quite a while since I've seen a work that'd bring up real-life problems so well. And also one that'd depict love so bluntly and honestly. I was really taken aback by how much of a masterpiece this was.

With the screech of rubber and a crunch of metal, Dojin departs the mortal world, leaving behind his beloved sister and niece. He awakens in the kingdom of Yooguk, where the people call him “emperor” and serve a god named Yellow Dragon. Dojin soon discovers that Yellow Dragon called him to Yooguk for a purpose: to share his “life force” and protect the kingdom. As Dojin slips deeper into Yellow Dragon’s cold embrace, how far will he go in order to get back home? ----------- Quite sweet. There's not much to it besides this. I liked the endearing relationship that Yooshin (AKA Yellow Dragon) & Dojin had. It wasn't a story that I read thinking it was fascinating, let alone a masterpiece. But it had its fair share of emotional ups and downs, as well as likeable characters. It's definitely an enjoyable read for sure. The ending didn't feel rushed either, unlike most BLs' endings tend to feel. Instead, it felt really natural and made the plot come together. It also ended on an extra sweet note to boot, really nice.

Just another Harada masterpiece.