hanasan's manga / #re-read!!! ^.^(214)

Wholesome, short.

More complete and more extra content than the other uploaded version, different translation too. Still good smut.

A good example of the idea that you don't need unnecessary misunderstandings to stretch for 50 chapters to have good drama in a story. The main crux of the drama in the story is mostly from Gyu-yeong, the MC, and his relationship with his parents and others. He faces a lot of relatable issues with a broken home and struggling lifestyle, which makes you really feel for him and want him to succeed. He never really wallows in sadness, despite being a crybaby, and constantly fights to make his situation better which I love about him. Meanwhile the ML, Yeonu, is admittedly kinda sus in the beginning just cause of his unknown intentions, he's actually really (spoiler) just a pretty normal, nice guy with a good face and, while snarky sometimes, has a really positive and kind attitude that I adore. He really starts to shine once the story allows for us to peek into his POV. I find his thoughts amusing, and the way he tries hard to be sweet and kind just for Gyu-yeong to praise him is cute. He's the exact kinda guy you wanna adore, and is sometimes pitiful, that makes sense for his character. Actual spoiler: I love that he never really takes any complaint or rant Gyu-yeong says as a personal attack, he really tries to empathize, and really, he finds him cute for it and yknow what? Good for you, Yeonu. What a good guy. The ensemble cast is good too, providing most of the comedy. They're all surprisingly accepting (at least, the ones who know are), which is nice too. All in all, wholesome, cute, with just a smidge of realistic and relatable drama that makes it a really good read overall. I enjoyed it.

The title and concept doesn't do enough justice for how actually wholesome, comedic, and positive this story is. Yes, it's a little bit "love and friendship conquers all"-y but in a world where those type of stories that are actually pretty well-written and not just something that leaves you wanting more, this is a fantastic example of a well-written happy ending for everyone that doesn't leave me unsatisfied. Do I want more extras to flesh out some of the children in the future (especially with how many there are)? Yes, but that's just because I'm a sucker for learning how children characters grow into their own and have their own stories. But we can't always just pump out sequel after sequel about the same characters' children. Sometimes, we have to be like the ending here in this manga, and carve the happy end into stone and leave it at that.

I occasionally find myself in awe of characters like Tsukihito. Hailed as a God, perfect in every way a human isn't. I find that kind of character setting relatively rare, especially when they're executed in a good way. He lords his power over people as you may expect, but not in the overbearing "rich demanding CEO" type of way. He's what you'd expect a "God" with no human emotions to be like-- rational, cold, detached, apathetic. Slowly, through his meeting and relationship with Mioto, he learns not only emotions, but what it's like to be human, that it's okay to be human. The people around him even noting that he started behaving less like their God and more like just a typical human, but... is that really such a bad thing? The manga poses the question: if we aren't perfect, if Tsukihito isn't as otherworldly as a God, if he's just another human being, does our value really drop down to nothing? Mioto on the other hand is fascinating in his own way. Rather simple, he's kind, nice, and sometimes far too much of a good samaritan. But he's not a pushover, and I like that about him. He may be too weak to stop some unfortunate things from happening to him, but he doesn't let people walk over him like he's a rug. He gets mad, annoyed, and he tells it to people's faces if they make him mad-- but that doesn't come with brutality, instead he still treats them with respect and the hope that they may change for the better in the future. I think that he really is a good model of strength despite being in a poor situation. I went into this story expecting a typical overbearing jealous tachi being pushy towards the poor, damsel neko. And to an extent, you can still describe it that way. But what I actually got was a rather interesting read about a boy who never learned to be human because he was raised as a God, to the point that he was apathetic even by the deaths of the people that should have been important to him, falling in love with a boy who was dealt difficult cards in life but never once lost his footing. I particularly liked the execution of Tsukihito learning emotions, the very gradual development of him first learning to truly smile, to becoming physically and metaphorically warmer, then gaining a heartbeat, and finally to crying in both sadness and happiness. I also really liked that Mioto questions if he's /forcing/ these emotions onto Tsukihito, only to realise that the world has been suffocating the latter for years. Tsukihito lives with the constant expectation to smile benevolently and detachedly like a God, be perfect, without a choice. Mioto specifically asks Tsukihito if he wants Mioto to teach him what feelings are like, finally actually allowing Tsukihito agency in his own life. It may have been borne out of obsession, but at least these feelings are truly his. The metaphor of Mioto having claustrophobia is very good too. I have a small gripe about the ending, really. It felt like it was pre-written. Like the author had the idea of that line, and just had it be the end... To me, it felt like it was backtracking a little, since I personally didn't want Tsukihito to be called God ever again, but... whatever, I suppose. That's really the only reason it's not a 5/5 for me.