otakulys's manga / #sad(233)

ANIMAL TORTURE WARNING! Not as graphic as the human stuff, but graphic enough. That being said: SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER messed up. I don't believe another yaoi title can top this one. I've read some messed up crap--horse rape, cannibalism, a guy getting cut in half while another dude fucks his loose intestines--but this really takes the cake. It's sad and disturbing, definitely a miserable story. It's fucked up from beginning to end, with no relief, and it's hardcore to boot. I was disappointed in a few elements, mostly along the lines of nothing truly coming to a head with the case, and the ending felt too much like a final jump scare for me, especially when it's just a flash of him still as miserable as ever. Definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. No happy endings here.

This mangaka has a clear fetish for people saving a person at the expense of their own life and well being, only to discover that that person is a monster and not worth being saved. I actually liked the twisted elements of the story, but it was too short for what it was, and that open ending where you don't know if he pulls the trigger or not is frustrating. That aside, this Christ dude really needs to die. It sucks that someone he loves has to be the one to perish instead. Yet another thing that wouldn't have happened if Christ's dad had just killed him in the first place. And no, it clearly wasn't because he was abusive or angry his son was gay. He isn't gay, he's a pedophile. His father walked in on him having sex with an elementary school kid. Who the hell processed that guy as an adult after all that? Surely there had to have been some questions. Though I've read real life murder cases with fatal levels of incompetence, so I guess it isn't so far fetched.

Wow, I've been meaning to read this forever, and I can't believe it took me this long. This was not at all what I was expecting. I hate that I have to wait now. I hope it updates more soon. But seriously, I went in expecting way more cliches and shallow character motivations. This is an intense thriller, not just plotless smut. I'm always looking for stuff like that, but rarely does it bay off in this way. Plus, gorgeous art. I'm scared it's gonna have a sad ending, or a bittersweet one, and I'm pretty sure at least one of the characters I like will die, so that sucks, but I'm hoping it's all worth it in the end.

Is this a duplicate? I feel like I reviewed this one already. It's sweet and cute and sad, and I cry every time.

UGH. GOD, MY HEART. My face hurts from crying. I wanted so badly for them to be best friends forever. Regardless of what Kirino chose. The fact that they never saw each other again kills me. So heartbreaking. But their friendship was so beautiful and important. I'm glad they had it at all. Man, this manga was brilliant and tragic. You never see yaoi that really tackles the challenges of being gay in Japan, or just in general. It comes with so much baggage, navigating the good and bad, deciding whether or not to live a lie. This story really explores all of the outcomes based on different decisions and circumstances. My heart hurt so much by the end, knowing that not all of them would have the happy endings they deserved, but this was so well done, and so unusual. Typically, realistic seems to mean everyone dies or something, which honestly isn't realistic at all. It isn't all misery and despair. There are moments of hope, and moments of sadness. It may not have been perfect, but there's always more living to do. And it's never too late, really. Let's hope Kirino eventually finds the life that's right for him. Another thing I loved was the emphasis on friendship. It's so rare to have two gay male characters (though Kirino may have been transgender) without the two of them having romantic or sexual feelings for one another in yaoi. I really appreciated that they just loved each other platonically. They were best friends, which is very important, and romance didn't enter into that. It feels like we're so often told that romantic love is the most important, but I don't think that was the case here at all. Familial love, the love that comes with friendship, even self love. They're all so critical to happiness. "I'm sure there'll be a lot of people there... like us." That line broke my heart knowing that Kirino chooses to deny himself. It also hurts just knowing how isolated and scary it is for them, being gay, in such a small and homophobic community. The fact that they loved one another so much and were best friends like that... it just breaks my heart. The choices they made meant they couldn't be together, and that wasn't fair. That they'd even have to make those choices, to live the truth or to live a lie. They helped one another survive, and they never got to see each other again. Despite how much this manga killed me, I'm glad I read it. It really was beautiful, despite being so sad. I wish there'd been a more hopeful ending, but I enjoyed the good times when they were there. I'd love to read more just like this, only with them all being happy together in the end.

Really sad. I read this ages ago, and it broke my heart. Pretty and tragic. I guess it's one of those things where, if you're going to be separated eventually anyway, you may as well have a moment of happiness. Can't read this again, though. I'll just cry.

Too short, but a sweet little snapshot. Had it been a full manga, I think it might have been pretty great, even though it had that "it's okay if it's you" air about it, which is the trope I hate most next to "rape to love." I'd like to see more things focusing on depression and mental health, guys getting through it together as friends or more. But since it was so short and didn't dive into it much, I had to give it three stars.

Sweet and sad, short little story about a guy who loves someone who doesn't love him back, and a potential love that's nearby. Not as heartwarming as I was hoping, based on the tags, but the ending is certainly sweet. More development, length, and time to see their emotional connection would have helped.

A little confusing at times (and was he in love with his actual sister? What?), but overall, it's a very sweet, touching story. Sad at times, for sure, but it has a happy ending, and that's what matters. I don't know if this piece was inspired by The Vow or by the story that inspired The Vow, which was a true story, but it's definitely a fascinating concept. There were things I would have changed, but I really did enjoy this manga. And I love the art. So pretty. I'm gonna go devour more of this artist's work and see if she'll be one of my faves.

I was torn between four stars and five until the ending. It was so sweet, so I had to go with five. Beautiful art as always, and the mangaka sure has her little kinks that seem to pop up a lot. She loves two moles on the uke, a seme with memory loss, and lack of communication of feelings causing issues, lol. But her work is great, and she never uses nasty tropes like rape to love, so her little quirks are fine by me. I actually guessed the twist right at the beginning (in a general sense) but I got so caught up in the story that I actually forgot and got surprised. XD That's the sign of a good manga. This isn't my absolute fave by her for a few reasons, but I did really enjoy it. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite mangaka.