otakulys's manga / #yaoi(378)

I love this mangaka, though this wasn't my favorite by her. Still, it was dark, sad, interesting, and complicated, like a lot of her stuff. I haven't read the manga it's the prequel to yet, though, so I wonder if I should have read that first. Poor baby, either way. I even feel sorry for the uncle, because he lost his mind. He wasn't like that from the start. I do have to ask, though, why did people tag this as incest? Am I missing something, or were there just that many people confused by the fact that he calls him uncle? He was dating his mother. They aren't related in any way, biological or otherwise.

Huh. That was a very strange, very convoluted manga. There were things I actually liked about it, despite all of the weirdness inserted here and there. I think the ending confused some people because it's so abrupt, then it's followed by a bunch of "afterwards" type stuff. The story ends with both of the original couple realizing they were both in love, and the asshole one deciding to leave everything behind. It also means the new couple stays together. Everything after that is snippets of things in the past, or personal introspection. I actually kind of love "second love" stories with all the heartbreak that comes from the loss of a first love, then the healing that comes after with a person who actually treats you right. This is such a weird story, and it's all over the place, so I can't say that it was as satisfying as it could be, but I did appreciate seeing those themes. They're rare in yaoi. Most of the time the unhealthy relationship wins in a love triangle. The art was strange and the visuals were seriously disgusting at times, but I don't know, I think this was worth the read. I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like it, but I give it a solid B. I hope someone translates the sequel, though I worry about what might be revealed then, given how damaged everyone is in this one.

Wtf, this is so gross. I know for a fact that I've read it before, but I couldn't recall the ending. Someone was gushing over how great and surprising it was, so I read it again. Not sure what they were seeing that I'm not, but it's pretty straight forward to me. Guy has a crush on another guy, violently rapes him and blackmails him, gets stabbed, then stockholm syndrome's his way into the guy's heart. But don't worry, it's funny because the guy hits him with a plant! This is such a disturbing way to treat something so awful. I would go down to one star, but I've read worse, and at least the uke doesn't get all squishy and starry-eyed. But seriously, gross. Also, what plot twist? I don't see any plot twist. The fact that he raped the guy because he liked him? That's like 90% of yaoi manga.

So, now that I've read all she has available on the site so far, I think my assessment is that I prefer her more emotional, complicated stuff to her smut. She has very specific fetishes that repeat throughout her stories, and that always kind of weirds me out with authors. Regardless, I love her, her art style, and her approach to most of her plots. She does seem to have a thing for insecure characters in a romance, but that's not all that unusual in yaoi. I do like that she offers characters happy endings typically. With one exception, everyone has ended up happy in everything I've read of hers. I can't wait to read more of her stuff. The only ongoing story hasn't been updated in a year. D: Noooooo.

Damn, that took a turn. XD I had guessed the general concept from the start, but it was still pretty jarring to see what that calm, neutral face could actually do. Holy fuck. XD I fully approve. I love things like this where the more you read, the more the story transforms. Very glad I read this.

I haven't read all of the extras yet, but most of them. There are some things I would have changed in this story, but I liked it overall. I'm big on betrayal followed by a new, healing love, so this was great for that. I'll come back to this after I read everything else.

I mean, I've seen waaaay worse, but it was just kind of confusing and boring. Maybe it's because I haven't watched the show or whatever. I just don't like amputee kinks and that weird caregiver, infantile trope. It gives me the creeps.

A very sweet little story that becomes more irritating based on a sheer lack of communication. I hate that shit so much. But as sad as it was that he broke his heart that way, at least they do come together in the end. It just seems like such a long way around to that point. Maybe they did need to grow up apart, but twelve years is a long time to be separated based on the sheer fact that you won't just tell each other how you feel. Anyway, that aside, it's a nice little story, and I'm glad they end up happy, even when work regularly puts miles between them.

Awww, I really loved that! Even though it didn't explain some things, which was a little annoying, and I really, really wish there were more. It's the sort of thing I want a million volumes of, just them on missions and traveling, more focus on the second couple, etc. There are still multiple things that make no sense, but whatever. The main story does, so hey. Very sweet couple, and they're so pretty! I wanna read more stories like this. D: EDIT: Oh! There are two oneshots in the same universe. I hope to see more in the future. Now to read those extras.

Just a little snippet about the side couple. I love the original, so I was excited to find the two oneshots, but so far, not much has been added to explain the story. Damn.