This was a really sweet story. It was realistic and the relationship between Mikado and Misaki was healthy albeit there was blackmail in the beginning. It was a very messy case concerning consent. Misaki was drunk off his ass and Mikado had managed to get somewhat if not completely sober. Misaki did ask for Mikado for a video, but he was drunk and not in his right mind. This is not an open-shut case of sexual assault.
This world is drenched in heteronormativity and compulsive heterosexuality. There are a lot of people who do not realize that they experience any level of attraction towards their own gender. Yaoi/BL loves having straight men "turn gay" which is so fucking homophobic, but there are a lot of Yaoi/BL that really illustrate realistic cases of where men who do not have a past of being attracted to men fall in love with other men. In some cases these men are actually more bisexual or at least bi-curious. However, Yaoi/BL really never brings up bisexuality. It is a hard line between being gay and straight. No other sexualities are represented at all.
Japan has no education about LGBTQIA+ people so most people would assume that they are something other than straight. For some people it does take experimenting to realize that they are not straight.
Mikado was overly fixated on Misaki since the beginning of the manga. Hate and Love are two sides of the same coin. Both require passion, energy and time spent thinking about the person. So, this manga is way more believable to me than others. As for the blackmail. they had dirt on each other and so in my mind it was rather level despite their differences in status in their workplace. Mikado's blackmail was arguably worse because if it got out that would be the same things as outing him to everyone as well as showing him drunk as fuck during sex. Mikado would only be embarrassed by others finding out his hobby. In the end nothing came out of others finding out. I feel like Misaki would get pushed over the edge if the sex tape got out.
I'm expecting to see them all clinging together for dear life.
Seeing Nohae trying to one up Dobin is fricking hilarious. So much misunderstanding all around. It doesn't help that Yeong knows him so well. Or maybe it does... anyway, it would be mighty inconvenient if the app sent out a command while they were collectively shitting their pants in fear. Someone mentioned a three way. I feel like whoever is behind the app would really do that. They have no shame.
100% of the whole cousin incest would be the exact same if they were just childhood friends. There is really no reason to make them related. It's not relevant to the story at all. It does nothing for the plot and I feel like it's tacked on to be taboo, which is fucking stupid. That being said, this was an okay manga.
The whole thing with the mom could have been explored in more depth. Do you realize how few BL manga actually deal with parents coming to terms with the fact that their son is gay/bi? I can name them on one hand. This really didn't go anywhere with it.
Like most BL manga, it is too short. Give this manga five volumes to be able to go over in depth the issues it glossed over like the mother's emotional neglect, the pressure to be straight, etc.
It felt like important conversations were not being had. I already know that Japanese people like dancing around issues like they're a fire. It's "rude" to be direct. Beating around the bush is not a way to solve an issue. You are not going to be able to handle things be being polite and that's why there are so many deep-rooted issues in Japan. I digress.op
Like I said this was so overly condensed, I don't know what I was expecting. It was going somewhere and then it ended before it could be resolved.
Plus the issue with the girlfriends was not resolved in my opinion. Chihiro was seen being intimate with a girl that we are told later is his girlfriend--was, they broke up. What the hell?! She wasn't even in the manga for that long. Why did the mangaka go out of their way to show Chihiro sleeping with a girl who is not even going to be relevant later on. Just say she was a fuck buddy and call it a day. We don't see Shuto break up with his girlfriend either. Like I said before, no one is having the conversations that that they need to be having in this manga. So a lot is left up to interpretation.
If this manga is any indication of Japanese people, than it is so fucking annoying. Stop being so damn vague and get to the point. It's like everyone has agreed that they going to just never answer the important questions and are just going to pretend not to notice.
I'm so tired of fucking BL pretending that "making someone gay" is a thing!!
Straight men fuck other men and they never claim to be gay or bi. That doesn't happen. Yes, there are straight men that do that. You can look it up. Being gay is not a disease. You don't catch it.
Also it was weird in the beginning that Shuto's mom would even be going in his room while he was sleeping to begin with. Like give him so fucking privacy. It was such a stupid thing to cry over. The only thing that was wrong was the fact that Shuto was kissing Chihiro was, to his knowledge, asleep and he could not consent. That's the only problem...well that and that he was jerking off over him. Kinda creepy...no, 100% creepy. If I was his parent I would've called him out for that, but I don't give shit if my kid is gay. I'm also queer so there's that. Anywho, this manga was just okay. It could have been great had it had enough time to flesh out all of the issues that were presented and if there was more character development. I'm not given enough time to give a shit about any of the characters.
God what the fuck were there stories?! Who is this for?! Not every love story is gonna end well, but there was no closure. No, the extra was not closure.
Ruka wasn't at fault. It was Minori's cheating ass that caused all this pain. But yeah blame the other person as always and not the person you're in a relationship with. Fuck Sei for going after Ruka. Fuck both of them!!
Ruka was shown to be dealing with a lot of trauma and that was just not fully explored.
I hate everything about this manga! I would have had a better time slamming my head against a concrete wall for five consecutive minutes.
This is how you do omegaverse right! This story was heart-wrenching. So many things that I was not expecting just came and punched me right in the gut. This really turned the whole "fated pairs" on its head. I really appreciate that. I also appreciate Taiga's character growth. Seeing his growth and how he cared for Rin was really touching and heartbreaking because by the time they were really becoming a couple everything fell apart. People lose their memories in real life from traumatic brain injuries. They could have been married for years but forget all of that and only remember their childhood. They may not be able to form new memories. It's incredibly painful for everyone. The manga does give glimpses of hope and that really put my heart at ease.
I couldn't help but like Rin because he was doing the very best he could, in his own way, to preserve himself for his fated pair. I don't believe that there was any malice in him at all. Seeing him destroy himself, essentially, by abusing his medication, for something that he had no idea would even work out for him was very tragic. This kind of portrayal is really poignant and important for the whole omegaverse subgenre.
So many present the world as cruel towards omega but don't explore that any further. Here you have an omega fighting back with everything that he has even at the expense of his own mental and physical well-being. That image alone shows the depth of inequality omega face.
However, this story is not content with it being a tragedy and ending with an understanding of inequality but refusal to do anything about it. Characters, namely Kaoru, refuse to accept this and actually make change. It made me want to jump and scream, "YES!"
Imagine if other yaoi were like this. Where characters see inequality (i.e. homophobia) and instead of accepting this as a reality, actually stood up to create positive change. Imagine if characters stood up for their beliefs. Imagine homophobic and/or transphobic characters growing and maturing as people and letting go of the hatred, educating themselves and becoming an advocate for minorities.
I've seen manga do this. This manga can illustrate this in the context of the omegaverse, so it is not impossible for manga include these messages.
It is so important to into positive change in fiction, so that people can envision a future where that change can occur. How can we fight for a future that we can't see?
Well, I'm doing rambling on. This manga was amazing and I can honestly say that finding stuff like this is the only reason why I continue looking at BL.
Maybe it would be better to just set the whole suitcase on fire and throw it over a cliff. It's seems many people here forget that in the omegaverse, rape is not like it is in real life. Alphas are literally taken over by primal instinct inside of them that is so powerful and demanding that it takes physical restraint to stop them.
Real people don't function like that. Real people don't function like an omega either.
The omegaverse is what many people in the real world have been trying to argue for...well forever--that rape survivors were asking to be raped and that rapists are not to blame and they didn't know what they were doing. The only thing added to this is the idea that once an omega is marked (read bitten) by an alpha they can no longer pursue anyone else. In real like people who are raped are not permanently marked and doomed to never find anyone.
What I am saying is that rape in the Omegaverse is very blurry where the attacker can be just as much a victim as the person who was attacked. In this situation I would think it pretty clear the rapist was not sitting around waiting to attack an omega. He was responding to the omega pheromones just like everyone else. He was in a situation where his natural instincts were not being deterred by others. He was a tool to use in an omega's plot to destroy the life of another omega. He could have easily been replaced by any other alpha who happened to be there.
Yes, I even understand why the story went with Rika falling for his rapist. This is the omegaverse. You can't just crt-z and bite from an alpha. What kind of love life do you expect Rika to lead if he cannot respond to his partner intimately and feels not sense of attraction? It is doomed to fail. It is doomed to fail because that is what the omegaverse is! Omega can't find another partner once they had been bitten by an alpha in heat. Unless the author customizes their version of the omegaverse. I haven't seen any manga or manhwa/Korean webtoons (are there any omegaverse manhua?) that feature this. I saw one where the alpha had died which brings up more questions about omega who outlive their alpha partners and if they can pursue other partners afterward yadda yadda. I digress.
Omega were designed to have very little autonomy of their lives and their bodies. They don't have control over what their bodies do and shouldn't be blamed for it. They are loaded with the burden of stopping their heat and deal with side effects of it. If they become pregnant, they are the ones who must bear all of the burden of raising a child they never asked for. This is hardwired in the very design of the omegaverse.
Was the romance rushed, unnatural and superficial? Yes, yes, yes. This could have been very long (multi-volume) with so much character depth and background building. world building and a deeper understanding of the mangaka's version of the omegaverse. I like longer manga because there is time to develop what you cannot in a singular volume or very short series. Rape is not a topic that can be wrapped up that quickly. It's is soul-crushing, life changing and makes you question, and pull apart nearly every aspect of who you are, your humanity, your right to love, pleasure and dignity. The omega who started the attack, his story could have been much more developed. What are the events in his life that informed this decision as an marginalized person attacking another marginalized person. Yes, he was afraid that the alpha whom he loved would be taken away, but that is not the only reason for the attack. Omega are marginalized. There are deep insecurities at play, inferiority complexes that shaped mindsents and decisions that affect both them and others. It's not an excuse, it's telling a fuller story.
So yes, I agree with everyone who said this fell flat. This fell flatter than the soda I forgot about and ended up drinking the next day even though it said all night outside of the refrigerator. The true tragedy here is that a well-thought out, multi-faceted story critiquing the elements that make of the pillars of the Omegaverse was not written. It could have easily subverted the image of omegas as only being victims and not potential perpetrators of violence as well. It could have opened up a discussion about what is stronger in the end, a fated pair or a pair from marking (biting). There is a lot of disparity in that department. Some affirm that fated pair trumping all and some emphasize choice and autonomy.
Now that I have written a full thesis on this, I will hand this to my non-existent yaoi/bl professor and hopefully continue on to write my dissertation.
YES I'm happy to hear your thoughts! I want to read more about Shiina and about the omega who plotted violence on another omega. From his expression, he didn't really think the alpha would bite Rika. I know the author is trying to do so many things in the manga... but, like you said, "The true tragedy here is that a well-thought out, multi-faceted story critiquing the elements that make of the pillars of the Omegaverse was not written." Totally agreeeeee
My only complaints are that it felt rushed and it felt like the story was trying to hint that the two main characters had met in their youth since they were originally from the same area. It was never addressed. I was expecting to, but instead there was a time jump and boom the story is over. Honestly I'm reading too many Korean webtoons because five chapters isn't enough for me anymore. I need like eighty-nine to be halfway satisfied. Gosh darn it! I'm ruined. I can't go back now. Although I always did love longer books. I get too invested in the characters.
I am screaming internally the entire time, but I still read because I've already taken the poison and I'm addicted. It's like watching a horror movie where the main character keeps doing risky things and you're screaming at them even though you know that they can't hear you. Welp, all the chapters are read and I'm gonna be casually going through withdrawal for a bit. Better go distract myself with other series.
Both characters were heavily flawed and caused incredible trauma to the other. There was no good guy/bad guy dichotomy. You are really trying to paint this as a black and white scenario and refusing to see how messy it was. Maybe you missed the whole part where they were in high school or something.
Endings like this happen in real life, okay? This is not just something that is fantasized about. You act like people don't return to their abusers in real life even after being nearly killed.
However, that was not the case in this story. It is not impossible to believe that there was growth. If you don't believe someone can heal from their trauma and change as an individual, I don't know what to tell you. Real people are not 100% good or 100% bad.
These are two highly traumatized people who, despite causing immense pain to each other, loved each other relentlessly as well and because they wanted to fight for their relationship, they found each other again and decided that they were not going to repeat the same mistakes in the past. They were going to try and deny their past nor try to change what already happened. They are now working on building a future together that is happy.
We should respect people agency over their life. If people in a relationship mutually agree their relationship is worth fighting for then that's that on that. Let them figure it out. People are free to leave, free to never see the other person again and they are also free to continue their relationship and fight to improve it. None of these implies anything about who they are as people. It's important that both people want this though. You can't be the only one fighting for your relationship. This story didn't have that. Both wanted to be together so stop shaming them and just be happy for them or freaking move on to another story and stay mad.
PRECISELY. Your analysis was spot on!! Thank you!!
There is a big difference. What the black haired guy did was not a crime, what the yellow-eyed guy did was. If you excuse what he did, then anything goes, even murder of a third party or whatnot, with the excuse that he was traumatized from the past. And if the victim accepts it, he is acknowledging that as well. For me, if they end up together they are both trash. I hoped the victim was not gonna become a traumatized trash too. but that's what he ended up being. He fell into the same black pit as his captor. Not a happy ending at all.
don't bother people in this comment section have made delusional rationalized arguments left and right about this plot. there's nothing wrong with enjoying toxic plots messed if yet somehow they've decided to actually take the time to champion them. there's no point in advising common sense.
Agreed (=・ω・=)
Seriously no comment. You are seriously excusing rapist, the guy who tortured Dohyun, broke his arm. You are comparing actions of abused TEEN, who made at best few mistakes to that... NC. What's more the one who was obsessed from the very start was Seungho.
I seriously can't stand these delusional comments in this comment section.
Actions have consequences.
Seungho is dangerous, unstable man who should have faced consequences.
Forgetting about unrealistic bs how unhinged man got magically better without meds and long at least few years therapy (which wouldn't have positive promise in the first place) because of "power of love" (lol). He was unwell, mentally ill from nearly the very beggining and his mental health was getting worse and worse... And he just got better just like that. Rolling eyes so hard.
But forgetting about this part. Actions SHOULD HAVE consequences. You can forgive your abuser but they still should face consequences.
What naivety is that even? Past is past? They are healing each other. I have headache just reading that.
And this "there's nothing wrong with enjoying toxic plots messed if yet somehow they've decided to actually take the time to champion them".
I was intrigued by many messed up characters myself... But I've never ever made excuses for them. I completely don't understand such attitude.