The smut was good, but I mean... that was basically all it was lol. It was kind of shallow in general and didn't really have much else going for it.
Well, you're not wrong, but you must remember that the story set-up never intended for much of a deeper story, either. It stayed true to what it started, through and through. I liked the more mature aspect of it, and the humour, and, if you add on top of that the smut then that was pretty much what the story was going for.
Indeed, I didn't expect the story to go deep or realistic or anything lol. It was pretty clear from the beginning. Just saying it didn't really leave any bigger impression on me. I did enjoy it for what it was.
I'm sooo ready for Shikatani's story! But I wonder who he would end up with? We haven't really seen him interact with anyone like that.
I mean... it's cute, but also kind of boring...? What made this enjoyable for me was all the side characters (the zodiac animals) and I loved every new one that showed up. But the main couple is sooo boring and I kept hoping for love stories with the other characters but that never came and just kept focusing on the main couple. I'm disappointed.
I mean, there was the boar and that kiyo-nii guy :3
But you barely got to see anything with them... and their story didn't really have a conclusion lol. And I wanted stories between the zodiac animals, not between them and other random people. Haha you can see how unsatisfied I am.
I still don't know whether I like this pair or not. Like I hate what the relationship is based on (threats and violence). When they seem to have good moments they kinda still go back there and it turns me off. But at the same time they have grown on me (I can't even explain how much I hated He Tian in the beginning...) and I'm interested to see how their relationship is going to develop.
I completly get what you mean, for me it's the same. But maybe it's a good way to show us that not all relationships are perfect,I wouldn't want one like that in real life. Anyways, if they get past the violence and threats it would a perfect development.
I was thinking just a minute ago that I want He Tian to end his violence on Mo. I really like this pair (tho I used to hate He Tian at the beginning too) and I want them to care about each other and treat well. If He Tian stops hitting Mo, maybe Mo stops cursing on every little thing and become "less" annoyed about He Tian.
This was just dumb. Claude is annoying and weak as heck with no redeemable trait. Ruslan is a rapist and kidnapper for his own selfish desires. All the other characters wants to fuck Claude for some reason and after a while that repetitive trope was just tiring. And in the end Claude is still held captive against his will. So romantic right.
even though i liked the manga but you are still right about everything you just said and its not sarcasm
Says the one with a Killing Stalking profile pic
Indeed. Killing Stalking is good because it actually has good and believable characters with a thrilling and exciting plot that has me on the edge of my seat each chapter. It's also not a romance manga and is not trying to paint a fake happy and healthy picture of the relationship between Sangwoo and Bum. So they are completely different and not even worth comparing.
Lmao the thing about killing stalking is that it should not be romanticized in any way. Nobody loves it because of the "romance" and how "sweet their love" is. People love it because of how exciting is lol and this manga is seen in a romantic light. Get the picture?
Haha...but Killing Stalking isn't really yaoi, so when people like fluffier fantasies with elements some find forbidden (because in real life these things are very wrong), they claim that being less 'romantic" makes it more "realistic". It is simply a different type of fantasy. There is nothing wrong with romanticizing things in fantasy that are unacceptable in real life, and there is nothing wrong with thrillers that have a harder edge. We should just accept that both ore just stories, and people like different things.
So people, tell me why stories have changed from totally misogynistic penny dreadfuls everywhere, all the time to more and more less misogynistic and more thoughtful storytelling if it's 'just' fiction. Maybe that's because stories aren't just pulled out of an author's ass as all those who pull the 'it's just fiction' card always believe.
KS is clichéd and boring because it borrows the same old victim blaming trope that romanticized rape stories use. So it IS romanticized. It's just that for some reason you people can't recognize that.
Well, I guess I do understand why you can't recognize that, because the OP themselves uses victim blaming tropes to differentiate between this story and KS when actually they're pretty much the same.
Ktbn
Not sure what misogyny has got to do with this discussion. But yes, fiction change as views on different things change. What's your point exactly? Do you think that romanticized rape is because people believe that rape is okay, or something? No, it is just a fantasy, there are plenty of manga which look down upon rape. I don't use the "it's just fiction" excuse when I am trying to discuss the quality of a manga, but I will use it when other people try to look down on other people for enjoying something "bad".
If you think so you are free to believe whatever you want. But it is hard to actually say anything back, since you are not very specific. Why do you think KS is romanticizing rape or victim blaming? I think the story has done a very well job to not make the story romanticized, on the contrary. It doesn't paint a pretty picture of love (like this one), but rather a picture of a victim slowly falling dependent on his kidnapper. It is building a psychological prison for Bum and it's done amazingly. And compared to this story the characters in KS has a lot of depth to them (beware, I haven't read beyond chapter 35 so not spoil me, thanks).
"Reversed roles" (dumb term since there are no fixed roles and nothing was actually reversed but whatever) is not something uncommon for Naono Bohra, so no surprises here.
If you wanna think about realistic, the fact that someone like Doumeki who loves Yashiro is very unlikely in the first place. That someone as tragic as Yashiro actually had the chance and blessing to meet a guy who he could change with. A happy ending makes more sense, because even if the manga has had its depressing and tragic parts it has always had a build up for a happy ending, as far as I can see. Exactly because we have seen yashiro's tragic life it makes sense for him to finally be at peace at the end. Whether it will be realistic or not is not determined by whether it's a happy ending or not, it's determined by how the ending and build up to the ending is done.
Exactly. Honestly, the whole story is depressing ... then it goes and ends depressing. It would be so boring.
And if people expect this to end tragically because it would be realistic ( meaning if they were in real life they would be dead because they are Yakuza) then there isn't much of a challenge for the author in this kind of ending. Any way she wrote, it would not need too much thought because tragedy is the easy route here.
The challenge for someone with talent is to create a way out for these two in a way that absolutely looks convincing. I don't need any convincing that Yashiro or Doumeki could take a bullet. This is easy to see.
That Yashiro is condemned to tragedy is something i feel since I started reading this story so I need the author to convince me of an unexpected thing. Bring on that happy ending and make me believe in it.
Agreeing a hundred percent. (I cannot thumbs up so commenting). I trust sensei to be talented enough to make us truly believe in the ending she chooses. Nevertheless, I could definitely see her choose a bittersweet ending. I don't think she is the type to kill Yashiro or Doumeki. I think it will be more like Yashiro becoming the head and Doumeki being by his side forever. That is kind of a happy ending and yet Doumeki would be sad not being able to save Yashiro from the darkness of this kind of world.
I wish they would focus more on these two again. I miss them. I don't even like Moo and He Tian that much, and they're hogging all the spotlight lately..