Popo's manga / #Unrequited love(37)

Ch25 Oh shit, lemme turn on the lights for this one :B The art is very very good. The use of text and sfx to create atmosphere is *chef's kiss*. I like that it's mainly horror with a splash of romance. I have no idea what's gonna happen or how is gonna conclude :S

4.5 stars. I think what's preventing me from giving it a full five stars is that the story is set up to make you feel a little bit more sympathy for Hiro rather than Sei, who actually got the shit end of the stick in life. And I actually do like both of the characters a lot. But since this is told from Hiro's perspective, we get a lot of more insight into why he does some of the dumb things he does. Whereas with Sei, there's a lot more guessing involved and a lot of distance between the readers and his characters because we can only view him through what Hiro nose and he doesn't really know much. I love the art and character designs. This is one of the rare instances where the cover art isn't nearly as pretty as the art on the inside. They can be so beautiful at times. The sex scenes are hot and sensual and intimate at times. I also love the way the story is told. The author is more concerned about feelings rather than up by the book sequence of events. So if it feels very dreamy and at times it feels like things happen very abruptly but it also makes the emotional parts of the story very impactful. I love the chibi. They're drawn in a very cartoon style rather than a cute style. And they really reflect Hiro's immaturity. Both of the characters are flawed but likable. Hiro is very dumb when it comes to trying to convince his childhood crush to date him. He fumbles so much and makes so many mistakes but you can see that his heart is in the right place. He's depicted as the weaker of the two characters so a lot of his decisions make a lot of sense. He tries but then gets run over all the time because Sei just has a stronger personality and doesn't care about his opinion. I feel so bad for Sei. From the little bits and pieces we learn from Hiro's perspective, it seems he has had a rough life ever since he was a child and he spent most of his young life being taken advantage of by men to the point where he's so cynical and jaded in this prevents him from accepting Hiro back into his life. BTW, if a child initiates or imitates a sexual acts, that usually means they've been assaulted by someone older (Sei's older brother's friend in this case) it's really unfortunate that Sei repeated that action to Hiro. And then it seems he starts sleeping with older men in high school. Rather than money he was looking for praise which is so sad. And by the time he reunites with Hiro, he's already done with romantic relationships.

Ch6

Ch1

Ch6 Dude had a crush on his bff who probably had a crush back but if acting all elusive and mysterious, flirting with him while simultaneously making a big fuss about maybe pursuing their mutual girlfriend who has a crush on ML ughhhh but gets jealous and possessive when MC shows empathy towards the guy from cram school whoo head a crush on their girlfriend ughhh. I find this quite boring. These first 6 chapters aren't hooking me in and the story is just so boring and predictable.

Ch5 Dum dums mutually pining and too cowardly to confess like normal human beings. The girl is more of a dum dum for believing a random gacha love charm actually works lol. Also I hate her hair. Can't even call it a mullet cuz that would have been better blended. It's two hair styles in one. Artist said, I want a shaggy bob but I also want long hair. The story in a nutshell: Adachi: I'm just a plain and basic bitch. Inukai: No, you're not. Your so smart and great at your job! Adachi: I'm never gonna be as amazing as my influencer sister. Inukai: I think your pretty great! You're pretty and sweet. Adachi: I'm in love with Inukai but he would never like someone like me! Inukai: But I do love you! I'm confessing right now!! Adachi: That's the love charm talking. I'm so sorry for doing that to you. Inukai: ....... The pretty art style and smut basically saved this story from getting a 1.5 star for annoying AF protagonist who's entire personality is her insecurities to the point where she's essentially sticking her fingers in her ears any time someone tries to present reason and facts to get so she can remain in her "woe is me" world. Inukai's great personality and pretty character design is wasted on her.

Ch2

Ch1

Ch8 - 4.5 stars. It's pretty good for a short story. Art is nice (great anatomy) and there's a storyline there. What prevents it from getting 5 stars is that the story is pretty simple and I don't like the uke being a damsel in distress (even if it was pretty brief but since it was brief, I feel like he should have been able to handle it himself lol). I wish the story had been a little bit more poignant or unique. That would have garnered it a five-star.

Ch5