This was so close to being so good, but it just fell a bit short for me.
One of the biggest issues I have is that the plot jumps from one thing to another in a way that didn't really satisfy me. The story started out as a murder mystery, having the two men bury a body only for the grave to be undug and the body gone . . . But then that plot is wrapped up in chapter two. Chapter three is dedicated to—admittedly pretty good—backstory, and then chapters four and five are dedicated to the black-haired Mitsou's gang issues and attempt to get out. I just felt like those were two very distinctly different plots that didn't really feel coherent. They didn't mesh well together, it was jarring to go from one plot to another. It didn't flow naturally. The story should have focused on one over the other, especially as the two plots don't really have any type of relation. I don't think you even find out that the black-haired one is in a gang until chapter three.
The second arc was easily the weakest portion of this story—ignoring the last two chapters that feature random couples, as I didn't read those—because it's honestly just a bit hard to follow. I didn't really understand what was happening nor especially character motives; once the black-haired Mitsou decides to leave the gang, he tries to run away from the blonde Mitsou . . . And it's like . . . Why? I don't think he had any anxieties over the blondie getting hurt, nor did it seem like he had extreme attachment issues. And once the blonde Mitsou finds him, he cuts himself on the face which, in his own words, makes him unable to "go back there anymore." Why? It wasn't like a gang thing. Cutting yourself on the face wasn't a sign of loyalty. I'm also confused about the relationship between the black-haired Mitsou and his gang boss. So, we find out the gang boss raped him, and forcefully fed him drugs, which we're shown very briefly (to the point it was honestly unnecessary) left him with trauma. But then his boss helps him run away. That's how the blonde Mitsou finds him, he contacts his boss and his boss ends up giving away his location. And as they're leaving, he thanks his boss for everything, and it's like . . . I just don't get it. It's not written in a way that conveys a complex relationship, if anything I'd say it's sloppy.
Aside from the confusion of the gang arc, I did really like these characters. Like, a fuck ton. They seemed almost perfectly tailored to me.
The black-haired Mitsou is callous, cruel, and violent. His relationship with the blonde Mitsou is that of an owner and its dog—throughout the whole story, that's what the blonde Mitsou is acknowledged as. The black-haired Mitsou calls him "dog," views him as an obedient puppy, and even other characters make references to his undying, dog-like loyalty. Especially during their youth, he was incredibly cruel to him, having physically assaulted him numerous times. There was a twistedly tender moment when they reunite where the black-haired Mitsou lifts up the blondes sweater and laments how there's no more scars, and the blonde Mitsou asks him if he'd want to give him more, which is met with "we're not kids anymore." I thought that really perfectly captured their relationship and the almost sensual role violence and ownership played in it, the dynamic of aggressor and willing victim. I fucking adored it.
The ending—like specifically the ending panels—was something I fucking adored as well. They're on the boat, beginning their travel to what I assume to be China, and as they're looking out at the sea, the black-haired Mitsou asks him, "Will you die with me?" The blonde cries, and the story finishes on him saying "Yes." Like. Oh my god? I fucking love those ambiguous, bittersweet endings like that. Like are they actually going to kill themselves or was the question more like "Would you be willing to follow me into death?" The fact that it gives me something to think about, and finishes on something so impactful, is fucking great. I loved it.
"We can't live without each other. You're my other half." "I've killed a woman." The domineering voice on the phone was that of a high school classmate, Mitsuo Ichikawa. Buried memories from the past resurface in the heart of a man with the same name, Mitsuo Ichikawa. It drags him right back into the passions of the past. They reunite as accomplices, yet their relationship as master and servant slowly changes into something new... -plot twost was crazy 8/10
One of the biggest issues I have is that the plot jumps from one thing to another in a way that didn't really satisfy me. The story started out as a murder mystery, having the two men bury a body only for the grave to be undug and the body gone . . . But then that plot is wrapped up in chapter two. Chapter three is dedicated to—admittedly pretty good—backstory, and then chapters four and five are dedicated to the black-haired Mitsou's gang issues and attempt to get out. I just felt like those were two very distinctly different plots that didn't really feel coherent. They didn't mesh well together, it was jarring to go from one plot to another. It didn't flow naturally. The story should have focused on one over the other, especially as the two plots don't really have any type of relation. I don't think you even find out that the black-haired one is in a gang until chapter three.
The second arc was easily the weakest portion of this story—ignoring the last two chapters that feature random couples, as I didn't read those—because it's honestly just a bit hard to follow. I didn't really understand what was happening nor especially character motives; once the black-haired Mitsou decides to leave the gang, he tries to run away from the blonde Mitsou . . . And it's like . . . Why? I don't think he had any anxieties over the blondie getting hurt, nor did it seem like he had extreme attachment issues. And once the blonde Mitsou finds him, he cuts himself on the face which, in his own words, makes him unable to "go back there anymore." Why? It wasn't like a gang thing. Cutting yourself on the face wasn't a sign of loyalty. I'm also confused about the relationship between the black-haired Mitsou and his gang boss. So, we find out the gang boss raped him, and forcefully fed him drugs, which we're shown very briefly (to the point it was honestly unnecessary) left him with trauma. But then his boss helps him run away. That's how the blonde Mitsou finds him, he contacts his boss and his boss ends up giving away his location. And as they're leaving, he thanks his boss for everything, and it's like . . . I just don't get it. It's not written in a way that conveys a complex relationship, if anything I'd say it's sloppy.
Aside from the confusion of the gang arc, I did really like these characters. Like, a fuck ton. They seemed almost perfectly tailored to me.
The black-haired Mitsou is callous, cruel, and violent. His relationship with the blonde Mitsou is that of an owner and its dog—throughout the whole story, that's what the blonde Mitsou is acknowledged as. The black-haired Mitsou calls him "dog," views him as an obedient puppy, and even other characters make references to his undying, dog-like loyalty. Especially during their youth, he was incredibly cruel to him, having physically assaulted him numerous times. There was a twistedly tender moment when they reunite where the black-haired Mitsou lifts up the blondes sweater and laments how there's no more scars, and the blonde Mitsou asks him if he'd want to give him more, which is met with "we're not kids anymore." I thought that really perfectly captured their relationship and the almost sensual role violence and ownership played in it, the dynamic of aggressor and willing victim. I fucking adored it.
The ending—like specifically the ending panels—was something I fucking adored as well. They're on the boat, beginning their travel to what I assume to be China, and as they're looking out at the sea, the black-haired Mitsou asks him, "Will you die with me?" The blonde cries, and the story finishes on him saying "Yes." Like. Oh my god? I fucking love those ambiguous, bittersweet endings like that. Like are they actually going to kill themselves or was the question more like "Would you be willing to follow me into death?" The fact that it gives me something to think about, and finishes on something so impactful, is fucking great. I loved it.