Comments of Kuma to Interi

Neri and Al are my second favourite Basso couple. The first stories were all really good but once they started talking about gelato I got lost lol. Still, it’s a much more ‘mature’ take on bl and the art style fits perfectly with the themes rather than being disgustingly pretty like other stories.

Why does thsi have such a low rating THIS IS SO GOOD

Whimsical, love the art style

I found this interesting reading and very refreshing, altho the art doesnt appeal personally to me. Worth going through, esp the first 3 stories.

Reversible couple

Eh idk not rly into it

I don't mind the bad art, once you get into it, it kinda morphs into good art IF the plot has heart. Koshino is my favourite mangaka for that. But this, has too many couples changing too fast. I love seke, but the scenes are short and basic with no passion. There is complex ideas here, but it was like the mangaka didn't know what to do with them. It's a shame.

A series of shorts and short-shorts that aren’t for everyone, but which I found refreshing. They are illustrated in broad lines, eschewing traditional beauty and detail in favor of a more distinctive, expressive style. The stories themselves are (mostly) interconnected, centered around politicians and their lovers. The stories refrain from taking a particular political or ethical stance, even as many of the plots are driven by the necessity of remaining closeted in public life and politicians who are hypocritically complicit in oppressive legislation. I actually liked this—they felt, for lack of a better word, mature, featuring morally compromised characters who are not your usual BL type. But this isn’t your usual compilation of BL stories, so if you’re looking for that you’d best find something else. If, on the other hand, you’re hankering for an anthology that reads like BL written by someone unfamiliar with the genre tropes, BL that is understated and a little complex while remaining fairly romantic, give this one a go. Main stories summarized individually below (do mind the content warnings).

1. An gay politician falls in with a politically oblivious waiter who happens to be attracted to intellectual types and so beds many politicians of various stripes. The waiter’s total lack of regard for politics drives a wedge between them, even as the politician is entertaining thoughts of becoming more serious about the relationship. This is, I think, the strongest of the stories.

2. A closeted former politician who has publicly supported anti-homosexual legislation connects with a photographer who is not at all to his tastes and is not who he seems. It was a little difficult for me to get past my intense dislike of the politician, but even I have to admit that it is a really good story—you just have to leave all moralizing aside and look at it for what it is. Definite warnings for this one (see CW).

3. The secretary of the politician from the second story discovers someone defacing his posters. The second time he catches the vandal doing it, he impulsively uses the marker to draw on his face and takes him home to wash it off. They have a sexual encounter (see CW) and the vandal proceeds to blackmail him for sex.

Remainder: extras for the main stories, centered around a gelateria owned by a gay man with an older lover. Also some microshorts about politicians we don’t see in the main stories.

**CW**
The last two main stories are "rape turns to love" narratives, but they did not bother me as they usually do, even if they replicate some of the tired BL patterns. For example, the photographer in the second story initially lures the closeted politician in with the intent of taking compromising photographs and proceeds to rape him. The politician finds that he likes being on bottom. It didn’t bother me as much as it (perhaps?) should, given the context of the character's preference for young, inexperienced men. Similarly, there is sex under the threat of blackmail in the third story (and the initial sexual encounter is definitely dubcon, but it happens off panel). So definitely warnings for romanticized rape, but they are set in an environment which, at least for me, lessens my revulsion by virtue of the fact that the story shows people who are not particularly good in any respect. Your mileage will probably vary on this point.

interesting arts

Interesting. Kinda melancholy. Reminds me of my time in Italy, though.

I was tempted to read this because the tags says seke couple and this is rarity .... however, I could get over the art. The men are so unattractive, especially the older dudes... nope.

I like how the rough sketchy art emphasizes and reflects the serious, intellectual and unforgiving world of politics. This story would have seem less believable and realistic if portrayed by cutesy bishounen lol :D

Ehhh the beginning was good but ...yea

Read in this sequence:
1. Kuma to Interi
2. Aru to Neri to Sono Shuuen
3. Amato Amaro

Not necessarily bad but to me it was kinda slow going so I had to make myself finish reading this.

YAAAAS. SEKE FOR LIFE. Also, this is what I imagine Nakamura Asumiko-sensei's art to look like if sensei used harsher angles instead of just curved and continuous lines.