Comments of Senya Ichiya - Shitone no Himegoto

I have to say... I was only going to give it 4 stars until those last two chapters! So beautiful, touching, and poignant! If anyone prefers shota, and cutesy yaoi, I would like to let you know that this probably wouldn't do it for you, art-wise. And for those of you who don't mind, or may even prefer, bara... please enjoy fangirling/fanboying to your heart's content here! ^.^

-Shadow

A gay former boxer finds employment at a bar and falls hopelessly in love with the seemingly straight, exceedingly erratic bartender. After finding the bartender in falgrante delicto with male prostitutes, he realizes that he also sleeps with men. They start to have sex regularly - but only in the shop, and the bartender never permits physical affection or any inquiries concerning his past. Hopelessly infatuated, he undertakes a mission to discover who this mysterious man is and what made him unwilling to allow anyone to get too close.

This manga is simply wonderful. While the backstory isn't completely outside the boundaries of yaoi convention, it is a compelling mystery in its own right (try not to read the tags since they contain hella spoilers). The mystery propels the story along beautifully, and the narrative is framed by a gay revision of the 101 Arabian Nights (illustrated in a distinct style that reminds me a little bit of Aubrey Beardsley) that unfolds alongside the main story and illuminates the drama at just the right moments. Additionally (as I am finding is typical with this mangaka), sex is both beautifully explicit and central to the central conflict of the plot, such that the more pornographic passages add to the emotional heft of the narrative (and are still hot as hell). Poignant, well-told, and with a POV character who is lovably earnest (if a bit dopey), I recommend this manga to anyone who is looking for a story with a bit of emotional weight, a compelling mystery, lots of sex, a happy ending and a different sensibility than most yaoi manga. Warnings below.



*******

There really isn't anything I would really call dubcon or rape in this manga, but there is very violent sex, disassociation, and trauma. The main character has a bizarre tendency to attempt to strangle his sex partners (there is an in-story explanation for this), so if that will bother you skip this one. There is also homophobia.

I feel like crying... this is touching. T_T

This manga is so good. The end leaves one with a happy feeling :D <3
They are just so cute together :)

Great plot and the characters development is beautifull, 2nd yaoi to make me cry.

A retired boxer falls for a mysterious bartender named Aoi. A moving and heartwarming story about the flaws in our memories and moving on from the past without erasing it.

Wow, this was so damn dark but I couldn't stop smiling when it ended!

Amazing. I loved that Aoi was able too get the closure that he needed. Amazingly written and amazingly drawn.

This was really heartbreakingly wonderful; a gripping look at how society criminalizes and crucifies innocent people without even meaning to, simply for not adhering to some standard. I'm no good at pretty words so I'll just say it was great, but the last 2 chapters were what really made this manga stellar.

And the thing I like the most about this author (aside from the non-fem ukes) is the fact that every chapter builds on the stories of her couples. No random one shots are necessary; she can give you a "new" feeling simply by showing the same characters in different atmospheres as they navigate through life and romance and each new story reveals something more about either their past, present, or personalities. Just a really great read!

It was so sweet! At first I thought that it was a normal cute story, but at the end I was near the point of sobbing. Also, the sexy scenes are very hot, but the gold about this manga is its story.

Yaoi mangas like this one makes me appreciate this genre in the first place. It's not always about sex, okay this one have hot sex scenes too, but the story itself gives it life. :)

Omg. This was just beautiful, I was on the verge of tears here, it was touching, I can't really put it into words...

This was so wonderful?! I love Shouta's persistence! Aoi is so adorable!

God damn it. This made me cry buckets of tears and I rarely do so. I'm not one for overly muscly guys but the characters of this story made me love with them and cry with them and despair with them. Also, usually I dislike manga which contains love scenes of past lovers because I think the sex scenes should be solely for the main pair, but in this story I didn't mind it when they showed masato and aoi's love scene because it was both heartbreaking and sweet and made the readers see that masato did love aoi even though it started off as casual sex in his part. I also like the fact that in the whole manga, you can see the evolution to which the main pair's relationship have gone through. It's FANTASTIC!!!

This brought out a lot of emotions in me and I really love it.

I have always thought that sex was merely to fulfill carnal desire. This yaoi changed my perspective on that. It is not as vulgar and shallow as I have made it to be. But rather, sex is something so passionately conveys feelings of the lovers.

2nd Chances, everybody deserves ONE!!!

just loved it!

Wow!! What a great story! Felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride.Was nice to read something more adult without all the sparkle and puppy dog eyes. Don't get me wrong I get weak over that shit but this was a real emotional read. So much fragility and darkness in one only to be released by the light and love from another and both so manly. So happy I came across this gem.

Just one of the most emotional and beautiful stories I've ever read. The story is amazing!!