beta
It tried so hard to be sad and it's the biggest tragedy of all.
I didn't enjoy the inconsistency of the characters or how the plot was going with the reasons for the characters' decisions. My issue already stemmed from the first chapter. For a guy who reads so much books, how did changjo come to the conclusion that in order to save a guy from hypothermia, he had to suck him off??? I also think it was a missed opportunity to really develop their bond at the start. It would have been better if changjo was able to connect with yeonwha in a different way, instead of just having sexual activities with each other (which could have been added a bit later if the author wanted it to happen). Otherwise, their relationship kind of falls superficial, esp how they're both estranged from other people, be it in dissimilar ways. Another thing that feels so out of place is (at least because it hasn't been properly laid down in the story imo) yeonwha sacrificing himself. For someone who ran away in the first place, it doesn't make sense for him to do what he did for the village. Yeah, you could say he actually did it for changjo, but throughout the story, it didn't feel like changjo had strong enough feelings for wanting spring. It would have been nice if the author put flashbacks or a good enough reason for him to be kind of obsessed with the idea of having spring (esp with yeonwha in it). Imagine yeonwha giving up himself because changjo very much wanted spring to come only for him to realize before dying that the latter wanted it to come so he didn't have to offer his abilities (THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A PROPER TRAGEDY LOL). and also, it was confusing as hell how inconsistent the village people were. By the end the elder said they never planned to hurt changjo but previously they did. And who was the guy who hurt him anyway? He made it seem like the consequence of yeonwha running away was extreme but it was never really stated in the story, not even during changjo and the elder's conversation.
So I do think the story is not that bad, but it definitely tried to focus more on the smut rather than developing the characters and the story properly. It was a missed opportunity for a gut-wrenching tragic love story (and to think it already has all the ingredients needed!)
It feels like an indie movie, in the way it almost feels like a biography of someone's youth. It feels slow, spacious, but weirdly connected in certain ways I can't fully put into words, like a moment of breath amidst a busy life. Sometimes the yearning echoes loud, sometimes the answer grasped before let go again, but the reminder of what's there, of what could be never leaves you. Maybe I am one to read into things, but Kyouji and Satomi's meals, to me, symbolize a commitment only known to them. It's brought up in one of the chapters, but unlike in the prequel, where they're connected via "karaoke", arranging meetings to have meals even when they didn't have to always feel like an attempt to connect; always a deliberate choice towards each other. Moreover, I think the meals could be read as their satisfaction in their relationship. Sure, you get to sate your hunger after one meal, feel satisfied at the moment. But the thing about hunger is it comes back, over and over, no matter how much you think you're far from being famished. Much like Satomi, there will always be a lingering yearning for more, even if not said loudly, a hunger that will never be sated.
Also I like how the story shows other characters' lives. They mostly surprise readers (and Satomi) when they show a side dissonant of their outward appearances. And in their quiet, weird ways, they are shown to also eat/visit restaurant, ergo shown to yearn connection, be it in career purposes, in familial reconnection, in wanting to be understood, or in finding a place of comfort. It's always in connection that people discover parts of themselves, even in acts as simple as eating with others. And this story pays homage to a culture of collectivism, of coincidences stemming from wanting relations.
It's befitting of the genre slice of life, but also goddang the pining is making want to commit atrocities (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻