Asa to Mitya
'Barairo no Kenkyuu to...' chapters 5 + 6 are extras of this manga. The art, writing and story, are beautiful, poetic and angsty. It ended up a lot less dark than I thought it would, though. Tbh, I like darker better, and thus found this almost too fluffy. I find it near miraculous that the couple ended up in a mutually beneficial relationship, rather than in an abusive, codependent one. I'm glad for them of course, but it makes for less fun, albeit perhaps also less predictable reading. It's strange, though, as I do love the whole 'healed by love' trope - so why was I disappointed by this outcome? Perhaps it happened too easily, thus impairing my ability to suspend disbelief? As soon as they found each other, they were saved. Their relationship was never once in [serious] difficulty, despite their colossal amount of baggage, and despite the various circumstances that should normally have strained things considerably. I was also disappointed that their sadomasochistic sides were not properly explored. Now I'd love to read a manga entirely about those brothers.
First Bite