Cressida's manga / #drama(10)

Ch 1,2,5-5: This story is about a very sad salaryman that was outed by an ex to his entire office. He's feeling quite lonely and depressed, but it turns out his younger boss likes and treats him well, by the end of the story it seems he'll be happy from now on. CH 3,4,5: A story about a carpenter that longs for love meets a young father and falls in love right away, it's surprisingly earnest and sweet. PS: It's an older yaoi story, therefore, it's covered in a thick layer of sadness and pessimism, which is unfortunate because this story could have benefited from a softer approach.

One of the most unique takes I have seen on the old Cinderella trope. A marvelous aspect of this story is how it deals with incredibly heavy topics without losing humor and warmth. Our main character had a very hard life; his mother abandoned him when he was little, his father was an alcoholic, he dropped out of college, and has been taking care of himself for most of his life. What puts the story in motion is the fact his father dies and leaves him with a huge debt. On the same day, he founds out about this, he re-encounters a classmate from middle school, who happens to be the only person who has always treated him with respect and kindness among his peers. This guy offers to help right away, which the uke refuses profusely, saying he doesn't need pity and charity, especially from someone as privileged as him. What differentiates this manga from others of the same genre is the constant communication, in other Cinderella formats the person who needs help and the person who desperately wants to help them don't really talk, and it feels claustrophobic and sad. The first thing that is established about these two is that they really like each other, and the only thing keeping them apart is the class divide and the uke's last shred of pride. Our poor main character makes his feelings clear from the beginning, it is really hard for him to accept this person in his life because of his inferiority complex, regardless of how much they love each other. But the seme is extremely honest and determined, therefore continuing to reassure him of how important he is until he believes it. It's as sweet as a story about poverty and debt collectors could be.

In general, I don't love the "it started as a joke with friends but I love you now" trope but this execution is so emotional and true to characters, everybody feels so much, it's overwhelming but at the same time so cathartic. Love the drama.

Lovely to see an actual socially awkward person talk about how hard it is to express yourself while in a relationship.

I must acknowledge that it's good because I continued reading, even though many things annoyed me. I never thought I'd say this, but they cry way too much; it's concerning (like five times per chapter). They also keep acting as if extremely regular things are really "weird" (like when a coworker asks if the bento the seme was eating was made by his girlfriend, and he says he made it himself, everyone then acts like him cooking for himself; it's the weirdest thing ever), which is fucking annoying.

It's pretty cute, I like any story that focuses on an introverted person in the workplace.

Basically, the uke spends 15 years of his life suffering thinking his best friend could never like him back. He stays away from him for a long time but finally tries to be his friend again when he needs help with his daughter. He even has a very toxic relationship with a senior just as a way to punish himself. At last, the guy liked him the whole time and even confesses first, everything just works out fine by the end. All that angst was for nothing. When re-reading I would definitely skip the first 2 chapters.

Our main character goes up to Ryouhei and says he would like to have sex with him at least once. He is unwavering and raw with a vulnerable confession, and the emotionally stunted playboy says yes. The first volume is about Yuuma taking what he can get and not daring to ask for more. And Ryouhei is trying to convince himself that what they're doing means nothing while wondering why Yuuma isn't asking him for more (like everyone else has). While I am not saying Ryouhei is perfect, he seems to look down on Yuuma for falling in love with him flippantly. He also continues to have sex with other people while being "fuck buddies" with our main character, even though he doesn't even want it. He does it to prove to himself that he is in control. Even with all that, once Yuuma states that he wants to be in an exclusive relationship with him, he happily agrees. This fuckboy eagerly enters a serious relationship for the first time ever and never looks back. He doesn't want to be with anyone else, has no problems introducing his boyfriend to his friends, and is a great partner. In this volume, we begin by stating that they have been dating exclusively for six months, and Yuuma remains uncertain. Due to how it started, the relationship is permeated with uneasiness. The author decides to skip huge chunks of time, exacerbating the timing issues within their dynamic. Even though they have been dating for a year, Yuuma remains extremely uneasy about where they stand, and I don't fully understand why. Ryouhei constantly reassures him, makes time for him, and always reaches out first. For him to say, "I know you don't feel the same way," when they barely knew each other, is one thing. But for that to happen three years into their relationship is a whole other thing. At first, I thought it was too sad, but soon enough, I understood what the author meant. Some people fall in love within two months of dating, and some need more time before feeling that strongly. We were witnessing a rare romance where day one wasn't when they met, and as an audience, we're not used to waiting for feelings to blossom. Even with Ryouhei pursuing Yuuma and taking the first step, it doesn't hold the same weight as him returning his feelings with the same intensity. In the final chapter, Ryouhei's feelings finally catch up to Yuuma's; he even states that it feels like their first time. We understand that this is their real beginning as a couple, now that they can both feel secure and happy. At first, I felt somewhat cheated, but I came to accept the story as it was, slightly unsatisfying. It's a very engaging story with interesting characters and soulful art. "Are you still thinking I'm not yours?" "Just stay by my side and confidently tell them that I'm your lover."

Pain. So much pain. Basically only 1 and half chapters of them being happy. Not exactly a light read. Very complex story about the long terms effects of internalized homophobia, depression and untreated parental trauma. Too much work talk, whenever they started talking about work I stopped reading. Trigger Warnings: Depictions of child neglect, homophobia, depression and suicide ideation.