Sorry, guys! During system maintenance, some functions like comment are unavailable.

Cressida's manga / #orphan(1)

Warau Oni ni wa Fuku Kitaru

Complete | Yamamoto Kotetsuko | 2000 released

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.