pluckaduck's manga / #bittersweet(9)

im not sympathizing with the serial killer, but if he had met mel when he was younger (and if they were similar in age), before he became all twisted, they would've fallen in love and run off. mel needs someone who loves him devotedly and in turn, will reciprocate in kind, and joey would fall for mel's kindness and love him with all his heart, which he deserves. ofc, granted that joey's psychopath tendencies were not innate but developed due to upbringing.

v3. to oversimplify the dynamic, it's good upright student x violent rebellious sociopathic gang leader. the mc is abruptly pulled into the world of youthful rebellion bc of ml, and both feel a visceral attraction to each other for sum reason. I'm rolling my eyes at how utterly smitten the mc is with him, despite all the shit the ml did to him. it's absurd, but the narrative does seem to be self-aware, and doesn't hold back in portraying the ml the ruthless crazy scumbag that he is. later on, the story seems to be trying to justify him by giving him an equally sociopathic father, and a mistreated grandma that he alone cares for. also, why is it trying to depict as if both wrongs to each other are equal?? it is far from equal, ml put mc in a lot of misery, even letting his goons rape his gf... as if mc stabbing him is a deed of equal measure. mc does not need to seek forgiveness at all, but i wish he wasn't all so in love with him.

as i write this right now, im sobbing my eyes out. i came here expecting the two mcs to be canonically in love with each other, but it turns out ash is more like the protagonist, and eiji is more like his driving force that advances the story, and at best it's stated they perhaps loved each other like lovers, but that's just speculation. still, the story's fucking amazing, and the action is fast-paced, and ash is one of the most resilient mcs I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. i knew it was a tragic ending, and i was prepared to get teary-eyed, but i did not expect that ending. it just made it a lot more sad, bittersweet, and painful, the fact that he could've lived, but chose not to. the author really ripped my heart out in this one.

The restaurant owner acts as the mysterious narrator and bystander as he recounts to us various stories about the customers of his shop- the ups and downs of their lives, from the point where they first come into his shop. his role is very passive- he just fills in the info for these stories without moralistic judgment of these individuals. they're mundane, grounded, and relatable, and never fail to be interesting. it's not particularly deep but they are diverse, and the shop serves as the focal point for these individuals from different areas of life to connect over food and stuff, develop friendships and bonds, and share their stories with other customers... overall, this manga is quite soothing and heartwarming.