Oct 24, 2023
This is a great story. It doesn't feel huge in scope—rather, it's limited to four characters and no grand reveals or large-scale ramifications, but the more intimate setting fits better. You get to see the relationship between Akihiko and Kazushige develop beyond "person who feels indebted to another for saving their life", and the writing is good enough to avoid certain subplots overstaying their welcome, or characters slipping into predictable patterns. There is also quite a bit of time spent delving into Akihiko and Kazushige's individual pasts, and I liked how they move beyond them in a manner which feels natural.
Everyone feels written in a
...
balanced way: Kazushige doesn't push Akihiko away more than would be narratively interesting, Akihiko gets better about his past as he feels more appreciated, and Masakado and Moronatsu mostly hang around in the periphery of it, intervening according to their own motives and goals. In fact, I greatly appreciated that the mangaka didn't turn Masakado and Moronatsu into typical villains, and kept them grey. If anything, it was more refreshing than your typical "must have intense, angsty, screaming conflict all the time" yaoi. There are moments of emotional outburst, but the concerns brought up seem logical to me for a story like this.
The art is gorgeous, especially the eyes and hair. Several times I paused just to admire some ordinary panels.
My only gripe would be that an incident near the end feels a bit contrived, as it rushes a specific resolution to a subplot that had been developing throughout the entire story. Whether the outcome is the secretly desired one, or an unforgivable transgression, is up to you. It wasn't a problem for me, since it led to the ending I wanted, haha. (Also, within the story, it's pretty clear which of the two it actually is.)
Overall, I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet vampire love story with great art, that isn't overwhelmed by angst.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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