Takane no Hana wa Midaresaki

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This is the most wholesome lovey-dovey kinky manga I've read so far (BDSM). One of those rare school romance stories that is not plagued by the almighty "will-they-won't-they". Our protagonists discuss their problems, their feelings, their fears and their desires. For this reason, it is an excellent experience to read. It's chill, lovable, enjoyable, and fun.

As with most romantic stories, the emphasis is on the characters and their interactions, so I'll start with them. Well, they are exceptional in my opinion. Even though they are not very complex, they are really likable. They are kinkycute. They follow the usual average guy (Shawada), top ... girl in the class (Minezaki) lineup. However, even though the guy is average, he is not portrayed as a loser, and his behavior not crigney, not even once. Actually quite the opposite, he is quite sympathetic, despite his mildly sadistic desires. The chick follow the usual template as well, on the surface she acts like a honorary student, but behind the mask lies a kinky masochist, but not in an over exaggerated way. She is just a normal girl, with darker desires. It's a little ironic, but their relationship is much, much healthier than the vast majority in the romantic genre.

The biggest positive for me about this manga is that the characters discuss their problems, as if it were completely natural to speak about them. Because it is, hence it is not full of melodrama and unnecessary conflicts. The humorous situations do not arise from exaggerated scenes either, but from ordinary lifelike situations. It was so refreshing to read something like this. It is like a fresh breeze on a hot summer day.

About the visuals. I wouldn't say this is the most detailed manga I've ever stumbled upon, but it was perfectly fine by me.

All in all it is really hard to say why this manga is so good. There is nothing groundbreaking here, just simple ordinary slice of life, yet somehow it just feels right. You laugh time to time, you enjoy the wholesome kinkiness, and you just go with the flow.

Mangas are by nature formulaic and cyclical, even when there is actual development in terms of general plot or characters, and while this seems like it would be a help for mangakas since it can help them to find a form for their thoughts there is an overwhelming percentage of mangas that do a really poor job staying true to its intention while trying to not be blatantly formulaic.
It's easy to lose yourself trying to gain more popularity by doing the next big twist, a really cool fight, an overambitious arc, while losing sight of what you were trying to write in the first place. ... So many people have done a second couple on romance mangas to change perspective a bit, the big tournament arc on shounen that makes absolute no sense but they give their readers good battles, and also the sudden drop of a force for evil (be it in terms of blackmailing, sheer strength or something along these lines).

I really like "Takane no Hana wa Midaresaki" but I have no particular interest in BDSM, and it is a really good chunk of it, but I can't help but be amazed of how this manga just flows. This chapter is the usual thing? Good! It's well written, has good pace and the art is pretty nice. Oh, some things happened so we have to develop these characters feelings this chapter and maybe even a few more? Fine by me. The conflict does not need to be resolved in one chapter as the characters struggle to adjust to the new things in their relation. A little bit of side characters to break the monotony? It's fun getting to see they are just good people. They're fun to read through a chapter or another but they are not the focus of this story and never will be, so don't worry about them taking over the manga. The same emotional problems are being used as the theme for this chapter again? I like it. People do not get over things so damn fast as it is usually portrayed, they worry over an over again to a mortifying degree. And hey, I trust wholeheartedly that they will keep being developed, because that is how things have happened. Not through big emotional cries in the rain, or someone screaming at the top of their lungs, just they doing their usual thing, getting to know themselves better, and slowly but surely closing the gap.

I can always be disappointed at the end, because I can only infer what the mangaka wants to write, but sincerely, as I write this review, I've never read a manga so devoted to following it through with the vision of a mangaka while not being some overblown "let's save the universe" or "life sucks" thing. It is definitely an unusual relationship but also more human than any other. Fresh but not ground breaking. Paced more humanly, but not being boring.
I love this manga and it's probably the best thing I ever read. Do I recommend? No, because if you're not tired as I am of what manga is I don't know if you'll even want to keep reading, let alone like it.
Be my guest to come back and give it a try at a later time though, it will give you some hope for the future.

6.1/10


Well, I can’t say I didn’t give this manga a chance, since I’m not one to kink shame, but this is uninteresting and bad if you’re not into the whole S&M while sympathizing/relating to the mc and fmc. From the characters to the plot, it’s basic and shallow — unrealistic to set up plot points, but there are flashes of promise in the writing at times.

Putting aside realism, the manga is decently well-written by exploring the psyche and moral values of each character, but that’s only if you’re putting aside realism. In the manga, every plot point seems too convenient for the prolongation of ... the relationship within the mc — it seems bullshitted.

Contrasting to what people may think about the wholesome/cute atmosphere, this manga had a relatively huge, subtle toxic undertone in the main cast’s relationship. Though there was some “mutual” understanding between the characters and their feelings, it didn’t feel natural and realistic, creating a weirder and more awkward atmosphere by the chapter. For as many chapters I could have managed, the characters also didn’t display or act out much romanticism, which didn’t help the case either.

As a bystander of the whole BDSM world, this manga was just an awkward experience with some flashes of good writing; of course, this manga isn’t intended for the “norm” to be the intended audience, but rather, people who could sympathize and envision/idealize themselves in a similar situation. Putting that aside, it’s a relatively basic romance manga with flaws in relationship and nuances in storytelling.

Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”