Yuuutsu na Asa
Blue Morning

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Lasting from 1912 to 1926, the Taishō era, sandwiched between the modernizing Meiji era and the militaristic first half of the Shōwa era, is a relatively interesting episode of Japanese history. The influence of Western culture still grew, and until everything crumbled again under the pressure of the economy and the conservative right, liberal ideas flourished, and people from more and more walks of life were enabled to partake in the decision making process.

Period piece or not, starting a review on a Boys' Love manga with a history lesson might seem a little ostentatious. But knowing Japan was caught between tradition and modernity during the ... early twentieth century is essential when it comes to understanding what makes these characters tick, given their relationship mirrors the developments in Japanese society at that time.

In compliance with his father's last wish, Kuze Akihito is entrusted in chamberlain Katsuragi Tomoyuki's care after becoming a viscount at only ten years old. In addition to having a knack for business, Katsuragi appears to be a charismatic and sociable young man, but it doesn't take long for Akihito to discover he merely acts the part. Strongly devoted to the Kuze, he is not shying at anything that might help strengthen the family's position - like having several affairs with members of notable aristocratic households. Still, his tone towards the young successor is not in the least bit affectionate but rather highly condescending, and as Akihito grows older and wonders how that even fits together, he develops an obsession with his mentor, changing his wish for approval from him into something quite different.

Yuuutsu na Asa is Hidaka Shoko's darkest work yet and might not be easy to get into at first. The atmosphere towards the beginning of the story is notably cold and oppressing; there is an element of non-con and little that points to mutual affection but for subtle hints. Weirdly enough, this is what allows the manga to slowly but surely build up what later turns out to be its greatest strength. With their true selves originally repressed behind a mask of social expectations to live up to, it's the characters' sudden emotional outbursts that help the manga achieve a level of emotional intensity rarely found as the story progresses and they are beginning to figure out what it is they want for themselves.

Taking its time to explore the foundation for their relationship in itself would be enough to set Yuuutsu na Asa apart from the bulk of BL manga in which the characters simply find themselves magically drawn to each other, who knows why. But the art only further increases the difference, with even conflicting emotions showing well in the characters' faces.

Thus, what starts out as merely a grim historical tale of political intrigue and sexual misconduct steadily turns into a manga that mercilessly tugs at the readers' heartstrings. One of them intrigued by the idea of being equals, the other clinging to old ideals, and both fighting a tug-of-war between their inclinations and their circumstances, it is never quite clear whether Akihito and Katsuragi are separated by their difference in social status or just a difference in mindset. In any way, the relationship between these two is a complex one.

In conclusion, far from being fluffy or humorous, Yuutsu na Asa is riddled with flawed characters and palpable emotions, making it a must-read for those that prefer their BL to be gritty and haunting.

Having finished the manga just a short while ago, I am writing this review still high in feels and spirit. It might be a but informal however I think if I delay writing, all my thoughts regarding it will go astray or I might lose the motivation to review this outstanding manga that I binge read and enjoyed till the end. Thus, this is going to be quite long and I have tried my best to not include any major spoilers.

STORY
Akihito Kuze, at the young age of nine is forced to take over the duties of a Viscount after the death of his father. ... As dictated by his father, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, the young and capable butler, will act as his guardian and take charge of the Kuze household until Akihito comes of age. Despite being an excellent tutor, Katsuragi always remained cold towards Akihito, maintaining a steady distance. However, things start changing once Akihito starts taking control over the Kuze household and responsibilities, thus coming into direct conflict with Tomoyuki. This is a story of how these two individuals mature, influence each other, discover their true selves and motivations as well as pave their future paths.
10/10

ART
The art is amazing. I am not an expert and can't speak for the technical details. Yet, I think everything including the character designs and expressions, background details, paneling, etc. were well done. I can't point out any flaw with the art.
10/10

CHARACTER
This is one of the aspects where I think Yuuutsu na Asa excels at. It has quite a large ensemble of characters who are well written and distinct.

Our main characters, Akihito Kuze and Tomoyuki Katsuragi receive exceptional development throughout the manga.

Tomoyuki Katsuragi is charming and smart, a capable man who knows his way around things and can pull off anything even if he has to resort to underhanded practices. "Everything is for the Kuze family", he says quite often. His loyalty is linked to his past, which is something we unravel as we read on.

Akihito Kuze, the young viscount, is a fine fellow. He is smart and kind. He disregards the class system, understands that it won't last and is thus always "looking forward".

We have a bunch of other important characters like Soichirou Ishazaki (Akihito's best friend), the Katsuragi family, the many people in the nobility, etc.

The characters are consistent, individualistic and unique. These characters won't fit into the animanga archetypes we know.
Here, I'd quote the mangaka "...the characters of Akihito and Katsuragi basically never did what I wanted them to. And if Katsuragi did this, then Akihito had to do that. But, it's not very Katsuragi-like for him to accept that so..."
The consistency in their characterization is what made them realistic and likable to me.
10/10

ENJOYMENT 10/10 (Need I say more?)
OVERALL 10/10 (Yes, a masterpiece)

I had read and liked Hana wa Sakuka by the same creator (Shoko Hidaka), thus I had expectations from Yuuutsu na Asa, that it certainly lived up to. Yes, it's a love story at heart but there's so many things going around you won't feel like it. There is no cheesy romance, in fact, it's quite dramatic and dark in several aspects. The characters argue (they almost always do) however it's not immature rambling. Things don't miraculously fall into place, we see the characters working on their plans to make things work. The manga is dialog-heavy and there is a lot of monologuing by the characters. Both our main characters are quite logical and have incredible insight which puts them into conflict because their approaches or ideals don't always overlap. What I am trying to say is that the dynamic between the MCs is very interesting. If you enjoy character-centric dramas, then you will quite surely enjoy this.

I like the story where the 2 main characters have natural personality development and do not fall into any stereotypes. The drawing is mostly nice but occasionally I found the characters' expressions a bit out of the place. The sophisticated details of the characters clothing and the scene background/surroundings provide a rich visual experience, not to say the 2 main characters are extremely handsome/beautiful with vivid body and facial expressions.

However my only complain is I found the storytelling a bit incoherent. I guess the author was trying to keep readers' curiosity at a high level so he constantly switches scenes among different story lines and ... cut stories in to small pieces and shuffled them. while a lot of authors do this but it feels a bit overdone to me and i find the storyline and emotion flowing quite broken.