Niichan

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If you've never read Harada please do not start with this one.

Art: 10
Harada's art is great, it's simple but also really cute, just search her name on google and you'll see if her art fits your tastes, but personally I really like the style.

Story: 10
If you've never read Harada please just start with yatamomo or color recipe or even yoru to asa no uta, please just do not start with this. And also if you are very sensitive to pedophilia or rape then please don't.

Character:
It's a one shot so not much development, but I like how the MC took a different turn
...
Enjoyment: 9
Don't ask.

As a huge BL fan, I have to admit that many BL mangas either fetishize gay men or portray an abusive/unhealthy relationship between men and make things like pedophilia seem cute when in reality, it isn't. However we should keep in mind that even though many authors create these things, these are all just fiction and a fantasy for their readers in the end.

This is one of the most original stories I've read in a BL manga. I would give this a 10 for sure, because it explores the true reality of pedophilia and shows how it affects each of the characters in ... this story. In this manga, we're given a realistic perspective of how society doesn't accept homosexuality or pedophilia. This is different from most mangas I've read because often, the discrimination that gay people face in society is literally non-existent and they often don't represent gay people and the issues they face more realistically. Most shotacon mangas are also not that different because they focus more on the fantasy part to please the viewer, and less on what really happens to the pedophile.

Not much to say about the art because it's really well done. I think it expresses the characters emotions well and helps set the mood of the story. The proportions are well drawn and the art is aesthetically pleasing.

Many of the characters in this manga are interesting. You'll probably hate some of them but change your mind when you learn about their past. They are very realistic and also aren't one-dimensional or cliche. Their personalities are unique and I like how they're flawed. There was also a lot of character development in this manga, and that's a great thing because we can see how some of these characters change for the best.

Overall I really enjoyed this manga and I would give it a 10. This manga was very memorable, and focused on a topic that's out of the norm and very different from other mangas. Every chapter was full of suspense, in fact it was really interesting and horrifying to read that I just reread the entire book a few times until the final chapter was finally released on the internet. Although so many things happened, I'm glad it had a good satisfying ending. I have never ever read any of Harada's works before and this is my very first time reading their manga, but I would definitely recommend this manga if you're looking for something interesting to read ( as long as the pedophilia doesn't affect you ).

This really does bring light to the situation of pedophilia, even though I do think that the detailed scenes were very problematic. I won't lie, this helped me realize that I was groomed online in the past.

There's not much I'm going to get into, but I do think that this is a manga that I shouldn't have read. The art was amazing, the story was so hurtfully truthful, the character's emotions were great as well. I just really don't like that this was a hentai manga to be honest. I hate stuff that goes into detail about children...

To think that some people got off to ... this just disgusts me, I really don't think that it should've gone in depth about sex.

There are some mangas with debatable stories and dubious topics...and then there's Niichan. I'm writing this review as a sort of a vent for myself and a warning to people planning to read this abomination of a story.

So last night, I was reading some yaoi manga, as usual and I thought of giving this a try since Harada is a pretty good mangaka, the art looks stunning and ...then I saw the summary. "..a young boy in grade school who often goes to this Niichan's place" made me go "Hah! Surely, they wouldn't draw a sex scene with a grade schooler! That's freaking disgusting! ... SURELY they wouldn't, right?" I read the other reviews and thought that it really can't be that bad. I mean, I've read Killing Stalking. Can't be much worse than that...

I was already a bit tired when I started reading it and completely unprepared for what I was about to witness. The first two chapters made me feel so disgusted and uncomfortable. We are introduced to the main character, Yui who feels lonely because his parents work all day and don't spend time with him. He doesn't get along with his classmates because his parents don't allow him to play video games. He meets a stranger who offers him both of these things seemingly out of goodwill. Yui, of course as an undoubting innocent child, accepts his offer and starts visiting him after school. Unfortunately, Niichan has ulterior motives which will lead to an unraveling of some very unfortunate events.

As uncomfortable as this story made me feel, the characters are written very well and precisely for that reason the reader is able to feel their emotions and understand their way of thinking. The ways Yui reacts to Niichan's advances, are things a child would say to someone like that. He is so innocent and obedient and has the naivety and the blind faith in adults that only such young kids could have. And the way Niichan uses those emotions makes me sick to my stomach.

What I appreciated is that the characters were not made to be likeable even though they do bad things, like some other BL works make them out to be for the sake of fetishizing criminals/bad people. This story manages to realistically portray the way a pedophile would persuade a child to do things they want them to do, which not many works manage to do well in my opinion. Niichan isn't made to look like some kind of an ultimate demon who feasts on the flesh of innocent shotas just for the sake of it. And despite readers wanting to blame everything on him - he isn't the only one at fault. He is given a background and the reason why he became such a despicable person. Sow hate and you will reap violence. It's a vicious cycle. This is something majority of works covering this topic overlook or don't explain.

Both main characters develop quite a lot during this short story, but I do think it could have been done a bit better if only it wasn't 6 chapters long. We can see how the events from first two chapters affect Yui later in life and how the older Niichan gets the more he doubts himself and his actions as opposed to when he was younger. There's really only one supporting character whom you will probably not like very much at the beginning, but with the background and development she gets, you might end up liking her and relating with her the most in the end.

Overall, would I recommend this manga? It's a very debatable thing. I liked how the psychological part of it was done, but I sure as hell would prefer to have stayed untarnished by this sinful story. If you are able to read about something like this and stay unfazed or if you generally don't sympathize with fictional characters, I envy you and by all means, I recommend reading this when you get a chance. Otherwise, I would rather stay away. Go read something that won't make you stay up until 6am thinking about how disgusting humans truly are.

If you're looking for a cute bl story, this clearly isn't for you. It is a heavy and shocking story, which usually makes you disgusted by some characters and moments, because it is a work that deals explicitly with pedophilia, trauma and the possible consequences of this. In addition, it also shows how people around and the family react to these cases or even homosexuality. As I said before, it is a great work, but I must say that you need to have a little stomach to read until the end, even if you feel a lot of disgust, and if you reached the end ... and found it at least cute, honestly, read again, why you can only be reading it wrong.

If you're looking for a cute BL to read, Niichan is NOT for you. Nii-chan is a hard read, it's a very heavy manga about child predators and grooming and about how victims of abuse can turn into the abusers. Good exemple of psychological horror, recomended if you liked "Killing Stalking" and "An uncomfortable truth", Overall a good reading for those who are not sensitive and like psychological horror. The Art is also outstanding and more leaning for a more realistic anime style wich is a good breaking of peace, my only small complaint is the characters leave something to be desired, still recomend. MyAnimeList ... should make my clear for readers this is a heavy story.

Spoilers below.

...Wow. I've heard bad things about this one, but I can't say that I haven't read worse, which is saying something. This story is nothing short of fucked up, I mean this pedophile grooms a little boy and ruins any chance of him living a normal life. The strangest part is that the boy... doesn't mind? Yui dedicated his life to loving his molester, which reminds me of a few other psychological manga/manhuas... anyway, I'm conflicted about the insistency of Yui to spend his life trying to receive Kei's affection, which ends up working for the both of them in the end. Weird. I ... suppose I have to give credit to Harada for making a realistic portrayal of grooming.

It's a very vile manga about child predators and grooming. It's a fairly good portayal of it, so it gets a good score.

It IS disgusting though. Don't expect a cute romance with a minor or ''uwu softness'' like you fujo weebs say. It is a tale of abus. And the abused not growing out of his love for his abuser.

Not sure if the author glamorizes it, but she kinda seem to. ''It's not disgusting, it's a different type of love'' or something like that is written in and said by another character. So I'm not sure,, but it's very likely.

Regardless, it is gross, disgusting and ... sad.

(If it isn't the author's intent for the story, then I would give this a 4)

This manga isn't for someone who can't take extreme themes.
I give "Niichan" a 10 not because "I like yaoi". It would be so wrong and disgusting and I myself think that what's happening in the manga is not all right. The story gave me chills and I felt fear but I was still hooked. It definitely shows what happens often in real life but is hidden in the shadows.

I'm a big fan of Harada's work because of how extreme the stories are, making you sick, making you feel like you shouldn't be reading it but because of how unique and interesting it is, you keep ... on reading.

It's debatable if I would recommend it to others but if you're into unique stories with amazing art it's definitely something for you.