Back to patitodelaluna's Profile patitodelaluna's Profile

“I came looking for copper and found gold!!!” Part 2

A continuation of Twilight Outfocus, this sequel swiftly advances the plot in a few chapters, building upon the excellent story development and introduction of compelling characters established in the first part. I would have liked to see a bit more content, but that's just a personal preference of mine. As I mentioned before, it really wasn't necessary to add much more; everything felt organic and had a very satisfying conclusion.

If you're interested in explicit content, be aware that there is a substantial amount of it in this volume, and it doesn't feel gratuitous at all because, ... even though it's a romance story, it portrays everyday moments so well that I personally would also categorize it as a slice of life.

While the plot of making a movie is something that is quite common in the world of manga/anime, here it is what opens up opportunities and drives the protagonists to make important decisions for the present and for their future. And speaking of the future, the insecurities we feel in adolescence due to the uncertainty of what we will do with our lives after graduation are portrayed very well here. This is not just a romance and sex manga; it's about the journey of two teenagers into adulthood. And, in general, the characters' characterization feels very authentic and age-appropriate. The only one that breaks with this is Ichikawa, but we'll talk about that later.

The protagonists undergo significant development, it’s something that had already started in the first volume and culminated wonderfully in this sequel. Their relationship is so sweet and wholesome. They are two people with their fears, insecurities, and emotional deficiencies (one of them even with quite strong traumas), but they complement, accept one another just as they are, and genuinely love each other.

And besides delighting us with their sweet relationship, seeing how the talents and ambitions of the main characters flourish, both together and separately, is wonderful, and it leaves us with the beautiful message that it's natural to seek support from your partner to move forward in life and desire to walk that path together.

As for the secondary characters, most of them are members of the film club, playing a supporting role, but there are three that we can highlight: Runa is the serious and calm guy who’s funny because of his sharp and direct way of speaking. Honjou is a living joke because his personality fits perfectly with that "divine" appearance he has (you'll have to see him to understand what I mean). And Ichikawa is one of those supporting characters who steal the show: he's a quirky, histrionic, childish, and endearing professor, and he surely represents to a great extent the spirit of fujoshi readers. Fortunately, he has his own spin-off because he's so charismatic that I wanted to read more about him!

Similar to its prequel, body proportions sometimes seem odd, but since it's not something that happens regularly, we can overlook it and appreciate the undeniable beauty of the entire cast.

Finally, there are details in the story that are beautiful and moving, like the fact that Mao was conscious that he had to improve as a person even though no one was pressuring him, that darkness took on a different meaning for Hisashi, the way they renew their three promises from the beginning, and THAT sign of destiny that they will be together for a long time…

"I came looking for copper and found gold!!!" Part 1

Honestly, I didn't have high expectations for this manga. I thought it would be just another run-of-the-mill BL, but boy, was I wrong!

The story introduces us to Mao and Hisashi, two teenagers who share a room in a student residence. Initially, they barely interacted; however, one night something completely unexpected happens, and from that moment on they start getting to know each other.

Simultaneously, the manga delves into the storyline of the film club, with Mao serving as the cameraman. The club's advisor is Ichikawa, a charismatic, theatrical, and very funny teacher who, according to his own ... students, is like a teenage girl himself. His rivalry with the drama club, combined with his passion for BL stories, drives him to excel as the movie director, aiming to create a film that could secure first place in the school festival. And, of course, Ichikawa decided to recruit the handsome Hisashi to play one of the leads (this man has such a good eye, really).

However, I must stop here to carefully analyze certain polemical elements:

(SPOILER ALERT)

First of all, at the beginning of the story something quite shocking happens: one character, while asleep, tries to have sex with the other who was awake. Despite it is a problem that, though affecting very few people, also occurs in real life, Mao would have had good reasons not to forgive Hisashi or start fearing him. However, the latter quickly apologized and was even willing to accept the consequences, but Mao has such a good heart that he forgave him immediately.
It's worth mentioning that, in general terms, non-consensual intimate contact is frowned upon within this story, which is a big plus. Additionally, and without wishing to provide major spoilers, two more instances of abuse are depicted in flashbacks, both highlighted with a negative perspective. I am greatly pleased that current BL works aim to illuminate the shortcomings of past BL practices. I had to say it.

As the weeks pass, one of the protagonists starts to become aware of his feelings for his roommate, posing a significant conflict as the other guy is already in a relationship. Nevertheless, the latter also gradually begins to develop strong affection towards him, which felt very natural to me, both in the sense that the development of their relationship feels organic and due to the fact that it's common to prefer a partner closer in age. The final words that a certain character said to his ex were perfect, 10/10. Now this IS the way to deconstruct toxic clichés, dammit!

(SPOILERS END HERE)

My only complaint about this manga is that, although the drawing style is beautiful, there are certain panels where the body proportions look very weird and poorly done, but it doesn't happen often, so don't worry. Anyway, all the guys are so handsome, my goshhhhh.

Finally, the scene where they film the movie’s climax is wonderful and a real tearjerker, and Ichikawa, behaving like the biggest fanboy, represents all of us.

Do you know what the best part is? This story has a sequel! Go and read it!

(Soft spoilers ahead)

Personally, I loved this manga for all the reasons I'll explain below:

-It has a simple but well-crafted drawing style. In other BL works, I've noticed at least a couple of panels where characters are poorly proportioned, perhaps due to the rush of publishing times, but it's something quite noticeable that detracts from quality and even feels cringey. Here, I didn't notice anything similar, and I think it's a big plus.
-The story features many winged and some furry characters. The author has a remarkable ability for drawing these kinds of things because everything looked very angelic and soft.
-One of the two main characters is ... just my type <3
-The main couple is super sweet, and they have typical conflicts of drama and romance stories, but it's a healthy relationship overall.
-The main conflict is a bit cliché within fantasy stories, however, I think it's well resolved. The same goes for an oneiric resource used to reveal information about the past, I liked it anyway.
-There's a (potential) secondary heterosexual couple, adding some variety to the cast.
-There's an endearing female character with a beautiful design.
-The story strikes a good balance between cute, funny, tense, and sad moments. It makes you feel a lot of different emotions as you read.

I understand that some people may not connect with the story, but those who do will enjoy this reading a lot.
Please, give it a chance!