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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
This series in three omnibuses was my Christmas present from my husband, and so I’m rereading them in physical form. This early part of the series is a little rough with Katou and Iwaki both being emotionally....difficult. Iwaki can’t express feelings except anger and Katou doesn’t take anything seriously except Iwaki which makes Iwaki doubt him and ugh they’re such fools for each other! But I still love them, and I’m looking forward to the next book where they move into their own house and are disgustingly domestic and adorable!
There’s a lot going on in this volume. Iwaki and Katou build their house and it’s a big deal, a sign of commitment. When Katou asks to be put on the paperwork for the 30-year loan and Iwaki understands that’s a promise to stay together at least that long, and starts to cry just...the emotion in that scene! And all the emotion in all the sex scenes too. They get a little further apart in this volume but they’re so much deeper and more meaningful than ever. Each one says something about their relationship.
Speaking of relationships, the one between Iwaki and his family is so hard. It’s addressed in a very Japanese way, which is interesting to me, but it’s so hard to see a family splitting apart over a gay son. Although, the point that they don’t support his acting career either is interesting too, almost conflating the two things as equally shameful.
The final chapter, about Sawa-sensei and Yukihito is both exciting and deeply disturbing in a few ways. Seeing someone who is clearly somewhere in the non-binary realm in manga, and this early too! Is very exciting. But Sawa’s relationship to Yukihito is also deeply fucked up. Yukihito is so young, and clearly so fucked up from walking in on his father murdering his mother, that he fixated on Sawa because of his looks. But then Sawa falling in love with his young cousin in return is...I mean. Typical problematic BL. And yet it’s written in such a way that you can’t help feeling like they are two lost and broken people who find healing with each other? I dunno, there’s a lot going on in that one single chapter.
Oh! I forgot to talk about the switching! It’s so rare to see switchable pairs in BL, and to see it done in such a natural and Uncontrived way is beautiful. I love that they switch from bottom Iwaki, which it’s been since their very first encounter when Iwaki topped, then all this time later Iwaki tops again in a very emotional scene where he’s using it as a way to reassure Katou of his love. Mmmm good stuff.
Speaking of relationships, the one between Iwaki and his family is so hard. It’s addressed in a very Japanese way, which is interesting to me, but it’s so hard to see a family splitting apart over a gay son. Although, the point that they don’t support his acting career either is interesting too, almost conflating the two things as equally shameful.
The final chapter, about Sawa-sensei and Yukihito is both exciting and deeply disturbing in a few ways. Seeing someone who is clearly somewhere in the non-binary realm in manga, and this early too! Is very exciting. But Sawa’s relationship to Yukihito is also deeply fucked up. Yukihito is so young, and clearly so fucked up from walking in on his father murdering his mother, that he fixated on Sawa because of his looks. But then Sawa falling in love with his young cousin in return is...I mean. Typical problematic BL. And yet it’s written in such a way that you can’t help feeling like they are two lost and broken people who find healing with each other? I dunno, there’s a lot going on in that one single chapter.
Oh! I forgot to talk about the switching! It’s so rare to see switchable pairs in BL, and to see it done in such a natural and Uncontrived way is beautiful. I love that they switch from bottom Iwaki, which it’s been since their very first encounter when Iwaki topped, then all this time later Iwaki tops again in a very emotional scene where he’s using it as a way to reassure Katou of his love. Mmmm good stuff.
This is not the end of the series and I am so upset!!! I didn’t realize how much was left still unpublished in English and I’m so sad. Especially because it didn’t have one of my favorite parts. However this book does have the Winter Cicada side story which I also love. I love the “reincarnated souls destined to find each other” theme, and I also love period dramas, even from times and places in history that I’m not very familiar with, like Meiji-era Japan.
This volume does also have their wedding, which is very exciting, even if it comes about in a very weird way. I mean. Who just gifts a wedding to two people you met yesterday?? They didn’t even know Carlos-San, and he was doing it for his own benefit to make them fit the “perfect gay couple” stereotype (which is super heteronormative btw) he had in his head. I’m glad Katou calls it out as the weirdness it is. And then as a reader invested in Katou and Iwaki’s relationship I’m glad Iwaki went ahead and said let’s do it anyway! Because damn they look good in their tuxes and saying their vows! And then they switch again and have sex both ways and it’s super sweet wedding-night bliss!
*Cries* Now back to fan-translations for me I guess.
This volume does also have their wedding, which is very exciting, even if it comes about in a very weird way. I mean. Who just gifts a wedding to two people you met yesterday?? They didn’t even know Carlos-San, and he was doing it for his own benefit to make them fit the “perfect gay couple” stereotype (which is super heteronormative btw) he had in his head. I’m glad Katou calls it out as the weirdness it is. And then as a reader invested in Katou and Iwaki’s relationship I’m glad Iwaki went ahead and said let’s do it anyway! Because damn they look good in their tuxes and saying their vows! And then they switch again and have sex both ways and it’s super sweet wedding-night bliss!
*Cries* Now back to fan-translations for me I guess.