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A review by ellelainey
Don't Be Cruel: 2-In-1 Edition, Vol. 1 by Yonezou Nekota
3.0
2021 UPDATE:
It's been a little more than 2 years since I first read this. I didn't really remember anything about it except the non-con, but I needed something to read that was short, easy, quick and didn't require a lot of thought - because I'm completely mentally rundown. I picked this out of a dozen manga on my Kobo, because it's the oldest and I was actually surprised. Going in, knowing about the non-con, was far less shocking. In the end, I enjoyed it A LOT more, without that initial shock.
I've bitten the bullet and bought the rest of the series, since it's now finished, so wish me luck!
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Okay, first off, let me say...this story wouldn't exist without rape. When the blurb said that Maya would blackmail Nemugasa and it would result in "steamy action" I assumed it was because Nemugasa was the ill-fated geek in love with the school-God and that God was going to take advantage of his attraction. Nope. Nemugasa is a straight boy who is tricked into cheating on a test, by Maya, so that he can be blackmailed. However, it's not blackmailed into sex or a relationship. Their first encounter is nothing but rape.
And it continues. Nemugasa says no repeatedly, and...you get the point. Rape all over the place.
Saying that...and I never limit or downplay rape, no matter what the story...IF that part hadn't been rape, I could have believed everything that came after. I actually could see Maya's feelings from early on, that he was attracted to Nemugasa, but that it wasn't really acceptable for him to and he felt he had to make it out to be something it wasn't. And I could see Nemugasa slowly falling for Maya, in return. If they had come together with a different blackmail, I would have totally shipped and loved and fallen for these two.
But, the deep-rooted problem with Yaoi, as much as I love it at times, is that a lot of the relationships are centered around rape. And usually always of a young, teen age male who is straight, who suddenly and inexplicably becomes super-hyper-in-love with his rapist. That is NOT a message that should be spread to anyone.
So...I gave this 5* for the story that *could* have been, without the beginning. And I took 2* away for the completely unnecessary and graphic rape scenes at the beginning, as well as the unnecessary use of rape between two characters who eventually love each other. Isn't not even Stockholm Syndrome, because that at least would suggest long-term psychological abuse and coercion. Sadly, Nemugasa just falls madly in love with Maya's abusive behaviour and doesn't realise it until it's gone.
It's been a little more than 2 years since I first read this. I didn't really remember anything about it except the non-con, but I needed something to read that was short, easy, quick and didn't require a lot of thought - because I'm completely mentally rundown. I picked this out of a dozen manga on my Kobo, because it's the oldest and I was actually surprised. Going in, knowing about the non-con, was far less shocking. In the end, I enjoyed it A LOT more, without that initial shock.
I've bitten the bullet and bought the rest of the series, since it's now finished, so wish me luck!
--------------
Okay, first off, let me say...this story wouldn't exist without rape. When the blurb said that Maya would blackmail Nemugasa and it would result in "steamy action" I assumed it was because Nemugasa was the ill-fated geek in love with the school-God and that God was going to take advantage of his attraction. Nope. Nemugasa is a straight boy who is tricked into cheating on a test, by Maya, so that he can be blackmailed. However, it's not blackmailed into sex or a relationship. Their first encounter is nothing but rape.
And it continues. Nemugasa says no repeatedly, and...you get the point. Rape all over the place.
Saying that...and I never limit or downplay rape, no matter what the story...IF that part hadn't been rape, I could have believed everything that came after. I actually could see Maya's feelings from early on, that he was attracted to Nemugasa, but that it wasn't really acceptable for him to and he felt he had to make it out to be something it wasn't. And I could see Nemugasa slowly falling for Maya, in return. If they had come together with a different blackmail, I would have totally shipped and loved and fallen for these two.
But, the deep-rooted problem with Yaoi, as much as I love it at times, is that a lot of the relationships are centered around rape. And usually always of a young, teen age male who is straight, who suddenly and inexplicably becomes super-hyper-in-love with his rapist. That is NOT a message that should be spread to anyone.
So...I gave this 5* for the story that *could* have been, without the beginning. And I took 2* away for the completely unnecessary and graphic rape scenes at the beginning, as well as the unnecessary use of rape between two characters who eventually love each other. Isn't not even Stockholm Syndrome, because that at least would suggest long-term psychological abuse and coercion. Sadly, Nemugasa just falls madly in love with Maya's abusive behaviour and doesn't realise it until it's gone.