Arikawa zastanawia się, jak powinien postąpić po tym, co wydarzyło się nad rzeką. Jednak wszelkie wyjaśnienia muszą poczekać, ponieważ Misaki zobowiązał się pomóc profesorowi podczas wykładów. Pozostawiony w laboratorium telefon Misakiego zaczyna dzwonić. Arikawa decyduje się odebrać połączenie. W trakcie rozmowy słyszy: „On beze mnie jest nikim”…
Enamoradita de Misaki y Arikawa que estoy, "atontaíta perdía" #truestory
Señores, no pueden ser más adorafollables, no pueden, en serio, el segundo tomo es absolutamente delicioso, no se a quién le tendré que vender el alma para conseguir una copia en papel, pero necesito la serie completa en mi poder como que para ayer...
Still very cute, still veryyy slow burn. I'm looking forward to the next volume. With the way this one ended I expect it to move even further and I need it.
I'm not sure how I feel about Misaki's past. I think Kawabata is very hard to pin down. From what we experienced he seems like a very controlling person especially with the conversation he had with Arikawa. However from Misaki's memories he seemed very kind until he just randomly switched because what? He was shocked he made a move on Misaki? And he felt he has to reject that part of himself in order to meet his parent's expectations so he suddenly became an asshole? Idk it just seemed so sudden. Misaki and Arikawa though. What precious beans and the bonus story with them as kids?? ADORABLE. They still haven't talked about the rumors revolving around Misaki or the upperclassmen that Misaki supposedly had a thing with so I'm hoping that comes up in the next volume and isn't completely forgotten.
A really lovely Boys Love manga about two university students. It's by the mangaka who drew "Seven Days", and the story is equally gentle and sweet, if a little more melancholy. Arikawa is a busy and successful law student who one day stumbles into Misaki, a student of agriculture. Arikawa ends up falling heads over heels for Misaki, although it takes him a bit to realize it. And then someone from Misaki's past turns up who apparently wants Misaki all for himself. (That sounds a lot worse and melodramatic than it actually is, though.) I found the - relatively- slow development a nice change of pace from the usual, and the art is very, very pretty. I'm not a big fan of most of the BL manga Tokyopop publishes, but this is a notable and pleasant exception.
Band 2 der Manga Reihe hat mir schon ein bisschen besser gefallen. Hier konnte ich mehr in der Geschichte abtauchen. Und wie erhofft, hat man auch mehr über die Hintergründe der Protagonisten erfahren. Ich fand es schön, mehr über Misaki zu erfahren, so konnte man ihn dann besser verstehen. Und auch noch mal mehr den Bezug zu den Blumen.
Vom Zeichenstil fand ich es wieder richtig toll. Ich mag die Bilder von Rihito Takarai einfach sehr gerne. Auch die Handlung konnte mich soweit fesseln, leider gab es eine kleine Logik Lücke, was ich etwas schade fand. Aber davon abgesehen hat mir auch die Geschichte gefallen und ich bin sehr gespannt, wie es im 3. Band weiter geht.
Ach ja, ich mag die beiden echt gerne. Es ist zwar ein schnelllebiges Lesevergnügen, aber trotzdem lernt man die beiden gut genug kennen, um sie sympathisch zu finden.
I’ve really been enjoying this manga series! I like that it’s more of a slow burn (even though I could go for even SLOWER).
I don’t know why I enjoyed this volume less than the first one, but it was just missing a bit more of a spark.
I’m also in conflict about Misaki’s backstory. I just am sick of like predatory older men in bl stories 😩 Regardless, I do think that the character is interesting. He’s vile and disgusting, BUT I’m glad Arikawa had the chance to stand up to him. It’s only right! Because Misaki deserves to be loved unconditionally.
I do also like that in this volume Misaki had to go out of his way to seek out Arikawa. Arikawa was always the one seeking out Misaki, and this time Misaki had to pursue him 🙏🏼
Finally, the bonus chapter of them as little kids was so precious 💖😭💖 My heart felt so warm and soft. That’s what they both deserve. To just be lovely together.
Arikawa trova il telefono di Misaki e risponde ad una chiamata. L'interlocutore chiede se una collana è stata buttata via e spara a zero contro Misaki, definendolo inutile senza di lui. I due discutono di nuovo e si allontanano. Arikawa si è dato malato e non si presenta in laboratorio. Si trova a casa a parlare con il suo migliore amico. Arikawa si sente affranto, talmente tanto da odiare sé stesso. L'amico, Ikejima, oltre ad avergli portato una medicina, tranquillizza l'amico, rassicurandolo e invitandolo a rilassarsi e scusarsi con Misaki.
Misaki va a casa di Arikawa. Quest'ultimo gli riconsegna la sua collana aggiustata e Misaki va in iperventilazione. Arikawa lo soccorre e lo tranquillizza.
Misaki così si inizia a raccontare. Il ragazzo è orfano e si è dovuto trasferire dai nonni. Il nonno lavorava in un progetto con un ragazzo Kawabata, all'apparenza molto alla mano e socievole. Tramite il nonno e Kawabata, Misaki acquisisce la passione per le piante e per la ricerca. Kawabata bacia e tocca Misaki senza mai accettare la sua omosessualità, quindi il povero Misaki viene solamente usato da lui, finendo persino di innamorarsene. Kawabata inoltre ha regalato la famosa collana di cui Misaki è affezionato. La storia tra Misaki e Kawabata termina con quest'ultimo che si fidanza con una ragazza e fa finta di niente per quanto riguarda il passato. Kawabata ha iniziato poi a stalkerare Misaki, con chiamate perse e comportamenti tossici e possessivi.
Nel laboratorio inizia a lavorarci un altro ragazzo e Misaki incontra Arikawa alla stazione. I due vengono interrotti da Kawabata, il quale si mostra nuovamente minaccioso e possessivo. Il ragazzo utilizza la "scusante " di essere amico del nonno e una sorta di fratello maggiore per Misaki, ma in realtà si sta comportando solo in maniera egoista.
Misaki e Arikawa finiscono per baciarsi dopo che Kawabata se n'è andato. Arikawa è molto innamorato e vuole che Misaki si fidi di lui, nonostante la paura dovuta dal passato rapporto con Kawabata.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So I actually have more questions at the end of this volume than the first one. It's a little bit disappointing, because I had thought this was gearing up to be a favorite series, but this installment was pretty average.
It didn't feel like there was a lot of actual development in their relationship. I'd loved the scene by the river so much and had been expecting more like that, with them bonding in concrete ways over time. There's some of that implied but we go straight into some heavier drama instead, with Arikawa answering Misaki's phone while he's out of the lab, and having a brief and unsettling conversation with the guy who'd given Misaki the necklace.
That leads to an argument with a deeply embarrassed Misaki, then to Arikawa walking home in the rain, then to Misaki visiting a fever-sick Arikawa at home. (Because in manga, every time you walk outside without an umbrella, you come down with a romantically convenient fever. Kinda like Jane Austen I guess.)
I did like the scene with Arikawa trying to return Misaki's necklace, Misaki hyperventilating at the memories connected to it, and the two of them clinging to each other and expressing a little bit of their feelings for each other. Friendship-wise, anyway, without bringing romance into it just yet.
The backstory was kind of disappointing and disjointed, though.
When Misaki's parents died in an accident, he was taken in by his grandfather, a botany professor who was cold and stern and didn't really speak with Misaki much. Kawabata, the mysterious caller, was a research student who started coming by often, to speak with Misaki's grandfather and eventually to tutor Misaki. This led to Misaki having a better relationship with his grandfather, since he developed an interest in botany, too, and was eventually given the key to his grandfather's cherished greenhouse.
Then Misaki's grandfather died suddenly, leaving Misaki alone again...except for Kawabata, who embraced and kissed him and gave him a necklace and promised he'd always be there to take care of him. Misaki's brotherly admiration subsequently flared into romantic interest.
But that didn't lead to an actual relationship.
I get why: there's the age gap, of course, but, for Kawabata, it's more important that he absolutely cannot be in a non-standard relationship. He's already failing to live up to his family's high expectations, and dating a man would ruin things irrevocably for him. So he goes out and starts dating the first girl who shows some interest in him, cruelly introduces her to Misaki, and establishes himself as an overprotective older brother. He constantly harasses Misaki, calling him and keeping tabs on his life - not wanting to sully himself by dating a man, but wanting that man to prioritize him above anyone else.
It's a very selfish, one-sided relationship, and I get why Misaki wanted to escape from it. But the timing of it all seems odd to me...it was something like four years of this? And then why did he suddenly reject Kawabata the night of the subway incident, after all that time? How did he even run into Arikawa there, with his necklace already broken?
Like I said, it feels like a lot of important structural questions weren't answered this time around, and I find that frustrating.
Another question: who was that older student from the first volume? I guess it must have been a translation issue, because to me it had sounded more like a mutual thing - establishing that Misaki is gay - but at the beginning of this volume, Arikawa referred to it as an assault, which changes the circumstances dramatically and also introduces a lot of unnecessary complications to Misaki's story. Why are a bunch of random older men trying to take advantage of him? Just because he has a delicate build and a pretty face?
And I still don't get what the lab professor's connection to Arikawa is, or why he'd mentioned Misaki-sensei if Misaki doesn't have any family left. Maybe another translation gap, where he'd been talking about a responsibility to a deceased friend/colleague, and not someone he would actively be speaking with about the younger Misaki's day-to-day life. But that connection isn't shown or referred to again.
Also a little disappointed in the dramatic and entirely coincidental way Arikawa and Misaki finally started up their relationship, with Kawabata just happening to be in the subway station the day Arikawa left the lab and Misaki chased after him. Unless Kawabata has a tracker on his phone or something, but I think that's beyond the logical scope of this story.
Still have some hope for the third volume, and it's not that this is a bad series. I was just hoping the storyline would be stronger and less full of pretty basic tropes.
Plus, the magical-seeming dreams still aren't explained. Even if they did meet once, or a few times, as kids, that's not really enough to explain any of this - especially since it doesn't seem like Arikawa learned Misaki's name in the playground sandbox, either.
Wyobraź sobie, że studiujesz na jednej z najlepszych japońskich uczelni. Profesor pod koniec zajęć wyznaczył Ci posprzątanie klasy, w której niespodziewanie znajdujesz stary karton. Kładziesz go na najbliższą ławkę i powoli otwierasz. Ze środka pudełka wyciągasz zniszczone papiery, książki oraz dyktafon. Ciekawość to podobno pierwszy stopień do piekła, ale ty się tym nie przejmujesz i sprawdzasz, czy jeszcze działa. Przez urządzenie nagle słyszysz głos nieznanego Ci mężczyzny, który się przedstawia:
Witaj nazywam się Youichi Arikawa. Na co dzień prowadzę spokojne życie studenckie, a nauka prawa nigdy nie sprawiała mi większych problemów. Mam uroczą dziewczynę Kanami oraz kilku bliskich znajomych. Pewnie zastanawiasz się, po co nagrałem tę wiadomość. Otóż postanowiłem opowiedzieć Ci o śnie, który od kilku miesięcy na okrągło mnie prześladuje. Sen, w którym widzę zawsze piękny naszyjnik w kształcie kwiatu oraz tajemniczą osobę imieniem Misaki... Uporczywy sen nie dawał mi spokoju, aż do pewnego dnia, gdy przypadkowo poznałem chłopaka bardzo podobnego do osoby opisywanej ze snu. Czy to może coś oznaczać? Jeśli to wszystko prawda, a osoba, którą poznałem jest mi przeznaczona, to chciałabym Ci powiedzieć, żebyś nigdy nie lekceważył swoich snów.
Nagranie się urywa, a ty słysząc kroki Profesora - odkładasz szybko pudełko na dawne miejsce i wychodzisz z sali, zastanawiając się jednocześnie, co ostatnim razem Ci się śniło...
„Wciąż zadaję sobie pytanie, czy to wszystko nie jest tylko snem. Nie sądziłem, że coś takiego kiedykolwiek mi się przytrafi”.
Rihito Takarai to jedna z nielicznych japońskich pisarek, których mangi z gatunku boys love mogę bez zaprzeczenia Wam polecić. I chociaż wciąż nie jestem w pełni przekonana do takich historii, to czasem wśród nich udaję mi się znaleźć coś wartego uwagi. Tak właśnie było w przypadku mangi „Tylko kwiaty wiedzą”.
Jeśli więc poszukujesz spokojnej, uroczej oraz lekkiej historii, przy której planujesz spędzić miło swój czas wolny, to bez wahania weź pod uwagę wyżej wymieniony tytuł.
„To moje ciało i moje uczucia. Czemu... muszę je ukrywać?”
Rozkwitające uczucie pomiędzy głównymi bohaterami ukazano w bardzo naturalny sposób, a sam wątek z mową kwiatów był czymś ciekawym, ponieważ jeszcze nigdy wcześniej nie spotkałam się z takim zamysłem.
Ilustracje narysowane zostały w prosty, ale jakże urzekający sposób. Tyczy się to zwłaszcza kadrów, które ukazują samą naturę. Autorka podkreśla piękno kwiatów i tego, jak duże znaczenie w historii mają one dla samych głównych postaci.
„Te kwiaty...to dla mnie jedyny sposób...żeby zapomnieć o samotności”.
Pierwsze dwa tomy można na spokojnie czytać po ukończeniu 15/16 lat - myślę, że będzie to odpowiedni wiek, ponieważ w historii poruszano kilka cięższych tematów, których młodszy czytelnik może niekoniecznie dobrze zrozumieć. Jednakże trzeci tom radziłbym przeczytać po ukończeniu pełnoletności. Może nie znajdziecie tam jakiś bardzo mocnych scen, ale są tam ilustracje, które w młodszym wieku nie powinno się jeszcze widzieć.
„Chcę odrzucić wszelkie konwenanse i wykrzyczeć to całemu światu. Wiem jednak, że później bym tego żałował”.
Pani Takarai udowodniła, że potrafi tworzyć niebanalne historie, w których kluczową rolę grają emocję. Emocje, które nie tylko wpływają na dalsze losy danego bohatera serii, ale również wpływają na nasz osobisty odbiór. Japońska mangaka udowodniła również, że serie przeznaczone dla czytelników 18+ nie zawsze muszą być nasycone pikantnymi scenami, podtekstami itp. To naprawdę utalentowana kobieta, dlatego uważam, że warto zapoznać się z jej twórczością, bądź przynajmniej dać szansę ^^
„Kiedy zacząłeś mnie kochać? Kiedy ja pokochałem Ciebie?”.
It opens with Arikawa dreaming of Misaki again. Then he’s back at the lab. Misaki has to leave early unexpectedly to help the professor. While he’s gone, Arikawa becomes aware that he left his phone because it keeps ringing. He finally answers it because he’s worried it may be important. It’s someone named Satoru Kawabata, and immediately we can tell this guy is bad news.
He asks Arikawa if he’s put his collar on Misaki yet. He says other predatorial stuff and then says how Misaki can’t live without him, and tells Arikawa to give him back when he gets tired of him.
When Misaki finds out he talked to him, of course he freaks out. They have a little bit of an argument, and then they don’t see each other for a few days because Arikawa develops a cold. Misaki wants to see him, though, and finds an excuse to go visit him. They begin talking, but there is obvious tension (sexual) between them. Arikawa tries to give him back the necklace now that he fixed it, but Misaki reminds him that he has told him, “to just throw it away.” Arikawa puts it around his neck, which triggers memories of Kawabata doing the same thing, which causes him to hyperventilate. Arikawa helps him through the episode, and they end up in a long embrace on the floor.
Then we get the backstory on Kawabata. He was close to Misaki’s grandfather, who took care of Misaki after his parents died. He takes advantage of Misaki’s vulnerable state to make moves on him. This cause Misaki all sorts of confusion and distress, and to make matters worse, Kawabata belittles him over it. Kawabata can't accept himself or his part in it, so he projects his self disgust onto Misaki. It’s awful the way he treats him, and it’s no wonder he is so scared of admitting his feelings for Arikawa. Not to mention, Kawabata is still trying to manipulate Misaki over everything that happened.
Later, it seems that the professor hires someone new for the lab, or something to that effect. So when Misaki comes to the lab expecting to see Arikawa he isn’t there. Instead of ignoring his feelings, he decides to go find Arikawa. He finds him at the train station and they begin talking. Then Kawabata shows up to throw a monkey wrench into everything. He starts acting like the predator that he is, and Misaki runs off. He insinuates that Misaki belongs to him. Arikawa basically ignores Kawabata and chases after Misaki.
Once he finds Misaki, he admits his feelings for him. Misaki reacts, saying he can’t go through something like that again, imagining he’d be the “dirty little secret”. Arikawa kisses Misaki, and he freaks out, afraid that people will see (which is the case). Arikawa doesn’t seem to care and kisses him again. He then tells him he broke up with his girlfriend. Misaki protests, saying there must be all sorts of people who want to go out with him, but Arikawa brushes it off and says, “Well, I’m happy with just you.”
At this point it’s late and Misaki missed his last train, so he’ll have to go sleep at the lab. It ends with Arikawa inviting him to come home with him instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Creo que lo que más me gusta de este segundo tomo (aparte de lo precioso que es Misaki todo el tiempo) es cómo describen lo doloroso que puede ser enamorarse de alguien y más cuando uno sobrepiensa. No se puede evitar pensar que todo está mal con uno mismo, tantas inseguridades y dolores pasados. Pero a veces es solo un salto de fe el salir corriendo detrás de alguien o buscarlo para aclarar las cosas, aunque en ese momento la mente queda en blanco pero siempre el corazón le echa una empujadita a la mente para lograrlo. No puedo con lo mucho que adoro este tomo.
Me caga el wey que le hizo tanto daño a Misaki porque por su culpa mi niño no puede evitar pensar lo peor de sí mismo.
Y el abuelo Misaki noooooooo, volver a leer esto cuando se saben otros aspectos de la otra obra duele bien feo. Pero me alegra que al final la carrera que escogió Misaki fue por su abuelo y eso lo conectó con el sensei. En fin, bellísimo tomo (y yo te entiendo, Arikawa, Misaki si se ve precioso llorando).
Youichi is a university law student who seems to have everything going his way. Good student, friends, and a girlfriend. But he's dreaming about someone else. Someone he hasn't met, until a chance run-in at the train station.
His dreams become increasingly vivid. His girlfriend has doubts (and ultimately dumps him). He dreams of Misaki, even though he doesn't know Misaki, until he meets him in a class and immediately confesses to him. Youichi discovers Misaki is an ag student and gets a job in his laboratory. He is drawn to Misaki and can't help but do everything in his power to be close to him.
But Misaki is shrouded in mystery. Endless phone calls, he doesn't answer. He seems accountable to a man who stays in the shadows. He doesn't share anything about himself and is closed off from everyone else. Youichi is determined to help him.
Apart from the dream thing, which ultimately seems weird. I love these characters. It's a slow-burning love story with just the right amount of trauma.
We get the backstory on Misaki's necklace and meet his mysterious caller, who seems more like a stalker really. This guy screams bad vibes and overcontrolling jerk. It's nice to see Arikawa stand up to him, even if Misaki still runs off again. It seems Misaki really did have a hard childhood, though it makes sense now why he spends so much time in the lab given that was his connection to his grandfather, and in a lot of ways, his first love, even if that is a seriously toxic relationship. Misaki seems to be afraid of any relationship as a result of what he's experienced so far and how he keeps falling for boys, but given the parallels he draws with Arikawa and his reactions to the few kisses they've shared up until now, it seems safe to say he's at least interested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Le cose migliorano un po', sia per quanto riguarda il comparto grafico (disegni, forme dei personaggi che cominciano a sembrare universitari e non più liceali, formattazione etc), sia la storia. Finalmente qualcosa si muove, i due riescono a venirsi incontro anche se devono affrontare insieme gli scheletri di Misaki.
Effettivamente già da qui si vede che la storia aveva un grosso potenziale ma è stato sfruttato male, probabilmente per il fatto che l'autore fosse all'inizio. Ma vedremo cosa ci riserva il prossimo volume.
I loved how Arikawa told Kuwabata that "Why would we need permission from somebody else?" because that's exactly it. Kuwabata didn't have the guts to admit to himself, and others, that he liked Misaki and wanted to live "a normal life," but he also didn't want Misaki to move on. Arikawa being so decisive was a breath of fresh air for Misaki, and Misaki is the person who will wait for Arikawa. They're just so cute and compliment each other so well, and I'm glad they've admitted how they feel and can continue to get to know the other and be happy together.
I read this a while ago because I like Rihito Takarai's works, and this trilogy was not a disappointment either. Everything comes together, the drawings, the characters and the story. Out of the series, I liked the last one the best, but I did not read "Capital of Flowers" yet and will do this right away to finally finish this series. I am really a fan of the author, even if I don't like some of the aspects.
We get to find out about Misaki's past and the meaning behind the necklace. We find out more about Satoru and the part he plays in Misaki's life - past and present.
This was a much more emotional and angst volume than I was expecting, but there is a lot to unpack about Misaki and Youichi, together and individually.
Pretty quick read while also being a pretty slow-paced plot overall, at least for me. Left off on a cliffhanger which really isn't much of one, but if the third book is going to be the last one--from what I can tell at least--I'm hoping that the next volume has a pretty satisfying ending, considering what was really brought into the forefront.
Por qué me parece tan corto cada tomo!! Aquí continúa este slow burning romance entre Misaki y Arikawa. Se conoce el pasado de Misaki, y ocurre una linda confesión, aunque la verdad esperaba un chin de spicy jajaja Espero continuar en el próximo tomo con su bello romance! Y el estilo de ilustración? Hermosísimo!!
This was an absolutely fantastic second volume. First, we got some much needed backstory for Misaki that contextualized a lot. Then, we got some conflict that forced both characters to face their emotions. And at the end we got a resolution with a hint of more to come. Perfectly paced, completely captured my attention. Loved it. Can't wait to pick up Volume 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.