Setagawa si è ormai perfettamente calato nei panni di una graziosa e servizievole mogliettina. Lo sregolato professor Kosuke decide così di organizzargli una sorpresa: il loro primo viaggetto insieme! Mentre Setagawa continua a tormentarsi facendosi mille domande tra un batticuore e l’altro, nubi nere si addensano sulla coppia formata da Hasekura e Kensuke…
Uh-oh! Smells like jealousy, brewing infidelity, terrible fights, and break-ups for the next volume. I'm frigging nervous! This is terrible! Loving someone is hell. Indeed, Asaya. Indeed, it is. Anyway, poor boy! I hope Ken would soon figure out himself and his real feelings. And lol, I need a glimpse of Ayaka and Honjou's relationship when they're alone and true to their feelings, like, so bad! Nah, who am I kidding? Memeco will never draw them like that. Even Honjou only appears for the sake of humor. I can only wonder about them, lol. But they're so chaotic that I ship them so bad!
There was just something off about this volume and I still can't even put my finger on it.
The first bit that threw me through a loop was Hasekura and Masahiro's issue with each other. One minute they are decent with each other and the next Hasekura is this grumbling mess. Is it because Hasekura is jealous of Masahiro and Kousuke's relationship? I mean I guess I understand that, but that is no one's fault but his own. He wants something in his own relationship and isn't grateful for what he already has. So to take it out on Masahiro, who is dealing with his own shit, is a really crappy move.
The ending, does not connect to the story and was unnecessary. I understand we need a *gasp* moment but was this moment necessary. I hope when I go into the next volume that Masahiro does not get the blame for what is to come because this is all on Hasekura and his unmanageable emotions.
I also felt like this volume took a step backwards when it came to character development, specifically communication between partners. It was like we were back at volume one again and no communication was happening at all. I understand Masahiro's insecurities. Due to his age and hormones, I think he will be struggling with this for awhile. However, that does not excuse the other older characters.
There was definitely a lot of cute and fluffy moments and I really felt like progress was being made with Masahiro and the other characters, up until the last 15 pages or so. I just hope that this ending doesn't put the characters back to square one. I understand it was for suspense and the OMFG effect; however, it just felt really out of place. Granted we were literally warned in one scene, 20 or so pages earlier.
This is one of my favorite manga's to read from beginning to end I always love each story from the main to supporting characters. I enjoy them all but this story threw me for a loop I was and still am a bit confused as to why Mashiro and Hasuke were at odds only to commit infidelity later on in the story. With all that Kosuke and Mashiro have to face with the age difference, insecurities, jealousy and hiding the fact that their together add in the fear of being found out why throw cheating into the mix? Call me crazy but I like HEA with the couple being faithful to each other.
Not sure how I felt about this one. I am NOT a fan of the cliffhanger, so some of that will definitely depend on how it's handled in the next volume. (I got nervous and skimmed ahead and am even less happy, so we'll see.) And the rest was kind of an odd mix of emotional upheaval.
The good parts: I really loved how Setagawa went out of his way to fetch Kousuke from the bar and talk to him openly about everything that had been going on with his mom and his own emotional turmoil. It's still difficult for him, but I appreciate that he's opening up about that difficulty, too. Some conversations are never easy, no matter how close you are, but they genuinely have such a solid, good relationship where they can be honest with each other, even when it's tough.
I also liked that he and his mom talked. They have a complicated relationship, and definitely need to split ways soon so Setagawa stops being his own mother's caretaker, but I like that his mom isn't being portrayed as evil or intentionally selfish. She wouldn't have just stolen his ring if she'd really understood that it was important to him. And she's not trying to drag him down. He's just so strong and independent and resilient that she's gotten used to not thinking of him as someone she needs to worry about. Maybe the fight was ultimately kind of good for them, in that way. (Although the fact that she thinks a guy hitting her only one time makes him a good person is...distressing. Her current boyfriend is obviously not great for her, either, and that's who she'll wind up living with whenever her son moves out.)
But yeah, it's good that he and Kousuke talked about all that, too. Setagawa was afraid of Kousuke finding out the dark, difficult things about him, but that's never been an issue; he just wants to know him fully, no matter how messy it is.
What's kind of surprising me is that Kousuke is the one who's absolutely head over heels gone for Setagawa; I'm guessing the direct translation of his "I love you from the bottom of my heart" is "aishiteru," which would be a very dramatic and pretty rare expression of love. That's why Setagawa kind of flips out about it and doesn't exactly know how to react. He's happy, of course, but that is an all in statement from Kousuke, which, ironically, makes Setagawa start worrying that he isn't actually.
Some of this I like, too. Setagawa is very much aware that Natsuo is in love with Kousuke, and suspects that Kousuke himself is unaware. But he's torn between being perfectly fine with Kousuke's popularity - knowing that his boyfriend is 100% loyal to him - and tearing himself up over not knowing everything about Kousuke's past. Did he ever date Natsuo? Who else has he been with? Has he told other people that he loves them, with that level of passion and sincerity? Suggesting a weekend getaway date is so easy for him, he must've done it before, with other people. Is anything in their relationship new to Kousuke, or is Setagawa just another in a long line of people who've been in love with him?
He's driving himself crazy over all this because he knows, rationally, that Kousuke adores him and that their relationship is really great. But he's prone to finding cracks in things to pry his fingers into until they break...so he can prove himself right that they were too fragile to last.
I'm kind of meh on the whole Hasekura siblings showing up at the same seaside resort on the same weekend thing, because they were having such a fantastic time without that wrench thrown in, and I felt like some of the scenes were pretty unnecessary. Like, I didn't really get the whole deal with Setagawa getting a nosebleed and passing out from seeing Ayaka in a swimsuit - what was that supposed to convey, exactly? And I reread Kousuke's grumpy inner monologue a few times without understanding what he was mad about. He's not annoyed that Setagawa objectively found a pair of big breasts overwhelming, or jealous of Ayaka herself, but I genuinely couldn't figure out what that inner dialogue about "if I was a female teacher" was supposed to mean.
I liked the messy, difficult, upsetting part after, with Setagawa hating himself for being so insecure about everything with their relationship. I fully understand that kind of turmoil, where you know you're creating your own problems but you just can't stop yourself, which sends you into a spiral because you then make it all worse and worse.
This, I know, is a kind of terrible thing to say, but in the world of BL it's actually a big deal: I like that when Setagawa is truly not in the mood to do things, Kousuke never pushes it. He's fully annoyed and disappointed that they took a whole weekend retreat and Setagawa's just going to flop into his own futon and not touch or be touched, but he sighs about it once and then prepares to go to sleep himself. Until he realizes Setagawa is crying, and immediately asks him to please talk about it so he'll understand why.
This is so good, actually. The whole "if you don't tell me I won't understand." Incredibly solid communication. A+ teacher.
Setagawa...less so. He runs away. Again, not bad, and in character for him, and I laughed at the scene of him standing on the balcony railing - not actually going to jump, but being dramatic because that's who he is.
I liked the conversation with Hasekura, too, because I like their friendship. Until it took that stupid, frustrating turn that just, again, felt unnecessary. I mean, I know why Hasekura's doing it; he's trying to make Ken jealous enough to want to be with him as an actual boyfriend, which apparently they haven't been all this time.
I don't know why I'd thought their love story was all neatly wrapped up in a bow. From Hitorijime Boyfriend, they actually had way more problems from the start, so it makes sense that none of those have been resolved. I hadn't realized, though, that Hasekura had just fully backed off on the romantic/physical side of things, waiting for Ken to be ready, while Ken happily settled into the Very Close Super Great Friendship that he'd wanted all along. Hasekura is his favorite, but he's giving off some pretty strong ace-type vibes at this point, where he just isn't very interested in doing anything other than hanging out.
Hasekura, meanwhile, is about ready to explode, and it's been driving him crazy that Setagawa keeps coming to him for advice about a relationship that is so much more developed and in line with what he wants from his. Even Ayaka comments on Kousuke and Setagawa having a great relationship; they're best friends and partners and lovers and it's all meshing together wonderfully. Not perfect, yeah, but making really great progress.
The other jarring bit was Kousuke's teacher colleague seeing them on their trip - and being with some guy I don't remember being in the story before? Is he a student? What is going on there? Do we really need another random complication like that?
We'll see. There was some absolutely great stuff in this volume and some that made me go ???
By this time, all the gimmicks used to keep me interested in this series are wearing thin. There are still some cute, funny gags, as when Kensuke wails that Hasekura’s “become an oni (ogre or troll) again.” But the constant presence of tertiary characters, like all the students that gather at Kousuke's house, is just extra work to keep track of who’s who for not very much reward. Plus, it's now clear that 28 year old Kousuke is “doing” 16 year old Setegawa, his student. Aside from being thoroughly immoral, Setegawa is not only left with all of his regular teen anxieties, he know has to contend with anxieties over pleasing his teacher in bed in addition to losing his teacher to someone else. The author seems to think Kousuke's declarations of love for Setegawa makes this situation equal somehow. But Kousuke determines when and where they have sex (read: whenever Kousuke wants to get his rocks off, regardless of Setegawa’s feelings); he knows how to manipulate Setegawa’s emotions and proudly admits it; and only deals with the emotional turmoil he causes Setegawa when ge feels like it. What Arii passes off as a comedy is really an immoral, dysfunctional depiction of child abuse and child rape passed off as entertainment. This might be BL, but other BL titles have grown up and grown with the times. To top it off, the novel but extremely mediocre art now just comes off as dreadful.
This installment continues it's semi-fast paced exploration of Masahiro and Kouske's relationship. The more I read the more I think some of these volumes could be combined to become more cohesive, but I also understand that it's just a light and fun read.
I had fun reading, but I was honestly pretty confued by why Masahiro was in a constant state of panic. I get the jealousy of Natsou, but he kept getting oddly upset at all interactions Kouske had with anyone. I guess he's obsessively possesive which leads to his jealousy with everyone around Kouske.
I liked how both Masahiro and Kouske were introspective about how they were feeling and why they felt the way they did, feels like actual progress happening in these volumes, even when the more obvious issues are still present.
I also liked that this story focused on Asaya, even though this series isn't about him and Kensuke, it was nice for the book to expand on him more since he's one of the lead supporting characters. I also love the drama and mess at the end, I know people probably don't like it but i'm not here to be a hater. I loved it and it makes me want to read the next volume asap.
Fun read, fun series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Though this was better than the last volume I couldn't help feeling frustrated with Masahiro. I mean, I understand that he's feeling insecure and I know this is the first time that he's ever had to deal with those types of feelings but I just wasn't in the right headspace to deal with it, lol. I was just annoyed for most of the story and that's just a reflection of me and not the story itself. The ending was really good and I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous Masahiro looked with that stupid slipper on his head. Like, was life so horrible for him that he know longer cared that it was there? LOL 😭😭😭 I'm looking forward to seeing the resolution to the conflicts in this story in book 6. What Hasekura's going through right now kind of makes me feel a little bad for him.. just a little.
What was that?? That's a terrible cliffhanger and of course I don't have volume 6 on hand. I feel like things are going to go badly in the next volume if Hasekura Asaya actually follows through on that possible kiss at the end.
Kousuke invites Masahiro to a hot springs and while the plans don't go as, well, planned, they surprisingly meet with Asaya and his sister Ayaka at the same hot springs. Masahiro has assumed that Natsuo likes Kousuke and also feels jealous of Kousuke's friendship with Ayaka. Kensuke and Ayasa's relationship is currently not going so well which leads to a possible issue in volume 6.
With Masahiro and Kousuke's age difference and personalities, there's going to be some rocky moments in their relationship and I think we are going to see some trouble happen in vol 6.
I’m not sure if I like this series as much as I did in the beginning. It’s a whole lot of fluff, as in most of the dialogue is just Masahiro feeling pressured and guilty for things that aren’t his fault? Most of the time there is dialogue it feels like it’s not progressing the plot at all and so it makes my brain feel like it’s spinning in circles trying to figure out what the issue is.
The twist at the end of this volume did make me very happy and I hope that the too explore their relationship more in the future volumes.
I’m also not a fan of how submissive/ unappreciative of himself(?) Masahiro is. He needs to stick up for himself more and get some damn self respect!!!!
We have another volume from this Japanese Student/teacher romance. I find this manga confusing to read and keep track of all the people who sort of look alike.
Now, the story is weird. So, there is a lot of guilt the student has. So what is this issue about? The student and teacher are going on a little holiday together for a weekend get-away. That's not icky at all. It's a lot of pressure on the student, so he is constantly close to a meltdown, it seems.
I keep reading this and it's interesting enough. I can't believe it had a big enough audience in Japan to get 14 volumes. Really? I don't get the story.
This is told in such a jumbled way. I feel like it takes me too long to figure out what's going on. I also don't like how it'll suddenly switch from the main story to a side story not related to the main plot with no indication that it's an unrelated story.
Anyway Masahiro is such a good boy. So precious. I love him. I don't care too much for Kousuke. Like I don't hate him, but I don't really like him all that much either. I can understand why Masahiro likes him, but idk. He's fine. He's got his moments, but nothing about him draws me in.
These panels are so disembodied most of the time. I have to reread pages three times to figure out who is talking or in the same place with each other.
I highly enjoyed their story this go around though. It is always flattering when your loved one gets jealous. Setagawa gives a lot of beautiful angish to the story. I can't wait to learn more of his past and to watch him come out of his shell with Kou.
Quina ràbia que les imatges a color de la coberta i del principi siguin tan cuquis quan després la història és una decepció constant :/ Em planto en aquest volum, no puc més d'aquesta relació tan desigual i de dependència absoluta, amb un age gap esgarrifós i un adult més immadur que l'adolescent amb qui està sortint. És que literalment ❌ TODO MAL ❌, pobre Masahiro fins i tot el xicot del seu amic el tracta fatal. PROU, no es pot aguantar tanta manipulació!!! :'(
Another 5 starts. I'm really liking this manga series. I like how we get to see the characters grow and communicate better (they still need to do a lot more communicating) But omg the ending I did not expect that. I'm hoping it's just a joke. I hope in future volumes they develop their communication about their feelings more.
El ritmo ha mejorado a diferencia del anterior volumen. Los celos de Hasekura sobre la relación de Masahiro y Kousuke quizá fue lo mejor de la historia, ya que se potencial para el siguiente volumen. Masahiro y Kousuke son tan lindos y me encanta lo recto que es Masahiro y lo liberal de Kousuke.
I finally got my little bit of drama I wanted. It was great! Plus that fucking cliffhanger UGH. And of course the one with a cliffhanger is the last one I currently have so I can’t jump straight into the next volume as I please. Seriously can’t wait until I get my hands on volume 5.
Masahiro is becoming increasing more annoying with each volume. He seems to switch from being fine to needlessly worrying/crying about something that isn't even an issue and could be solved by just talking to the person involved!
Trouble is brewing in paradise. This manga does not really have a heavy plot, it's more slice-of-life, so the narrative occasionally feel a bit slow and then a lot happens and then slow. I hope a lot of relationship trouble will not be the norm.
Masahiro is getting on my neeeeeeerves right now, just communicate!! Tell him what you’re thinking/feeling, give him something. Also Hasekura, what was that dude?! Seriously though, I need them to start doing better in the communication department or I might cry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.