...but I love this story. It definitely suffers from some classically yaoi issues (though it's nothing compared to the worst offenders), but it's honestly refreshing that both main characters are actually recognized as terrible within the story. I think this is the first time I've genuinely rooted for the aggressor, though.

This is not a heartwarming romance, it doesn't end with anyone realizing the error of their ways, they don't become better people. They're interestingly flawed characters, though, and it's a compelling story. I recommend this to perverts and people who have read enough yaoi to not be 100% put off by some measly stalking and sexual coercion as the start of a relationship.

edit: jk the sequel is the most thoughtful exploration of love I've read this is incredible everyone should read it

As a fan of this author, this one really pissed me off .
Both main characters are trash and so unlikable.
Kyoichi is a good for nothing hypocrite guy with zero decency or sympathy. He deserves nothing.

The other dude is a big manipulative a**hole , stalker obsessive freak who treat his partners like garbage and throw them out like it's nothing for some random dude he fall 10 years ago BUT the most funny is he look decent next Kyoichi and I find him too good for a pathetic loser like Kyoichi.

The only good thing about this manga is the female character , too bad she love a loser like Kyoichi.

And for ppl who said it's realistic ,ppl like them live out there blah blah , guess what?! I f*king hate ppl like them in real world too.
I LOVE realistic stories but this one is not even realistic 😂

I enjoy after school nightmare, so I found this one. I really enjoy the story. It’s not over the top, the typical BL series. The artwork is pretty enjoyable. The characters can be very complex but very different. I enjoy this plus the sequel.

Mizushiro has a lot of good stories but this one is horrible. I don't know if she's bi-phobic or clearly clueless of the theme she tries to explore, but she'd better stick with fantasy-ish shounen-ai because her attempt to make story realistic made manga problematic instead.

This is a series that I'm still hoping to get a licensed from one of the galley companies out there. I read a quite a few times especially when I first completed this series and it was very different from very other yowies that I read. It was very realistic very understandable and very sad as well. It's something that can relate to deep within my heart and understand these relationships compared to other yowies that I've read before and I still very much enjoy the series regardless how sad it was period I can totally understand the two characters point of view of being gay and not being gay and I really want to collect this series so much. So for those who are tired of reading your typical yaoi everyday I'm looking for more down-to-earth kind of ordeals I would say give this one a go.

Note: This comment is a self-contained reflection on this manga. I wrote Part 1 because I am also commenting on the squeal as well with the same subject title.

To be honest the plot and art were both off-putting for me. Normally, forced sexual relationships where Stockholm syndrome is normalized is anathema to me, and I avoid art form with this content. The plot of this manga is essentially the type that I hate the most because it just seemed to feed into the trope that "homosexuals are evil people who turn healthy, normal straight people gay" and the depiction of Imagase as this clingy, possessive, stalker, blackmailer, and to top it all off moody gay person was really off putting.

BUT,
MIZUSHIRO Setona-sensei takes this very trop and shreeds it. Completely decimates it. As Baniita, has commented on the originality of this manga there are very few other things left to say.

One point that I would like to discuss is the concept of love that is depicted here. Mizushiro-sensei really does pose a good question; will we spend our lives with anyone as long as we know with absolute certainty that the other person unconditionally, and devotionally, loves us?
I feel that yaoi/shounen ai/yuri/shoujo ai/ trans/gender bender really operates on this principle, and that this form of love can be more clearly brought out within these genres exactly because they are stigmatized.

On a concluding note; given that this manga is so GREAT why am I rating it an 8.8? Well, that's because as I said in the starting this comment is a self-contained reflection on this manga. I am not going to link this up with the squeal and judge the prequel and squeal as one because that's just wrong. If I had to rerate it I would easily give this a 9.7.
In fact, it is the squeal that really made me appreciate this one; so much so that I had to re-read this to see what I missed before because of my prejudices.

The wife was a b*tch, but the former college girlfriend seems like someone who can actually get along with and even change a douchebag coward like the main character, and I like her. Too bad this is a yaoi manga.

Anyways, the main character is the biggest as*hole I've seen thus far. He victimizes himself out of convenience, and expects others to allow him to keep acting like someone with no ties. He lies to others, cheats, and does all these terrible things, then makes up excuses for it.

I wonder why the gay dude fell in love with someone like this?

This series is one of the earliest yaoi manga i ever read back in the day. And let me just say, i am so glad to have read it. First off, the story is very captivating. It begins with these two men having some kind relationship with each other due to blackmail, which was enforced by Imagase. Now this whole dark atmosphere surrounding the topic of adultery really caught my attention. It was interesting and i really wanted to know what the future held for these two. The characters were so complex and realistic.

The unrequited feelings Imagase had for Kyouichi could be felt at an emotional level. I was so immensely moved by how the mangaka portrayed his emotions throughout the series. It was truly heartbreaking, tragic and beautiful at the same time. So much drama and unexpected turns were shown in the sequel and in my opinion, the drama worked perfectly. Most stories i've read, drag on with so much unnecessary drama, but in the sequel it is something that feels so natural. Honestly, people who start out in new environments and relationships develop major insecurities and sometimes this negative feeling takes over you. And that's what happened to both of these characters and seeing how they dealt with their problems was realistic. These two characters are not easily likable and most people do not find them attractive because of their flaws. But the thing is, they are human and that's probably why. They aren't sugar coated.

I love this series so much and re-read it countless times because no other yaoi manga has ever made me feel so invested in a pairing emotionally. The art is simple and yet some of the scenes drawn out were really beautiful. This series is not in any way a fluffy love story, so if you're looking for something different and gritty read this.

Just kidding about the time travelling of course.

At first I was confused why this series had such a high rating, both MCs are pretty messed up and one's really wishy washy. I read the sequel and I gotta let the new readers know that it definitely gets better.

The sequel brings out the actual resolution

AND THERE'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I was really frustrated with Kyouichi's indecisiveness, I don't deal with MC bullshit, but I stuck on, and I think so should you guys!

.. to be among the few that didn't enjoy in the least bit this manga specifically and this series generally. The art was the first thing that put me off, but fairly speaking it's the characters and story telling that got me the most, in a negative way that is. I might have failed to see the sparks between the couple but it's the whole development that I couldn't get at all. The build that led to future happenings just baffled me terribly and left me unsatisfactorily unanswered. In short I didn't, no, couldn't, sympathise with anything, and normally that wouldn't be too good of a response would it.