Super Cute College Couple + Stalker x Victim
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series The "Flow" in Flower. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to possessiveness, paranoia, breakups (not between the main couple), sexual assault, strained familial relationships, implied homomisia, perceived cheating, BDSM, excessive drinking, breaking and entering, stalking, obsession, noncon/dubcon, blood, attempted self-harm, threats of suicide, attempted suicide, manipulation, social gap, mentions of death, violence, age gap, and somnophilia, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
This volume is split between two couples.
1st Couple
Hiromu is completely in love with his boyfriend, Taku. And Taku is hopelessly infatuated with Hiromu. Bonus: they are neighbors, which means they get to experience newlywed life every day by cooking dinner together, sleeping at each other’s places, and spending every moment of free time together. But it’s not enough for Taku. Taku wants to live with Hiromu, but no matter how many times he asks, Hiromu just won’t agree to it. Taku isn’t one to give up, but it will take a lot to sway Hiromu.
Hiromu has a history, and he’s not willing to risk his relationship with Taku because of it.
2nd Couple
Satoshi is a fairly popular host. It’s not his preferred career path, but it makes him enough to pay off debts and earn a comfortable living, so he works it. Unfortunately, he ends up drinking too much while at work, and on the way home, he starts to put the moves on an awkward convenience store cashier. Satoshi forgets all about it until the cashier breaks into Satoshi’s house and proclaims their love for one another. It’s scary, sure, but Satoshi is hardly afraid of the scrawny cashier.
He turns the tables on the little guy, giving him quite a romp, which leads to a much more permanent situationship than either of them expects.
Review:
I need to admit I adore Tsutako Tsurusawa. With that being said, I am extremely biased. I always do my best to be fair and honest regardless, but if you’re hoping for a teardown, this isn’t it. I’ve reviewed all of Tsutako Tsurusawa‘s cat-man-world-what-have-you manga series, and I love them. While this title doesn’t have anything to do with that world, it made me miss them all the same. This artist’s style is very sketchy, so if you’re looking for pristine artwork, this isn’t it. It’s also very inconsistent and has a ton of sound effects and moans, which aren’t my favorite things in the world, but it has that down-to-earth style I can’t help but love. The first couple doesn’t embody the cat-boy series style as much as the second (I mean, Satoshi and Kakeru look like early designs of some of the cat-people from the other series), but if you love the art and designs from that series, I have no doubt you’ll love this title.
Story-wise, for me, the first isn’t as successful as the second. I adore the dynamic between Taku and Hiromu, especially since they are an established couple, which we rarely see in BL, but it feels a bit hollow. We’re presented with the conflict: Hiromu is afraid to move in because of his past. But it’s resolved instantly. That was beyond disappointing. I was really hoping for some intense character growth and, in turn, relationship growth for Hiromu. Instead, we see a little tension, the two tumble in bed, and then Hiromu agrees to move in together – and that’s all within the first chapter. The crux of what I thought was the narrative is done in the most anticlimactic way possible.
I was hoping for something more in the second chapter, but then we get the bizarre moment where Hiromu’s brother comes to stay with them. I can kind of understand a teenager being curious about same-sex sex and relationships, especially if it’s not readily available, but that doesn’t make it any less weird that he actively tries to peek at his brother and Taku having sex. Then, Taku wanting to show off having sex in front of Hiromu’s little brother is so icky, too. Add on that the little brother is in high school, and it’s never stated how old he actually is, and this is just a mountain of ickiness. This is pretty common with Tsutako Tsurusawa. I adore their work so much, but they do drop in some super weird things that could easily be left out without messing up the narrative.
But that’s enough about the title couple. My preferred couple was certainly Satoshi and Kakeru. It’s noncon/dubcon, stalker and victim, smutty goodness. It’s not going to be for everyone, certainly, but they really spoke to me. They reminded me of the couple from Saving My Favorite For Last. They’re not identical, but they feel like they might have been templates. You’ve got the awkward little romantic bottom with a handsome, and in the case of this title, semi-famous top. Takeru is much crueler, but I love the prospect of the stalking victim turning the tables on the stalker. I also love when the one who refuses to admit he has feelings for his partner steadily falls in love. This just had so much to love for me.
Results:
While the first couple isn’t the best, both have their strong points. You get the fluffy, established couple in the first, and then you get the toxic situationship evolving into romance in the second. For me, this ended on a high note, and that means the most. Is it a favorite? Not quite. But I did enjoy it.
Have you read The "Flow" in Flower? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!