Fashion Student Meets Famous Model – His Idol
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Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Punks Triangle. 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 excessive drinking, social gap, gossiping, blood, implied drug use, peer pressure, strained familial relationships, divorce (not between the main couple), cheating (not between the main couple), overwork, and amateur piercing, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Chiaki is a student, taking fashion design classes at night to one day become a full-fledged fashion designer. But his ultimate dream gets much more specific than that. He wants a specific model to one day wear the clothes he’s made and walk them down the runway. His dreams turn out to be more achievable than he initially imagined, as his class is collaborating with a fashion line for a competition, and the winner will have their clothes worn by none other than Ai, a famous model, and also Chiaki’s idol. Chiaki is determined to win, but there is just one problem.
He has to work in a team with another student, but Chiaki sees everyone in class as an enemy.
So, while all of the decent designers team up, Chiaki is left with the most clumsy designer (and poorly dressed person) in class, Enaga. He is pretty sure his chances are shot. But then, by chance, he meets Ai out on the street, and the two start hanging out. Renewed and inspired, Chiaki is determined not only to finally dress Ai, but make his collaboration with Enaga successful. What Chiaki fails to realize is that in helping Enaga, he might be getting closer to Ai than he ever could hope for.
Review:
The aesthetic on the cover of this is what drew me in. The way these characters dress is exactly how I wish I’d dressed in middle and high school, and I am such a sucker for people who can express themselves so authentically like this. And authenticity actually plays a huge role in this, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Let’s stay focused on the art. This is very sketchy. The faces are stunning, and if you like the art of kang pu con or Takashi Takahashi, you will like this. The facial features are very angular and narrow, but very expressive and striking all at the same time. Unfortunately, the bodies, and especially the hands, are very disproportionate in comparison. The hands sometimes look like gloves with little to no detail, and the bodies appear super bulky, though that could be due to the layered clothes. Regardless, it isn’t perfect, but it can be very beautiful.
On the story front, I go back and forth on how successful this was. Before we get too deep into the nitty-gritty, I think it is worth mentioning that there is little to no sexual content until after the main story. There is an intense petting scene that includes amateur belly button piercing (yum), but there is no penetration until after all is said and done. So, for my degenerates out there, if you are hoping for tons of sexy time, that isn’t in this title. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of intimate and sensual moments; they are just on the more clothed side of the spectrum.
Now, onto the story. As I mentioned before, authenticity plays a major role in the narrative. The punk aesthetic, through which Chiaki chooses to express himself, is a very authentic style. In a homogenous society like the one he is in, it helps him present who he truly is on the inside. But he is drawn to the authenticity of the punk style, not only because it is Ai’s style or because he feels it is just who he wants to be, but because his parents lied to him for years, leading up to their divorce. He was blindsided and felt embarrassed, living in ignorance. This traumatic moment in his past sets up the crux of the narrative: that Ai and Enaga are the same person.
This is also where the story’s title comes into play. There is, of course, attraction between Chiaki and Ai, but also a budding romance between Chiaki and Enaga. So, while it isn’t technically a love triangle, it is a triangle from Chiaki’s perspective. The best part about this is during the most intimate moment of the main story, after Ai pierces Chiaki’s belly button, he goes in for a kiss, and Chiaki avoids it, thinking of Enaga. This suggests that he has started to fall in love with Enaga, and that he recognizes what he feels for Ai might be limited to superficial idolatry. But what’s great is that Enaga is actually Ai’s real name, so rather than impersonating a fake person, he is being himself, just a different aspect of himself. I wish the reveal that he was being authentic in both identities had come a bit earlier, as I think it would have made Chiaki’s feelings of betrayal feel a bit more powerful, but it wasn’t the worst. I really liked these narrative choices overall.
Results:
This was strong. It isn’t perfect, both in art and story, but it is overall a really nice read. There is also a sequel series that I am really looking forward to. But that is by the by. Overall, this is a perfectly serviceable story about someone learning the difference between love and fandom, reconciling with past trauma, and realizing that a person can be multi-faceted. There is better out there, but it is a good time nonetheless. I recommend it.
Have you read Punks Triangle? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
