Amish Man Meets Former Dancer Turned Sex Worker/Waiter
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Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series The Scene of My Rumspringa. 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 mentions of terminal illness, prejudice, religion, experience gap, dubcon, mentions of drug addiction and drug use, violence, self-deprecation, homomisia, mentions of military, death, being orphaned, blood, age gap, sexual assault, excommunication, and attempted rape, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Oswald’s life is at a standstill. It wasn’t all that long ago that he was ambitious, heading straight to New York City with dreams of dancing on Broadway. Unfortunately, his confidence easily crumbled when, time and time again, he was overlooked at every audition and even forced to sell himself to executives just to get the most minor jobs. Disheartened and disillusioned, he moved out of the city and took a job as a waiter at a bar where he lives, dances for extra tips, and continues to sell himself for extra cash. Every day is the same routine, that is, until he encounters a new stranger at the bar.
The man, Theo, turns out to be from the Amish, out and about for his Rumspringa. Oswald doesn’t know much about the Amish, and he never really cared, but when he accidentally mistakes Theo’s attempts to buy alcohol for the first time for an attempt to buy him, he ends up entangling himself in this young man’s life. The two quickly fall into a comfortable life together, but Rumspringa is temporary, and Oswald knows better than anyone how quickly a person’s plans can change.
Review:
It took me a long time to read this, even though it had been recommended to me in the past, partly because the cover art dissuaded me. The art style looks a bit antiquated, and the styling of the cover art isn’t all that appealing. Was it a fair assessment on my part? No, but it did keep me uninterested until now, and how sad I am that I waited so long. The art isn’t perfect. It leans toward the older manga style (think Cyborg 009) with very large, round facial features, and it is a bit inconsistent, but it is generally very clean and beautiful. Some scenes in particular will take your breath away, so if, like me, you are turned off by the cover art or are generally picky about your art, don’t let this one pass you by for those reasons alone. You will be doing yourself a disservice if you do.
But enough about the art. What really won me over on this one was the story, and there is a lot to talk about, so let’s dive right in. We begin focusing heavily on Oswald, a disillusioned dancer who feels stuck in the humdrum of his mediocre life. Theo acts not only as a love interest, but as a way to see the world in a new way. Everything to Theo is new and exciting, and even things that are scary or horrible, such as the prejudice and violence he experiences, don’t deter him from exploring all that the world has to offer. Fear of failure and loss has plagued Oswald for a long time, but experiencing unabashed bravery and a willingness to fail opens him up to those same things.
However, it is not enough to encourage him to do things he longs to do, such as dance. It just makes him comfortable enjoying the life he is already living, like a happy stagnation. It isn’t until Theo brings him back to his village and he sees the simple, happy life Theo has lived before, and when he learns that the end of Rumspringa comes when a person decides to return to the Amish or be excommunicated forever, that he realizes exploring things causes one to lose the comfortable happiness even he has become accustomed to. It is a powerful moment when he and Theo both come to face the real question: are they willing to give up the happiness they know now to possibly face sadness in pursuit of a happiness they can’t foresee? Oswald makes the decision for Theo and leaves him behind, and Theo accepts it, feeling that the only reason it is worth abandoning his life with the Amish is Oswald himself. It is a very powerful moment, especially as we learn that Oswald’s fears are based on his military father’s death in Vietnam and the pressure he put on himself to become a dancer, not because he loved dance, but because he wanted to achieve his dad’s dream of seeing him dance on stage.
Now, while all of this is very powerful and moving as Oswald and Theo make the bittersweet decision to be together and try to achieve their dreams, there are some narrative elements that are a bit muddled. The main antagonist of the narrative is Danny, an Amish man who is going to marry Theo’s cousin, and who feels strongly about getting Theo back home for two reasons. The clear reason is that his older brother decided to leave and was excommunicated, and he doesn’t want to lose Theo, but the unclear reason is an attraction Danny seems to have for Theo. It is mentioned and hinted at, but it isn’t all that clear to me. Chloe, the woman marrying him, also doesn’t seem to think that or is confused by that when Theo mentions it. Chloe seems to represent someone making the hard decision to choose between two types of love (the love of the outside world vs the love for Danny, in her case), and feeling regret or trapped by her choice, which I love, as she shows the reality of making choices in life: you may be happy at the end of the day, but there may still be some regret for that unchosen path. But the weirdness around Danny muddles a lot of that message, which is unfortunate.
Before I close out this review, I do want to note that there is a spin-off/sequel focusing on Danny’s brother who left before Theo. Unfortunately, it has not been licensed yet, but I would love to read it one day. Sending out all the vibes the sequel gets picked up and officially translated.
Results:
I really enjoyed this, which surprised me. The art style typically isn’t my thing, and I wouldn’t say the story’s themes are all that unique. However, the way the story is told and the characters that were crafted to explore it make all the difference. The art style is also a modernized, elevated version of classic art styles, which makes it more appealing, even to an art snob like me. This ended up being a favorite of mine, and I am so glad I finally took the plunge and read it. It is a very sweet and sexy morsel, and I highly recommend it. Fingers crossed we get the sequel someday.
Have you read The Scene of My Rumspringa? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
