[frubam]

Oh boi oh boi... got sucked down the rabbit hole on this one ! Was just too d**n good to put down, but I managed to stop myself at chp 39 since it finally stopped with the crazy cliffhangers. Wanna take at least a day to put things in perspective; let the events marinate a little.

Spoiler for up to 39:

Man that was some crazy ride. Rei just can't catch a break. I applaud the level of writing such a character where it really feels like he's cornered by the circumstances that he doesn't have full control over. Not for anything stupid or unbelievable, but when almost everyone around him has some screw loose, and has some kind of authority over him, he can't do anything but be a victim of circumstance.

I love love love Chako though. I mean, she's super cute, and I love how plump she is(a plump female lover should be more utilized imo =0v!). Their friendship feels like the most stable thing in the series so far, although even that's been shaken up quite a bit since the beginning. She's the one who seems best for Rei, but still putting some weight on his shoulders. The thing I like most about her is that it feels like she wants to protect Rei and vice-versa. She slapped him because she knows Rei was with Ms. Shiba, but there's a contradicting nature about it that makes me more appreciative of it; like she isn't just going to accept anything he does just because she loves him. Side note: glad her first time wasn't with Mr. Esemori. Also glad her first time wasn't the forced moment in the manga cafe either, but I do want it to be with Rei, if it happens.

Ms. Shiba, I feel sorry for. She was cornered herself, and tried to ignore it as much as possible, but getting involved with Rei, I can see her finding some value in herself by trying to support and help him. Unfortunately, that support turned into dependence, and now she so insecure about losing the one relationship she's built up with him(particularly after losing her virginity, if I'm not mistaken) she's stalking him. She's probably the craziest one so far, but i get it.

Rei's mother... man what can you say? She's also shackled to her mother and dropout son. Its possible that the emotional abuse she got from Rei's father could play a part as to why she's so afraid of Rei's older brother. Then she ended up being the sex slave of Gen's dad for years, because she was trying to protect Rei. It'd be too much for Rei to just dip and leave his mother behind after learning the truth. She's also become so dependent on Rei emotionally that I think she would probably kill herself for real if Rei committed suicide. Small note: I'm not to fond of adult-child incest, and I was certain how Rei's mother was giving him those looks when she was laying in bed with him in that one chapter that it was going to happen... I'm assuming it didn't, based on the after-chap view of that scene. Perhaps the whole thing about her having sex with Gen's dad as "payment" for kicking Rei's abusive father out of town isn't the only reason. Maybe I read to many h-manga, but a common theme in theme in the cheating genre is "forgetting everything and losing one's self to the pleasure" at least in that moment. Maybe Rei's mother is actually using Gen's dad, and not the way the reader would usually think?

Gen is certainly an asshole, but I guess he loves Rei in his own way? I assume there'll be something more to his story, cause they haven't focused on him concretely yet, but it certainly is some twisted kind of love for sure. Not sure if he's just possessive, or wants something more romantic, but I'm intrigued either way. Doubt it'll redeem him in my eyes though.

Nagi... I don't have much to say about actually. She put the idea of suicide in his mind and, in a way, started this whole mess. Despite her wanting to kill herself, she seems the most stable of the bunch(unless you count Mr. Esemori); very mature. But her reasoning to suicide as explained to Rei didn't feel like the whole picture. So its kind of hard to completely judge her, but based on what we've seen so far, she feels more like a big sister, supporting Rei when its needed, but not relying on him specifically. Its like she allows herself to be an outlet for Rei's feelings, but knows when to step back and let him breathe. In this regard, maybe she's the best for Rei right now, but sorry, I'm way past sailing on the Chako ship right now. FULL STEAM AHEAD!

Anyway, wonderful story so far. I didn't know the creator that did Hatsuzom was also the one that did Himegoto. Looked after seeing that in the comment and yep, sure was. I quite enjoyed that one, including the ending, so if that's what I can expect, I think even if the all parties involved are screwed, I know at least it'll have a reasonable explanation for the things that happened. But yeah, really, really enjoying this, even though I suck putting all of my thoughts into coherent comments these days. The drama puts me at the edge of my seat... okay okay... gotta stop, else I'll hype myself back up and start reading again .