The only reason this show lost a star is because I feel a little guilty for loving it so much.
*spoilers*
*sensitive content*
*spoilers*
*sensitive content*
*you've had fair warning*
As someone that has been a victim of sexual assault while in a situation where my entire livelihood depended on my sweeping it under the rug, I can probably relate to this show better than most.
This show is also about guilty sexual desires - kinks - and how they develop.
Izumi has absolutely no sexual experience, his only experience with love is with an anime character. He gets sexually assaulted {and as far as those situations go, it was actually tamer than it could have been as it was stopped just above the knee (thus why it was alluded to be a mosquito of an assault)} as his first encounter almost immediately after he was put into a confused state about his first kiss (with the same guy). Ryouma had been convinced that he was perfectly straight his entire life and went to immediately slam that closet door as hard as he could due to past trauma (yes, in a rude way) upon finding out that the girl he's fantasized about for a decade is actually a very pretty boy - he was as confused as Izumi. However, upon his acceptance of his infatuation not fading despite how hard he tried to make those feelings go away (like I said, he tried to slam that closet door), he quite literally begs for forgiveness while prostrating himself.
A great deal of people seem to want to attack Ryouma for being a "stalker" while forgetting that Izumi is an adult that doesn't say "no" and will use Ryouma when convenient (he also only ever text him a bunch and tried to meet him at school, he never went to his home until Izumi asked him too after the assault). Neither of these things are good, but this is a show about two damaged kids that grew up in the entertainment industry, it's gonna be dark. Izumi helps Ryouma move past the sexual assaults he experienced from managers as a child struggling in the industry and Ryouma helps Izumi to open up, start embracing the life he has, and to reach for the things he wants in life - one of those things just happens to be Ryouma.
People also want to rag on Izumi's brother and manager for "sweeping" the assault under the rug - their livelihoods depended on it! Yes, it's messed up, but the brother stopped the assault before anything too serious happened and only helped the guy to apologize (it'd actually be nice if people prostrated themselves and begged for forgiveness after molesting someone, most will gaslight their victims). The manager went out of his way to find Izumi and Ryouma during that apology to make sure that Ryouma didn't pull anything again then didn't even know that Ryouma was alone with Izumi the following time until after the fact (he's a manager, not Izumi's mother. Plus, Izumi is technically an adult, albeit a young one).
This is a good watch, but you actually have to watch it from the right perspective, the character's perspectives. Also, remember that certain industries have a major dark side.
I definitely recommend giving it a watch as long you can watch from a point of understanding.
PS Why square brackets aren't allowed when it's the proper way to use parentheses within parentheses is beyond me, so excuse that.
*spoilers*
*sensitive content*
*spoilers*
*sensitive content*
*you've had fair warning*
As someone that has been a victim of sexual assault while in a situation where my entire livelihood depended on my sweeping it under the rug, I can probably relate to this show better than most.
This show is also about guilty sexual desires - kinks - and how they develop.
Izumi has absolutely no sexual experience, his only experience with love is with an anime character. He gets sexually assaulted {and as far as those situations go, it was actually tamer than it could have been as it was stopped just above the knee (thus why it was alluded to be a mosquito of an assault)} as his first encounter almost immediately after he was put into a confused state about his first kiss (with the same guy). Ryouma had been convinced that he was perfectly straight his entire life and went to immediately slam that closet door as hard as he could due to past trauma (yes, in a rude way) upon finding out that the girl he's fantasized about for a decade is actually a very pretty boy - he was as confused as Izumi. However, upon his acceptance of his infatuation not fading despite how hard he tried to make those feelings go away (like I said, he tried to slam that closet door), he quite literally begs for forgiveness while prostrating himself.
A great deal of people seem to want to attack Ryouma for being a "stalker" while forgetting that Izumi is an adult that doesn't say "no" and will use Ryouma when convenient (he also only ever text him a bunch and tried to meet him at school, he never went to his home until Izumi asked him too after the assault). Neither of these things are good, but this is a show about two damaged kids that grew up in the entertainment industry, it's gonna be dark. Izumi helps Ryouma move past the sexual assaults he experienced from managers as a child struggling in the industry and Ryouma helps Izumi to open up, start embracing the life he has, and to reach for the things he wants in life - one of those things just happens to be Ryouma.
People also want to rag on Izumi's brother and manager for "sweeping" the assault under the rug - their livelihoods depended on it! Yes, it's messed up, but the brother stopped the assault before anything too serious happened and only helped the guy to apologize (it'd actually be nice if people prostrated themselves and begged for forgiveness after molesting someone, most will gaslight their victims). The manager went out of his way to find Izumi and Ryouma during that apology to make sure that Ryouma didn't pull anything again then didn't even know that Ryouma was alone with Izumi the following time until after the fact (he's a manager, not Izumi's mother. Plus, Izumi is technically an adult, albeit a young one).
This is a good watch, but you actually have to watch it from the right perspective, the character's perspectives. Also, remember that certain industries have a major dark side.
I definitely recommend giving it a watch as long you can watch from a point of understanding.
PS Why square brackets aren't allowed when it's the proper way to use parentheses within parentheses is beyond me, so excuse that.