Kingyo no Ubugoe

[MangaDex]

 

[ICMTS03]

*confused screaming*

 

[Elmilau]

😍So something bad happened...? This manga is really interesting!😍

 

[Thrembs]

The description alone needs a content warning!!!

 

[petra]

This is too creepy man, I can't do this. How can Yuuta consent if he has the mental state of a infant..?

 

[honey]

The art's really nice (reminiscent of Harada)... Like Harada's works the content is kinda disturbing but if anything, it's less self-aware of how messed up it is. Tomohisa is basically keeping Yuuta captive as a sex slave because the latter doesn't have the mental capacity to realize what's happening to him. All the while, the story acts like forcing non-consensual sex upon a mentally disabled person is nbd, and tries to portray their limited time together as melancholy and bittersweet rather than deeply twisted and abusive.

Maybe the last chapter will turn this work around and Tomohisa will face proper consequences for his actions, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

 

[rdhx98]

Oh God

 

[masochesee]

Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god
Love this hngggggg

 

[Pokari]

...So I'm taking it from the comments that this is exactly as uncomfortable to read as it sounds?

 

[bigsnek]

Definitely a peculiar read. Art style is real nice and the story, while very Harada-esque doesn't exacerbate into her trademark situations of violence, fear and possessiveness. I wanna argue with @honey 's point on this that, while yes the situation is utterly bizarre and ultimately arguably morbid, Tomohisa never actually forces Yuki/Yuuta to do anything and cherishes his partner with the utmost devotion and care. He has sezual pulsions because Yuuta inhabits the body of his lover, but Yuuta is also portrayed as very happy about having sex with Tomohisa. I wanna infer that Yuuta mental state is clearly a mix of a childlike personality and a subconscious set of habits of Yuki baseline personality which bleed into his, but this is flavour. What I'm arguing mostly is that while in Harada's works, which we agree are very self aware and un apologetic, seemingly always depict a twisted, violent and possess driven idea of "love", the dynamic here is very different. Tomohisa cares deeply about his lover, cherishes them, never hurts them and, ultimately, is willing to go to prison for murder for their sake. He even recognises that his time with Yuuta is not really a healthy situation and borrowed time at best.
Yuki is clearly the more damaged and twisted individual, probably due to family circumstances, but he also behaves very tenderly and affectionately towards Tomohisa, and clearly loves him a lot.

What I'm ultimately arguing is that while yes, the setting and characters are clearly twisted and peculiar in a way that's very reminiscent of Harada's touch, the love portrayed here is far from being unhealthy and typical of her stories, which made me appreciate this manga quite a bit.

 

[Anabks]

Well, this ending is weird and squicky. I had my misgivings throughout, what with Yuki/Yuuta's mental state and Tomohisa's possessiveness, but to state that Yuuta is their child and Tomohisa has been having seed with said child and continues to do so after Yuki's personality returns...

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Nope. This is super cringe-y. You can rationalize it all you want but this makes light of mental illness in so many ways, and the sexual component means that Tomohisa has been committing rape of a child (Yuuta). The body is irrelevant if the personality is immature.

So once again it's a yaoi narrative with rape as its smut factor, written by an author with little understanding or respect for the nuance required when addressing mental illness in story. So squicky.

 

[Indahrahayu]

Astagaaa, this manga is surely weird but best in certain way... wow!! Love this one! What a masterpiece, it's shaking my heart and mind tho.

 

[Tadakyuni]

Honestly was fine with it until

Spoiler

the split personality reveal, plus keeping the fake one around as their "child"

. I'm pretty open-minded about who bones who and my standards for storytelling in BL works are basically rock bottom, but... I really disliked the "twist". Even beyond the squick factor I dislike

Spoiler

alternate personality

plots and this one was particularly stupid. Mostly due to

Spoiler

keeping what amounts to a tulpa around to substitute for a real child.

Never let these guys adopt lol.

Still, thanks Yaoi Sekai for doing an excellent job with the TL and cleaning. I genuinely enjoyed reading this until the last chapter.

 

[ilyusha]

That last idea was really weird and i don't think it works that way but because it's fresh i'll let it pass lmao

 

[somni]

Remember people, this is FICTION. And it's real cute <3<3

 

[lia99]

Totally agree with @petra @honey @Anabks this sounds really bad and manipulative... I get that it’s not real, but still

 

[Ichigolicioux]

I like the artstyle alot. The storyplot was so-so for me, maybe it’s just not the kind of manga I would read. I found the story towards the end quite intriguing and a bit strange actually. And like some others have commented, it’s really not mentally healthy but the way I see how it is depicted in the manga as something “useful”, I felt that it was pretty toxic. I mean, the whole idea was still alright and very fresh, I just felt the thinking behind the protagonists were pretty unhealthy mentally. I would have opted for a “healthier” ending. But still, thank the author etc for giving such a fresh idea.

 

[AvivaDiva89]

The story wasn't bad, but the end kinda sucks. It felt rushed and a little disjointed, and I wanted a better explanation as to why Yuuta seemingly had the mental capacity of a child instead of

Spoiler

it being "surprise, I have alters and one is Yuuta, the child we have always wanted to have!" I don't get how the accident with the father could bring about the splitting into the alter personality.

It could have been a really good story with lots of moral conundrums, ambiguity, and emotional complexity if it went beyond its lame ending.

You must read to the end in order to not have misgivings about Tomohisa having sexual relations with Yuuta because it's completely explained why it isn't terrible. The first chapters had me cringing over if Yuuta could even consent (even though he was consenting)... and usually I don't have any problem with rape/dubcon in manga. Still, it's worth reading if only for its peculiarity. Very Harada-esque art vibe.

 

[bao_bao]

I guess for a story with such a peculiar setting, on its own terms, it's not an unhappy ending. Both characters were fond of each other, although in an unhealthy and somewhat painful way, there is no need to resort to captivity, abuse or similar things.
Leaving that aside, the story does not address the themes it deals with in depth at all, everything is rushed and only leaves you somewhat uncomfortable at the end.