this review was posted on the 7th November 2023 at 5:38AM on tumblr. this page is a direct copy-paste from that tumblr post, because my opinion has not changed.
(I could not find a cover for this one-shot, so I just used one of my favorite panels.)
My supply of terrible yaoi anime has begun to run dry, therefore, let us break up the slogs of terribly-written shit with a beautifully terrifying one-shot by the same creator as The Summer Hikaru Died.
You can read this piece on myreadingmanga.info, though there’s certainly better places to read it. (I just always default to MRM because it’s got nice site design.)
Summary(written by ME!);
Kobayashi and his friend, Takagi, play video games together to distract themselves from the tragedy they both just experienced.
I find this comic to be extremely unsettling, but in the best way possible. As usual with Mokumoku Ren, the art of Period is breathtaking, and the expressions are captivating. The writing is fantastic as well, and the ending left me shocked and terrified.
Calling this manga a ‘BL’ is like calling the ocean damp, but nevertheless, I think it’s fantastic and is one of the best one-shots in this genre.
I intend to review The Summer Hikaru Died eventually, but I’m waiting for it to be completed. (Though, depending on how long this takes, maybe I’ll just review the two volumes we currently have separately and review any future volumes that come out.)