Here U Are

So, dear reader, I imagine that you are expecting me to tell you whether this is worth reading or not. But to be honest, I have my own question that I'd like to ask first: "What was the point of Here U Are?" Well, maybe that question is enough to answer your question, in a way. Now, to not be misunderstood - Here U Are isn't exactly bad, definitely not. I like that the characters feel as more than just cardboard cutout for BL fanservice (well, most of them at least). I like how it took time to actually develop the chemistry between the characters before kickingoff the relationship. I like how it acknowledges that women exist, and that the world isn't just full of bishies with questionable sexuality. The art also isn't bad. So, it manages to dodge a lot of faults of your average BL. So, where's the problem then? It's boring. There just isn't much interesting content. The story is on a level of a soap opera. At best, at a level of average romantic shoujo manga (which isn't really that much better than a soap opera now that I think about it). It's obvious that it's more geared towards readers that are okay with style over substance. Any by "style" in this case I mean "WOOOOOOW there are guys who are in love with each other, that's like, totally AWESOME!". Yeah, sure, we get some of the usual "gays have it hard in society", and while slightly better executed than usual for the genre, it still feels like it was included just to make the comic feel like it has more meaning. It doesn't add anything unique on this point, just the same old story seen hundred times in various lgbt-themed media. Here U Are also has some weird pacing issues. To the point that it sometimes feel like chunks of story was just left out. The greatest offender would be chapter 54 and 55. You see, chapter 54 was actually interesting (to an extent). The character chemistry was picking up stream and the relationship between one of the protagonists and his family looked like it could net some engaging story points. Then comes chapter 55 - it cuts to some completely unrelated event, ignoring whatever was happening previously and letting the previously started story points be more blue-balled than a mod for twich titty streamer. I though that surely I must have loaded a wrong chapter and there just has to be some conclusion to the previously presented scenes, but nope. I think this was the point where I started rapidly losing interest. The story later introducing more couples I didn't care about (didn't care about even more than about the main couple) didn't help either. In conclusion: 1) Will you like this if you're into BL? Well, considering it's a BL... I'd bet so. 2) Will you like this if you don't like BL/don't care about BL? Unlikely, but as it doesn't have explicit scenes (if you skip some of the later extra chapters that is), feel free to give it a try. This is among the better boy's love titles, but if you're familiar with the state of average boy's love title, you know that's not saying much.

Coming from a Chinese queer person, this manhua features one of the best queer representation in East Asian media I've ever seen. There is no pedophilia, no problematic kinks, and no romanticization of toxic or abusive relationships. That might feel like the bare minimum (and it is), but it's so refreshing to see good LGBT+ representation when there is usually so much gross fetishization and romanticization of unhealthy tropes in East Asian media when it comes to queer relationships. Most importantly, DJun touches on homophobia, fetishization, acceptance, and tradition in his storytelling - so many important topics that are sometimes glossed over in favor of showing twomen kissing instead. He details the experience of (and the intersectionality that comes with) being Chinese and gay in a way that I really relate to and appreciate. In addition, the main love story is a gorgeous depiction of a healthy relationship, and even the side love stories leave you hooked. There is so much rawness that comes with Here U Are as a story; the behaviors and feelings of the characters are so real. It is not all fluff, but it is not all angst either. Everything is incredibly honest to what it's like being in a queer relationship (and being queer in general). I will say that there is one borderline unhealthy age gap relationship that I felt uncomfortable with in the beginning (between an 18 year old and a man in his mid-thirties), but the author wrote them in such a careful way that made them grow on me. If you respect LGBT+ people and want to see them represented well in media, I suggest you get to reading Here U Are. You will not be disappointed.

I'm actually mad for being blindsided by the score and rave reviews this was such a slog to get through. While gay relationships are certainly not easy, this manwha really pushes my limits on the whole "petty misunderstanding" trope. It's misunderstanding after another and I just know it's lazy writing because there are better ways to capture the struggles of same sex couples and their trauma responses from their surroundings. It's infuriating, drags along, and ONE disgustingly annoying character (the fujioshi) makes it even worse. This is not even a slow burn, it's a CHORE to read through. The only saving grace is the art,the MC has such an interesting design and dresses really stylishly. But my god I can't find anything else good to say about this manwha. Every character is painfully unlikeable, the side couples also drag on an already slow manwha to unbearable lengths. The sidetracking is so unnecessary and the pacing is AWFUL, like we get such jarring cuts from important events to a sudden completely unrelated event. It's a mess. I'm mad, I really hoped it would get better but this was such a waste of my time. Just full of ALL the bad tropes minus the consent one, which at at least they got that one thing right. But the bar is on the fucking floor if not having SA on a manwha is it's only strong point. It's so poorly written and relies on the laziest crutches.

I’ll keep it short. This is a romance story with a slice of life pace. The difference? We have a look into some of the struggles gay people (and bisexual?) might have. I’m in no position to say how realistic the story is, as I’ve never faced those situations myself, but considering what I’ve seen and from my understanding, it touched on important topics like: prejudice, the impact of social/family acceptance (or lack of it) and insecurities/fears/awareness that heterosexual people usually don’t have. I’m not gonna lie, we can find some common tropes, like the “fate/ destiny” one, and clichés here and there, however,they weren't the main factor building the relationships. And the drama doesn’t rely heavily on “Do they like/love each other? Will the couple end up together?”, but more like “If they end up together, how is it going to work? What is necessary for that?”. As a sucker for stories that focus on characters and their relationships (not only romantic ones), caring about the process, I’m satisfied with what was delivered. It’s a work that stand out among others on the BL and romance genres for me. If you decide to give Here U Are a chance, I recommend paying attention on what makes the characters fall in love or strengthen their bonds with one another. Not from a judgmental stance, but trying to solely understand them. I’m pretty sure you will recognize similar dynamics playing around you or even expand your point of view on these matters. Considering it’s a colored work, I enjoyed the details and how the backgrounds aren’t dull. The lightening and scenarios change quite often, adding to the story. For example, through the interior design choices, we can see that the characters we follow aren’t tight on budget or have families with a good financial condition overall. Also, although I’m not into fashion, I think the clothes choices reflect a lot about the characters and their personalities. My favorite element is how they interact with each other though, expressing different sides of themselves and giving a more 3D aspect to them. In addition, I personally like the author brief appearances. I find their antics comical, but underneath all that, I see how D Jun put effort and consideration into Here U Are, paying attention to reader’s feedback and details as well. It isn’t a flawless work (is this even possible, considering how artists/writers, who are humans, are "flawed" too?) and might not be for everyone’s taste, but I found it to be a heartwarming and meaningful one. I had a good experience and I’ll probably remember positively about it in the future as well.