Bokutachi wa Hanshoku wo Yameta

This manga is about the incestuous relationship of two long lost fully related blood siblings. Hitomi starts going to the same college as Shin and joins him in the filmmaking club. They immediately hit off and start going out. At this point it has been made clear to the reader that they are siblings, but the two have no idea. There’s a bit of a social thriller element here because the manga keeps on throwing in situations where it feels like they’re about to find out, but they don’t, and the two just continue progressing in their relationship. I felt this phase of the mangawas handled really well. It’s not really trying to do anything too deep yet, but the flow of the story really draws you in. In the second phase, which begins with the second volume, Shin discovers that they’re siblings but Hitomi is still unaware. As such, Shin tries to push Hitomi away to get her to stop being in love with him, but also tries to support her as her big brother because he feels familial obligation. However, he also doesn’t want her to realize he’s her brother because he wants to spare her the trauma. But Hitomi on the other hand is just completely confused and hurt by what’s going on. This phase of the manga I also thought was well done. It manages to convey the complexity of the emotions that Shin is feeling really well. And how Hitomi reacts to what in her mind is being unreasonably pushed away also conveys just how much she loves Shin. This phase ends at the end of the second volume, after which they decide to continue going out despite being siblings. At first this is actually pretty lighthearted. There’s a sense of danger to things in that they have to keep their relationship a secret, but for the most part things go well and they’re happy together. The focus of the story becomes less about the relationship itself, and more them living their lives in the context of their relationship. This involves various things like making a movie and entering a beauty pageant. Some of the side characters are also a lot of fun. It’s nothing too deep or complex, but there’s a good amount of good romantic fluff and everything is paced decently well so it’s pretty enjoyable. The final phase of the series begins halfway through volume 5. Things get much more serious and much more angsty. The mangaka seemed to have decided to tackle the themes of the manga properly, but unfortunately the writing just isn’t up to snuff. Shin and Hitomi suffer quite a bit, but ultimately it didn’t really feel like there was much of any point to it. It doesn’t really feel like it led to either of them growing as people, or that their relationship gets stronger as a result. It also doesn’t really feel like this portion of the manga had anything to say that the earlier lighthearted portion didn’t manage to say just as well. Drama and pain are often necessary for a good romance story, but for me afterwards it has to feel like there was a point to all of it. Here it all ultimately felt pointless. And thus, that made the ending pretty unsatisfying. The art in this manga is great. It’s pretty good when it comes to backgrounds and such. But where it really excels is in how it portrays the female cast, especially Hitomi. This is ultimately the point that leads me to consider this a great manga. tl;dr: A manga about taboo romance with great art and mostly good writing, but a terrible final stretch.

Honestly, it's a bit of a shame. This manga started very strong in exploring a full-on taboo relationship with some artsy context (the main leads' field of study/work). However, it spiraled down in terms of quality and characterizations later on. My ultimate verdict would be a 7.5/10 for the first 20-something chapters, and a 4 to 4.5 for the latter half. I still think it's worth a read if you have the time. At the same time, I feel sad about all the wasted potential. Especially considering the beautiful art. Is it due to the author being mentally pressured by the manga industry's attitude towards immoral affection?Was this a soft axing from the editor/publisher? No idea, but the decline's there to see. THE GOOD POINTS - Gorgeous art when it comes to some background scenery and of course, the female lead. The male lead and side characters are also drawn beautifully, but it's obvious the author focused a lot on Hitomi. - Some chapters are very emotionally intense, with just the right amount of drama and atmosphere I'd expect from a work of art focusing on heavy taboos. - On paper, we're dealing with more adult characters compared to the usual boring high school setting. Especially the time skip sets our characters in their mid-20s. THE BAD POINTS - Many needless conflicts and drama baits in the latter half. The characters revert back to teenagers in some behavioral aspects, making illogical and petty decisions that are just...there for the sake of being there. - Repetition in terms of the main dramatic point. The manga could have explored the relationship way further and in a more complicated manner. The second half doesn't build on the first half; the taboo relationship just stands there being stagnant. The main conflict resolution just...isn't there. - Plenty of one-dimensional moments from the side characters. In some chapters, it's not much of a problem, but in others, you really want to see them have more fleshed-out participation to push the main character's progression/plot further. There's also the infamous lack of communication we often find in rom-com/drama manga. It's especially bad around the early-to-mid chapters and then it gets lighter in terms of irritation levels. I'm not pointing it out as a purely bad point, because, unfortunately, it's a staple for too many mangaka. ;/ Overall verdict: 5.5 to 6/10. As I said, this could have been way, way better but it's still an OK read.

I really enjoyed this series! It was a really enjoyable time.. up until a certain chapter. After that, my enjoyment went down significantly. It was a really fresh experience with how passionate the love was, and the drama fed that passion well. I especially liked the overly determined Hitomi, the female lead. Any time there was any doubt or weakness, she was the one to stand strong against the storms crashing into the forbidden love. It was refreshing for someone to say, "I don't care, I love you and don't want to give up!" The rest of the cast is fine, but she is the starof the show... until chapter 40. Chapter 40 is where I say the manga stumbles hard from what I felt was a great story to an okay one. I won't say what event occurs, but it changes Hitomi's character significantly and in a negative way. There are moments where her old self flashes in, but that isn't enough. The drama has nothing to resist it, and the love that is there twists into a form that is far more bitter than sweet. The moment "Shin-senpai" became "Onii-chan," something was changed, never to truly return. It hurt me as a reader, and it hurts even now as I type this. 7/10 Would I recommend this? Through chapter 39, wholeheartedly! I would say that section is a 9/10, easy! From 40 onwards..? It hurts, and it's dramatic... it's still worth reading. I'm not sure how strong of rereadability it has, though I may just read to chapter 40 if I do.

It was good, but not great. This story at least tries to explore some taboo subject matter in a fairly sincere way, and that's interesting enough to make it worth reading for fans of the genre. Having said that, it falls into 2 basic pitfalls; 1. Nonsensical Forced Drama 2. Unrealistic Lack of Communication And these flaws drag the story down, making it less than it could be. The core premise and gimmick of the story is not particularly interesting. The author could completely remove the plot about the characters wanting to make a movie, replace it with something else, and have a better story.Positive Things; - It doesn't shy away from showing explicit content - You don't have to wait 100 chapters to see the characters express physical affection - Characters in the story actually treat the relationship as taboo The ending is satisfying enough. But, like most romance manga, it ends too abruptly. Final Verdict: You should only read this if you're specifically into incest romance stories. And you've already read all of the better stuff first.