The Vessel of a Transparent Love

The older I get, the more I appreciate mangaka who put more thought into storytelling than the bare minimum, who go beyond the level of effort expected of their genre. Their stories are not always complex — the best ones I've come across, in fact, have few characters, and a plot that is fairly easy to follow and could be described in two sentences — but it's immediately obvious when they were crafted with care. 'Toumei na Ai no Utsuwa' is one such story, and I wrote most of this before I even finished reading it. Writing characters that are detached from humanity is tricky; how farcan you go before they're completely alien? But if you don't go far enough, they're just quirky humans. Shiro is a self-described "monster" who feeds on humans yet doesn't see them as food. In contrast, the human Miki is somewhat disillusioned with those around him...but he doesn't hate them, either. It's interesting to see them simply...existing and experiencing life together, and of note are the smooth switches between their perspectives. Most of all, I appreciate how this story is allowed to breathe: it doesn't feel like you're rushed from one plot point to another, but, at the same time, the story is moved forward each chapter. That's not to say that the plot is original or complicated. It isn't—but does it need to be, if the whole package is so good? Needless to say, the art is gorgeous, and I found myself going back to many panels for a few seconds to simply take in all the detail and delicateness of the lines and shading. Have I made this sound better than it actually is? Probably. But, to me, it's perfect just like this. Maybe for you it will be as well.