Smells Like Green Spirit

So, I finished reading this manga back when I'm in senior high school, I was devastated cause of the rollercoaster ride of this manga. At first peek at the early chapter you may find that it can be a little humorous element of the drawing even though the story has started with rather dark material; bullying. The story revolves around the main characters self-learning and self resolution. Watching how everyone tries to overcome their confusion, their fear and try to pursuit the best happiness to each of their own is really amazing. This manga shows a glimpse of reality that LGBT and queer people faceevery day, how it may affect themselves, their relationship with their family and also their social appearances. This is a recommendation for anyone that feels bored reading the usual trope of shonen-ai manga and want to taste the emotional progress of a confused teen to a person who has a better grip of their identity

I like this manga for everything. it subverts in stories revolving gay characters. However, at the parts in which the manga follows cliches of the genre is where I have some issues. I personally really liked the art. I liked how distinct it was and how well it captured emotions. It wasn't anything new, but it was very good regardless. I also think that considering this manga is more character and plot driven, and less focused on epic panels or detailed character designs, I think it does a good job. I also like how the things that the characters remark as important are also drawndramatically so the audience can also see it for themselves. It's not just all talk, but also the medium of manga is used to enhance the story further. The story, as I said, really surprised me when it subverted tropes of the genre. I'll try not to spoil by speaking vaguely, but will be spoiling some plot points, so I would skip this if you don't want to be spoiled, but also there are some triggering things in this manga which you should be aware if you are sensitive to certain topics. The things I enjoyed was the friendship between the two main characters and how they weren't forced into a relationship just because they have the same orientation. I also really enjoyed the exploration of each characters individual sexuality, and showed that not everyone's experience is the same and that gay people aren't a monolith. One thing I'm really glad this manga doesn't normalise or romanticise is teacher student relationships, and older men preying on younger boys. It was always treated as creepy and never treated lightly. Even when we are meant to sympathise with the predator, it's never treated as something normal, but something that is morally wrong. Two things I didn't quite enjoy was the representation of lesbians. Which in all honesty was a blink and you miss it moment, but it was distasteful especially considering the content of this story. The lesbian character was used to further prove that one of the main characters was definitely not interested in women. But the scene also enforced the idea that woman 'turn' lesbian after a bad sexual experience with a man, and as we know isn't true and a harmful misconception. I know the author wasn't interested in this character more than just to make a few jokes and not to develop her as a character, therefore I feel like she could've been omitted all together. However, she appears so briefly hat it doesn't' really affect my enjoyment of the overall story. I also didn't enjoy the reinforcement of the trope that men who're homophobic are actually gay themselves, but even more than that but the coupling of the bully with their victim. I do not enjoy this trope especially considering how relentless and how brutal the bully was willing to be to the victim, I didn't think they should've ended up together. It's a trope that is so prevalent, and is showed so often in queer stories. I just don't like the idea of not only forgiving the person who caused one so much suffering, but also awarding the abuse with love. However, this manga is bit old, and I can give it the benefit of the doubt that these conversations weren't being had at that time.

Smells like green spirit is a small peek into the lives of closeted gay men in the deep countryside of japan. Story - 8 The story's refreshing, short and bittersweet. It follows mishima, a closeted and bullied gay boy. He comes across an unlikely ally, who also turns out to be gay. From there, an exploration into sexuality and the many ways in which people hide it, and the consequences of discovery ensues. The story can be a bit jarring, because it feels fast-paced, with some events happening seemingly out of nowhere, with little lead-up and not much of a resolution. But, I'm not sure this story intendedto invoke excitement over the daily lives of countryside boys. Reality often doesn't have much of a lead-up, or a resolution. In that way, this story did a wonderful job capturing the somewhat disappointing, and jarring events in life, in all its bittersweet forms Art - 7 Now, imma keep it real. The art wasn't much to write home about. the only reason why i rated it at a 7 is because any BL that doesnt have yaoi hands is actually a godsend Characters - 8 I think this is where the real charm of this manga is. I'll keep this brief None of these characters are anything special. But I think that's what makes them so charming. They're not meant to be these wild, outlandish people who try to save the world or start a movement. They're just regular guys being dudes The beauty of the characters though, more than anything, is the actual friendship that blossoms. The act of coming out to your first friend who shares the same experiences as you do is an indescribable one... And one that I feel this manga captured perfectly. I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed in the extremely quick individual 'character development' that seemingly comes out of nowhere, but at the same time, this is a 14 chapter manga, so it's hard to expect too much. Enjoyment - 10 Now, I fucking loved reading this. It's so rare to find manga that actually address the issues of being gay in a semi-realistic way (not that this was perfect, but still!). More than anything, I felt that the relationships that grow and develop where so comforting to read... Overall - 9 If u just wanna see guys being dudes, then read this.

The ending was absolutely wonderful, I love it so much. Reading yaoi isn't just about smexy scenes and romantic gestures, but it's also about discovering oneself and pursuing the path that makes you happy. This story is every bit amazing. The way the topic was introduced slowly that you personally could relate to (I am never a homophobe), about a person's struggles of accepting oneself despite what other people think. The scene was pretty good, living in a rural area where everybody know everybody's business makes it really hard for you to move and be yourself that's why our three precious protagonists dealt with theiremotions and feelings differently than what they truly were. It was purely a satisfying read till the end because everyone lives the way they really wanted and they were very happy and it makes me so happy I could actually cry. I just want people to experience happiness and contentment in their lives without holding themselves back and just be proud.