CUT

Story: By accident one night Chiaki and his stepfather with whom he has a masochistic affair are witnessed by Chiaki's schoolmate Eiji. Chiaki feels guilty about having caused an accident that killed his real father. As a result he finds comfort in cutting himself and sleeping with his sadistic stepfather, trying to cover the feeling of one pain with another. Chiaki sees a like mind in Eiji who is hiding a secret past so dark it even surpasses Chiaki's and has problems that make Chiakis comfort in pain appear minor. Eiji who is haunted by his own terrible past cannot become close to people. Fate throwsthese two high school seniors together giving them a chance to work out and overcome their problems ... and grow up in the process. Review: The characters of this story are both disturbed boys haunted by something that happened in their past. They are like minds in some ways, but they both have enough of their own to not make them appear too similar or clichéd. They deal with their problems in very different ways, Chiaki by willful rebellion, Eiji by keeping distance. The plot develops fast enough that the interest in reading further never really ceases. It's still slow enough to give background to the characters and not leave the reader behind without understanding reactions or feelings - the tempo is perfect that way. I can't fully explain the art of Kawai Touko. One moment it seems like it's only just around average, not without talent but almost a bit sloppy as if drawn under time pressure and then in the next picture it is totally amazing and missing absolutely nothing. She has especially done some very nice close-ups of Eijis face. Her faces look usually very sensitive. Altogether I think her art style works very well with this kind of dark story with lots of emotions in it. And whatever you think of Kawai Touko's art style, she really at least has one of her own. A short note to the sex - Chiaki is a sexually very active boy. Eiji is not at first, but get's drawn in by Chiaki. Despite that I have definitely seen more kinky or explicit sex scenes. The sex in this story is not the main topic, so it makes sense that the artist shows the characters engaging in some bedroom activities, as would be expected of boys in their late teens and also because of Chiaki's character and problems. But the main theme of this manga is not the sex, it isn't the romantic love either - even if that romantic element is definitely there as well. Surely the main thing is the problems both have at the beginning and how they grow by being together and how they strife to come to terms with their past. What makes "Cut" so unique is not Kawai Touko's art but the story she tells and the depth of the characters she creates. These boys don't come from any mould, despite or maybe even because of their tragic background, their flawed characters and imperfectness they seem lifelike and realistic. It is amazing how the (sadly deceased) author manages to convey feelings. So for example only once in the story does Chiaki tell Eiji that he "likes" him in such words and Eiji in response never even says so much but just touches him. There is no flowery sweet nothings of love. But there is no doubt how much these two boys mean to each other. None of them would manage to overcome his own share of shitload without the other. I was put off at first that this is tagged as drama as I usually prefer much lighter stories. It is certainly not tagged wrongly, but I hope without spoiling too much of the plot line I can say, that it is not one of these hopeless stories that end in desperation with everyone dead, so don't be afraid of the drama in it. I strongly recommend CUT to every yaoi lover. This is yaoi that has a real story, not just a meaningless stringing of sex scenes in a silly plot about people that seem from another world. CUT is actually more than just yaoi: it is the story about facing one's problems or one's past and accepting who we are. It's a key character story about growing up - and the one aspect of this story that has the most impact is that we are stronger together than alone. (This review was done as a featured series spotlight for the Anti Girly Uke yaoi club, you are invited to come and join our club discussion on this manga!)