Story - Really intriguing, involved storyline with compelling main characters. This story is a step above the usual ‘I like this guy…..there’s some complications and misunderstandings but then we eventually get together’ manga. It’s a plot-heavy, romance-light drama – but the romantic elements meant more to me when they do appear, as I was more invested in the characters.

It’s set in a quite gritty urban landscape in a world of gangs and crime, in a city that has been affected by some as yet unspecified environmental calamity – which provides an extra note of underlying background tension.
The main character Yukio and his friend Tetsu find they are increasingly enmeshed in various power struggles and manoeuvres by rival gang families. I found I had to make notes as I went on about who exactly was who and how they are related. Complexity is a plus point for me in a manga story but might not be everyone’s cup of tea – if you’re mainly looking for the pretty, or something light and escapist, this isn’t probably going to do the job.

Warning – this manga goes to some pretty dark places in relation to some of the characters’ pasts in relation to sexual exploitation, which might be triggering for some.

I’d rate it even higher but like so many stories involving gangs/mafia there are very few women characters and they are very much on the sidelines.

Art - One thing I absolutely love about this manga is the way it feels almost cinematic in places – we see different angles to the same conversation that provide an extra ‘beat’ or rhythm to that conversation – you feel an awkward pause, or a building sense of tension, or a moment of longing - emphasized so much more through the choice of framing of particular angles/viewpoints of the overall scene. It definitely adds to the atmosphere and is really cleverly done.