While there are indeed moments that I have truly relished in this series, I find myself feeling extremely cautious and skeptical about the overall storyline. At this present moment, I am completely at a loss as to how Domyoji can be rationalized or presented as a romantic hero. He has caused harm to another boy to the extent of serious injury. In a fit of anger, he has even struck a girl. What's more, he has made Tsukushi the victim of sexual assault not just once, but twice.
Although he does have some very endearing and sweet moments, I simply cannot overlook or excuse his violent behavior. I just can't bring myself to root for him. Unless the manga-ka makes a serious and concerted effort to reform him and have him offer a sincere apology for his abhorrent behavior without attempting to shift the blame onto others, especially Tsukushi who has been the victim of his bullying, I highly doubt that I will be able to endure many more volumes of this series. It really depends on whether the author can turn his character around in a believable and redemptive way.
2 stars. Oh dear God, no. This was truly terrible. Sexual assault is an extremely serious topic, and yet it is not treated with the respect and gravity it deserves in this series. That is completely unacceptable to me. Domyoji is a psychopath and is absolutely terrifying. With each volume, I am liking this series less and less. The thing about the anime and K-Drama adaptations is that at the very least, there were those emotions present. You could feel the pain and the intensity because they provided those moments and reactions. However, here everything is treated as if it's not something that can damage a person's psyche. And that's not okay. I've always felt that the B.o.F series was problematic, but this manga series is really highlighting just how much so.