Just A Little Bit Beastly

The first volume of Sacrificed to the Shark Clan is largely about Avel unlearning everything he's been told about the Miyaru clan, and accepting his new role in life, and the unfamiliar freedoms that come with it. It's honestly got a nice message, with Avel realizing that the Miyaru are actually a lot more progressive and welcoming than he's been raised to believe.

While in his clan, there are strict gender roles, in the Miyaru clan, individuals do whatever work they're best at, regardless of gender. The Tangata are isolationist, while the Miyaru openly travel and trade with other islands. Avel is expecting to basically be treated as a baby making machine for the rest of his life, only to find that his new husband Tukiri is a very doting husband, who is excited to share his way of live with Avel, and help him start his new life among the Miyaru.

I'm not. 100% sure how I feel about the Tangata, the group with dark skin, being presented as the 'stubborn, set in their ways' ones, while the pale-skinned Miyaru are presented as the 'progressive, open to expanding their community' group. Like, on one hand, I do appreciate that the Tangata are not presented as the group that everyone assumes are 'more savage', but on the other hand, it's pretty clear that the Miyaru's way of life is being presented as the better way, and it does feel a bit. Ehhhhh...

(Obviously I think that a society that doesn't force people into gender roles is preferable, but the idea that it's the only group we see with darker skin that is presented as not keeping up with the times just sits a little weird.)

All that being said, the first volume didn't really excite me as much as I thought it would? I'm not entirely sure what it was, since I love mermen and interspecies couples, and there was even a 'secretly met as children but one party forgot' subplot, which I also love, but something just didn't really click. I honestly think part of it was the sex scenes, they just felt very over the top and graphic in a way that just didn't appeal to me unfortunately, which is more of a me problem than anything, but alas.

The second volume I actually enjoyed a lot though, largely because there was more focus on the world building of the setting, and a bit less sex. Plot, in my porn? It's more likely than you think.

The second volume starts off with a traveling researcher from what seems to be Europe or a stand in, and an orphaned Miyaru boy, washing up in the Miyaru clan after a bad storm. The researcher, Dylan, is injured, and so the chief of the Miyaru allows him to stay until he heals, while tasking Tukiri and Avel with watching over him and making sure he doesn't find out too much about the Miyaru people's shark lineage.

I was initially very distrustful of Dylan, and assumed he was going to use whatever knowledge he gained for evil, but I was pleasantly surprised by his character and the role he played. I won't give away too much of the plot of part two, because again, I think it's really interesting in its world building, and how it retroactively explains a lot of the lore presented in the first volume.

The second volume is also more about family, particularly found and self-made family, which is just a theme that I enjoy a lot in general, so I think the second volume was just something more geared toward my personal tastes.

I'm 100% aware that non-con is pretty standard for the genre (and for romance series in general regardless of the genders of the characters, if we're being real), and I've become desensitized to it enough that I'm usually able to suspend my disbelief enough to not be that bothered by it, if the series is presenting it as something that doesn't really affect the character?

But like. Izumi's reaction is played pretty straight, initially? He locks himself in his room, he isn't coming out to eat, he isn't going to classes, he just lays in bed, unable to stop thinking about what happened. It's hard not to see it as a realistic reaction to being sexually assaulted, only for everyone else in Izumi's life to act like he's overreacting and needs to just 'go back to the real world' and move on. Not to mention his own brother taking pity on Ryou, because uwaaaah Ryou just feels so bad, clearly this is all just a misunderstanding.....

And like, okay. Izumi bounces back pretty fast, and if that were the end of it I think I'd be able to take the series at face value and be like ok. The story isn't interested in taking this seriously. This is a world where assault is treated like a minor inconvenience, sure. Let's move on. BUT. As soon as Izumi sees Ryou again? Boy is TERRIFIED. Like, the scene is played more for laughs, but when he's running, he genuinely looks scared for his life. And that makes it harder for me to move on? Not to mention, Ryou apologizes in a way where it makes it really hard for Izumi to reject him, because he's being so dramatic and doing it in public, he puts Izumi in a really awkward position.

It's still early in the show though and I know this isn't going to be treated serious, so I'm still like. Okay. Ryou apologizes very sincerely. He promises not to lay hands on Izumi again. He asks to just be texting friends. If Izumi is willing to accept that, then again, I'm willing to meet the tone of the series where it is and go along with it! But Ryou pretty much immediately shows no regard for the boundaries that he set in place, pestering Izumi about walking with him, texting him constantly throughout the day, and finding out his location at school and going there in person without getting an okay from Izumi. my guy.

That's already a red flag, but from there on he 1) repeatedly kisses Izumi while he's passed out, 2) tells him he will keep going even if Izumi changes his mind and revokes his consent (he does stop but that's still such a crazy thing to say dude wtf), and 3) gets super jealous and becomes physical with Izumi. Like. The ONLY thing this dude has going for him is that he was willing to prostrate himself before a bunch of people to get Izumi a review and autograph from his idol.

It's just? Frustrating, I guess? Like, I don't even hate the show or anything, I did find it pretty enjoyable to watch. Izumi is very cute and I like how in spite of his social anxiety he does still have a bit of cockiness and overconfidence to him when it comes to his own art skills, I like that he's passionate about becoming a mangaka and doesn't want to just go with the flow of his family pushing him into show business. I liked Rei, and I thought the dynamic of him awkwardly being a sort of mentor to Izumi as he realizes he's into men was cute and funny. I wanted to like Ryou, especially when he started shaping up, and trying to be a genuine friend to Izumi.

But the way that it handles sexual assault just feels too wishy washy. I feel like there's so many ways it could have been done better. Ranging from just, not having Ryou actually touch Izumi after disrobing him, and having him immediately realize 'oh shit I've gone too far'; to just... not including that element to begin with. Hell, you can even go with the tried and true route of focusing on Izumi liking it and not understanding why, and being 'in denial' about it- which I feel like can be a cop out but does make it easier to paint the seme as less scummy, if that's what you're going for.

Idk. I feel wild for even discussing this sort of thing in depth. This sort of topic is obviously a controversial one when it comes to BL, and I both don't want to be disrespectful of actual SA, while also acknowledging that Rape Fantasy is common in the romance genre and not shaming anyone who enjoys it for any reason? Just, in this particular series, I feel like it took me out of it in a way that is hard to reconcile with the tone of the show.