Ahsoka Tano Centric Worldview

Mostly it's how Takeru x Rin (more on Takeru) making me scream in pain but

I started the manga for the plot, not expecting any ship but the set-up was so archetypical harem lol. You've got the childhood friend, the agokare senpai, the loyal knight/butler BEFORE you even get to the main pairing of twin brothers. and... and whatever Takeru and Rin has got going on (it's doomed yaoi).

Yoshida-sensei... way to capture your readers with a kiss. Face-wise, Moichi is just my type. Yoshida single-handedly made glasses a thing for me with ash lynx after I've been four-eyed for almost 20 years and felt nothing. I could colour in his hair and pretend it's a happy BF ending if I'm crazy enough. I thought he'd get the short end in the Sei ship race so imagine both my joy and shock when THAT canon event happened. And he even got flashbacks... *sobs*

It's a page-turner. I made so many scandalous faces when I was reading it lol. Rin's strategies in vol 2 - 4 had me clapping at the manipulator that he is. I even wondered if he had a chance to win. I keep guessing how much of the truth he's telling. I believe the one thing he couldn't predict was how quickly Sei accepted him. I couldn't stop myself from reading after volume 3. When Rin showed up in kimono I was like, *twirl hair behind ear*. And we get Creepy Pedo #56. It's a running theme that sex is power in Yoshida's works. I appreciate this take but sometimes the amount of suggestive scenes did surprised me a little haha. sidenote: When Rumi showed up I was like SENSEI THINK OF THE LESBIANS. I almost gave up on Yoshdia universe having another woman but Rumi was a good character. I really like the puzzles clicking when she's the one that saw through Takeru because she's also the secret admirer.

The story was so good. The intrigue, the plot twists, multiple times I couldn't guess where the story would go. It's got less threads than BF so while multiple factions are involved, it's still manageable to follow once you tell the characters apart. The action scene at the party (vol 8?) is so, so good (running out of praises) The movement of the characters felt alive and the chase was exciting. When they all raised their guns it felt straight out of a movie. Yoshida hardly uses spreads but still made the fight seem epic. She's so good in controlling the rhythm of the scene to build suspense. Like in Rin's introduction she kept delaying the face reveal and he turned out more angelic than evil?

The choice to centre on genetics and virus, with a tint of the supernatural give me a Tezuka/Black Jack feel (i know they are two decades apart, just the overall older simplistic backgrounds). I don't sit very well with it when the supernatural implication was too strong in what could/should count as sci-fi. I thought the soul-switching just s a little bit hard to believe, but it's not unheard of for real twins, let alone GM ones framed as a new species. I can forgive the superstition for being a Yoshida signature and an interesting look into the era's psyche. She did keep the reader guessing and who doesn't like a good mythical allusion. Plus, ESP and cloning was THE talk of town at the turn of the century so I can see the story being on-trend and edgy for the time. It does sustain, given you know what happen in 2020.

When I heard the premise of YASHA, I wondered how Sing could factor in. I recognised Sing at once. His involvement was not shoehorned at all. For the plot, he represents a stakeholder and offered the story an additional political comment. And as a character, he also managed to rescue the main party at a crucial point that shines light on his effectiveness and sense of responsibility. No one could see Sei and not see Ash so Sing's words... thank you for the pain, Sensei? And for what happened to Yut Lung, I already heard/seen the panel so I'm not surprised or even sad at all, given Yoshida having said she doesn't like him at all lol.

The art style. Actually I don't like BF's last art style as much as the middle one. YASHA's is a polished continuation of that so I sort of came with an ulterior purpose to resolve my mild dislike of it. YASHA's characters and lines are a lot sharper. The serialisation continued into 2002 and there's literally no way I could not-love the era I was born and raised in. Sei and Rin, especially Rin and in the art book, are so early 2000s long-hair japanese handsome boys that burnt into my generation before I even have my own aesthetic. That vision of them as tribal warriors 👌👌👌 There was an early panel introducing Sei and you've got halos/bubbles behind him I finally feel like I'm reading a "shoujo" manga this time. There were a number of panels that reminds of Banana Fish inevitably, such as one with Sei in combat gear with a fire background. Another was an alley scene with Sei/Rin in a hoodie that reminds me of the anime's introduction of Ash.

Sei as a protagonist. I like Sei. I've always been on Sei's side since the beginning. I like Sei as a capable protagonist but not in a blorbo way. His genius-ness is also more believable than Ash given how he's made lol. He's kind of perfect since the beginning so when he starts "falling" after vol.7 I'm still rooting for him to kill everyone instead of recgonising that he's losing his morality and wanting to pull him back like by ep13 with Ash. Instead of seeing the angel in the boy, I saw Sei as the human in the god's son. I guess? The malice in his eyes when he strives for the father's love from Rin in vol 10 was DELICIOUS.

Takeru and Rin. Man, I joked about Takeru being a simp in the early volumes I owed him an apology by vol 6. He chose good after everything. THE KISS man. He remembered every word he said and he didn't have to say it to promise him. Just a kiss is enough. THEY GREW UP TOGETHER. THEY WERE DROWNING TOGETHER. "What we have was nothing as heartwarming as friendship, but it's true we wouldn't be able to survive without each other as well" "All I could do was drown with Rin" They are so Moratorium the Song it's insane. they were two clipped birds cuddling for warmth. He took the blame without a second's thought. He would murder just for him. He forgave him. oh Rin loved him you know. Rin loved him. Takeru was willing to sacrifice his portion of Rin to make him a better person. He went back to him. He always does. He stayed. (p.s. went back to Rin's introduction to check something and Takeru actually made him laugh?? you could chalk it up to Rin acting but his smile is so cute in p52 top left) Takeru is my favourite character man.

And the fateful scene in vol 11? I didn't want to turn the page. I was at the edge of my seat, fearful. But I thought not turning the page could stop what already happened. That made me fall enough with the act of reading again. The thrill of participating. The thrill of falling.

The Ending. I saw a comment beforehand describing the ending as "surprisingly warm (coming from BF)" so I was under the impression that nobody died. oh IMAGINE how wrong I was. I couldn't believe the ending ending when you know, a couple chapters back certain people I thought was gone ended up in the hospital (this time). I forgot it was the 90s and it was a YOSHIDA AKIMI work *head in hands* I had hope by the second-to-last volume- wait, that sounds familiar-

I do think structure-wise it's better than BF even. Amemiya's obsession with Sei reminds me of Dino and Rin as an antagonist compensated for Yut Lung's lack of physical strength. You also get less of that kidnapping plot at latter part of BF because of the shorter length. YASHA's staying power definitely can't compare, but it's one hell of oa thrilling blockbuster.