Kano Shiuko: Punch Up V01-V04

I love Kano Shiuko’s Punch Up!, from beginning to end and back again. I feel the need to express this every time I read it. However, volume 3 never fails to tear my heart out. For me, it’s like that part in a movie where you have to pause and walk away for a bit to gather your courage only to return and watch through your fingers. But as my good friend, Ceres, reminded me:

PunchUp was just supposed to be this funny, pervy spin-off but stuff just got pretty serious in Vol 3, yeah. But that’s what Vol4 is for! 😀

I totally agree, volume 4 is there to put it back in place and with some extra lovin to boot!

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• Neither Maki nor Kouta is always at fault or always right.
• Kouta acknowledges his resistance for what it is, an act.
• Maki is a perv from beginning to end.
• And Kouta likes it.
• Maki’s straightforward, but he’s also a coward.
• Kouta’s a crybaby, but he stands his ground.
• They’re both loving and thoughtful towards each other.
• The memory loss arc wasn’t cheesy.
• They apologize with words and not just make-up sex.
• They have valid reasons to distrust each other and it’s not just glossed over and resolved with a little bumpin’ and grindin’.
• There’s lots of delicious sex.
• And none of it is used in lieu of discussing what their concerns are. Sometimes when the words won’t come out they try to reassure themselves with physical intimacy, but it is never used to solve the problem.
• Despite his jokes and playful nature, Maki is very serious, especially where Kouta is concerned.
• Kouta is young (19) compared to Maki (31). When Maki realizes that Kouta is desperate to be loved, he has a serious crisis of conscience.
• When Maki stepped over the line, throwing his clouted weight around, Kouta didn’t just let it go.
• Did I mention the delicious sex?

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If you haven’t read it, you should.