Manga Review: Deep Love Series by Yoshi

                                            

Summary

Deep Love: Ayu's Story:

Ayu, a 17-year-old high school student, believes neither in a future nor the happiness it could bring her. By selling herself, she tries to justify her existence, which is as bleak as her heart - it’s devoid of joy, sorrow, love. Not until her encounter with a kind-hearted old lady does Ayu begin to realize the true meaning of happiness…

Deep Love: Pao's Story:

Being abandoned by his owners, having his mother die of starvation, a puppy who suffered lifelong separation from his siblings wandered around the city. Meeting and parting with kind people, experiencing brutal treatment from unjust people. Pao, who learned to live within the harshness of reality, awaits even more ordeals...

Deep Love: Reina's Fate

The continuation from Deep Love - Host. This story is about Reina, a cheerful 19-year-old single mother. During Ayu's Story, Reina was raped in a Karoke bar and eventually gave birth to a baby girl she named Ayu. Now, Reina has fallen in love, but when she told him she had a child, he dumps her! And what's worse is that her daughter, Ayu, accidentally falls down the stairs and during the surgery she becomes blind! What will happen to this once very cheerful mother?

Deep Love: Host

This is the continuation of Deep Love: Ayu no Monogatari. Now that Ayu's gone, Yoshiyuki has lost everything. After his heart surgery, he has nowhere to go...except underground. This is the story of his work as a host.

My Thoughts

Review covers 4 Works

Today’s review will be a bit different from all my reviews. Normally I never combine works into one review, however, today I made an exception, as al 4 works are part of one big series called Deep Love: real. I have read these short stories when I was first introduced to the manga world and I remember I stayed all night awake as it was something that made me cry and couldn’t let me go. I remember that that for the last 2-3 months I had this weird feeling, I wanted to re-read this series, but I forgot the name, and because I had to look up my old notebook where I was keeping which books I read, as soon as I saw the title I knew it was it. However, let me get back to the review. As I have already mentioned the review covers 4 stories: Pao’s story, Ayu’s story, Host and Reina’s Fate. Each one is around 2 volumes long and can be read without reading the main series – Real. However, if you are interested in Real, there are only 23 chapters available, so if you don’t know Japanese, you’ll have to wait until someone will take it up to translate.

It’s true you can read the stories in any order, however, I believe the best order to read the is:

·      Pao’s story

·      Ayu’s Story

·      Host

·      Reina’s Fate

This way everything will fall in order and you’ll know the whole story. So, why should you actually read these stories? Well, the only thing I can say is realism. Yes, Yoshi as the author is outstanding at presenting the life in its real colors. So, let’s start our journey.

First is Pao, a puppy. Yes, the whole story is from the dog’s POV, and that makes the story even more frightening. Discover the cruelty of the human beings, but do not worry there are kind humans amongst us too. The whole story makes you wonder in which category do you actually fall into?

Second is Ayu, a young girl, who sells her body. You might not like Ayu as a character because she’s a prostitute, however, you can’t ignore the harsh reality that she is living in. similar to Pao’s story Ayu encounters both cruel and kind people. There’s death on her way, but the grandma and Pao are the ones who help her put away her job and live happily. But Yoshi being the realist makes Ayu start selling her body again, however, now you are encouraging her, you want it to end fast and it does. And if you have read Pao’s story you already know how it ends. Tragically doesn’t really describe it.

And here come’s in the main story Real, or if you want a short version, read the Host (The drawing is much better). It is time for Yoshioki to tell his story. Yup, he’s the kid with the heart decease, for whom Ayu has started working again. With his parent dead and the love of his life not near him, he applies to work in a host club. You’ll ask why? The answer is absolutely simple he wants to understand Ayu. Again take a journey into the “underworld” and try to live it without getting scarred. The story takes a quite optimistic turn at one point, however, Yoshi doesn’t disappoint and again the main Hero ends up all alone, twice brokenhearted, but at least he’s alive, but as one could say it would have been better for him to be dead.

And with that we are nearing the last story: Reina’s fate. If you have already read the previous stories you know that Reina is Ayu’s friend who was raped and kept the child. She named her kid Ayu and it is the time to see how her life will go on. I the beginning I though at least her story will have a happy ending, however, everything changes when Ayu becomes blind and Reina start selling her body to take care of her. No happy ending for her, she’s abused by her boss, her lover is killed in front of her and she goes mad. But to know more and how her story ends you’ll need to read the story yourself.

If you ask me whose story is the most tragic I would say either Yoshoiki’s or Reina’s but in the end I will still choose Yoshioki, why? If you read the story you’ll understand. He loses too much and he remembers everything. Are you ready for a thrilling journey into the life of teens and young adults? Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below. Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

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