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Entwined in Red by tapon
Japanese Title:
Karamaru Himo no Akai Ato
絡まる紐の赤い痕
tapon (author)
moment (publishing line)
ShuCream Official EN
TW: emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
A complaint I see frequently regarding BL manga is that it’s too short. Compared to shonen or shojo series, which can go on for tens (and sometimes hundreds) or volumes, BL is often kept to between one and three volumes, and only goes beyond that for extremely popular series. (Though, I’ve noticed this is changing a bit with the proliferation of digital publishing in the BL space, but that’s a tangent for another day.) I personally like this aspect of BL, however—it forces the artist to write a concise story that makes a big impact with as few pages as possible. And, in the case of today’s review subject, sometimes you come across a manga that fits a full coming of age story in as few as four chapters.
tapon’s Entwined in Red condenses a story about abuse, trauma, and shame into just over one hundred pages. Our main character, Asai, is a Very Good Boy whose entire personality and motto are heavily based on the idea that it’s best to live a “normal” life. Good in school, a wonderful son and big brother, and popular with all his female classmates, Asai seems like the perfect example of what a teenage boy should be. However, he’s harboring a secret—ever since elementary school, when he and some fellow classmates stumbled on a porn mag with women in full shibari, he’s been obsessed with the idea of beautiful red ropes marking pale skin. From his classmates’ exclamations of disgust, however, it was made clear that liking shibari isn’t “normal.”
Enter his beautiful classmate Rui. Consistently truant, to the point that most of his classmates only remember his existence through rumors about him being a player and son of a yakuza, Rui is a complete mystery to Asai. So when Rui is suggested as the pianist for their class choir contest (evidently a staple in Japanese middle and high schools), Asai is asked as the class rep to visit Rui’s apartment, tell him about the contest, and deliver some paperwork. What he walks in on, however is Rui in the middle of prostituting himself to an older man, his beautiful pale skin covered in red rope.
When Asai tries to chastise Rui for doing “stuff like that,” Rui gets annoyed and points out Asai got hard from seeing him all tied up, so what right does he have to act superior? When Rui tells Asai to take responsibility for constantly interrupting his time with his clients, Asai can’t resist the allure of these desires he’s been pushing down for half his life, and thus Asai’s squeaky clean image is tarnished—but in its stead starts the blossoming of a relationship tying him to Rui.
As they get to know each other, Asai is able to indulge in his desire to tie Rui up. However, what he couldn’t have predicted is that under Rui’s nonchalant, happy-go-lucky exterior is years of abuse, sexual violence, and neglect. Thus, Asai is trapped between multiple worlds—the one where he’s upheld as the model son and student who only ever does what is “normal” and “proper,” the one where he can finally be true to his most base desires to tie Rui up and possess him, and the one in the middle where he feels himself falling in love with Rui and doesn’t want to keep contributing to all the pain Rui has suffered at other people’s selfish hands.
I know from the description this manga sounds incredibly heavy–and it definitely is very heavy—but I sincerely think tapon does a good job balancing all the sadness out with plenty of sweet and cute and sexy moments. Rui’s past and relationship with his parents is absolutely abhorrent—to the point that it will make you cry for him (especially in chapter four…). A sincerely beautiful, kind, curious boy, his treatment at his mother and step-father’s hands is soul-crushing. Asai, on the other hand, works to heal Rui’s pain and suffering. He’s the first person in years to show any care for what Rui wants, telling him to not give up on his dreams and that he’ll do whatever it takes to help Rui change his fate.
In the end, Rui is the one person Asai feels he can be fully and shamelessly himself around, and it spurs him to take more steps toward being true to himself at home and school as well. It’s also Asai’s kindness and maturity that makes him someone who has the emotional capacity and righteousness to save Rui from his horrible situation. But, I’ll leave the actual conclusion for how that happens to those interested enough to read the manga itself. I sincerely believe it’s worth it.
Also, special mention to this being one of the rare times in manga an underage couple actually sought help from adults to overcome a scary or overwhelming situation. That added an extra layer of realism, and I was surprised how much I appreciated it and how much it added to the ending. It really expanded the world, and also showcased the growth of both characters to seek help rather than wallow in the life that was thrust upon them.
As someone who really loves soft, gentle linework, there’s a gritty softness to tapon’s art that I really love, and I feel like it perfectly suits the story. Plus, the design of the two main characters perfectly encapsulates their personalities and roles in the story: Rui is beautiful, but there’s also a wildness in his sharp eyes and fluffy black hair, while Asai—with his neatly-trimmed hair, wide and gentle eyes, and consistently pressed and properly-fitted uniform—is the image of the sweet and perfect boy next door. tapon captures the setting perfectly as well—the grittiness of Rui’s near-empty apartment, contrasted with the modest and full-but-tidy feeling of Asai’s home, and the bright, possibility-filled spaciousness of their school. tapon really captures of the mood of each scene perfectly.
As far as the ero content, there’s a definite sensuality to the scenes. They’re sexy for sure, but they also really add to the atmosphere of the overall story. Rui’s thin, lithe body may not be to the tastes of those who prefer beefy guys, but it really adds to his character as well as the gentleness of the ero scenes—contrary to his defiant personality and incredible emotional strength, in some of these scenes his body looks so frail and you’re reminded how hopelessly trapped he is. This also, of course, adds to Asai as well—the fetishism of (consensually!) tying up and conquering Rui’s beautiful, fragile-looking body—and thus the theme of Asai slowly giving into desire while also accepting that it’s entirely okay to do so in the presence of a safe and accepting person.
Overall, I really love this manga. It may be relatively short, but it does a lot with the chapters it has. tapon’s art is incredibly expressive and adds immensely to the atmosphere and story, and both Rui and Asai are incredibly endearing. I originally came in contact with this manga over a year ago (being the original quality checker), and I still occasionally think about and reread it. It’s short, but leaves an impact. For those who enjoy stories with a bit of an edge but with a nonetheless happy ending, I couldn’t recommend this enough.
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