Takaramono wa Hako no Naka

Yay! Reversible couple!

Oh jeez. Atmosphere is a little harsh, but the trajectory is steady enough that it's not hard to acclimatise to. I was kind of intrigued by the "complicated feelings" Tokura was supposed to have, so it was a little disappointing when it turned out to be just a regular old unreasonable fear. The synopsis sets it up kind of backwards, I think, but if you don't go in expecting anything especially mysterious, you can probably enjoy it for what it is. It was almost interesting for setting both the characters in their late thirties, but they don't look or act any differently than if they were ten years younger, so it all ends up kinda moot. It's fine, though. It's short and simple, and entertaining enough to read if you're killing time.

That said, what the christ happened to Tokura in his first two pages. The rest of the time, he's all cold and conflicted and distrustful of everyone (especially himself) but for those two pages only, he's bizarrely cutesy and playful in a way that's utterly baffling once his actual characterisation settles in. Even without Gin around, I can't imagine Tokura ever acting like that under any circumstances, least of all so frequently that his coworkers pretty much roll with it. It's super weird.

i'm sooooo happy!!!!!