Tight-rope

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Tight Rope is an enjoyable manga, to say the least. It has some major flaws, like lack of problem resolution and romantic payout, but is otherwise satisfying. The world it sets up is also confusing, leaving you wondering things such as: Where are the cops during all this!?

But the romance is fun and cute. It was nice to see Naoki slowly come to understand and accept Ryu's dependence on him and vice versa. A nice read, if you don't mind some vulgarity, and can just let yourself read a cute story.

Another great story by Natsume Isaku. This shonen-ai/yaoi actually has a proper plot. The main characters are not stereotypical for this genre which makes the story interesting and intriguing.

Ryu is the heir of a yakuza, strong-willed, loyal and a fierce fighter - everything the future leader should be. But he doesn't want to inherit the title because he wants to live a normal life with his childhood friend and love interest Naoki.
Naoki is very reserved, cynical and doesn't reciprocate Ryu's feelings. The story is written from Naoki's point of view and follows him as he grows as a person.

The art is less bishonen, more ... shonen actually. But what makes this story intriguing is the chemistry between the main characters Ryu and Naoki. They are not your normal mainstream shonen-ai/yaoi couple. If you are familiar with Natsume Isaku's work you will know that this is kind of her style. The uke is really masculine in some ways whilst the seme has feminine personality traits. This gives the dialogue/interaction between those two an interesting and funny twist. Natsume Isaku is a genius in characterisation through very simply and subtle ways, whether it's through her drawings or the dialogue. Naoki's standoffishness and Ryu's desire for his 'Nao' literally jump out of the page.

I really enjoy Natsume Isaku's mangas and this one is definitely one of her best. If you like shonen-ai/yaoi that has a proper plot and is funny, touching and sweet then you might want to give this a shot.

Tight Rope is an altogether decent manga. It is full of a legit mixture of things such as violence that many other stories that border around its kind lack. Once you start reading Tight Rope, its hard to turn away. One major turn off for this manga is that minor things that should be explained are overlooked, leaving you confused and wondering. This manga for me was hard to follow. This manga is all fine and good, but I feel as if it sort of repeats itself from chapter to chapter.

Overall Rating: I give this manga a six since it failed to truly grasp ... my attention. I blew through this manga finding myself bored from time to time.