Color Recipe

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

I will be frank and try not to give spoilers as best as I can but: This is not a story you should expect a happy ending from. This is not lighthearted and it's not romantic. Be prepared for lots of dark twists are turns. If you can't handle or are triggered by stories with sexual harassment, stalking or r*pe then you 100% should NOT be reading this.

That being said, if you're into that sort of plot this is a great read. This story made me so physically uncomfortable and left me feeling gross- but I just couldn't stop reading, lol. If you're not familiar ... with Harada-sensei's works, the thing you have to remember is that they rarely have a happy plot line. They've become quite known for having sick plots to their manga (although they have some great cute/fluffy works), but Color Recipe hit different for some reason. If I didn't know the baseline for the plot before going in, I would've had quite a few shocks from the twists in it.

I think the reason this manga felt so harsh to me personally is because the 2 main characters felt so real to me. They didn't seem exaggerated. The fact that people as sick as the antagonist of this story really exist creep me out to no end. Harada's characters are always so interesting. When I first started reading I was wondering why the art looked so familiar, and then the plot picked up and I went, "Ahh, this must be Harada and I didn't realize." There's just this sick sense of realism with it that made my heart race with anxiety. This is definitely not for the light of heart. It was nothing I couldn't handle but this story was very psychological. I think Harada-sensei does a very good job of showing what trauma looks like in victims and I thought that was a really nice touch.

The only reason I'm rating this an 8 instead of a 9 or a 10 is because it was so disturbing to me, lol. I enjoyed it in terms of story, but I couldn't /really/ enjoy it until a couple days later when I could let it digest. In the moment, this definitely felt like a thriller manga, at least. Actually I think a thriller or a psychological horror would fit this more than "yaoi" would since yaoi is usually associated with romance. There was no romance in this. It's a very messed up story, but it's so well written. I really do recommend this manga but ONLY if you like dark storylines. I don't think I'll reread it because it makes my stomach churn, lol, but it's a very interesting story.

I would like to start this review off by just simply saying that THIS IS NOT YOUR SOFT FLUFFY SWEET YAOI MANGA. Nah fam if what you're looking for is some of them wholesome yaoi love story and what not, then you shouldn't even be considering this one in the first place.

HOWEVER, for those of you yaoi fans that like some dark twisted plots along with a sprinkle of roughness (if you will lmao) in your mangas, like me ;) , then I would highly recommend this one.

To sum things up, this manga gives out MAJOR obsessive yandere stalker boyfriend vibes. If you're into ... that, then this... my dear friend is something you will LOVE. I personally have been trying to find mangas like this for quite some time but to no avail BUTTT hey hey thank heavans for Harada sensei's wonderful masterpieces.

I would also like to mention that like all of Harada sensei's works, the artwork of this manga is beyond amazing and very detailed. It's impressive to see how Harada sensei was able to express the characters' emotions and sinister dispositions through her art style. It's a definite 10/10

But yea, that concludes my review for this manga. All in all, if you're into that kind of dark messed up plots and amazing art styles...then this is what you've been looking for, my dude.

From an artistic perspective, this Manga is beautiful. Perhaps an homage to it's name, this manga starts off with several beautifully painted Full-Color pages. The art style continues to impress with clean lines and careful draftsmanship of a salon working environment.

The plot starts off fairly straightforward, but takes a darker turn midway through. I found the characters themselves to be rather unlikable. If you like manga with sweet characters and heart-tugging romances (like from Ichikawa Kei, Junko, Natsume Isaku, ect) then you probably won't like this manga.

However, if you have a darker taste and enjoy manga like Caste Heaven, then you will ... probably like this manga.

Ultimately, I liked the artwork and the pretty characters and the story was intriguing, the characters were unlikable, and not suited to my tastes. Once the series continues publication in Ciel Magazine, I probably won't continue to read it.