DEFYING KUROSAKI-KUN (Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni Nante Naranai), by Makino. First published in 2014, and first published in North America in 2018.
PLOT:
Yu Akabane is hoping that a make-over and a new school will be just the thing to improve her social life. Her plans go awry when her parents have to suddenly force her to move into the dorms, putting her at the mercy of deputy dorm monitor Haruto Kurosaki. He's the dark, moody, and foul-tempered best friend of class idol Takumi Shirakawa, and when Yu confronts him, his response to declare her his slave and forcefully kiss her. Will Yu ever get out from under his thumb? And just what is Kurosaki hiding behind his glowering stare?
STORY:
We've talked a bit about the distressing popularity of slavery in modern isekai stories, but I think it's time to discuss the problem of slavery in shojo manga. This is not a new premise - it dates back to at least Hot Gimmick as far as translated titles go - but it's one that pops up with some regularity in shojo, particularly in titles from the last decade or so, and it needs to GO. THE HELL. AWAY.
I'm sick and tired of shojo manga making excuses for shitty guys to abuse girls in the name of romance. Kurosaki-kun tries to justify it with "oh, he's just this way with everyone, but he's actually nice/observant/fastidious/etc. deep down!," which is nothing more than the latest in a long line of excuses for such behavior. It's always about guys like him aren't socialized properly, or suffering from some secret trauma, or don't know how to express their feelings, and somehow that always comes out as "you have do everything I say, woman" along with a hearty helping of verbal and even sexual assault, all of which must be endured by some long-suffering young woman because the innate gentleness of her womanhood will wear down all his rough edges. Some might find the thrill of danger and the inherent power play in such a scenario alluring, but I cannot get past the the abusiveness and imbalance of such a relationship. They don't make me want to sigh in longing, they make me want to get the girl far away and stomp the guy's balls into paste!
The only difference between Kurosaki-kun and other series like it is that Yu actually confronts Kurosaki on a regular basis. She doesn't endure his abuse in total silence, which is a positive and even commendable change. The problem is that the story never once lets her enjoy it. It usually ends either with him manipulating her anger to do whatever he wants her to do or stopping her questioning and confrontation with kabedons and forced kisses. On the rare occasion he isn't a total dick to her, his every word to her is couched in sour pissiness, making it all the more baffling that Yu gets so flustered over them. Even if you want to look beyond the matter of servitude, there's simply no chemistry between them. Their relationship is all tension and no romance.
You'll note that I've not said much about the plot, and that's entirely because there's nothing you haven't seen done dozens of times before. All the old standards are there: mean girls playing pranks on the lead for getting too close to a guy, the two leads forced to work together as part of the school festival, they're locked in a gym storage room together. It's only a matter of time before they trot out other cliches like beach trips and school plays. There's nothing for Kurosaki-kun to offer the reader other than its lead couple, and what they have to offer is utterly awful.
ART:
Kurosaki-kun has nothing original to offer artistically. It's all perfectly OK on a technical level, but there's nothing here in the character designs, panels, or setting that would distinguish it from any other schoolroom shojo romance. The only thing that stands out is the fact that Yu makes such a big deal about guys seeing her without make-up due to her past. She reacts worse to that than she does to being seen naked (due to the aforementioned mean girl prank). Yet when we do see her plain-faced, she looks virtually identical to the times she is explicitly made-up. Is this meant to suggest that her anxiety about her looks is all in her head? Or merely that the artist isn't good enough to convey the difference between the two?
RATING:
Kodansha has so many digital-exclusive series to offer, so do yourself a favor and go read any of them but Defying Kurosaki-kun. Go find yourself a story about a couple that doesn't confuse servitude and abuse for affection and actually has an original idea or two to offer because I guarantee you it will be better than this.
This series is published by Kodansha Comics. This series is ongoing in Japan with 10 volumes available. 9 volumes are available digitally and are currently in print.
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