Thoughts on a bl manga that destroyed me hahaha

I should be focusing on my studies since here it’s exam season but I can’t help but procrastinate hahaha my preferred method of procrastination is reading and so obviously I had to pick up one or two manga that I had yet to read hahaha 

 The chosen one the other day was “The cornered mouse dream of cheese” with its sequel “The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice” by Mizushiro Setona. It was a manga series that I was putting off reading for like 6 years hahaha (I’m a procrastinator even with things that I actually enjoy doing)  

 I have to say, it was really a wonderful experience it moved me in such a way. To be real the plot has nothing really innovative (it’s about a gay man in love with his college senior who is married and a serial cheater because of his weak demeanour) but the portrayal of the characters was done so well. They are both flawed and pathetic and their relationship is codependent so not really that healthy but it felt all the more realistic for these reasons. Trying to make a relationship work takes effort (especially if both parties need therapy but they aren’t getting it hahaha) and the angst was exquisite with a bittersweet ending, not sad but not happy either with a hint of hopefulness that gets strained by everything that has happened. Something that I really loved was the beautiful writing, the prose reads like straight out of a poem at times. 

 ~Fun fact: I’m Italian, and the title translates in Italian in “il gioco del gatto e del topo” which means “the game of the cat and the mouse”. Although it’s not a direct translation of the original Japanese title I really like the Italian one, it feels like it really encapsulates the relationship the two main characters have.

 I have said that this manga has been on my reading list for a long time, but I’m actually glad that I waited until now to read it. I think that back then I might not have appreciated this work enough, it would have still stuck with me but I’m happy to have read it now with a better understanding of various experiences hahaha 

Okay I have rambled enough hahaha Don’t really know if anyone will see this but if someone does and wants to try reading this that would make me really happy, I really love this manga!