Review of Yes, No, or Maybe?

"Yes, No, or Maybe?" Do you consent to sex? "Yes, no, or maybe?" Did I like this anime? "Yes, no, or maybe." I loved this anime. It was a lighthearted romp. It was fun, it was impactful. It made me feel a type of way. I got butterflies in my stomach from it. I loved the audio, the story, the concept, the resolution, the characters - everything. As a woman who struggles with a personality disorder, the concept of never being able to show the real "you" really caught me, and I really connected with it. However, there was no real substance beyond "please like yourself". There'snothing that will stick with me for the rest of my life after leaving this anime, and if it wasn't for MyAnimeList, give it 4 years and I'll forget what it's even about.

It wasn't Given. It wasn't Strangers by the Sea. It wasn't Hitorijime My Hero.

But it WAS A Tyrant Falls in Love. It WAS Finder. It WAS Dakaichi.

Long-time fans of yaoi anime know exactly what I'm getting at. When it was all looking so good, there was very dubious consent in the last THREE MINUTES of the entire thing.

Seme wants it. Uke says no. Uke vocally resists ~a fair bit~ and the seme ~~~can't control himself~~~. Uke says "Stop". Seme doesn't.

It was hot. I'm only human. The sounds, the visuals, the animation, the music. The way the Seme says the Uke's name mid-sex. It's not something we get very often outside of straight-up hentai. It was never framed as "what is appearing on screen right now is bad".

Many animes refuse to even go "there" with gay relationships, giving no kisses - let alone sex. But this one did, and I have to give it that to its credit.

However, even IF the Uke was okay with it afterward (which he was, btw. He was happy to stay under the Seme and hug and talk about their feelings), WHAT was the POINT of that dubious consent?

Strip him down naked, he's happy with it, and then when the dude tries to put it in, the uke dislikes it? And the seme does NOTHING to reassure him? I don't know. I felt it was needless. I felt like the movie went, "this is what all yaoi anime does, so if I want to be one of the cool kids, I need to do it too." And it was just so unnecessary.

I enjoyed myself. Truly. The ending was satisfying, and despite the questionable sex making me feel a little icky, I had fun with this movie. I'm just so disappointed in it for adding literally a pointless dialogue that he wasn't okay with it. If they'd just made the Uke silent, or made him say "don't look" or something equally bashful, if that's what they were going for with the whole "yamete kudasai~~" nonsense - it would've been nice.

Instead, it's apparently sexier to want someone SO MUCH that you "lose all reason" and become a rapist in this genre.

Ahh well. At least it's fiction.