Stigmata: Aikon

This was a super enjoyable BL manga. I really loved how the story flowed. Apparently the mangaka wanted to include more BL elements but was advised against doing so and frankly... this turned out so great. There's just the right amount of romance, and the buildup is great. The characters aren't annoying in the slightest and they act like human beings, not like caricatures. No dragged out sex scenes full of flashing rods. When it comes to romance stories, this is the stuff I love the most. It was not frustrating at all and it didn't fall into any of the common tropes.

Besides being a BL story, this is also a mystery with an actual plot. You have 2 detectives, Asako and Kuroiwa working together. Asako has a special power of being able to "live through" someones death if he's standing where that person recently died. He bleeds out and everything. So immediately we have this set-up that allows for dramatic falling and Asako being held by Kuroiwa after going through a traumatic experience... You see where this is going right! It's so simple but so good lmao. I won't spoil the story that follows but I think the little conflict in the second half was perfect, and the ending was A+ as well.

Next, the art. Ohhhh the art. The hair, the suits, the long noses. At times Takahashi's art reminded me of a mix of Leiji Tatsumoto and the Year 24 group which is a super interesting mix in modern manga in general, and especially in BL which I feel like nowadays has a VERY specific aesthetic. I feel like this influence I mentioned earlier is especially apparent with Asako. The early yaoi/shojo influence was definitely there, mostly in the poses.

I loved the thick linework. Also fuck me, if there ever was a my type in manga then it has to be Kuroiwa.. He reminds me of my husband, yes I'm blushing, hope he never feels like reading my reviews ever again because he'll witness me comparing him to a BL manga character. I feel like Kuroiwa is a certain archetypal character you see pretty often (cold but caring detective) but UGH Takahashi did such a good job with him.

My final thoughts, this was some good shit. Takahashi knows how to make a good story with sensible characters and as a result I can actually enjoy the romance. I also liked another manga of hers called Yuki to Matsu, and it also had a decent story but it felt a bit more self-indulgent than Stigmata. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I prefer Stigmata over it because of the SUITS. I don't really have a huge thing for men in suits but when somebody appreciates men in suits you can really tell, it just rubs off on you okay. She has another manga with two dudes in suits so I'll probably go ahead and read that too lmao.