To date, my favorite story on this site.

Why? I couldn't tell you. I've seen "better" written ones, ones with a more solid plot, or characterization, or structure, or yadda yadda, but to date this remains the novel that has touched me the most. While I keep browsing this site for anything similar, I've yet to find it. It has that 'something' extra for me that no amount of perceived perfection will ever be able to achieve.

At its core, it's a very simple, 'been there done that' story following a disillusioned musician and a talented, but unlucky outcast facing overwhelming odds as they try to win a music competition. Is it giving life one last chance, or begging it for one? Does it matter?

It's easy to craft an emotionally manipulative underdog story--just look at irl music competitions--but it's not often that I come across a piece of art among any medium that captures the feeling of regret and subdued, pervasive melancholy so well. Sometimes dreams don't come true and you find yourself as an adult with a life you don't want. And? And then you keep going. And then you try again.

Eloy, the main character, is a type of character I don't see very often in the sense that he's withdrawn and mellow but still has a fierce sense of morality that keeps him from being passive even though, at the beginning of the story at least, he's the kind of guy to just 'let life pass by'. There are small moments of rebellion that steadily grow throughout the story like rays of light after a storm, until, eventually, the sun comes out, and why? Because of his boyfriend.

Conversely, Genta looks like the kind of guy that would make you change aisles if you saw him at the other side, when in reality he's a cinnamon roll... with a very short fuse. He all but mirrors Eloy's moral code, from a strong sense of justice to self-sacrifice (sometimes too much) to a constant feeling of 'wanting more', which is why they compliment each other so well. Seriously, very few stories had me going JUST KISSSSS as much as this one. Their chemistry is unmatched.

Compared to how strong these two are as characters, I have to admit that the secondary cast falls a bit flat, though they still have a baseline personality and remain constant throughout.

The plot is... eh... if you've seen viral underdog stories on your video streaming site of choice (all two of them), you know how it goes, and how it ends. It's heavily character focused and that's perfectly fine. Conflict is paid off when and how it should, and never fails to impact status quo. Moreover, and this is something that I adore in stories in general, no matter what happens, and no matter how small, everything that happens is a consequence of actions taken by characters.

Naturally, there is plenty of 'spectacle' given the premise. The presentations are dynamic, creative, never really overstay their welcome, and have plenty of moments I still remember as though I'd been there (thanks Genta). Prose is serviceable, but I honestly can't recall any quote or passage I thought was beautiful. Meh, who cares.

Going back to what matters, it's the themes and the way the two main characters present them to strongly that gives it that 'something' for me. As I alluded to before, beyond the spectacle and pretty okay plot and gay gay homosexual gay there's always a subtle sense of melancholy. Both Eloy and Genta have made mistakes they will never really rectify, and that's fine. There's a sense of 'lost time' that never really goes away, and that's fine, too. Life goes on. We'll never be any younger but we can always become wiser, and thus, learn from our mistakes to try again.

Really, this goes for most, if not all characters. In every competition, there are losers. What I really liked was how gracefully a lot of them took the loss. Even when evidently hurt, the sense of camaraderie contestants developed keept morale high, and I could see many of them having great careers after this (just look at how many american idol 'losers' have had way more success than the winners). I also really enjoyed that, for once, there wasn't much emphasis on sabotage or toxicity. People acted like the adults they were, and that's great!

Would I recommend this to everyone? I'm not sure. Like I said, it's a more 'mature' work that you'd typically find on an anime site. There's no spicy drama 24/7 or whatever. It's down to earth, contemplative, and extremely touching in its simplicity. Like the main character, it has a silent strength that's harder to find than not.

As of today, it's my only 10/10 on this site. Does it have flaws? Sure. Do I care? No lol. Will I be the first one to buy an autographed copy if it gets published and spam art sites with Genta mpreg? Absolutely to the first part, and the second... :3