[Akinosora] Let Your Smile Bloom

17th was yesterday.

Ok, I live in a different timezone. For me it was always the 18th. Has probably to do with the release of the MEME50 Box. But it isn't the first time that Fakku is a little late for the download links.

Download links are online!

Just want to say thanks for the comment section of this book.

https://www.fakku.net/hentai/let-your-smile-bloom-english

I almost bought it , until I realized it has NTR.

Kind of false advertisement since the Artist does not want it in the tags.

Anyway , Thank you. :)

The reason it doesn't have NTR listed as a tag is a little tricky. If you asked me personally, even without the artists request, I would say this book is not NTR at all.

It does have some darker elements to the story, but in the end it is a vanilla book. It's just a dramatic story. The main character is arranged to be wedded to a rich asshole who treats her badly, but she has a crush on a sweet guy in school and she's technically cheating on her partner (the asshole) with the sweet guy in school. If you'd like me to spoil how the story ends for you to get an idea what I mean, you can click below with the spoiler tag:



If the story was reversed and the asshole was splitting the couple up in school and forcing himself on her and ending up keeping the girl by forcing her to marry him, THAT would be NTR, but that just isn't the case in this story at all. She was with this asshole before she allowed the sweet guy into her life.

That is why the artist is sensitive about being called NTR, not because he does NTR stories and just doesn't want the label of NTR attached to it.

I would encourage you to at least get the digital version or check out the magazine chapters available on the site if you have a subscription, because he does tell a compelling love story. :)

I fully respect the author's wishes but I think the point needs to be made that some people will view this as an NTR book. I also agree with your points and personally I don't feel that the story as a whole is really NTR but I do believe it has some NTR elements. You of course need to read the entire thing to grasp the full story and come to a conclusion but I think there's a certain breed of reader who will simply stop as soon as they see the main character abused and violated. This type of reader has very strong feelings about this subject and for only that reason it could be a bit misleading. Especially if that person is trying to make a purchasing decision it's in the individual's best interest to know what they're getting into. Of course, not finishing the book and understanding the story as a whole is straight up a loss for the reader, but well people can be irrational.

Anyway I don't think the tagging needs to be changed but I do want to acknowledge the other perspective.

Always good to see background information. I agree with GamerNovel, this book seems like an NTR work and if it doesn't fit a technical definition, it would be nice to see some new tags to call it out, or even just use of existing tags.

In two of the chapters, the woman is forced (or coerced at a minimuim) into unwanted sex (if I recall, she is actually yelling out "no" throughout the scene). This falls into rape by most reasonable definitions. But the chapters are not tagged as 'forced' nor is there any indication that it has non-consensual content. This clearly makes it not 'vanilla', and having the 'vanilla' tag just makes it confusing for people who do want actual vanilla content.

I see several people besides myself who have issue with the tagging on this, so it isn't just one person. I feel like this is important because it wastes time and money for everyone. Luckily, I read the digital before the book was mailed to me, but if it had been sent, I would have returned it, which is time and money that didn't have to be wasted. As it is, having to refund my money cost Fakku processing fees and took my time, so time and money were still wasted, just not as much.

This book has a chapter that is in fact tagged as NTR. So, this would seem to be an NTR book for Fakku as well, regardless of what is said by Brittany and Jacob. I think the artist can create the work, but that Fakku should retain integrity and tag it how the community sees the book, or better yet, turn tagging of stories over to the community.

This statement isn't quite correct. If I remember correctly, this book was originally tagged NTR but that tag was removed at the author's request. That's what makes the issue more complicated. Going by what the community says might give a better representation of the content but there's another point to be made here. If you see a certain tag that sticks out to you, it could give you a particular expectation for that work. It's sort of your first impression, and first impressions don't tell the whole story. In this case it's letting certain parts of this book speak for the whole. One bad outcome here is that seeing that tag will turn someone away from this book that they would have otherwise come to enjoy. I really don't think this is cut and dry at all. Actually there might not be a right answer for this book.

You make a good point and it is an interesting point on the NTR tag. I had assumed that particular chapter was tagged NTR, because on it's own, it fits the NTR definition (bad guy gets the girl, blah, blah, blah).

I agree that trying to reduce a whole story down to a few tag is always troublesome, but I feel like this book is not tagged appropriately. In the strongest terms, I do not belive the 'vanila' tag can be applied to a book that contains rape, kidnapping, and drugging. It just doesn't apply. Even if there is a happy ending (the last chapter could certainly be tagged vanilla on it's own).

I know your intent isn't to trick someone into purchasing this book, but I feel like you have to trust the individual here. If they feel that they won't enjoy owning a book with rape, then trust them. It is an overreach to try and get people to 'give the book a chance'. At a minium, the chapter where the woman was knocked out, tied up, and raped should have the 'forced' tag:
let-your-smile-bloom-chapter-3

Instead it is tagged as 'NTR' and 'Bondage', which is grossley inaccurate. This isn't consensual play by any means. Chapter 4 is the car rape scene, where she is literally yelling 'no' and 'stop' throughout the encounter, until she is saved. Again, no 'forced' tag. Chapter 2, I can see some argument for not having a 'forced' tag, but since there isn't a blackmail/coerced tag, it is the closest we have.

This isn't about judging those who enjoy rape stories, and if the artist doesn't want their work seen in that light, they can exclude those elements from their work. Akinosora has other work on this site without rape, so it isn't a standard thing they always do. In fact, I think the art is amazing and was disappointed to discover the content, because it is not for me. Publish some non-rape work by Akinosora and I will buy it, in a heartbeat.

My point is that this book should be tagged correctly and due to various factors (Fakku dissent, artist wishes) it is not. Let readers make their own choices about what content to consume, but provide them with accurate information.

A last point, is also the tagging on the books as a whole is confusing, for example:
let-your-smile-bloom-english

It isn't a story, it is the start of the book (placeholder?), so those tags seem to apply to the book. But are they an aggragate of all tags (they aren't) or do the tags represent the overall theme of the book? Currently, they seem to be random tags pulled from various chapters. One book (I want to say a Napata one), has a stockings tag for the book level, even though only one story has stockings. For me at least, there is confusion about what the tags at the start of a book are supposed to communicate.

Tags can only help so far. Personal takes, author intent, tone of the work... dozens of subtleties are hidden or unaddressed by 'vanilla' or 'netorare' or 'cheating'.

Start with the simple terms, and use conversations like this to figure out where the work fits for you.

Waiting on some real NTR (Itou Eight) this will do for now.

MONDAY...

Been waiting on a 5 book order I think it is... hasn't shipped. This is getting a little old where my order is held back due to 1 book out of a few and then get to see others with their copies already.

It will only ship when all books are ready, so if you ordered the Z-Ton book or Pundemonium you'll have to wait till next year for your book...

I don't see anything in his library showing newer books than Let Your Smile Bloom, I'll check with shipping on Monday in the office just to double check

They have "Honey Pot Style" in their library and that hasn't been released yet if I'm not mistaken. It's paperback release date in the store got shifted to December.

Ah you're right, that one took a little longer with the printer, should have seen that right away

Ah thanks. wasn't aware of this. Still kinda a bummer. but oh well.

Buy book to book.