'Ten Count' Comic Review

Ten Count is a BL comic taking the community by storm. Written by author Takarai Rihito, the story concentrates on an assistant, Shirotani, suffering from a particularly harsh case of mysophobia, or the fear of germs. It follows his everyday life and rituals and gives a deep insight into his greatest fears. At the start of the story, the supporting character and love interest, Kurose, notices Shirotani's mysophobic tendencies. He provides support and engages in treatment with Shirotani, concentrating on gradual exposure using typical phobia treatment methods: listing his hardest task down to his easiest task in a 10-part list (hence the name "Ten Count"). They begin working through the list of tasks in order to not cure, but improve his condition. The storyline overall opens strongly and is endearing, with a natural plot development and a realistic concept that provides its fair share of Easter eggs.

The style of this comic is digital, with the line strokes being clean and accurate throughout. The quality of the drawing improves with time and increases the intense feeling between the characters, especially for the character of Kurose, but it doesn't differ much from typical manga style.

The romance element takes an especially unique twist. Shirotani and Kurose seem to be constantly battling with each other, with Kurose also being Shirotani's strength to improve and integrate into the real world. Kurose's fascination with Shirotani's condition is a curious one; despite being a paediatrician, his effort to cure Shirotani is more than passionate, and his 'reason' for doing so is a well-used ploy to draw the reader in. In the beginning, the relationship is very sweet and timid, but intensity quickly develops; however, the innocent element is never lost. This is partially due to the character of Shirotani, who is wonderfully cute. His semi-realistic behavioural symptoms are probably accurate, and there is a sense that his emotional ones are very slightly downplayed. His cognitive symptoms, however, seem to hit the mark, with some hard-hitting realism at times. With snippets of Shirotani's youth, we can see links between his condition and his past, something which gives his character a lot of depth, and makes you really route for him. These moments reiterate the child inside all of us and contribute to the innocence of the comic.

The character's themselves aren't over-described, and despite being interesting in terms of overall attributes, they don't actually have much personality. This doesn't take away from the comic though, allowing the character's relationship and Shirotani's disorder to hold equal footing. Once the intensity increases, the reader questions the character's intent, manifesting a roller-coaster feeling as you try to figure out what both characters really want. The writer has a skill with intimate scenes, making certain scenes especially racy, with Kurose as the sexy, domineering character and Shirotani as the innocent, endearing one. The choice of names (with shiro meaning white and kuro meaning black in Japanese) give the image of innocence and the less innocent, feeding the reader's fantasy with the more intense moments. This really gives the image that Kurose, in his battle to bring Shirotani back to the real world, is actually tainting him with evil; it's as if he's being brought to the dark side.

The overall nuance of this comic is that not everyone is as mentally healthy as they seem, bringing Kurose's strength down a little to Shirotani's level. They stipulate a kind of yin and yang relationship, re-deepening their bond, something that could diminish in the reader's eyes through the characters' sexual urges. Kurose begins to show a little vulnerability, and so the feeling that one side of the relationship is heavier seems to disappear. Similarly, the reader realises that perhaps Kurose's 'dark side' is just a reflection of Shirotani's vulnerability, and that Kurose, in his own way, is just as vulnerable.

With many emotional twists and turns, and an underlying truth the reader must unearth, this comic never ceases to entertain. The believable yet unique plot has you on the edge of your seat, but wonderfully confused, and the emotional impact leaves a lasting imprint. With a unique insight into mental health, you'll be questioning your own intentions, but you will also be thankful to begin to understand a world you may have never considered.

Rating: 4/5