This manga is very "grown up" in its sensibilities. By this I mean if you're looking for an idealized, twu luv 4evah! teenage fantasy, then go read Twilight. The manga questions the notion of destiny, and asks whether happiness can still be reached in a future one might not necessarily have chosen for him/herself: can second-chance loves be just as good, if not better, than supposed true loves? Rather than a conventional love triangle featuring three single people, Koi no Tsumeato is ultimately the story of two people (Ao and Kou) in an imperfect relationship who have that relationship tested in the most extreme way by a third party (Mikuni). Which seme you prefer will ultimately come down to what you think of Ao and Kou's relationship, whether there is enough between them that you think they should fight and stick it out, or whether it's best for them to let go and try for other things.
Besides the plot of the manga, I can also, to an extent, praise its characters. They have a bit more psychological realism than one typically finds in a yaoi manga. The problems in Kou and Ao's relationship stem from problems they have as individuals--Ao lacks confidence in his ability to make Kou happy, a problem exacerbated by Kou's cheating ways and Mikuni's presence. Kou, on the other hand, has grown to depend on Ao as his strength, a weakness which causes him to take Ao for granted in the extreme. Mikuni honestly isn't as well developed as Ao and Kou, and reads like the sledgehammer of the situation. While Ao and Kou spend the manga puzzling their way through their feelings and struggling to figure out themselves, each other, and what they really want, Mikuni doesn't bother much with self-reflection and heedlessly charges forward, attempting to get what he wants at whatever cost.
Which brings me to the bad of this manga: also its characters. To an extent, they are all unlikeable, particularly the main character, Kou. Kou simply cannot keep his pants on. In the first chapter, he cheats on Ao within minutes of promising him over the phone that he won't cheat on him again. Kou is an emotional weakling, and his problems with one seme have a tendency to drive him into the arms of the other--pathetic behavior that lasts until the final chapter. (Watching him snuggle up to one seme when he knew he wanted the other was infuriating.) Worst of all, Kou never takes responsibility for all the damage caused by his actions. Mikuni, on the other hand, I found to be unlikeable for the shameless way he pursues Kou throughout the story, and because he is never once bothered by the fact that Kou already has a lover, or that Kou has a history of cheating. (Mikuni must think it will be different with him, because he is just that awesome.) And finally, there's Ao, who was easily my favorite character in the manga. Unfortunately, Ao spends so much time debating what he should do about his situation with Kou that it nearly derails the plot of the manga. If Ao hadn’t spent so much time thinking and wondering, there might have been two volumes to this series instead of three. Overall, however, there’s a lot more good here than bad. I recommend you check it out, just keep an open mind about the characters.
