Kurosu admits that his skill at drawing is average, but he still enrolls at an art university. While there, he is amazed by the work of fellow student Yukari. The two of them end up on the same train together, but when Yukari leaves his umbrella behind, Kurosu rushes out to give it to him. The train departs without Kurosu, leaving him stranded, so Yukari invites him to spend the night. Kurosu might have been able to take the next train, but then our story wouldn’t commence.
If Kurosu is average in art, then art dominates Yukari’s world. Yukari might even forget to sleep or eat because he gets so wrapped up in his paintings. Fascinated by him, and wanting to help, Kurosu becomes something of an aide to the painter. That’s a nice gimmick in this manga: you see the characters come together over time and through their actions. They don’t just unrealistically fall head-over-heels for each other at first sight.
The manga is the strongest in the beginning, as the two characters meet and get to know each other. While an overall serious story, it has a few funny moments.
As a manga about artists, An Even More Beautiful Lie tries to be artistic and avant-garde in itself. The art, which is well-drawn, has a typical manga feel, but the story itself feels out of the ordinary. There’s a stream-of-consciousness to parts, including sudden flashbacks. The flashbacks can feel abstract and confusing at times, though they also welcome thought and explanation.
Much of the book has a melancholic atmosphere, especially when the story centers around Yukari. As the image of the sad artist, one can almost feel his pain coming off the pages.
This isn’t an erotic yaoi, if that’s what a reader is looking for. There is one uncomfortable rape scene, and another scene where it’s not quite clear what’s going on. Well, I mean, I knew what was going on, but the drawings weren’t that clear. These two scenes give the manga a 16+ rating, which I suppose means it shows enough to bump it up from 13+. I would have liked the manga a lot better without the rape scene, which is the one thing that stands out in my mind as a negative for the book. Yukari is a sad enough character without throwing that in. I would recommend An Even More Beautiful Lie for someone looking for an unusual and artistic manga that tries some new things.
Publisher: Digital Manga
Story & Art: Kei Kanai