Details
Title:
Midnight Rain
ミッドナイトレイン (Midnight Rain)
Author: CTK (Chong Tak)
Artist: CTK (Chong Tak)
Volumes: 1
Publishers:
Kotori (Polish, 2025)
SuBLime (English, 2022)
Libre (Japanese, 2017)
Your Love Melts Pain Away Like Tears in the Rain
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
I’ve been in the mood for some darker or rougher-vibe BL to read recently, trying to alternate between fluffy, delicately drawn stories and something with an edge. There have been two books on my shelf that I’ve been thinking about as they fit this vibe perfectly. And I have yet to read them! Both are from the same author: CTK. In this post, I will discuss Midnight Rain, which was the first one I read of those two!
First of all, I realised two things when researching this manga: a) the author is Korean, CTK being an abbreviation for Chong Tak, and b) she has THREE longer webtoon series published online! Holy shit, my mind was BLOWN. Expanding from Korean webtoons to Japanese BL manga is such a power move. Are you telling me that I have much more of her works to read yet? While I was lamenting that only two one-volume BLs got released? My excitement is through the roof!
But going back to the topic at hand. Midnight Rain tells the story of a depressed middle-aged man named Ethan who works monotonously to pay off an inherited debt. One day, he comes across a hot-headed blonde guy in a laundromat. Their paths will cross again when said blonde, Mike, stumbles into his flat, hurt and bleeding out. Their clashing personalities and emotional baggage will complicate their relationship with a tug-of-war of feelings and uncertainty.
The story and characters are a breeze of fresh air in the genre. While I adore the characteristics of classic BL and yaoi, there is something quite exciting about manly men with beards, body hair, little wrinkles and scuffed-around edges. The art reflects those aspects perfectly, the style alone would be enough to recommend this work. However, while the art is absolutely amazing, I am happy that it’s also an excellent read with compelling characters. Their relationship is not so easy and straightforward, making me look forward to flipping each page. It’s definitely an adult pair having adult problems and trying to persevere in what their world is like.
All that said, there are still many cute moments between them. Uke is a very violent tsundere hamster and seme, while depressed and suicidal, is still a little sunshine personified. As I kept reading, I couldn’t help but think that both of them truly deserve happiness and an easy life ahead. This is also one of the rarer BL cases with body hair galore, which I appreciate for sure.
Midnight Rain has been officially published in a physical format by SuBLime in English and Kotori in Polish. The Polish release is of good quality with crispy white paper and solid lettering work. I absolutely adore the cover and the colour front page, which set up the rainy, moody ambience of this story.
I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a bit more serious story of two adults struggling with their lives and feelings. Next time, I will talk about another CTK’s manga “On Doorstep”!
