Reviews for Ten Count

This manga, even if it's not finished yet, has been a huge disappointment for me. I started reading it because Takarai Rihito's art style is beautiful and when I read the plot, I thought, "hey, this could be nice!" but since the very beginning, it wasn't what I was looking for. My lowest scoring is for the characters. Both, Shirotani and Kurose are so flat and stereotyped that it's disgusting. Shirotani is the typical shy and insecure uke, and you can probably say that's because of his phobia, but I rather think it's the opposite – the mangaka seems to use his phobia to make himsuch a passive man.

On the other hand, we have Kurose, who at first you can think he's a nice and careful guy, maybe a little quiet, but kind of gentle in general. I thought so, but I was wrong. From the second volume on, he started to change in a very bad way. He became that sadistic seme who is so controlling over his boyfriend. He even reminded me of Christian Grey sometimes. Clichéd.

I think the story could have had a better development, but it focus on the sexual matter. This manga isn't about how Shirotani overcome his phobia thanks to Kurose and fall in love, it's about how Shirotani overcome his phobia thanks to having sex with Kurose (and fall in love, yeah). This has been something very present since the first volume, but in the third one it's the only matter.

Overall, I rate this manga 6/10 because I think this mangaka's art style is very pretty, but it became so PWP that I couldn't keep reading. I recommend this manga to those people who are ok with a whole chapter describing the seme boy fingering the uke boy (... this isn't a spoiler, is it? I hope not).

Takarai Rihito-sensei is known for her beautiful art in various series especially Seven Days and eventually made her own manga, Hana Series (Hana no Mizo Shiru + Hana no Miyako de) and not only she make beautiful art but her story is absolutely lovely too. Now she brought another unique and lovely piece, Ten Count. Story: 9/10 The story is really interesting the first time I read it. A guy who has Mysophobia (fear of contamination and germs) met this other guy who coincidentally works at a psychiatry clinic and is now trying to cure his phobia. Just thinking about their situation really makes me (super) curious on whatwill happen or how their relationship will work because the "uke" is mysophobic (meaning he dislike being touched and thinks everything in the world is dirty) and since this is also a yaoi manga.

Art: 10/10

As usual, sensei's art is really absolutely stunning and gorgeous which make this manga more interesting.

Characters: 9/10

I think sensei really makes nice characters that suit each other. Just like Arikawa and Misaki of HanaMizo and now Kurose and Shirotani of Ten Count.

There is something about those two that makes me really love and support them both. (I guess that's what you call chemistry with each other?)

Though I sometimes don't get Kurose Riku. I can't grasp his whole personality yet but he looks like the "gentle seme" type for me but we will see...

Enjoyment/Overall: 10/10 / 9/10

I think this is the first time I encountered this kind of story (like you know, a mysophobic person... you can't really predict what will happen) so I'm really looking forward to it so much (since it's still on going).

The pace is kind of slow I guess so it's sometimes frustrating because I want to know Shirotani's past and what caused his phobia but I guess that's one of the good points of the manga. I don't want it to be rushed so I hope the quality will not drop!

Nevertheless, this is definitely a must-read!!

Let me start with a caveat. I read the reviews here first and then started reading Ten Count. So, I was initially not happy with the dominating seme and forcing...may be coercion is a better word for it...that is depicted in Ten Count. However, I couldn't get the story out of my mind. It really hits you in your heart. So, I wondered if I was missing something and I read it again. And here's my opinion. A lot of the reviewers here focus on the BL trope and maybe they're sick of it. But in this story, I believe it truly was a partof their dynamic. I'm sure no modern-day 26 year-old would wait 6 months to have sex and even longer to kiss. The main character never advertised himself as a saint. But he showed extraordinary resolve in waiting as long as he did. If it was left up to the protagonist, they'd never touch. So, I think coaxing him to feel pleasure and trying to give him a different perspective because he truly loves his partner is miles away from the blatant disregard of consent shown in other BL manga.

I would implore any new reader to set aside any preconceived notions about the manga and truly try to experience the anticipation and angst that is depicted beautifully in this manga. I've read it 3 times and all 3 times, I ended up crying because of how beautifully they fit together. They need each other. It's almost painful to imagine how much.

Story: 10/10

As I said before, I didn't like the coercion the first time I read this manga, but after re-reading it, for the characters, it makes sense. Because from the first volume itself, Shirotani's heart races every time they meet. I think the author was trying to show that if he really didn't want to push his boundaries, he wouldn't be with someone who says he can't control himself around him. I also really enjoyed reading about their troubled pasts. It was messy, uncomfortable and very sad which is how life is. I found it very realistic.

Art: 10/10

This is the best art I've seen in yaoi manga. Especially the detail in their hands. It was so delicate and beautiful.

Character: 8/10

Although there are fleeting moments when the main characters actually have fun and show some spirit, like the aquarium scene with the penguins and meeting Ueda-san at the cafe, I feel like it could've been explored more. We don't see enough of it. Although the smut was great, it was too much compared to the little character development we see towards the end. So the last 2 volumes were a little out-of-balance for me. I do think it may be because the author was sick and produced very short chapters toward the end. However, I like that not everything was resolved and their relationship was still a work-in-progress at the end. It would be very unrealistic to see everything resolved for an OCD patient within a year of meeting someone new.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I read it 3 times. Every time I read it, I realize something new. It really is a poignant story. Not because of the porn. But because of the painful, ordinary conversations between people that make you cry. My favorite scenes are Kurose's past, the 'Please don't throw me away' scene, 'I guess your tears are contagious' scene, Nishigaki scene, and their beautiful first kiss.

Overall: 9/10

There is coercion in this manga, yes. But it fits with the premise of the manga. Even after they have sex, Kurose shows incredible consideration for Shirotani's condition. He does wait for 6 months. He stops being his doctor within 3 weeks of meeting him. There are reviewers who misrepresent him by saying he's a psychopath, unethical and a stalker *rolling my eyes*. Every time he met Shirotani was either a coincidence or previously agreed upon. He stops talking to him for months on end to give him space sometimes or because he didn't want to take advantage of his trust. And within a month, he tells his true feelings and is very straight-forward. So if Shirotani really didn't want to pursue the relationship, all he had to do was cut ties with him and not show up to their next meeting. I really don't understand the reviewers who say it's borderline rape. Because they assume that a 31 year-old male is somehow a helpless damsel in distress. -_- Anyway, I just wanted to write about my experience because this manga is bashed on many unwarranted grounds. I love it and I'm sure many more people will love this delicate little world too.

My friend made me read this... Now, I'm gonna say - yaoi isn't my cup of tea. But it started really nice. I liked the concept! Then it went downhill from there... The relationship between main characters could be so much better. Instead, the author just made a huge mess halfway through the story. Really. It started as really heartwarming and interesting story. Then it became porn I really wish that characters would be more fleshed out too.. Shirotani is your typical uke, just blushing and being submissive. I really doubt a real person would act like he did. I really wish he'd stand his ground. Insteadthe fact that he was raped was potrayed as very romantic

I'm not buying it. I had fun reading first ten chapters. But after a while it's just porn without any plot

I don't normally put up a review for yaoi manga unless they really strike a chord with me. At a mere 3 volumes, Ten Count is not normally a series I would review, however, something about it stands out from the crowd. The manga is about the relationship between a mysophobic secretary, Shirotane (whose condition is so out of hand he can't ride on the train, eat in a restaurant or pick up something someone else has touched) and a child psychiatrist, Kurose. As someone who has struggled with a disorder, I found Shirotane to be represented really well - being both reluctant to change (there'snothing wrong with me) while at the same time eager to be a bit more 'normal' (if I wasn't like this, wouldn't things be easier?). He has some few people who respect his condition who he is somewhat close to, otherwise people treat him with disdain (does he think we're dirty or something?)

It is rare for a serious condition like this to be treated with the respect it deserves and is NOT played up for laughs. The fact that Kurose is a psychiatrist means he understands Shirotane's condition as well as how to deal with it (I am asking you very seriously, would you prefer to fall on me, or on the floor?), and how far he can be pushed. There is no easy cure, Shirotane does not become 'fixed' by love or any such drivel, he struggles to overcome his mysophobia, with limited success.

The twist in the relationship which is probably the deciding factor in whether or not you'll enjoy the manga, is that it is interpreted as an S&M dynamic. Too often S&M relationships in manga turn out to be a lot more about the BDSM aspect than the S&M, or involve humiliation and disrespect, or rape.

Ten Count is more of a pure S&M dynamic, with Kurose always pushing Shirotane to the limit without ever taking him too far - allowing him to keep his clothes on during their (very hot) sex scenes, or his gloves, or refraining from kissing him on the lips. It is his respect for both Shirotane and his condition that make the manga a step beyond your average yaoi. He frequently asks permission from Shirotane as to what he can and can not do - and listens to Shirotane's answers, interestingly enough - except when it comes to Shirotane projecting his mysophobia onto Kurose (when he begs Kurose to 'disinfect himself' AFTER they've had sex, he outright refuses because it has nothing to do with Shirotane).

Smutty, well-written, clever and respectful, I HIGHLY recommend Ten Count.

Oh, Ten Count. I stumble on it in every second list, and seeing it always reminds me of my disappointment. It made me feel lost. Why build such an enticing premise only to dissolve it in stereotypes later? Truly, the thing that is the most violated in this manga is probably not uke’s ass, but the hope for good story built in the early chapters. But first I’ll get over the art quick. You see the amazing covers? Elegant, clean, and enticing, these images indeed sell. But the manga itself isn’t like that. Sure, airy and emotional, its art has personality and shines in sex scenes.It’s hard to describe it, but sex scenes in Ten Count are memorable and poignant, easy to follow, arousing and fittingly disturbing. They carry the atmosphere of the manga. But overall, while the art has its sexy moments, it’s not that stable or clean. The author struggles to cope with humans having noses, characters are often “off-model”, and the bottom partner contorts unrealistically, displaying a worrying case of gynecomastia.

The beginning of Ten Count sets ground for a great psychological yaoi playspace. Shirotani, the “uke” main character, is older, put together, but traumatized; he is a client for the therapist “seme”, which puts him in a protected position. The whole situation is ambiguous, it’s unclear whether the goal is to help him or to groom him, which adds to the thrill. Though, by the way, I would also call this the most questionable part of the manga. Rapey yaoi, which Ten Count also belongs to, is many and habitual, but problematizing therapy is new and dangerous. This is porn, but it's important to talk about mental health with care.

The true treasure is, of course, the topic of mysophobia. Not only it is rare in manga, which can attract many sympathetic readers, it’s also a perfect fetish for yaoi with poor consent standards, because a mysophobe is necessary mindful of touch, follows a set of rituals, and there’s the possibility of increased sensitivity, explored in Ten Count in form of Shirotani’s skin being damaged from overwashing. Basically, you get a character who remembers where and when he is touched with ridiculous scrupulousness and meltdowns because of it. It’s a lot to play with!

Ten Count indeed starts with this delicious mixture. An older high class corporate servant man gives in completely when touched by an attractive dominant stranger in a suspicious treatment deal. He's scared, yet hopeful, lustful, yet crying prettily. It’s so very intriguing and hot. But quickly all of this is forgotten in favor of cheap drama. Even the perverse motive of touch being arousing, but distressful is dropped to make space for simpler run of the mill sexual scenarios.

The additional offense is misogyny. The main reveal of the series is that everything is the fault of a pubic-hair-twirling evil rotten woman our pure heroes need and will punish. The whole event is so unrealistic and weird, that it is clearly just an excuse for a bogeyman, who also happens to be the only major female character. And revenge feels like a cheap and unfitting solution for a manga about therapy with pretense of psychologism.

At the same time, ironically, the MC in later half acts like a bad flighty woman stereotype. Unwilling to self-reflect, he provokes his partner, then shifts responsibility and breaks down in hysteria in an endless annoying cycle. The dark brooding top remains largely a non-personality. Medical and ethical issues are forgotten in favor of love insecurities on the level of “I want to be with him or I don’t”, “I may hurt him”, even though, as many readers point out, it’s unclear at which moment this love even emerges. They tend to ignore it in porn, but still it’s 50+ chapters of a romantic relationship which started as a turbulent doctor-patient gig, the shift must have happened somewhere. Basically it's "they wanted to count to ten, but forgot about it at six" type of plot.

Yet I have to admit that seeing a half-naked bishounen in dimmed light in a medical setting still makes my blood quicken. And there is a reason I am writing this review, despite my extensive criticism, the fact that I read Ten Count a while back, and a wealth of reviews written by others. Ten Count would inevitably attract my attention since I am a mild mysophobe myself. And despite the many flaws in the execution, the initial concept in it is stellar, brimming with a delicious dark mood – alluring, visceral, intoxicating, and transgressive. Ten Count is flawed, soiled, overhyped to death, yet still a gift, which I don't accept its entirety, but can't not appreciate as an idea. I cannot in good faith advice completing it either, but I recommend making acquaintance to the curious inclined readers.

Ten Count is a really unique yaoi manga in my opinion. I have never seen a yaoi manga placed in this kind of setting before. Granted, maybe i have not read alot of yaoi manga, BUT, it truly surprised me. STORY: 8/10 As i believe you read the summary, i will not elaborate much on its setting. Like ive said in the beginning, i have never seen a yaoi couple where one of them is Mysophobic. This is what makes this story so much different than from others. At first when i found out that Shirotani is mysophobic, i was like "wait. since most yaoi mangahave smut in them, how will this yaoi manga turn out? will it have any smut? what will happen??". So as i was reading i like how the author try to make Shirotani and Kurose a couple. Though i have to say unfortunately, i find the pacing of it a little bit fast. Just a littllllle bit.

ART: 9/10

Ive read other works Takarai Rihito made, like Seven Days and Hana no Miyako de, and i have to say her art is done really well. It is pretty consistent throughout the mangas she has done and this is no exception.

CHARACTER: 7/10

This part personally i feel was not done as well. I'll make myself clear, as of now, i have only read till chapter 16 so in the future if my problem with it is solved, then just disregard this part of the review. Okay, so on to my problem with it. I feel that the amount of characterization given to Shirotani and Kurose is totally imbalanced. There is way too much characterization on Shirotani and little to nothing on Kurose.

I dont know if its because a lot of time was focused on Shirotani or what, but i find him to be a very likable character. I find myself being ACTUALLY sad when he is sad. Also, he is consistent while Kurose is not. This may just be Kuroses character to be inconsistent but that really irritates me. You get to see the struggles Shirotani goes through and what he feels, but you do not get to see what Kurose feels. Also, in different scenes at different timings, Kurose acts extremely different. Its like as if he is possessed or something.

I dont know, i hope after chapter 16, we get to understand Kurose more.

OVERALL: 8/10

Even though i find flaws in the characters, i still give it a 8/10 for its uniqueness and how well the art is. Sometimes you just have to turn a blind eye on things so that you can see the beauty of it. In conclusion, if youre a yaoi fan i think you should give it a try for it is new and refreshing.

I started reading this manga because it's popular, the art is nice and the story seemed interesting, so I thought it was woth a shot. I was very dissappointed. I guess whether you will enjoy this manga or not depends on what you're looking for in a yaoi comic. If you simply want well drawn porn and don't mind huge amounts of creepiness and borderline rape with stereotypical characters, fantastic, Ten Count is for you. If you want something more, though, run away from this as fast as you can. For the record, I do enjoy porn without plot. I also like more serious stories.The problem with Ten Count is that it tries to mix the two and fails misserably.

The first volume is actually quite interesting and original, it's the first time I see a main character with mysophobia and at first the topic was handled well and realistically. From the second volume on, however, the plot and the character development become more and more scarce as the pages are filled with random porn (that also gets more and motre creepy). The OCD topic, well handled at first, is really messy and unaccurate as the chapters advance, getting to a point where it's almost offensive. In fact, it seems like just an excuse to make Shirotani reluctant to sex.

As for the characters, they're both really stereotypìcal and bland. Shirotani's mysophobia (and the reason behind it) are the only interesting traits he has as a character, as for the rest he's the typical shy and passive uke who resists sex and yet somehow gets turned on all the time. Kurose could be interesting but he's so quiet it's boring and other than that he's the typical manipulative, sadistic seme. Their relationship is also very unhealthy and dependent, but it's portraited as romance which honestly makes me really uncomfortable.

The sex scenes are good though (if you disregard the dubious consent).

Ok, good things out of the way first: The art is pretty gorgeous, I'll give it that. The beginning had some nice vibes, and even though the characters didn't make it seem they were incredibly fleshed out (Looking at you Shirotani, one chapter he's indifferent the other he can't maintain eye contact without crumbling into a blushing mess.), the story seemed better than most. Shirotani's gripe with germs made the bland story catch a semblance of some type of conflict. Unfortunately, this is where things turn worse. There is a serious consent problem in yaoi manga, I know I know, it's to be expected butit still bugs me immensely. And when the story is chucked out the window to make way for it, the problem intensifies. Shirotani being unable to actually touch anything without being repulsed is conveniently forgotten when sexually assault happens.

After some more chapters, the story has devolved into just porn, straight (pun intended) up porn. Which is something great, don't get me wrong but when one of the people involved in such acts is crying and begging to not be in that situation, it kinda feels wrong.

What frustrates me most is how Shirotani's character is interesting; his self esteem is just horrible( how he constantly is thinking he is disgusting) and how he depends so much on Kurose, even if vehemently hating being with him, is intriguing. So he has things going for him as a character. I actually wouldn't mind to read about these guys fucked up relationship if this were a stepping stone for shirotani to get a hold of himself. But alas, I know they'll be together for the rest of this manga. Because apparently non consensual sex=romance.

Takarai Rihito is well know for her delicate art and as a BL reader you can't avoid her work However, this title has almost nothing to do with her previous works, both in art and story. If you are used to weird BL plots when they show horrible things like rape as a 'romantic situation', this may be something for you, but if you don't, please don't waste your time. This manga is a bad representation of what having a TOC is and also a bad representation of what having a relationship is. If this story where a mature one or even a horror one, (sincethere are topics like abuse, extreme jealousy, subordination, stalking, and a psychopath seme) all the plot will fit perfectly, but since is 'romance' i just can't believe what i'm reading, because there is all of those things but they just don't call them by their name.

Even for being a BL the plot is kinda a joke and it get worst when it turn just smut and mad situations.

The art is good, but not remarkable and not the best that Takarai has shown us.

Ten Count is a great example of how to ruin a good idea with stereotypical yaoi stuff. Story The topic discussed at the beginning is quite original, because it gives a field for showing off and developing the topic well, but well not in this life. The first two volumes are quite neat, because we have psychological motives here, including work with a psychologist i.t.d. The subject is well developed and then it flies down at the speed of light. Yes, the typical yaoi pwp starts. Plot what plot? The next two volumes are typical bad yaoi porn, in which seme looks like he has no emotionsand was a soulless, deaf stone, and uke also begins to show typical stereotypical character traits. In Volume 5, at least we have the reason why the main character suffers from misophobia. Okay, at least we got it, but it's a shame it didn't get further developed. I cannot say anything bad about the last volume neither good too.

Characters

Due to the fact that they lack depth and more detailed presentation. Although the main character overcomes his problem, he does it in such a strange and non-realistic way that I have no words. There is no question of any good representation of misophobia. And the second, although it intrigued me, his character is actually quite damaged.

Art

Fairly well done, but it does disappoint a bit sometimes, especially towards the end.

summarizing

The story had a lot of potentials, but oh well. It was destroyed by the author who, apart from this series, has some really good manga, but they aren't very popular. Maybe she just wanted someone to be interested in this series. Bad idea. But maybe she just didn't know what to do with the plot. It's a shame.

I didn't ever plan on writing any reviews, but this manga disgusted me so thoroughly that I felt I needed to write one. I cannot recommend this to anyone, and I especially don't recommend it if you're LGBT and/or have any mental illnesses. As a person who also has mental compulsions, I was interested in this because of the main character, Shirotani, despite the fact that I feel he's depicted somewhat stereotypically. It would have been nice to read a manga about a character with realistic OCD and their journey as they heal, but this turned out to be… not that. At best, it's fetishistic, andat worst, it's actively harmful. I couldn't read more than the first two volumes before I had to stop.

Going in, I was a little concerned about the dynamic between Kurose and Shirotani, and I was glad they decide to just meet each other casually outside the clinic. I really had hopes at first to see him help Shirotani get better! And yet, Kurose starts to overstep boundaries. The complete lack of respect he seems to actually have for Shirotani and his condition is appalling, and seeing it culminate in him sexually assaulting Shirotani because he “loves him” was absolutely reprehensible.

What makes it all worse is the way it's fetishized. Shirotani says so many times that he hates Kurose touching him, that he's disgusted and feels contaminated, and yet the story goes on to insist “oh, but he actually did like it and can't stop thinking about it! ;)”. It's gross. If someone, especially someone who was helping me with one of my illnesses, ever took advantage of me and treated me in such a way, I would feel violated. I would ensure I never saw them again. No actual mentally ill person would react this way to being mistreated and having their trust betrayed like that.

If it were framed as Shirotani having an unhealthy dependence on Kurose, it would be different. If this were a story about Shirotani being dependent on Kurose and making bad decisions, and then having to learn from them and be better, it would be different. However, it's not. It's just a terribly unhealthy relationship that's fetishized and romanticized. And as someone who also has mental disorders, someone who saw myself in Shirotani, I felt really hurt by this manga and the way his character is ultimately handled.

I do not recommend it, not even if you don't care about the plot and just want to read it for the sexual content. I think it dangerously fetishizes mental illness, and romanticizes abuse from mental healthcare providers.

Thank you for reading, and please treat this manga with caution.

*sigh* This manga was a bit of disappointment for me. Honestly, BL isn't really my cup of tea, but as a queer person I sometimes try to venture out and after receiving a recommendation from a friend I decided to give it a try. I read 18 chapters (3 volumes) in one night, because the first volume got me hooked. I liked the premise, I liked the main character, and I saw a lot of potential there to write an interesting character development centric story. The pretty art certainly also helped. The love interest seemed like a nice enough guy, considerate too. But alas, byvolume 3 this manga had turned into your usual yaoi porn, and porn of the dubious consent kind to be precise. And all consideration had been thrown out the window, revealing mister "psychiatrist" to be your typically pushy, and dare I say rapey, seme.

I'm thinking I might pick this up again in the future when it's been completed because the art is just too beautiful, but I felt the story + characters were really lacking, especially after volume 2. I loved the first two volumes and was expecting that, if it continued the way it was going, it'd become a new favorite. But Kurose's behavior from volume 3 on really turned me off, and I felt that Shirotani was a really flat character that had far too many stereotypes. But, like I said, the art was beautiful and I'm a sucker for that, so I might pick this upagain when the final volume comes out in Japan and try it in Japanese the second time around.

I almost dropped it before the 10th chapter because I thought it was your typical BL story with the crying uke and the dominant seme. Nothing against it, but to be honest I just find it boring most of times (maybe I'm too old for that...). But then I made myself read the rest of it, since it's a short story, and now I don't regret finishing it. In fact, I love how it ended. I think that in this particular story the dubious consent worked for the plot. It makes sense for Shirotani to feel divided between the urge to not be touched and thewant to be intimate with Kurose. I enjoyed how they slowly stepped foward in their relationship. Plus the art is of great quality, the characters are so beautifully drawn.

I know some people may dislike this story because of the dubious consent and the relationship between therapist/patient, but to me it was a really nice read and the ending was heartwarming. I'm glad I took my time to read it, and I'll likely have some "10 Count" volumes in my manga shelf as soon as I can get my hands on them.

Well, I started reading Ten Count because it was a new work of Takarai Rihito and I'm a big fan of her, but i got a little... surprised. Story: For me, it is really interesting story. I'm not really used to read mangas with doctor/patient, so I already found it something different and cool. And when I discovered that Shirotani was mysophobic I got really... happy at all. Not because of that, but of the author doing a story of something not usual. So, for me, the story is great. Art: As always, her art is amazing. It's clear and calm. You get calm just looking atsome of her arts, and it is the same here. The caracters are well drawn too.

Character:

Takarai-san did a good job in Shirotani. Starting, of course, by the mysophonia disorder. As I said before, I never saw one character that has a problem like that.

And.. he is having a good development while the story is running.

But.... I can't say the same for Kurose.

You know, sometimes he just acts in a "strange" way. Almost looks like he changes his character. Everytime I finish reading a chapter, I get a little bit angry with him. I hope it gets better later.

Well, for me Kurose is like 6 while Shirotani is 9, in a rate.

Overall:

I enjoy reading it! It's a great manga! Even though I said some not-really-good stuff about it, I'm waiting for new chapters! If you want to read a yaoi different and new, Ten Count is a good one!

Story 7/10: +: The story deals with a interesting topic, because it deals with misophobia. I've never seen a yaoi dealing with something grave like this kind of illness and that's why it surprised me pretty much. I didn't really know what to expect of the storyline but it surprised me in a good way. -: The only bad thing is that it isn't really dealing with the phobia itself and how someone gets it but with the main character, Shirotani, who kind of seems pretty much like the average Uke with some 'special effects'. So the story feels kind of flat. Butas I said before: it's a yaoi and I didn't really had any expactions at all.

Art 10/10:

+: Takarai Rihito's art style is really one of the best I've ever seen. It's plain and simple but has it's own flair. It's quiet hard to describe in other words than beautiful, simplistic but also unique in its own way.

-: Nothing bad about the art. Just 10/10 :)

Characters 6/10:

+: Both main characters are in their own way lovable. Shirotani-kun is an average Uke but suffers from misophobia and even though he's saying, that it doesn't bother him you can feel his pain, whenever he really wants to touch someone or wants to get touched. Kurose-kun is on the first glimpse a coldhearted Seme but soon his character is more revealed to the reader and you start to understand him and his way of dealing with Shirotani-kun. Both seem a bit average but have their own character, which makes them kind of 3 dimensional.

-: As I said before: it is a yaoi. That's why the characters leak a bit of 3 dimansionality. The story really needed to unfold itself till we got a glimpse of Shirotani-kun's past and why he has this kind of phobia. The characters are fitting for the genre but we don't know much about them or their families or friends. The only character who is really developed is Shirotani-kun. We get to know his past, his family background, his working place, colleagues and even the few friends of him. But Kurose-kun leaks of all that information which is really disappointing, because Rihito-sensei made a great job with Shirotani-kun and she could have done more with Kurose-kun.

Enjoyment 9/10:

I really enjoyed reading 'Ten Count' so far and I'm looking forward to read more in the future. It has its highs and downs but for being a yaoi it's really well done and it gave me a quiet good feeling while reading it.

Overall 7/10:

'Ten Count' has great potential in it's storyline and I hope that we will see the characters develop more in the upcoming chapters. It deals with a really interesting topic but after all it's a yaoi so you shouldn't expect too much of it, even if this sound kind of rude. The main focus of the story is the relationship between the two main characters so the misophobia is 'just' a kind of 'prop' to be different from the other BL manga. You can feel that through the whole manga but if you don't mind that and if you like yaoi you will probably love 'Ten Count'.

Shirotani Tadaomi was your regular young man, with a loving heart and fit body although drinking tea and eating takes up 80% of his life. This young man, does however have an yet uncureable sickness known as Mysophobia, fear for bacteria and unpleasant microscopic beings. This hinders our loved boy's freetime and adaptment to the city. After many twisted turns of fate, he finds himself facing a doctor known as Kurose, whom belives he may cure his fear. With step-for-step-progress, everything goes well, and a close relation is building within our heroes. However, sometimes you need to take the hard way to cure things, in whichthis case happens in more ways of fanservice than ever experienced before. This is not the story of a boy learning how to controll his fear, it's the story of a boy growing up. I can highly recommend it to any mangalover.

I'm not a fan of yaoi, it looks great tho

This manga has gone from an absolute 10 to and absolute nightmare. It starts off great, with a unique plot and is nothing like the typical BL manga's I've read so far. But what started out as a cute but still heavy plotline quickly spiralled into the typical and romanticized abusive relationship. Kurose seems like a stable and helpful guy at first, but due to his backstory, turns out to be damaged as well, using manipulative ways to force Shirotani into having intercourse with him; which is interesting, don't get me wrong. That is not what is turning me off. My biggest irritation is that themangaka is turning the abusive relationship into a relationship that looks like it is "goals" and "romantic". And I hate the fact that it's being portrayed as healthy when it's everything besides that.

The only reason why this is still scoring a 6, is the fact that the starting off point held it's own and was great to read.

On my search for good or better BL, I came across this Manga a few years ago. After having dropped it at Volume 4, I finally managed to finish it. It is with great pain that I gave this Manga a 6, but after careful consideration, I thought wow, this Manga actually IS above average, considering the amount of pure garbage in the realm of BL Manga (or Manga in general, for that matter) The story was actually intriguing, which is why I started reading it in the first place. It was still relatively unknown back then and I was honestly shocked when I found outthat it kind of blew up in, well, ‚the community‚‘, I suppose? Anyways, I was prepared for a slow-paced and intense drama, only for it going downhill after a few chapters. I can honestly not comprehend how anyone involved with this Manga thought that this sort of pacing was good.

The direction in which the Manga headed soon became, in every sense of the word, inappropriate. Obviously when reading Yaoi there are certain things you expect. That’s fine, otherwise I wouldn’t read it. My problem is that it was way, way too soon. It's like the Mangaka suddenly remembered that this was supposed to be porn, so she better get to it somehow, who cares what else happens. In the beginning, I felt for Shirotani. I found the portrayal of his condition somewhat realistic, so I braced myself for witnessing his struggle to overcome it, only to solve it in a manner that is nothing short of maddening. The story was completely rushed. Given the title, I thought they would spend more time focusing on each point on the list but they didn’t. They come back to it every once in a while but that’s it. The character’s reasoning behind their actions is also completely incomprehensible. In the end, it’s just another unrealistic, pseudo-psychological BL with relatively decent art.

I’d recommend it if you enjoy smut with a little bit of story, but if you -like me - expected actual depth, I wouldn’t.

Thank you for your time.