“Hate-read” is maybe too strong a term, but I pretty much shuffled through this so I could claim the authority that comes with having finished it.

Based on others’ reviews I'd hoped Tomine had finally gotten it together as a storyteller, but it’s still just a plodding sequence of fetishes, hang-ups, and dullness for me. Nothing I like about the rhythm, characters, dialogue, plots, emotion, issues ...

Tomine’s commitment to his grids and limited palettes is interesting, at least. It’s a much better book when you're too far away to make out the words or faces. His skill set would be well-suited to being someone else's assistant/background artist.