The infamous... rape scene?

Working like a house-elf in order to meet my deadline the 1st of dec, I finished my daily page and found myself staring down at this:

As my inner feminist stared down in horror at what filth seemed to have emerged from my pen, my housemate walked past and, peeking over my shoulder, rubbed it all in with the phrase "Why is he raping her?" and, viewing the next page: "oh, is he comforting her afterwards?".

Two housemates and similar comments later it was official: I had apparently drawn a rape scene, and my attempts at explaining that the situation depicted was quite the opposite did nothing to dissolve their puzzled looks.

But no, seriously, there is a definite lack of rape in the comic, even if this specific page when taken out if its context seems to indicate otherwise.

However none the less I was thinking the other day that there is a rather drastic change of mood in the second book, seeing as the series goes from cheery slapstick to very dark very quickly. But, you know me (figuratively speaking), when I say dark of course I mean darkness framed by the stereotypical overdramatic manga clichés I'm so fond of, not to mention summed up by random sugardripping moral pointers at the end, but still. I usually find little interest myself in stories without any angst, I find without at least a little suffering it's hard to make the characters growth and development believable.

About the first volume it's been mostly positive response, but funny thing about the criticism received is I've heard everything from that 'shallow and uninteresting story line - too perfect too happy' to 'bad cause it fits into the pattern of everyone having to be so depressed in Swedish comics' (he he).

But basically it's irrelevant cause you never really have a choice do you, to tell your story, you just do and people will either like it or not.

But though inevitable I'm always worried about disappointing people . 

Please stick with me... yoroshiku onegaishimasu... >_<