Adult Swim: Jumping from the Cliffs of Insanity

One of the things I personally like about manga is that "anything goes." Insane or ridiculous premises are embraced, made the central theme of a manga and everything works as if that's perfectly normal, kind of like they managed to do with Edward Scissorhands.  Many genres of manga have far out premises, so yaoi's not unique in that, but there do seem to be an unusual number of truly I've-never-read-anything-like-it stories.

Standing out, even among that level of insanity are Sex Pistols aka Love Pistols by Kotobuki Tarako. Pick a taboo or issue associated with homosexuality or people in general and you're likely to see it turned on its ear in this manga, everything like guys linking up sexually for breeding purposes, androgyny (the real kind) to extreme reverse mysogyny (aka misandry). Nothing is sacred, and that includes science along with the cultural taboos. Fortunately for people like me, it's also insanely funny. I forgive a great deal for funny.

The premise could not be much more ridiculous. The notion is that, while most people are descended from monkeys, a small segment is descended from other major animal orders described as "snake eyes" (Serpentes), "dragon" (Crocodilia), "Mermaid" (Cetecea), and various carnivora families like "dog god" (Canidae), "Catamount" (Felidae) and "Bruin" (Ursidae). But variations on those, including other mammals like mongoose or bat and even a hawk, also show up. These "zoomans" (as opposed to primate-based humans) not only share some traits with their various animal ancestors but can also recognize each other on sight, which is good because they don't breed as effectively or as true as the monkey folk, which is one reason why there are so many more monkeys. Big powerful predators (heavyweights like grizzlies or pythons or jaguars) have "powers" above and beyond regular zoomen, but find breeding true inversely difficult and often breed with "lightweights" (poodles or kitties or garter snakes) to increase their chances of any offspring and hopes to accidentally bread a heavyweight. Attractiveness tends to go with the heavier weight of the more powerful zoomen, so finding partners isn't difficult.

Perhaps the most humorous part of this silly concept is that all this goes on under the very noses of the monkey majority who, in true monkey fashion, ignore or forget everything that is outside their understanding so they just don't notice it. It's hilarious but sadly feels profound as well.

So, what does this have to do with yaoi (ie.e. boy's love)? Well, the zooman population crisis is so profound that a good potential partner can't be discarded just by being the wrong gender so men can either (a) grow a false womb with something unsavory sounding called a womb worm or (b) can undergo a complex medicinal process to grow the organs of a woman (without sacrificing their male bits). There's apparently a mechanism for female couples, too, but no one's mentioned what it is yet. I'm guessing it's less complicated since women are already designed to carry children.

Weirded out yet? But wait, there's more. Enter what is nominally the main character, a slight unassuming character named Nororin who happens to be a very special fellow called a "Missing Link," that's someone who, though with monkey parents manages to be a throwback to some zooman ancestor (in Nororin's case, a housecat). Such a missing link has his own powers, not the least inconvenient are the abilities to see the "true soul " (dominating animal character) of zoomen and humans alike and a souped up pheromone attraction that gets him all but attacked by humans and zoomen alike. Missing links have the remarkably fertile breeding ability of monkeys, but other traits of zoomen. Nororin awakened to his missing link abilities as a high school student and was in serious danger of losing his virtue and mind in general until taken under the wing of a cranky pushy tactless jaguar (Kunimasa) who sees him as a repository for his future children, a notion that Nororin's see-no-evil monkey personality tries not to think about too much.

After that, it gets really weird. It probably wouldn't surprise you to hear that zoomen tend to be pretty nonchalant about sex in general with a rather different moral code than many of us are used to. Take for example this family tree including the jaguar I just mentioned.

Although we start out with Nororin's unusual story and the somewhat challenging relationship he has with his overtly cold lover, Kunimasa (who really loves him, no really), there are many romances tossed in for entertainment, mostly male on male and one more unlikely than the next. We have an extreme man-hater (crocodile) who falls for a (male) Japanese wolf masquerading as a monkey (who also has the patience of Job), a mongoose-viper pairing, a bat with a Middle-Eastern eagle pairing, a Jaguar-Crocodile paring and a relatively unsurprising bear-bear pairing (with stud services bought a paid for). They've started on some sort of romance involving a mermaid (even more rare than a missing link) and a python, but I have no idea how that will turn out. I've been surprised plenty by this already.

The manga is not without flaw. The drawing takes some getting used to with heavyweights portrayed as freakishly oversized and ridiculously broad men without oversized hands. Much of it is very rough-looking with backgrounds generally nonexistent. It's also pretty strange and a lot of very misogynist attitudes throughout the book, usually projected on to uke/breeding half of the male partnerships but women aren't exactly portrayed in an appealing fashion. Easily the least likeable character is a female python (who is mother two Kunimasa and his twin but "father" to two other brothers - see above).

On the other hand, I find the notion, though pretty ridiculous, thought-provoking and original, the characterizations very well done, making a series of severely flawed but somehow appealing anyway characters who interact in ways that, in hindsight, make sense. When there's angst, it's powerful. When there's passion, its pretty compelling. And, when there's love, it comes through loud an clear tot he reader, sometimes before the parties in question catch on. And, for all that the outward story is all about making babies (and a few get made during the course so far), love still takes precedence time after time in pairings that mean more than the racial makeup of the partners.

And that's pretty cool.

Kotobuki has some other stories out there that aren't bad, a couple of books of one-shots where there were a couple good stories surrounded by stories that were too twisted/surreal for even me to stomach and a couple of other series where a few stories were tied together. None of them, however, had the charm or humor (originality) of Love Pistols, though. Several had characters with plenty of flaws but not much charm. Pity.

The good news is, though Love Pistols (English title) is no longer being published by Blu (which went out of business after five or six volumes), Sublime manga has the first six available as an ebook (along with several other nice yaoi titles, so, cool beans (though I'm not sure what to make of their new line of yaoi titles for kids). I will say that Love Pistols is rated M for Mature and earns that rating, so you were warned. And I do like this series. I own five books in print and all six ebook volumes available.

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Adult Swim: Grown Up in More Than One Way (Pt 2)

So, last time, I talked about Yoshinaga Fumi's non-yaoi work, some of which is really excellent (like Oooku) if not necessarily enjoyable and some of which is both (like Antique Bakery). I like and reread many of these books, but I don't like any of them as much as I like her yaoi with the possible exception of Antique Bakery, but I can't read Antique Bakery without reading the associated doujinshi which I actually read first. And the doujinshi is hard hard core yaoi. You can read the Antique Bakery manga without the doujinshi and it's well worth it, but, in my opinion, the doujinshi really completes it (at least the thirteen chapters I've seen) with considerably backstory including Ono's immediate reaction when he's rejected so cruelly by Tachibana and the reason he became the gay playboy he did.

 Without the original manga, I still liked the doujinshi, too, but you should be warned. It's emotionally wrenching in some places and could also be a helpful hint how-to on anal sex so it's really not for everyone. Chikage and Tachibana are really expanded here but, of course, Ono (as the one unabashedly gay character) is the center of attention. And he is far from flawless.I'm a monogamous soul, so I'm not condoning all his actions, but I can see where he's coming from and don't dislike him (though I could understand if you did). For me, the doujinshi fills in the blanks (I'm guessing for the mangaka, as well, since she wrote them), but I won't lie, I find her romance and sex scenes very very compelling. And the romances feel real, and more touching because they aren't perfect rather than less. I won't lie, I bought the books based on the dj and never regretted either.

The graphic and no holds barred nature of the yaoi in the Antique Bakery dj is in keeping with the graphic and gory details of the sex in her yaoi in general. So that you know. 

But wait, there's more. The yaoi selections, like the non-yaoi selections, frequently involve dark stuff. Cases in point include some of the stories in Don't Say Any More, Darling, Truly Kindly and Gerard and Jacques, all but the last of which can be readily purchased. In all cases, there are some sweet stories mixed in with bittersweet or even dark stories. Truly Kindly is a mix of dark modern stories with two that manage to have happy endings and a handful of historical stories (some dark, some not) set in ancient Japan and pre-revolutionary France (the latter precursors to Lovers in the Night). The dark aspects of "Chinoiserie", for instance, are completely in keeping with the historical setting and, in my opinion, were more poignant as a result. Don't Say Any More, Darling is another set of one-shot stories (not all are yaoi) that run from sweet (the first one) to downright depressing. Yoshinaga-sensie has a real gift for infusing life into short stories, by the way. Not everyone has it.

Gerard and Jacques, which is about an erotic novelist during revolutionary France who meets the son of an aristocrat in a boy's brothel. The start is about as dark a beginning as you can get for what turns out to be a very satisfying and sweet story. Once again, Yohinaga-sensei weaves such intricate and compelling backstories and paints (realistically) the environment so clearly that what seems like a heinous set of actions turn out to make a lot of sense, even be understandable. I'm frequently amazed how she pulls that off. Of the three darker works, Gerard and Jacques, which is one story set in two volumes, is probably my favorite of these three, and I never would have thought so if I'd read just the first chapter or two. Yoshinaga-sensei is sneaky like that. The only reason I don't own Gerard and Jacques is that I can't find them in English.

Moving from the darkest toward happier shores is Solfege, which has still a sizeable modicum of dark with a music teacher who gets involved with his earnest singing student (at least somewhat selfishly) only to send him away far more selflessly and eventually fall to ruin...only to be searched out again by his now world-acclaimed student.  The happy ending is clear but the extent (did they get back together or not) is left to the reader to decide.

Lovers In the Night takes off after the French shorts at the end of Truly Kindly and is a single story of a spoiled but devoted gay French aristocrat (who becomes an emigre during the French Revolution) and his equally devoted and dominating butler. Normally, I'm not fond of the master-servant stories, but Yoshinaga-sensei does seem to delight in oversetting my personal prejudices with effective story telling. I do love happy endings.

But, I've found happy endings more frequently (and at least as satisfying) in the yaoi than her non-yaoi. I've also found as much if not more humor, which is always a plus for me (and Yoshinaga is really good at the kind of humor that tickles me no end). And the yaoi, which often deal with very realistic concerns of gay partnerships, don't seem to need to delve as frequently into the dark depths as the very real issues are compelling enough for interest. Of this ilk there's Moon and Sandals, a nice story of an adult romance and a student romance, with the crush of the student for the gay teacher nicely handled (as well as the romance the teacher has with a chef) and the subsequent romance the student has with another student. The student, particularly, is charming with his forthright earnestness and determination. The characters, as usual, are the strong element and quite appealing.


Then, there's Ichigenme, the First Class is Civil Law (which I've only found complete in published form, but, good news, it's published and readily available), which follows the charming but unexpected pairing of a serious law student (and eventual law professor) and his laid back and charming gay companion of the computer genius variety. That the computer genius' brother (also a law student) has his own affair with a professor, a story I also found charming. My description does not do the story justice nor touch on the profound but engaging humor spread all through this book nor the masterful characterizations often done with what seems a couple of lines of dialog and a few panels. I love them all but I have a soft spot for the long curly-haired computer freak. (There's a surprise).

All of these books I found interesting, most of them charming (with the occasional story I could have done without). Like most of Yoshinaga-sensei's work, even the most depressing stuff, it's amazingly rereadable, I think because the world is so real. They're great stories and it's almost a pity that those who would be squeamish about the portrayal of sex (gay and/or otherwise) would miss out on these because they are so interesting. If, however, you like effective sex scenes, these also include some of the best. And I think I'm becoming nearly expert on it.   Good books, worth owning (which is good because they are almost all licensed and hard to find otherwise, at least complete) and, yes, I own every thing described here except the Antique Bakery dj and Gerard and Jacques. And I'd own them if they became available.

Update: I just found out there's an anime for Antique Bakery as well, strictly based on the books and not yaoi, but managing, in twelve episodes, the capture the gist of the four books.  Clean enough for a teenage audience (children would not get the many subtleties) and well worth $30. I liked it (noting that Chikage provided the bulk of the humor, bless his simple heart - he's a favorite. How can anyone hate Chikage?) It's subtitled, but worth the trouble, at least to a fan like me. Comes in a nice little case with a booklet of Antique Bakery factoids and stuff.

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Adult Swim: Grown Up in More Than One Way (Pt 1)

You may have all noticed that my posts often talk about a particular mangaka's body of work rather than just a single work. This may be more true in yaoi than other fields since yaoi is frequently (though not always) a one or two volume endeavor per story (if not a one-shot). Plus, it's been my experience that, when I stumble across a really good mangaka, it's worth my time to check our her (or his) other work. I frequently find other gems...and not always just in yaoi.

Which is how I stumbled across Yoshinaga Fumi. Actually, I'd read (but didn't consider a keeper at the time) a period yaoi set in Europe called Gerard & Jacques as servant-master relationships are rarely winners for me. Even so, I was a bit intrigued (I love history) and, when I stumbled across something else later, I started to explore and then became entranced. She still isn't my favorite yaoi author, though she's on my list. She is, however, something really special in more than one way, first and foremost because she's one of the most superlative storytellers I've ever come across in any medium. When I say medium, I mean music, movies, anime, novels, short stories, manga, you name it. I read a single chapter (all that's available) on-line from Garden of Dreams and was struck speechless. It was a masterful example of evocative story telling and character building, as well having all the pathos of the best poetry. It was, in fact, much like a poem in manga form.

Garden of Dreams isn't yaoi. It wasn't explicit or offensive and it wasn't trying to make some societal point (as far as I know). It was set during the Crusades but involved relatively normal people who were incredibly complex, imperfect while being entirely easy to empathize with. They felt incredibly real, and touched me to an unprecedented degree. Based on the one short story, I bought the book (readily available at Amazon). I hadn't read the first thirty pages before I was compelled to buy a second copy and send it to my sister, wiping away my tears.

Although she writes some unabashed yaoi, she has also written many other manga that is not yaoi. All of it is amazingly grown up, even if it isn't R-rated, if you understand the distinction.  Though some of it is that, too. In this part 1, I'm going to mostly talk about her non-yaoi work.

I'm convinced Yoshinaga's work would be suited for nearly any English class as an example of show vs. tell. Using her not inconsiderable artistic talent, she weaves complex plots in environments that seem almost static because the real drama is the exposition and interaction of her characters who are brilliantly revealed in tiny, seemingly unrelated vignettes until, before you know it, she's made a cohesive whole of brilliantly fleshed out characters that are so much more than two dimensional.

Her crafting is such that she frequently creates characters doing all manner of thoughtless, destructive, sometimes horrific things, but, as you learn more about them and where they came from you (or at least I) find myself understanding even when I can't entirely accept what they do. Some of her characters are unshakably noble and admirable. Some are thoughtless and selfish. Most are a combination of all of that, just like the rest of us. And, by showing us these people and actions as seen through the eyes of one party or the next, we have the opportunity to learn and appreciate these people to depths I have rarely seen elsewhere.

I have quite a collection of her works despite another trait I admire but don't necessarily care for myself: she is not afraid to leave the reader unfulfilled. There are, of course, happy endings in her books, but there are as many sad ones, wonderful characters who never find (or keep) their true loves, people who fail, people who can't overcome their own failings. Some of it isn't entertaining. Much of it is dark and sad and fraught with people making mistakes they can never recover from, or receiving scars they can't erase from their own hearts.

And example in point is Oooku, her award-winning manga, in this case, an alternate history story sent early in the Edo era (for those who are Japanese history buffs, well, you don't need me to explain, but its after Tokugawa took over the shogunate and his family kept power until the Emperor took it back the last century or so). Normally I despise alternate histories because they are frequently done by people who don't know jack about history or are done in such a slipshod manner with characters completely out of keeping with people of the day that it sends me up the wall. Not the case here. Yoshinaga spins a what-if tale of a plague that, over several generations, wipes out the majority of men in Japan. Instead of changing historical events as a result, she uses this idea to explain many of Japan's policies during that time including its isolationism and increasing feudalism, forcing people to be tied to the land. Real events are woven through but given impetus by this key change rather than happening despite. It's fascinating. No, really.

Historical Japan is a brutal and unforgiving world and Yoshinaga does not pull punches. In many ways, it's harsh and unfeeling and filled with callous actions, elitism, brutality, and downright unfairness. Truly wonderful and fantastic characters are misused, abused, tormented by fate, left to fend for themselves or live their lives bereft. Other people do cruel and inhumane things (by our standards) from their own torment, mistaken priorities, and, in many cases, necessity. It's brilliant. It's fascinating. It's sometimes depressing as hell.

I own all the Oooku books available in English and I've read it twice and I still don't enjoy reading it. Some time while reading the second volume, I usually ask myself why I haven't stopped reading because obviously I don't like it, but, once I start, I absolutely can't stop. It's compelling. And, even after I've read it, no matter how tired I am, I can't sleep the next night - so much is wandering through my brain.

The artwork is gorgeous and evocative. Actually, I'm impressed by anyone making a tonsured man look attractive.  And, as much as I don't read it for entertainment, I'm glad I have read it and believe it to be genius.

Not everything non-yaoi is dark or lacking in entertainment. If most of her work has some level of pathos, she has a real gift for ribald and subtle humors she sprinkles about most of her work, even the darkest. Flower of Life is a school slice of life with the straight-forward main character, who'd missed a year of school due to leukemia, and quite the eclectic mix of other characters. All My Darling Daughters focuses mainly on female relationships (not homosexual), but familial. Kodomo No Taion is also about family, but from a man's perspective.

Yoshinaga Fumi also seems to have a fascination with food. Two other mangas are unabashedly focused on food: Not Love but Delicious Food Makes Me So Happy (restaurant hopping and life from a woman's perspective) and What Did You Eat Yesterday? which is non-yaoi other than the two main characters are a gay couple with the emphasis on the lawyer who goes shopping daily (with frugality in mind as much as taste) before coming home and whipping up a five course meal of authentic Japanese fair for his companion, who's main job is to exult over the flavor and texture of the meal. The latter is effectively a cooking show in manga form. Since I'm not a gourmand, I didn't really care for either of these manga, but I can see how a food nut could really get excited.

If I admire but don't enjoy all her books, there are some that I definitely admire and enjoy, so, if we're talking about non-yaoi genius, I can't forgo mentioning another award winner, Antique Bakery, which, if described, sounds as dull as dishwater but in reality is anything but. If we are hit over the head with more food (and we are, of the French style pastry variety) and we find a very gay character without being yaoi (which we do), none of that precludes that this as another brilliant piece of work about four very unlikely and complex men (OK, one not so complex man) who happen to run a bakery, the journey that brought them there, the non-romantic bonds that tie them together. I have not found Antique Bakery on line but it can be bought (all four volumes) in licensed book form (and, yes I have them and bought those for my sister as well). Don't let the description fool you, this is frequently hilarious, frequently touching, frequently thought-provoking stuff.

Actually, unlike most mangakas, because so much of her work is licensed, only smatterings of most of her work is available on line. That's the bad news. The good news is you can buy several of her works in book form most readily. In English and everything. Antique Bakery is just one example of that.

Speaking of Antique Bakery you can find on-line, one thing you can find (but not in book form) is the doujinshi (special extra mangas written by fans or authors to pass out at conventions) by the author of Antique Bakery which takes the story forward. But, if Antique Bakery isn't yaoi (and it isn't), the Antique Bakery doujinshi definitely is hardcore yaoi. So I'll save talking about it for part 2.

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Adult Swim: As Sweet As It Gets

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you've probably noticed a trend (that goes beyond manga, I might add, with my library of regular fiction comprising hundreds of books, but dozens of writers) of reading everything by an author/mangaka I like exhaustively. I might only mention the ones I like, but you can bet I read them all if they make the list of worth writing about it.

Many of the mangakas I favor like Naono Bohra and Kano Shiuku (who I haven't written about yet) are very prolific and have oodles and scoodles of titles. Actually, all those of that ilk I can think of are of the particularly raunchy variety - I wonder if there's a connection? Well, I'll worry about that on a different post because this time I want to talk about a mangaka, Nagato Saichi, who has, to the best of my knowledge, just one on-going manga. But it's utterly charming.

Now for those of you who think yaoi=pornography (and, yes, it frequently is), that might sound contradictory, but I could list (and intend to eventually) dozens of sweet stories that happen to include same sex couples who may or may not have overt sex on the page. Kou'un no Rihatsushi by Nagato Saichi is one of them.

The story starts with an overgrown teenager (Tsukasa) known as the "moody pillar" who gets a haircut as a result of rejection from unrequited love. Fortunately, he gets this haircut from a talented and gay barber (Nachi) who also gives him some overdue confidence and support. The haircut and advice transform Tsukasa into a hottie on the outside (mostly by revealing his face), so much so that he ends up a model/actor/all around idol. But this big beautiful guy (drawn marvelously) doesn't change one iota from the sweet shy self-conscious guy he was in the beginning, who manages to overcome his previous crush and tumble selflessly into love with Nachi right off the bat.

This all basically happens in the first five pages. After that, throughout the original one-shot (now first chapter), Tsukasa comes over whenever his schedule permits to "help out" Nachi, bringing snacks, fetching coffee, helping to clean up. And he does this for YEARS as his fame increases: no confessions, no demands, just happy to be around Nachi, who happens to be a huge fan and a genuinely kind (and shy) person himself. So, no, no shotacon. In fact,Tsukasa (younger) is a big burly man, my favorite when we pair different ages.Though they aren't that far apart in age.

Things might never have progressed (given the shy sweetness of our two characters) if one of Nachi's ex-lovers hadn't tried coaxing, then coercing the barber to work for him. Facing losing his crush and then faced with his crush being assaulted, Tsukasa is forced to act and our characters get the happy discovery that they actually have been in love with each other from the very beginning, but too shy/self-effacing to think the other could care about them.   And it is adult.

It's a combination that could readily get sickly-sweet but doesn't somehow. Tsukasa and Nachi both come across as completely genuine, at least to me. Their future trials, in the subsequent chapters, are the product of misunderstandings, the demands of a showbiz career (without the associated ego), and other challenges associated with people who are not accustomed to making demands but need to.

It's funny and sweet without feeling contrived. The characters grow without losing their initial charm or becoming people they aren't. I couldn't help but love them.

And, if you're okay with a modicum of grown up action in the midst of a sweet love story, you might like it, too. It isn't, to the best of my knowledge, published in English. But, if it ever is, I'll be buying.

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Adult Swim: The Deep End

Once again, I'm way overdue for a post. Last Adult Swim segment, I noted that there were some "greats" in the yaoi world. I'm not sure how much longer I can go, therefore, without mentioning Kodaka Kazuma, who, in Kizuna, which, fortunately for fans, is now available in English reprinted in double volume format so it's 6 volumes instead of 11 (and all are out). I could write a whole post easily on just Kizuna, but she has several other excellent works as well.

What you should know, though, before jumping in is that much of it is dark. Violent. Rape happens frequently, sometimes even involving protagonists (which is something that generally turns me off at once). People are killed or beaten up and left for dead. Nor is she shy at portraying sex at length and with detail. Also, her drawing style is not, I think for everyone. Fortunately, I came in with Border which is recent and has a bit more polished style, but I was taken aback when I read some of her earlier works including the seminal Kizuna (similarly to my reaction to Naono Bohra).

Even so, and even though there are books so violent/rape filled I won't read them and others I will read are really at the edge of my tolerance level, the ones I love I absolutely adore. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is the real devotion, the real and unequivocal devotion, her main characters frequently have for each other. I am a sucker for romance. The second reason is that she's fond of making truly kick-ass take-charge ukes (a role that, in yaoi, is often populated with tearful, girlish, baby-faced weaklings). Just like I like strong female protagonists, seeing men playing the "female role" who can kick serious butt and don't get pushed around by anyone (including their partners) makes me all warm and fuzzy. Included in our retinue of nobody's pushover ukes are two kendo champions, an assassin, an ex-special forces detective, and, of course, an immortal vampire. Oh, and dark and serious as they are, they're also very very funny.

If some of the characters are annoying as hell, like the bratty and spoiled yakuza heir, Kai (no, really, he's in college though he looks fourteen), his half-brother, Kei, I love without restraint. Almost a pity they're in the same book. If the early drawings are frequently out of proportion with weird things going on with their noses, some of the depicts, particularly of Ranmaru and Masayoshi, are breathtaking. I can give you several reasons why I shouldn't like most if not all of her work, but they're the most read of all my yaoi physical books. And I'll have to restrain myself from rereading the whole damn set again when I'm finished this post even though I just finished Kusatta Kyoushi No Houteishiki (Bad Teacher Equation) last week (last book, also of double volumes, came out).

 Now, in my own personal order:

Kizuna: Bonds of Love - which for all its challenges I've reread more than any other yaoi story. Six volumes are all out, that's the whole set, with the first five double length (Yes, I have them). The focus of the undoubtedly love story is Enjouji Kei, illegitimate son of a yakuza boss, and Samejima Ranmaru, the badass beautiful former National Kendo champion (high school level). It isn't about how boy meets boy and falls in love, though we see that in flashbacks, but really about how two young men who fell in love in high school build a life together despite a number of challenges that face them. To a lesser extent, there's the romance between Kei's half brother, Kai (heir to the yakuza boss) and Kai's father's right hand man, which is a David/Goliath pairing despite Kai being another Kendo champion. To an even lesser extent there are forays into another pairing of two assassins, an old fart and the young man who insisted on being corrupted. Spin off of characters from a shonen ai work, called Sessa Tekuma! (Ranmaru's reaction to the protagonist from Sessa Tekuma! is hilarious). I own all these.

Border - First book I read by this mangaka and still a favorite, though one could readily be off-put by our main protagonist getting banged on the first few pages. In color. Ex-special forces/orphan works will fellow former orphans in an A-team sort of way, often just a few steps ahead of the cops. Not a love story, not really, though there are tendrils of romance here and there. Mostly it's a kickass fighting/thinking manga where the main character happens to be gay (uke), but with real devotion among the team's members and some hints that romance is not entirely implausible at some time. Also, very funny. Three volumes are out on this and this work is on-going. I own the first three and will buy the rest when they become available.

Kusatta Kyoushi No Houteishiki (Bad Teacher Equation) - all five double volumes of this is out. Far less sex than either of the other two series mentioned so far, it involves a young high schooler and his crush for one of a pair of brothers that, through a mix-up becomes a lifelong love for the other (who happens to be a school nurse and run a transvestite bar without necessarily being gay). I'm not a big advocate for the student teacher pairings (that are prevalent in yaoi, I'm afraid), but those that pull it off get fairly high marks. In this case, the pursuing is 100% done by the student who doesn't get "satisfaction" as it were until he is graduated and a teacher himself. Throw in a slow-moving romance involving the other brother, a best friend who would prefer to be our protagonists romantic partner, and the whole things is quite convoluted, very funny and a sweet. Still, a lot of book if you're just looking for sex (though Masayoshi is VERY hot when he finally succumbs, just saying). I own all of these, too.
 
Ren ai Hōteishiki's a follow-on to this book, with protagonists in the "too young" category, but they don't actually have sex (though one does spy on our Kusatta protagonists en flagrante, so a bonus there). All the potential partners, however, are in the same age group.

Sex Therapist - Okay not exactly romantic and mostly (in my opinion) an excuse to come of up with unusual (and impractical) pairings and show a LOT of sex, but it is not without appeal. The premise is that lovelorn homosexuals (who may or may not know they're homosexual) get directed to this underground sex therapist who, through methods unknown, become's the doppelganger of their heart's desire. After breaking the ice this way, our freshly sated "patients" go out and pair up with the real partner. Weird I know, and I'm not telling you all of it.

Ihoujin Etrange - about vampires who suck the souls out of lovers via sex. One is reluctant to do so (too easily falls in love) and the other who is a horndog with humans but totally devoted to the first vampire, eventually sharing his bounty of spirit or whatever. Eventually, some of his bevy of half-vampire offspring also join the story.

Sessa Tekuma!  - precursor to Kizuna and everything else, it involves the romance between an insanely strong hick from Hokkaido and Ranmaru's sister Yuki. Not the best story or artwork, but the extra at the end where Ranmaru and Kei retrieve Ranmaru's nephew from their hanging laundry is nearly worth the rest of the read.

There are others, too, like Hana to Ryuu which is loosely tied to Kizuna but stretches my personal tolerance perhaps past the limit given the plethora of rape (in and out of prison), violence and incest. Midare Somenishi takes these tendencies even farther beyond what I can possibly stand. Not for me. There's another story involving a mangaka who wants to draw shonen ai, but gets sucked into yaoi (and a relationship with another male mangaka) called, Not Ready!? Sensei!. There's a handful of other items, but for many of them only bits and pieces are readily available. 

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Holy Heckfire, where have I been?

Okay, I've still been trolling around the adult swim world of yaoi (up to the h's going alphabetically at Mangafox), but that's really not what's kept me from doing anything else on my blogs.

What's completely captured my interest and sucked me in is an anime of a genre I have never found interesting in the past: shonen. Most of the shonen I've seen to date has been full of gratuitous violence and overly muscled men or bratty children both acting incredibly stupid.  Lots of shouting. Since I'm a character girl, I've been left, well, underwhelmed.

Admittedly, I hadn't seen much from this genre, though. Dragonball Z, some science fiction/roboty ones my ex liked, a few more. I occasionally liked one (Vandread, Sorcerer Hunters, another one I can't remember the name of), though I never really read the manga so much as watched the animes.

My daughter, for reasons unknown, decided she wanted to get me hooked on some more. She tried Naruto. I found the English-voiced stuff unbelievably obnoxious, particularly the title character. The Japanese stuff was marginally less irksome. Even if I felt sorry for him (and I didn't, particularly), he was so insufferably stupid and/or arrogant, I hated to spend time with him. I have an eight year old; spending untold episodes and volumes with a bratty kid who can talk (but probably shouldn't) didn't appeal in the slightest. None of the characters compelled me. The fights seemed to go on forever and there was this annoying habit of telling us what they were going to do, doing it, and then explaining what happened again in case you missed it. Too irksome for me.

Now, you might be a Naruto fan and that's fine. As successful as it obviously is, there are clearly many many fans out there. My absence is unlikely to be a big deal; I shan't be missed. I'm not saying it's horrible. I'm saying it's not for me.

My daughter tried me on Inuyasha. Interesting and imaginative story and not a bad show. I don't mind spending a few hours watching it. But, again, I'm not compelled. It's about on the same level as the ones I liked before. Cute, with a certain appeal, but I don't have to see every episode. Or even another episode.

And then she showed me Bleach (by Kubo).

If you're wondering what in heckfire I've been doing since like April, I've been completely seduced by the illogical but charming universe of the Bleach shinigami (and Bounts and Visors and Arrancars, and Fullbrings and whatever else you want to throw out there), mostly just the anime, though I've started in on the manga.

I LOVE it. Is it full to brim with overly muscled men and youths shouting and acting stupid and fighting with little or no cause? Yes. And I love it. Somehow, usually within the course of a single episode, character after character gets introduced, different fleshed out characters with depth and quirks and strengths and weakness, and I fall in love with them. Meet and fall in love, one fell swoop. And the main character, Ichigo Kurosaki is no exception. He has more incarnations, has stumbled back from the edge of death (and even the depths of hell) more times than any character I've ever known ever and I just love him to pieces. But I also love Sado and Uryu and Inoe and Renji and Kiske and Ururu and, well maybe not Jinta. I like Rukia (though I wish she was a little bit more of a badass) and like Ishigo's sisters and Ishigo's friends. I like the Soul Reapers that started out enemies and later became protagonists, almost all of them (except that painted sadist), and yes, I loved them when they were bad guys (Kuchiki Byakuya, for instance, and Kempachi Zuraki) . I loved many of the bad guys that "stayed" bad guys (depending on your point of view) like Grimmjow and Ulquierra.

I've seen all but the Zampakuto rebellion season in Japanese on Hulu. I've bought every episode I've been able to find in English (through 229) on Amazon insta-play. And I've seen them all. More than once. I have the first four seasons on DVD so I can loan them to friends. I have the first three movies in English and the fourth in Japanese (yikes, they keep getting better and better, too!).

Well, I'm not really ready to write a review. I should read more. And, though I've seen all but one season in Japanese, I want to see them again, first. I need to better understand why I like it so I can pass it along, make the review mean something more than: what fun!

So, folks, that's where I've been. And likely where I'll be a bit longer.

At least I'm having a good summer.

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Adult Swim: Creative Depths

There are, apparently, some real "greats" in the world of yaoi, mangakas who have dedicated followings for the very good reason that they have exceptional stories, characters, humor, or, yes, hotness. One of them is Naono Bohra who ups the bar on creativity and making sympathetic characters to a level I've never seen in any other mangaka's work, nor prose and poetry either.

I read a great deal, not just yaoi, not just manga, but fiction of all shapes and sizes including fantasy and science fiction. Hands down, Naono Bohra is the most original thinker, the one with the stories I've never seen before, concepts I never contemplated, twists I never expected. Even her stories that don't deal with the "fantastic" like demons and werewolves and dragons and vampires seem to add original twists and turns or depths that bring them out of the common way whether we're dealing with salarymen or high school students.

There are aspects that make them not for everyone, probably including some of the aspects I personally find appealing. In fact, when I first started reading her work, I was put off by the artistic style which I would liken to the body styles and general artistic school of Michaelangelo with the rounded body parts and the realistic bulges and shadows. In other words, not necessarily flattering. It's dirtier, to me, and everyone looks bruised. Additionally, and this is particularly important if you're already squeamish about overt gay sex, she draws graphic sex scenes that go on for pages and it's sloppy and gooey (I'm pretty certain the human body doesn't ooze that much, uh, stuff from everywhere). I'm pretty hardened to graphic sex scenes and they're hard even for me to take.

But even the most squeamish might want to consider flipping past those pages and reading the stories anyway because they're that damn good. She favors "one shots" (and many of her books are collections of unrelated or loosely connected one shots) but she can cram more originality, story and humanity into 30 pages than anyone I know. I've read many a five volume (or more) series that didn't have as much story as one of her one-shots. It's not just the originality of having capable demon-like humanoids demagicked and traded around like slaves or a blind monk finding and freeing a dragon trapped for eternity by an angry god or a trash-eating pond-god who saves the life of a half-killed human tossed into his depths by letting himself be the main course, though that's pretty wicked. It's the humanity she imbues into all of these half-human and human characters alike, with failings and foibles and misunderstandings and complexities that make them amazingly compelling often in just a few frames. Even people who do things that cross my "never cross" boundaries, doing things I absolutely would never condone are so sympathetic and believable that I find myself understanding, even sometimes sympathizing and forgiving (or at least understanding why the other characters forgive them). Since there are some actions I'm amazingly hard-nosed and unforgiving on, that's quite an accomplishment.

For the most part, however, her characters are so readily sympathetic and charming, stoic and caring, patient or giving, that I adore them. And, if I'm not an advocate for the say-it-with-your-body mindset, there are times I'm swept up right with it. Like the poor teenager from "In the Sun" who has never know any warmth or caring, felt the solace of human touch or considered himself worthy of comfort.

I also have to give her kudos to the fact she's not caught up in the pretty-young-boy only thing quite prevalent in yaoi and, in fact, a great deal of manga. She has a number of romantic leads in their forties and fifties even (so many, it's often a complaint) some with pot bellies and bulges, glasses, gray hair and squints, not to mention still wearing socks no matter what gooey antics they might be up to. She also doesn't shy away from disabilities, including at least one deaf character, one blind character, more than one character missing limb(s). They can be battered or scarred or or pudgy or short (and not in necessarily in that pseudo-shotacon way) or pierced or tattooed or awkward, etc. Not to mention, as I've already mentioned, not quite human or (in at least one case) alive. And she's not afraid to pair ugly with pretty, young with old, grumpy with charming, etc. just like what you can find in real life.

I complained earlier about the artwork as ugly to me. I still maintain that it isn't my favorite, but I have to admit it's frequently evocative and powerful, with expressions that require no dialog and powerful passages. Action is effective, often requiring only a frame or two to effective portray an entire fight. Urgency and caring are equally well portrayed.

And humor. Here are these powerful, clever and creative stories that address our inner selves in all our ugliness and glory, while still generally letting the reader feel good about it - and she still manages to be funny, even roll on the floor hilarious. Unfortunately, it's not always effective out of context.

I'm including a list of her works, but it's confusing since many stories have been packaged as part of a tankoban and matching stories might be in different books.

• Alluring Sentiment - Contemporary oneshots involving students, models. Several May-December matchups with the youthful half usually taking the lead.
• Arrested Man - Sexual terrorism, horror themes, other darker themes - not for the faint hearted.
• A Bird in a Dream - Collection of creative and supernatural oneshots (first two) including the one about the pond-god and the second half to In the Sun ("Midnight Sun")
• The Circle -    A couple of school-age angst stories (connected) and then four unlikely charming chapters of a story with a demon wish grantor and the man with no wishes.
• Covetous You and Insensible Me - mostly contemporary, with a bonus of a couple of historical stories set in samurai days.
• Dakishimetakunai - mostly contemporary, with a bonus of a couple of oneshots involving a shingami (god of death) and an assassin
• Hada no Ue no Renai Jijou - series of contemporary oneshots involving salary men and their unlikely lovers.
• Hajishirazu na Yoru - Contemporary oneshots with many unusual fetishes and pairings.
• Harem Days - Series about an unlikely man drafted into the secretarial harem and focus of a powerful manager. Plus some good oneshots.
• Hohoemi no Nichijou - Mostly contemporary stories (including "In the Sun")
• Ikujinashi no Shiawase - loosely connected story involving two unlikely couples (contemporary) plus oneshots.
• Kimi ni Sasayaku Mirai - mostly connected stories involving somehow, a dead character, and a portal to hell. Also, an unconnected oneshot.
• Mori no Koe - Love this series of doujinshi involving demons treated as slaves and the humans who don't do so.
• Ren'ai Nenrei - Mostly contemporary with most stories about an irascible middle-aged uke. And some fantastical stories about demons and curses set in the kimono era. Great stuff.
• Tamago no Hi - Work in progress with a minimum, so far, of yaoi-ness and based on people with special powers who protect against trans-dimensional agressors. 
• Three Wolves Mountain - Werewolves and the cemetery caretaker. Sweet.   
• Yami ni Tooboe, Mune ni Toge - Clever series playing off Japanese mythology with demons pursued by the victorious gods and their interaction with one young man. Actually available as a book in English.
• Yokubou Shounen - One fantasy story in the midst of more original contemporary stories that never come off as run of the mill.
• Yubisaki no Koi - An actual series, this time with a shy touch-phobic detective whose ability to read minds with a touch is the basis for his occupation and his phobia.

There are also some charming one-shots well worth tracking down like Dokunoaji (dragon/demon/god trapped and saved by a human), Jouzetsu na Yubi (deaf kid is an inspiration for a writer), Lucky Item (off-shoot from Yubisaki no Koi), Organic (human-android relationship - you had to know it was coming), Yurusareta Uta (from the Mori no Koe world) and, yeah, there are more. But I have to stop somewhere.

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Adult Swim: Picnic At the Beach

Rather than pick out a particular manga, I'm going to talk about the yaoi work of a particular mangaka: Kawai Touko. Why? 'Cause I like 'em. Are they all a lot alike? Yep. Like 'em anyway. Does nearly every pair of characters look almost like the next pair of characters? Yeah.

For the most part, we're not exploring the depths and angst of homosexuality. There are minimal love triangles, or, thank Heaven, stupid plots putting protagonists at risk in stupid ways. No protagonists raping, coercing or torturing each other (unless one wants to count mutual consensual piercing in Bond(z) and the one masochist in Cut).

What they are romances with generally wonderful people, who might have shadows and pain, either in the past or currently, who don't always make the best choices and are therefore both imperfect and charming. In most cases, they were stories about more than sex (which is not always true of yaoi, believe me) even though sex is a common element, about relationships between people, rather than just bodies. But the people interacted and depended on each other, without the powerful male/helpless-uke-in-distress pattern.

They're fun and funny. The art is good (even if everyone has painfully pointy chins) with generally tastefully done sex scenes and expressive faces. The characters are generally loveable, shadows and all, if for no other reason than the earnest way they care about each other. Some are clever, some are talented, some are patient. Some aren't, just like real people, but without the lopsided relationships prevalent in yaoi and romances alike. Because the people and the relationships feel real, complete with misunderstandings, selfishness, self-sacrifice and real affection (not just lust). The books are about making real connections with other people, obstacles notwithstanding, and manage to do so with humor, depth and emotion, but without getting sappy or shallow.

Here's the best news (and I rarely get to say this about yaoi): they are almost all available published in English. (Yes, I own everything on my list - forthcoming - except Overdose and don't regret a sou). The only sad thing is that, sometimes, the translations are not quite as good as what one finds in the scanlations [example: "the end of our road of passion" vs. the infinitely better, "limits of desire"). Also, the stories are all spun out to reasonable lengths (only Bond(z) is strictly one-shots) but not dragged out for dozens of volumes. The longest series is two volumes, an easy evening of reading. So, here's the rundown going alphabetically (using English titles):

Bond(z) - One-shots including (a) two "straight" friends who find themselves experimenting with each other, only to fall unexpectedly into love (b) two friends since childhood who have loved each other, but with one denying his own feelings because of a kindergarten teacher who made him ashamed of his gay affection, (c) a rare Kawai fantasy involving the prince of a rosebush (you had to be there), and (d) a pampered rich boy finding his own freedom with companion from the "regular world."

Cafe Latte Rhapsody - Sweet story about a tiny gay clerk in a bookstore and his romance with his absurdly tall awkward (but so adorable) younger cohort. As close to sappy as Kawai gets, and still so charming I can't hardly stand it. Minimal shadows here.

Cut - I'd say her edgiest work with two high school seniors, each with their own demons, one nearly killed by a psychotic mother, the other convinced he killed his father. Together, they confront their demons, one by abandoning his self-imposed isolation while the other must forgo his self-punishment. This is the only work with overt S and M and incest (step-parent). The latter step-father is not a protagonist.

In The Walnut (2 volumes) - An eccentric scruffy yet unusually photogenic artistic genius and his best friend/lover, a movie cameraman, handle art crises including restorations and forgeries with intelligence and compassion. This is probably the least "romance" set of stories and yet, the genuine warmth between our couple (despite their unique beginning - I actually recommend reading the extras in In the Walnut vol 1 before the rest) make them one of my favorite couples. Charming as Cafe Rhapsody if somewhat less innocent and with the intellectual stimulus of art history tossed in as well.

Just Around the Corner - Two souls collide when their worlds are darkest and find solace in each other: a 26 year old salary man who lost his lover and job at the same time (because he rather foolishly was having an affair with his married boss) stumbles across a "19-year-old" piano prodigy who's piano-playing future was shattered by an accident that cut up his hands. Solace transforms into a "sex friend" relationship that begins to become more and more significant over time until our unemployed salary man takes up his new job as a substitute math teacher and discovers his part time lover is a full-time sixteen year old high school student. I'm not a big fan for the teacher-student pair ups that are very very common in yaoi but, by the time we got there, I was already in love with the characters and Kawai's handling of this tricky scenario was spot on perfect. It's a favorite, I admit.

Loveholic (2 volumes) - a talented but volatile photographer (Nishioka) is only handled effectively by the rich and capable advertising executive, Matsukawa Daisuke, who is, arguably, his biggest fan. Over the first book their growing interdependence, fondness, and interadmiration of one another grows into a romantic relationship (to, perhaps, the photographer's surprise). There's an added extra explaining Daisuke's tattoo and the reason for his patience. In the second volume, the relationship is fleshed out until they reach a point where someone has to give up "everything" for the other - and the other has to accept that. I love this series, really, it's my favorite of the Kawai books and I can't even tell you why, unless it's Nishioka's face after their first kiss:

Our Everlasting (2 volumes) - Another extrovert/shy guy pairing, this one with sexy straight Horyu changing his view of their relationship when his best friend, the timid Shouin, confesses to Horyu when he thinks Horyu is sleeping. Too shy to take the initiative, Horyu must determine he shares the feelings and pursue Shouin, almost to excess, before he can get Shouin to admit his own feelings. Throughout the second volume, other insecurities threaten their relationship, ah, but love wins, as many of us like to think it should. There's an unrelated one-shot in each volume, with the In the Walnut introduction as the extra in volume 2 (with a different translation than that in the In the Walnut book itself).

Overdose - Sweet unassuming guy (Chika) confesses to a womanizing man (Yuuji)who becomes intrigued and sleeps with him out of curiosity, only to find the sex compelling and the companionship of Chika appealling, so much so that he moves in to the home and a relationship with Chika. Chika loves him desperately. Unfortunately, for Chika, relationship notwithstanding, Yuuji sees no reason to forgo his previous profligate ways, throwing them in Chika's face with an insensitivity that drives their mutual friends batty. Finally, Chika has more than he can handle and he leaves the apparently indifferent Yuuji. That leaves Yuuji to reluctantly come to terms with what he really feels and what really wants. Yuuji is arguably the least appealing of Kawai's protagonists.

If you're new to the genre but interested in checking it out , I'd say you couldn't go wrong with Touko Kawai.

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Alice in the Country of Hearts: Has a Certain Appeal

Given I'm still reading yaoi rather exclusively, it's hard to go back and fill in the blanks for my "Has a Certain Appeal" mangas. Not because they're bad, but because I don't read them over and over so they don't have dedicated spots in my brain. Or come to mind that often. This is particularly true of Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose and Hoshino Soumei which was left stranded when Tokyopop went belly up with a single volume yet to publish (of six total). Ouch. Very hard to convince oneself to invest in the first five if the last one will never materialize.

Pity, too, because, though not a "favorite," ACH was imaginative, has charm, is just six volumes long (so easily read in a day or two) and had a satisfactory ending, which is not always the case. There's also a thread of satire, which I always like to see, and some humor. I know the ending worked for me because, though the books are no longer in print, the scanlation is available. Apparently, there is also an anime movie (in Japanese). It's another rather brave launch from the Alice in Wonderland concept that takes it in an entirely different direction without really leaving behind the underlying premise.

Anime? Yes Volumes of manga: 6 Status: Complete but not available in print form here in the states. Any more.

My rating: Has a certain appeal

Age range/taboos: I don't see an issue with any teenager reading this. No nudity or sex. However, there was some violence, made surreal through the particular characteristics of the players in "Wonderland" and threats of violence. There was also a bit of sexual innuendo.

Premise: Alice, nursing a bruised heart when her beau galloped off with another gal, naps and can't bring herself to chase the white rabbit when it appears. No worries, he changes into a "mostly" human form and scoops her up, force feeding her a potion that effectively traps her in "Wonderland." Except for cast members, that's about the last we hear of the original story. Alice's world is, of course, confusing, more confusing for us because it's completely unlike the other wonderland except we have characters named similarly, even if their characters are...whacked. It very much reads like a convoluted dream. Alice is lusted after or threatened with violence by almost every other character in the story, sometimes on the same page. The key exception, Julius the clock repairman, become an ally rather than a love interest.

What works: It's imaginative. The many male characters are appealing. Alice is less so mostly because what she does often doesn't make any sense to me. Admittedly, that's true of the denizons of Wonderland as well, but you kind of expect that. The characterizations are amusing and clever. The twists on the original ideas are not without appeal. I like the Hatter, despite his bipolar attitude, particularly the secret of his garden, which I won't be sharing, but I have to admit Julius gets a special place for his patience and the general hopelessness of his position. Poor sot.


It's drawn effectively, if not breathtakingly with artwork that doesn't jar one or bother me, but also didn't blow me away. The lack of plot is hardly noticeable in the twist and turns of creativity. And Alice, for all her crankiness, is a leavening influence on the others. I also liked the underlying depth, the dark part of the world that is hinted at only early on and then gone into in more depth later. Clever.


I like clever.

What I didn't like: The characters aren't entirely fleshed out and that's a pity here because they aren't just props for Alice in this story but key elements of a story. The craziness that works fine in a episodical world where someone's only there for the main character to act against is frustrating when we run into the same characters over and over again and try to make sense of it all. A mistake, of course, when dealing with Wonderland. The plot, as is frequently true of manga, was specious at best. If the characterizations had been more powerful, more readily identified with, the lack of plot could have been overlooked readily.  The creativity helped cover the lack, but with creativity like this comes chaos and I like my world to have order in the end.

Which argues not so much a problem with the story but rather that it wasn't a story well suited to a logical gal like myself. Someone else, who lives for chaos, might have completely felt at home. And, to be fair, it's still in my honorable mention group, even for that lack.

I also wish Alice had been a bit more appealing. She could have been the bulwark of logical in the midst of chaos, but she made no more sense than anyone else. And she was cranky, which might have been fine if she had had some other appealing quality, like a biting sarcasm.

In any case, it's a manga worth the read (to me) but not desperation in trying to get it in print. In my opinion.

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Adult Swim: Horseplay

In contrast to my last post's story, Afuresou na Pool, today's yaoi offering isn't the least bit thoughtful, does not examine any deep sociological depths, is all but devoid of drama (or at least any plausible plot lines) and does not keep a tasteful distance when it comes to sex between men or between men and men who look deceptively like children. If graphic depictions of sex between men send your sphincter twitching and make you want to stab out your eyeballs with a fork, or you're not an adult, DO NOT follow this link to Ai to Yokubou wa Gaduen de (by Umezawa Hana) because sex is everywhere, in your face, and little, if anything, is verboten. Do I like it anyway? You bet. The sex didn't bother me in the slightest (I'm a grown up and have discovered I enjoy reading yaoi smex). And, far more importantly to me, it makes me laugh my ass clean off (though I tend to grow it back overnight).

I rolled. I loled. I howled and pounded my desk. Nothing's sacred in this manga because the whole damn thing is tongue in cheek. And, in the midst of all the craziness and orgy of sexual misconduct, it's romantic with pair after pair of students, teachers, directors, tycoons, doctors, even a chef pairing off against the school's sanction against "falling in love". The premise is a school in the future devoted to training people who intend to go into the sex trade. An all-boy's school ("Full Bloom Academy"). If the premise isn't crazy or ridiculous enough for you, just wait. You might want to sit down for this.

Full Bloom Academy has a host department (host clubs are big in yaoi), pet department (youthful looking boys training to be "kept"), AV department (adult video), and, my favorite, abnormal where the world of kinky awaits. There are students that are "rare" (i.e. virgins) and students that are "absolutes" (i.e. can go 24 hours without faltering), each lovingly trained in the art of sex by a strange cast of teachers. While students, once they've met certain criteria, they can be leased out for presumably on-the-job experience that nets the school and the student money, precluding the need for tuition. Since many students are there to address debts of their families or themselves, this is a big deal and frequently comes up. One can also earn a fee by finding a good prospect and delivering them to the school (as one student was by his own lover).

There are sad stories in there, some with just enough plausibility to be touching, most silly enough to just be funny. And, despite the "absolute" prohibition against falling in love, the whole things starts with the enigmatic all-knowing director falling for a student who drops out to become his secretary. I find it interesting that, though most of the characters are involved in the sex trade, in some fashion or another, the couples are amazingly faithful and run the range from completely understanding sending the host significant other off to work to becoming irate over a kiss mark obtained in class. And, of course, there's the much pierced prince of the abnormal department and his kidnaped "tribute", the would-be host and homophobe

Despite the hilarity, the excessive sex and the ridiculous plot developments, the characters are surprisingly believable and engaging. I found them easy to identify with (mostly) and frequently charming, or I would have set this aside quickly. It's what makes the romantic stories that fall out of this whirlwind satisfying, that the characters, however laughable their setting and predicaments, still seem real enough.

The drawing style is distinctive with pointy haired characters with expressive eyes, beautiful faces and exaggerated sex scenes complete with fluids and toes that curl so much they look like hands. Still, I found it fairly compelling and well suited to the comic style running through this whole thing (still not completed). And the characters can be incredibly hot.

It's not a serious story. I hope you got that. It's blatantly full of smutty sex. I hope you got that, too. If you haven't tried yaoi, be warned, this manga shameless indulges in every extreme of yaoi (except rape by a protagonist, obvious pedophilia, and incest) and isn't afraid to laugh at every aspect. And I love the kind of humor that laughs at itself.

Would I buy this if it were available in English? Oh yea. Because I love it. It doesn't make me think or really add to my understanding of gay relationships (or love in general), but, if I'm in the mood for mindless fun of the distinctly non-clean variety, this fits the bill with panache.

Umezawa Hana has a couple of other manga, too. 24 Jikan Kiss Dekinai is incomplete (but discontinued) and was cute but nowhere near as full of hilarity as this manga. Koi Yori Kiss Yori Daikirai is ongoing and incomplete but also shoujo so not the kind of fun-filled smut I enjoyed so much.

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Adult Swim: Into the Pool

So, if I want to write about adult manga, particularly yaoi, the stuff that got to me, as it were, I can't, off-hand, think of a better place to start than with ISHIHARA Satoru's Afuresou na Pool which is saying something. Like, unfortunately, the bulk of the yaoi I've enjoyed, I can't find it licensed in English, but there are several manga scanlation sites that have the whole six volume series. Well worth the time, in my opinion.

Now, before you leap off to check it out, thinking you'll be inundated with short satisfying stories filled to the brim with graphic sex, let me tell you, that's not what you'll find. Not to say that's not what a significant proportion, if not most, yaoi is, I found this an atypical yaoi. So, if you read this and loved this, that doesn't mean the rest of yaoi will be your cup of tea. Nor does it mean that if you read this and wondered where all the naked sweaty guys were from chapter to chapter, that you won't like yaoi, even if this isn't your cup of tea.

It's a long story, very much a character study involving several young men, two sets of friends, and one set of lovers. I like starting with this for the uninitiated because this story has in spades what I look for (often in much smaller doses) in yaoi - people that care about each other. It also is a masterful example, in my opinion, about what makes a homosexual romantic relationship different from a heterosexual romantic relationship, those things that make it much harder and not just the lack of understanding from the outside world.

I appreciate that there's a great deal of what I think must be authentic male view point because, at first, it tended to leave me confused. But as I delved more into the various minds involved, it started to make it's own twisted (i.e. male) sense. It involved a passionate seme (I hate semes that seem untouched or are cold to their partners). It involved a strong uke, and I appreciate that just like I appreciate a strong female protagonist. (For those unfamiliar with the terms, a seme is the one penetrating. I presume you can deduce what a uke is.) There are no love interests here that look like grade schoolers. No blushing ineffective ukes ready to cry at a moments notice. Everyone has their own personality and their own strengths, without any of them being perfect or making optimum choices. And that fits in pretty well with kids about to graduate high school as well.

And, despite the relative dearth of graphic sexual scenes (I think there might be a couple of shots, but not the unending screw-fest many yaoi are), it is loaded to bear with sensual scenes, sexy scenes, scenes that get the blood flowing nicely, thank you very much. Attraction, friendship, love and lust are all portrayed very effectively, very movingly here and the artwork, particularly with faces and eyes, is quite compelling. It has a modicum of humor without being a comedy. It has a serving of dark without being maudlin or tragic. A dose of drama of becoming unbearably sappy or, if you'll excuse the expression, stupidly dramatic.Note that it does start with some pretty forceful moves by Kizu that would seem to brush against my severe anti-rape bias. When I read further, and noted Iriya's own efforts, pursuits, drives, I realized there was another way to look at it. Particularly given how well Iriya can defend himself. But you can decide for yourself.

I've read it several times now and would buy it if it were licensed and available. It's an investment in time and less pure enjoyment than thought-provoking. Which makes it a pretty remarkable manga whatever the genre.

And favorite character? Yeah, it's Iriya Tetsuo. Not just because he's a hottie, though that doesn't hurt, but because it's easiest for me to identify with his struggles. While everyone's trying to find their place, he does the best, I think, at keeping his feet on the ground despite the fact his role is the hardest.  And he never turns his back on the people he cares about.

There are a couple of side stories and, to warn you, rape is not precluded, sex is more graphic and violence is front and center far more than in the rest of the story. Just a heads up. I still read them and find them good, but they're a darker set so be forewarned. None of the stuff in adult swim is really suitable for children.

Update: I also really liked this mangaka's Shounen wa Asu wo Korosu and Yarouze!, neither of which get really naughty. They were interesting, had their own appeal and some lovely drawing, but neither made quite the impression on me of the first. Kimi Shiruya is also good and clean and has the advantage of being available in book form in English (and, yes, I own it). I really like this mangaka.

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Adult Swim

The down side to going on strike is that one is almost honor bound to cough up a new post after the strike is over or the strike doesn't mean anything. Which is probably for the best because I've been meaning to write about why the list of mostly-shoujo manga hasn't grown much. There are two reasons. One is, I'm lazy. The other is that I got completely sidetracked and started reading a completely different manga unexpectedly. A kind I haven't written about here.

For a couple of reasons.

The first reason I haven't written about it is because, well, I'm lazy, and I've been doing a lot of reading and there have been some pretty hairy and emotionally debilitating things going on in my life since November.

The second reason is because, while I've been writing about manga (generally) you could give your kid or at least teenager to read (except, maybe, the "ick" ones), that's not true about the manga I've been reading. And, while I'm a very tolerant person and have many tolerant folks among my readers, being comfortable with idea of homosexuality and having it in one's face rather graphically, as it were, isn't necessarily the same thing.

Yes, for you others of the otaku bent, you probably already know what I'm talking about: yaoi. Boys' love written for women by women, and, no, I can't explain why that works. Heck, I still can't put my finger on why I've found so much of it compelling. I've never liked pornography or sought out graphic sex of any sort (though it hasn't much bothered me either) as long as the story was good, as long as it wasn't effectively pornography with no romance, no story, no characters.In yaoi, there is a LOT of sex, often drawn graphically and copiously. Frequently in a first chapter. Sometimes on the first page. In color.

But yaoi, despite it's definite propensity for graphic depictions of sex, is also about romance. And I'm a sucker for romance. True, that sometimes includes the aspects of "romance" I hate most like rape and superficiality, but good authors write consistently good manga. Shoujo generally is generally about romance, too, but there are some key differences, homosexuality being but one of them. So why am I reading it?

• As a writer, I'm finding myself fascinated with facets of male characters and aspects of romance I hadn't really appreciated (i.e. took for granted) or didn't know or think about. I also know that, when my writer persona is piqued by something, reading to learn, I can't stop it until it's gathered what it's looking for. Which is why I read the Twilight books like six times and then haven't been the slightest bit interested in reading them again.
• In some ways, the romantic stakes are higher in yaoi than they are in shoujo and other mangas. It's not just teenage love (notoriously fickle) where the most you risk is a rejection, but you don't have to presume your friendship or other relationships are at an end. For yaoi, you have to REALLY love someone  to (a) come to grips with being in love with someone of the same gender and (b) be willing to admit it to that person who might very well not share your interest. Who might never talk to you again. Who might beat the ever living crap out of you. Who might pass the word of your "perversion" around so that you're shunned by everyone. In some ways, it makes it more powerful. Gay couples are still, even under the best circumstances, facing an unfriendly world. 
• Yaois tend to be short (though there are exceptions) with relationships that move quickly and spend less time than many other mangas on aspects that are really not part of the relationship. For someone like me in the process of watching the love her life walk out the door without a backward glance, intense doses of quickly gratifying romance are just the ticket. 
• Even though they're short, they also tend to go beyond boy meets boy and falls in love. In other words, it's about the relationship after that, making it work, learning about the other, making compromises, without being sappy like similar type books about happy housewives tend to be. I need that at this point in my life. 
• It can be very pretty. I won't lie. Looking at beautifully drawn men at the peak of physical perfect in various states of undress - not a bad thing. I admit it. I like it. 
• I now appreciate ass jokes a thousandfold more than I used to.

So, while admitting it's not for everyone, I've been reading enough of it with enough intensity, I should take the time to share what I've learned for those interest. And I know not everyone will be interested.

I'll eventually add another widget for the mature manga I read. And I'll be going forward on the shoujo, too.

Bear with me.

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