Customer Reviews

From Eroica with Love - VOL 01

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FROM EROICA WITH LOVE is a wonderful series. It manages to be witty and exciting, intriguing, with an intelligent storyline that doesn't take itself too seriously but is never quite idiotic--more like irrevrant and carefree..rather like the main character!

The series chronicles the wild adventures of gay British aristocrat Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria aka the daring art theif Eroica (after Beethoven's symphony) and his frequent clashes with NATO intelligence officer Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, a strict (but handsome) German man, who is Lord Gloria's exact opposite. Their encounters are fraught with sexual tension and terribly entertaining.

This is a lengthy series still continuing in Japan (now at issue 31, with several other works by the same author tying into the EROICA universe..)but the stories always seem so fresh and vibrant. CMX's translation, thank goodness, is superbly done. Old fans of EROICA who have been reading the Japanese editions for decades, or new fans, will have nothing to complain about, so far at least...now let us all hope CMX continues to translate all 31 books and maybe some of the related series by Aoike Yasuko as well...

BUY THIS BOOK. It has come to the point where I can no longer afford to buy manga and anime like I used to. The one series I will continue to save my pennies for is THIS one. It's a classic and it's a pure delight from start to finish. This is the perspective of a young woman, so perhaps not every one will agree, but for me FROM EROICA WITH LOVE is the best Japanese manga of all time, and one that will ALWAYS have a special place in my bookshelf.

I adore the Earl's lively personality, that seems to shine off every page with a life of its own, the illustrations of famous European buildings, the references to Western art and the historical aspect (the Cold War is the backdrop to the series). Unlike a lot of manga, the story is dense and verbose and it takes a while to read through it, unlike the usual 15 minutes it takes to skim quite a few modern titles, this one leaves you feeling satisified! You get your money's worth.

Hey, I thought I might have to write the first review of "Eroica", but I see Sharon Q's already done a fine job. So I'll just add a few cents' worth here and there...

First, like all the CMX manga published so far, this is physically a handsome piece of work: the gorgeous 70s-style artwork in particular is well reproduced. The translation isn't bad either, with none of the grammatical howlers, proofreading errors and just plain lapses in tone that Tokyopop is all too prone to nowadays. (I especially love that everyone keeps on saying "bloody" to emphasise that they're Brits - well, European anyhow).

However, like Sharon Q, I can't give this first volume more than 3 stars, mainly on account of the story. "Eroica" has been a cult in Japan and (through fan translations) in the West for decades now, yet it had a surprisingly wobbly beginning. The opening chapter introduces us to Dorian, Earl of Gloria, through the eyes of three teenagers who, for no very good reason, have acquired super-powers. Aoike also includes a would-be comic Japanese detective, Inspector Bannai, whose deeply unfunny antics are enough to discourage any reader. Add little touches such as the characters taking a detour through another of her manga, and you do start to wonder about Japanese female taste (this is a shoujo manga, if all those floating flowers and big starry eyes hadn't told you already). Things improve, however, when the sardonic, sexy and terminally repressed Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach strides into the second chapter. Two of the annoying magical teens, and Bannai, promptly disappear from the story for good. Pretty-boy Caesar Gabriel, who at one point looked like becoming Dorian's love interest, hangs on into chapter three, then retires to bed with a headache and is never heard from again. The very last page of this final episode shows us the pattern of almost all the stories to come: Klaus and Dorian, after a series of intricate manoeuvres which have brought each of them to exactly the same point, delicately balanced against each other and waiting to begin the game - or is it a courtship dance? - all over again.

My only other gripe is to wish that CMX had followed Del Rey's lead and splashed out a little money on an introductory essay. After all, "Eroica" began appearing in 1976 - not many new readers will understand that Dorian himself was modelled on Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, and that his sidekicks Bonham and the penny-pinching Mr James are caricatures of other band members. The political and social background, too, contemporary when Aoike used it, has receded into history: the Cold War, Bonn as the capital of West Germany, the fall of the Shah of Iran, Russia's invasion of Afghanistan and the resulting boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, are half-forgotten now. But "Eroica's" fun, frivolity and romance have survived... starting in volume 2!

Though you may not realize it at first "From Eroica With Love" has had a cult following in America and Europe for DECADES!!!
In "From Eroica With Love" you can see the stories and characters tend to be better developed than contemporary shojou/shounen-ai/yaoi comics being brought to the US now, not relying quite so much on cookie cutter plots and characters.
For example, the first story, "1000 Kisses", is an elaborate set-up to introduce the reader to Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria, in an unconventional way. In it we meet the Earl and discover that he is something of a sensualist and will do whatever he can to get what he wants, and what he wants is to possess beautiful things. He does this with the aid of a group of highly trained, beautiful male followers, committing art thefts across the globe and signing them with the titular calling card "from Eroica, with love". It seems nothing offers Dorian Red a challenge until he spies a beautiful young man and decides that he must possess him!
In the stories following, the Earl of Gloria meets his nemesis in the form of German Nato agent Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, a serious young officer who is not swayed by Dorian Red's charms. The Earl can't resist a challenge!

These stories are written with many laughs and powerful moments of passion and some very striking art!
There is a lot to "squee" over for the younger fan and the older fan will appreciate the more densely packed storytelling!
I STRONGLY urge fans to BUY THIS BOOK and discover why Eroica has been a cult classic for over twenty years!

The translation is quite good on this and so is the touch up production work and publisher CMX can be very proud of that!
Why only THREE stars then, you may ask? BEcause! This is only the FIRST volume and the comic hasn't found it's tone yet and there are better stories yet to come in this title!

I first encountered "From Eroica With Love" in a fan-produced English translation published in fanzine format some years back. I was bowled over by the series, which I can only describe as a wonderfully loopy and self-aware micky-take of its own genre. I was delighted to hear that CMX have taken on the job of providing an official English translation for the series. They've done a very nice job of it, with excellent reproduction of the original artwork, and what I'm told is a faithful translation from the original Japanese text.

This first volume serves mainly to introduce the various characters, but it contains some very entertaining stories. It isn't quite typical of the series as a whole, as it initially appears that three superpowered teenagers are amongst the main characters. In fact, they exist mostly to introduce Dorian Red Gloria, Earl of Gloria. He's a very, very wealthy aristocrat who collects beautiful things, and his hobby is stealing art treasures. He's also very beautiful himself, very, very queer, very, very flamboyant, and has an entourage of equally beautiful and gay young men.

The three teenagers disappear by the end of volume 1 and never return, which is good because they're a lot less interesting than the other primary ongoing character, who doesn't appear until part way through the book. Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach is also a wealthy aristocrat. However, if he's queer, he's so far back in the closet he's in danger of running into a lamppost, he's a top Nato agent, he has no sense of humour, and he has no time for degenerates. Pity his path keeps crossing with Dorian, who is all the things he despises. Unfortunately for Klaus, Dorian is also brave, clever, resourceful, and a number of other things he admires and didn't expect to find in a degenerate. The feeling's mutual - Klaus is a good many things that Dorian despises, but he's brave, clever, resourceful... and decidedly pretty...

However loopy the plots may get, they're believable while you're reading them, and there's some fine and very funny story-telling. The characters are flawed but always sympathetic. The art is utterly gorgeous. The first story in this book is a bit tedious in places, but it's the setup story and worth going through so that you have the background. Even if you're not really into the "pretty young men" genre of manga, this one's worth a look.

Perhaps one of the best manga series out there overall. The artwork may put a few off, but once you get past that, it's such a witty and intelligent read. You find yourself laughing with the characters and wondering what they'll do next.

Mind you, the worse volume out of the series is vol. 1, but once you get past it, it's ALL goldmine after that.

From Eroica With Love was my first manga and it remains my absolute favourite, even though I've read lots of others since then. Gorgeous characters, fun, interesting, the most beautiful art, lovely tension and just a pure joy to read!

The very first story, A Thousand Kisses, is a bit misleading - I'll even go so far as to say that it is the least interesting story in this series. Which is a bit of a shame, so I just want to say: go on reading! It will be worth it! In the second story, Iron Klaus, the tension begins, as Klaus and Dorian meets for the first time, and by the third story, Achillies' Last Stand, things have started to roll. It does get even better in future volumes, though, even if the first ones are great too.

I can't recommend Eroica enough! Buy this volume! Enjoy it! Buy the next one!

Personally, I miss her 70's shoujo style, really HATE the CMX covers, & there have been some blatant translation errors; for instance on page 10, "He's one for us older gals" should have been "I hope he's into older men."

You should also not take volume 1 to heart; the 3 characters in the beginning of this volume...you'll never ever see them again.

Continue to read this series because you like the art, because you like the character. Do NOT read this hoping for a relationship between Dorian & Klaus. Read Koisuru Boukun if you're only reading it for the shounenai. That series is what this would be like if Yasuko wanted to put Dorian & Klaus together. Let's look at a list of facts here.

*Yasuko lost interest in BL in the early 80s & left Sons of Eve, her only nonhetero series, unfinished.
*Yasuko is notorious for not finishing her longer series.
*She originally abandoned this series. It was on hiatus for 7 years before she was paid to finish it.
*Ever since the hiatus was lifted, there hasn't really been any Boys Love. This is no longer a BL series, it's just a series that happens to star a gay man who goes back & forth between acting adorkable & depressed when he's around Klaus.
*This series has been dragging on for about 20 years & Klaus still hates Dorian, though apparently less than he hates Lawrence, but he'd rather be around his rival Mischa than Dorian.

I didn't really enjoy this Manga Series though I bought it. It was sweet and funny but didn't float my boat. The art is one thing that always throws me off - and believe me if your the same don't go for this book. The main character looks to much like a chick for my liking but still he always seems to prove he is male. The only 'older' Shonen Ai - Yaoi Manga I go for is Kizuna. Trust me, go for Kizuna. But it's totally your decision.