4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 distinct Yaoi stories, ranging from sexy to disturbing to kinky., October 19, 2008
Main story of the same title where a love struck uke takes up the seme's challenge to keep the seme interested in him is pretty sexy. Too bad the seme seems to care more for his younger brother. Would have been better if this is more romantic.
Second story is the best. Both Katsuki and Nakaba works in a detective agency runs by Nakaba's parents. They were assigned to a case which brought back horrible memories to one of them.
3rd story may not be for everyone and it is a trifle disturbing where son (underage) and father vie for the same man's love. This same man happens to be the wife's younger brother. An erotic position here, which I have not seen before (grin).
4th story where a uke needs some BDSM action to oversome his inner fears is kinky, with a nice ending.
Overall a good collection and the artwork is lovely. This mangaka's stories certainly are not the typical type as she likes to inject some disturbing or kinky tone into her plots. And of course lovely packaging from 801 media with the usual delightful antics from 801.chan.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Falling into Love is Falling into Trouble, June 13, 2010
I am fairly certain we have all had one of those moments at some point. The moment when we encounter someone so astounding, so mesmerising, that we stop and say to ourselves, "THAT. That is who I want to be like." And we go about finding all we can about this person, taking on board ideals, sense of style, and accomplishments and make them into something uniquely our own while using it to push ourselves forward into becoming the person we want to be. For Hisashi it was a random chance event. Returning home from school with a friend, by chance they got to observe a model photo shoot taking place in the city centre. They were excited by the celebrity of it all, as were other passers-by, for it was a well known model being photographed, one known as Tomohito. Hisashi was mildly excited, until the moment he caught sight of the intense gaze and sheer aura of charisma surrounding Tomohito, something the camera only ever partially captured.
Hisashi decides right then and there that this is what he wants to do: become a professional model, experiencing the excitement that leads to such a burning inner intensity, and to get Tomohito to look at him with that gaze, to see HIM, and be on an equal footing. Imagine his shock then a year later when a mixed photo shoot brings the amateur model Hisashi face to face with Tomohito, who does indeed notice him. It is not as an equal however, but to offer some constructive criticism. Commenting on the length of Hisashi's hair, its colour, and the amount of lipstick placed upon him, he offers not just advice, but an unexpected kiss "to remove the excess lipstick". Startled and angry, Hisashi lands a hand upon Tomohito's face, landing him in a spot of bother. But the professional advice given won't just go away. If Hisashi wishes to reach those heights, he can use all the tips he can get. But at what price? And is he willing to pay? Especially given that once he confronts Tomohito again, he discovers his real personality is not quite what he projects to the public, being a doting older brother for one thing and very egotistical for another. This is either going to the divine moment he has dreamt of, or his worst nightmare. One thing is for certain, and that is that Hisashi is about to learn the difference between hero worship and love, and how the two can be rather mixed up in one's mind.
While this is the main story, included in the volume are three unrelated shorter "bonus" one shots. In "Prepare Yourself", we meet Nakaba and Katsuki. Nakaba's family run a small detective agency and land a case trying to get a hikamori to come out of her room. A hikamori is a person who has withdrawn from society, and quite often family, confining themselves to their room. Unlike agoraphobics, it is not the physicalness of being outside the confining space that terrifies them, rather they suffer an extreme distaste for the social world outside their rooms. Upon meeting the parents, the cause of the girl's withdrawal becomes clear to Katsuki and Nakaba, but can they get her to come out? And what about the toll on Katsuki, as the father's behaviour triggers a post traumatic stress reaction to a deeply ingrained past trauma. Can Katsuki and the girl be freed from the root of their distress?
The next story presents us with a rather disturbing love triangle. "I Want to Be With You" follows senior in high school Taiichi, his father, and uncle. Taiichi is in love with his young uncle, Kyou. Kyou is already a working adult, but appears to be not that much older than Taiichi and much younger than Taiichi's parents, as evidenced by Taiichi using the -nii suffix reserved for males young enough to be one's older brother, rather than the oyaji (literally uncle) reserved for those too old for -nii. If that was not enough of the taste of the forbidden, Taiichi's father keeps trying to lay his hands on Kyou, who comes by to take care of the house when his sister leaves on her monthly business trips. Taiichi is tired of feeling powerless, and all three members of this triangle know telling Mother about any of it is out of the question, given the extremely taboo nature of their debacle. Taiichi, however, is determined to not let his old man use his status as a working adult to interfere and steal what is his. But can he come up with a workable plan? Unable to move out quite yet, unemployed, , and having to complete his education, he appears to be at a dead end. Or is he?
"Love's Recommendation" is the final story on offer, and like the story before it, it raises the erotica stakes to a higher level by exploring a topic many consider taboo: BDSM. Atsumu has a tutor helping him prepare for university exams. Not just any university exam either, but for a medical school at a well regarded university. His tutor, Kayama, is the son of two doctors and a bit of a genius, getting ready to attend a different university's medical program. Atsumu "knows" that despite his being paid to tutor him, that they are rivals for success and resents the fact that Kayama can see Atsumu has been squashing down "inappropriate" feelings. Feelings Atsumu would like him to admit to so that he may accept. Atsumu is a stubborn fellow though, so Kayama decides to make him confront his feelings, giving him an out to walk away if he still can't handle it. His solution? Let's try the tie your lover up up and blindfold him routine. Is it truly a non-consensual bondage though, or what Atsumu needs to set his passions free?
I have to hand it to Takashi Kanzaki. Her plots and character types are definitely not typical and far from cookie cutter. While some of the tales finer details can be disturbing, and perhaps even definitely kinky, it is never gratuitous. She creates scenarios that ensnare the reader's imagination and gives well rounded characters that are quite easy to identify with and find quite likeable. What they are, however, is flawed. Ultimately, it is the flawed nature of their being that the tales exploit, showing how each in turn comes to grasp with who they ultimately are, and how they face their inner desires, no matter how taboo. Her characters are typically otherwise well grounded and normal seeming, providing one with enough common ground to experience empathy.
Her art is as well executed as her prose, with just enough detail to showcase what is happening and free of large empty spaces or extraneous imagery. Her comic panel layout is interesting, making use of multi-sized boxes, but very simple to follow without having to think hard about it, and actually adding a bit of interest to the page itself. The inclusion of two full page colour inserts at the front of the two main characters is a nice touch as well.
This is an 801 imprint of the Digital Manga Publishing house, so a word of caution here if you are unfamiliar with this particular imprint. 801 is reserved for titles with an especially explicit nature. It's not just the BDSM, but the extremely graphic depiction of sex that lands this title here. If you are in anyway shy of seeing full frontal nudity or full on sex, particularly of a homosexual nature, this is not for you as we do get treated to more than one or two pages of physical love expression. It is therefore an 18+ title and sold shrink wrapped, so one unlikely to be found at your local high street book retailer. Places like Forbidden Planet and other manga specialists is another matter, and this can also be sourced via Amazon, the publisher's own retail outlet Akadot Retail, and other similar outlets. In addition to the paperback format, it is also available in the Kindle format from Amazon's US site.
***I would like to thank Digital Manga Publishing for being so kind as to provide me with a review copy***
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