Fumi Yoshinaga's: Truly Kindly (Yaoi) [Paperback]

Fumi Yoshinaga (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2007

A collection of romantic, dramatic boys' love stories from famed manga-ka Fumi Yoshinaga!From modern-day tales of romance in Seattle, to eerie stories from historical Japan, to Yoshinaga-sensei's depiction of the class conflicts that fueled the French Revolution... In these unforgettable tales, there's a little something for every BLU fan! And perhaps best of all, the characters Claude and Antoine--a young aristocrat and his butler--are introduced in this volume. Catch up to their later adventures in Fumi Yoshinaga’s Lovers in the Night!

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Blu (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427800553
• ISBN-13: 978-1427800558
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars May not be every Yaoi fan's cup of tea but I like this., September 1, 2007

By 

R.Parklane (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Fumi Yoshinaga's: Truly Kindly (Yaoi) (Paperback)

Similar to "Don't say Anymore Darling", this anthology is not your happy feel Yaoi but again I like the mangaka's unique approach, remarkable story telling skill and of course her distinct artwork.

"Truly Kindly" the longest of the stories is twisted and disturbing. It is not easy to read at all. At the end I just find it so sad and feel deeply for the characters, in particular the psychopath. I do not think I will forget this for awhile though I will not read it again.

Slightly Malicious Confession is distinct. Love is not easy and I marvel at the mangaka's ability to inject so much into this little story.

The 3rd story about 2 fellow students turned lovers is the lightest tone and quite funny.

Pandora, a period piece during the Samurai time on lock picking is interesting with a melancholic atmosphere to it. I wish the mangaka could have explored deeper into this story and the characters. I like the Samurai uke with his unruly hair and the artwork here.

Lastly the story which started it all for my favorite worldly wise butler and his bratty aristocratic young master (protagonists in "Lovers in the Night"), which is good enough reason for me to buy this manga. This is the missing "A Butler's Proper Place". I love Yoshinaga's depiction of the time just before and during the French Revolution expressed through these 2 memorable characters. Interspersed in this story is the poignant one on Claude's uncle which leaves sappy me teary eyed, just so sad. Ok I am repeating myself but I love Yoshinaga's distinct and expressive artwork during this period.

I am really pleased to have this in my collection.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Sad, Dark, and Disturbing, August 17, 2007

By 

Kiwi Bird - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fumi Yoshinaga's: Truly Kindly (Yaoi) (Paperback)

The first story in the collection is particularly disturbing. It starts off with a fight between a kept man and his cheating boyfriend. The fight turns ugly when insults hit too close to home, and the kept man ends up very nearly strangling his boyfriend. Terrified, the kept man makes a run for it and happens upon a mentally and socially disabled guy in a park. The kept man follows the rich but clueless guy home and proceeds to force himself on him. The story includes serial murders and direct mentions of incest.

There are two or three other stories in the collection that aren't terrible, but aren't great. One is set in Seattle, Washington, which is cool, but there seems to be an uncomfortable power differential between the two main characters. Another is set in Japan during the Meiji era (I think), and it centers around a samurai/shopkeeper couple; the story itself feels kind of odd, as if it's trying to be deep, and it involves picking locks.

The last three stories are probably the best, but they aren't spectacular. They're all set just prior to the French Revolution and belong to Fumi Yoshinaga's Lovers in the Night universe.

Overall, I would not recommend this volume to those who are not hardcore Fumi Yoshinaga fans. This collection certainly does not showcase her best work. Try Solfege or Ichigenme or Antique Bakery to get an idea of what she's capable of producing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite yaoi (m/m) by Fumi Yoshinaga, June 27, 2009

By 

Brooklyner (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fumi Yoshinaga's: Truly Kindly (Yaoi) (Paperback)

I read all US published yaoi by this talented manga-ka, liked most, but this collection of short yaoi stories is by far my favorite book by her. The first story is about a psychopath and him finding "love" (?) with a carefree and unprincipled character. It somewhat reminded of "Boy's Next Door" by Kaori Yuki: it's also dark and about a dangerous serial killer. However, Fumi Yoshinaga truly succeeds in giving her characters realism and "slice of life" feeling; there's no over-dramatization or too much melodrama. This story doesn't have a happy ending (I don't think "happy" ending could be even defined in the story given its unique characters and settings), and some may find it even disturbing (considering that yaoi typically deals with romantic settings and happy-end stories). But I really like this oneshot for its originality, depth of characters, and the fact that it made me think. It's definitely my favorite story by this manga-ka.

Another memorable story in the collection is the one set in the same universe as another book by Fumi Yoshinaga, "Lovers in the Night". It's a prequel, but focuses on different characters (Claude's uncle). Unlike "Lovers in the Night", this one is incredibly sad, and literally made me cry. Nonetheless, I think these two books ("Lovers in the Night" and this short story) really complete each other and should be read together,

All other stories are also pretty good and quite enjoyable. Maybe, less memorable, but I enjoyed them and found them fairly sweet and relaxing. I'm very happy to have this book in my collection, and recommend it to yaoi fans who like original yaoi short story anthologies (and are OK with some stories not having a traditional happy ending). And of course, this book is highly recommended to all Fumi Yoshinaga's fans!