Customer Reviews

Gerard & Jacques 1 (v. 1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This has to be one of the best Yaoi titles available in English. I completely agree with the other reviewer. The story is so much more than the description suggests, and the artistry is beautiful. Even without Gerard's profile, he has more depth than most Seme characters. And, Jacques isn't the typical underdog uke (though he is naive). He is spoiled and has no appreciation for how "commoners" live.

One of the best bits of dialogue I have read in a Yaoi is when Gerard chastises Jacques for being pampered, even as a prostitute, when there are children younger than he who must sell themselves in "public toilets" to survive. And he, Jacques, was sold into prostitution because his father lived beyond his means for the sake of aristocratic pride.

This title is almost as good as Target in the Finder, but lacks the BDSM, which may appeal to more Yaoi fans. I can hardly wait for volume 2 and will cetrainly look for more from this very talented Mangaka. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This Yaoi surpasses my expectation. The summary does not do it justice as the story is so much more. Labelled "Mature", the theme in G&J is compatible to Target in the Finder, even heavier than Embracing Love and Kizuna. No bondage sex but rape, M/M, M/F and M/M/F sex. The plot took place just before the French Revolution in Paris which was plagued by class distinction between the common folk and the aristocrats.

Vol 1 consists of 5 parts. The first 3 centers on G & J relationship, starting with them meeting in a brothel, G a patron and J a count's son sold into prostitution. Here is the rape scene with G coming across as a heartless scoundrel. G buys J's freedom and J ends up as G's servant trying to prove his worth in the next 3 years. At this point, G seems your typical overbearing seme but as the plot progresses this young man is not as cold as we thought him to be.

The story heats up with "The Profile of Gerald", delivering an amazing twist in the plot in the last part, "The Noble Woman", which is emotionally charged and heart wrenching. G's painful past is revealed here, providing the reasons behind G being the disillusioned and sad man he is. "The Noble Woman" plot itself deserves 5 stars and distinguishes G&J from the stereotype Yaoi.

I am amaze with this mangaka's talent. She definitely has a flair, her style coming across crisp yet the story does not lose its heavy emotional effect.

At the end of Vol 1, the sentimental side of me is in love with G and hope this young man finds happiness with J.

I don't think I've read a more satisfying yaoi title. The story was fantastically executed. Yoshinaga Fumi doesn't jerk readers around with the drawn out will they/won't they formula. She gives you the goods from the start, yet still finds creative ways to keep you in suspense.

The romance between Gerard and Jacques isn't the common BL fare, and BRAVO TO THAT! Gerard is an older man, Jacques is much younger (there was a shota scene in volume 1 even). Gerard isn't handsome. His face is disfigured. He's not ugly by any means, and he has elegant and regal qualities you see in a older man. He was so well-rounded. You understood his curmudgeon way of thinking. This attitude made his romance with Jacques even sweeter.

You know, I didn't expect this to be as fantastic as it was. I don't care for the other licensed series the creator has out. This book shows her true skill.

Lets have more titles like this! Enough with the school-boy stories.

The conclusion of G&J does not disappoint. The plot is suspenseful and I am satisfied with the ending. I personally believe the ending could have swung either way (happy or sad), depending on the mangaka's mood and wry sense of humour.

Gerard is such an intriguing character. Haunted by a past which refused to let him go, this cynical, strangely wise and tormented man has to be the most well developed seme character in the Yaoi world. His final liberation simply puts a smile on my face. Jacques is endearing in his innocence and the surprise revelation of his past is quite sad.

The relationship development between Gerard and Jacques is well explored in Vol 2, the build-up of the emotions keeps me turning the pages.

The longer plot in "Upon this Long Summer Night" (told in 3 chapters and not depicted in the summary which as usual does not do justice to this Yaoi) is well developed, arousing and gripping, the rape scene here disturbing. Yet the mangaka manages to inject some comical moments too. Remember, Gerard is a writer of erotic romance and this does provide a few laughs.

The background is of course the French revolution which I thought the mangaka did a fine job describing without being mired in too much political details.

This mangaka's artwork is a class by itself, her style quite distinct from others. And the sex is much more explicit in Volume 2, the mangaka bold with her words. You are missing alot if you pass this 2 volumes story. Any Yaoi fan should have this.

After reading the first volume of G&J and falling in love with their story, I couldn't wait to get a hold of this one. And it does NOT disappoint! Volume Two follows the two men as they realize their love for each other is more than platonic, but personal and political complications threaten their relationship along the way. (For example, Gerard makes it on Robespierre's blacklist on account of his best selling series of erotic novels that feature two lesbian lovers.)

Re-Read-abilty for G&J 2 is definitely a "10" on the scale -- in fact, as soon as reached the end of the manga, I flipped right back to the first page and started it over again. The French Revolution Era setting is original, and damn if men in waistcoats and breeches aren't hot. ;)

This is a great story with a bit of humor, a rich historical backdrop, extremely enjoyable characters and just enough steamy sex to satisfy yaoi fans.

Like the first volume, this yaoi is a little more explict then I usually read.

As wonderful as the first volume, this one lets us see Jacques experience his confusion and his attraction for Gerard. The surprising twist in Jacques history is quite bittersweet and I truly felt bad for him. I felt even worse for him when Gerard fell asleep! Of course, he was drunk... It was so touching watching Gerard try to protect Jacques, and watch Jacques re-humanize Gerard. And they're both so cute!

As beautiful as this story is, it's not without it's humorous moments. The times when Jacques exploded were laugh-out-loud, as was his confusion on why everybody were such big fans of Gerard's work (poor boy, he just doesn't get it).

The story is set agianst the French Revolution (like you didn't know that by now), and just the right amount is brought into the story without overshadowing...yadda, yadda, yadda - it's nothing every other reviewer hasn't already said. It's very true, but I'm not going to repeat it.

The finale is heart-pounding up to the very end for our seme and uke. I would have liked them to end up physically in the same place, but I guess I'll have to be grateful with the knowledge that Gerard was going home to Jacques. This is a wonderful yaoi and if you're a fan of the genre, you should definetly read it.

I'll say right off the bat, this yaoi was a little more explict then the ones I usually read. Having said that....

I loved this volume. At first, Gerard really pissed me off, but through out the shorter stories his character was really given depth. I don't think anyone could dislike this guy after reading "The Noble Woman". And he's just so cute! Even with the scar.

This is a fantastic yaoi that I would definetly recommend to anyone who likes this genre.

Gerard & Jacques is not a yaoi I would typically go for but it had some impressive reviews so I bought it anyway. It is a historical drama centered around the aristocracy of France in the late 1700's before the revolutionary war. The novel begins with Monsieur Gerard Anglade attending a brothel where he purchases some time with Jacques, otherwise known as the "12th heir of the du Saint Jacques Family, Philippe du Saint Jacques". So why is this aristocratic brat living in a brothel? It appears his wealthy father was unable to pay back a loan before he died so his son was sold into sexual servitude. However, Jacques hasn't lost any of his aristocratic snootiness so it is up to Gerard to put him in his place, literally.

Jacques in the beginning of the story is aged around 16 - 17 years old (per the brothel's owner) so clearly Gerard is having nonconsensual sex with a minor. Of course, Jacques is more in to it by the end of their first (and only) sexual session although totally humiliated. Gerard pays off Jacques' debt to the brothel and he is set free. Imagine Gerard's surprise (and Jacques, too) when Jacques later appears unwittingly on Gerard's doorstep looking for work. Gerard hires him on as a houseboy thinking he will fail miserably at manual labor but Jacques is determined to earn his keep. It may appear I've given away the entire story but this is but a mere fraction of this volume as half of it goes further into Gerard's past with his former wife, her lover Viscount Raul du Amalric (who appears again in volume 2) and the climax to this volume, which I will not reveal here. Plus, most of this is actually stated on the back cover of the book.

The book is nicely put together (although my pages were out of order, printer's fault), well translated and the illustrations are nicely done. The drawing style of the characters is different from most and the characters appear very lean and rather boney, which I found to be a drawback. There are three sex scenes in total; the initial scene between the young Jacques and Gerard, a masturbation scene between a slightly older Jacques and Gerard, and then a later threesome, which you'll just have to buy the book to see who takes part (I can't give EVERYTHING away!). I think the plot is a good one and humorous at the same time. It is not always a given with yaoi that the plot will be good or unique for that matter so this was a nice change. If you are looking for hard core raunchy sex, this volume falls flat in my opinion due to how limited the sex is and that, outside of the first sex scene, it really isn't that graphic (contrary to what others have said but for a hard yaoi title, it simply isn't). That being said, I still think it is a worth while book for any yaoi fan's collection.

Character Design = B (unique but too boney)
Plot = A (definitely different and humorous as well)
Sexual Content = B (hard yaoi but minimal)
Illustrations/Book Design = A- (well done but not the best I've seen)
Translation = A+ (you would have thought this was originally in English)

Overall grade = A-

I liked this volume even better then the first. Both Gerard and Jacques must deal with problems from their pasts as well as their feelings for one another. Plus France is in turmoil and life becomes quite dangerous for our couple.

And poor Jacques is having a bit of a hard time, I felt a little sorry him, even as I was laughing at his "explosive" problems. I also got a chuckle from the fact that Jacques can't understand the popularity of Gerards writing.

Once again there is man/man sex, and it is explicit - hey, it is yaoi after all.

A wonderful story, a nice end to this series.

Gerard & Jacques Volume 2 kicked my rating up from a prior 4 star to a 5 star. I felt this volume was much better than volume 1, which was still pretty good. We start out with Jacques mother remarrying and subsequently sending a messenger to Jacques stating she wants to see him. He goes to visit her, and Gerard, fearing he has left for good, searches for a replacement. However, Jacques returns to Gerard and confirms that his mother does want to adopt him into the new family but he has chosen to stay with Gerard. This visit is an important turning point for both Gerard and Jacques as Jacques finds out a family secret that gives him and Gerard a common bond and brings them closer together.

The rest of the story centers on the beginning of the revolutionary war and its implications for our couple, both of whom have aristocratic ties which means certain death if found out. Unfortunately for them, our scoundrel from volume 1, Raul de Amalric makes another appearance in this volume and spells nothing but trouble for Gerard and Jacques.

This volume kicks its plot into high gear and as I've said in my prior review of volume 1, it is refreshing to read something so different and at the same time so interesting. Plus, our mangaka has really kicked the humor in this volume into high gear as well. The cleverness of the cook and our poor Jacques "exploding" whenever Gerard gets near him had me in stitches. Although I am still not a fan of the drawing style, it is much more tolerable when both characters are adults and the younger boys are no longer included in the story. Also, be aware that if you have read any of her other work, you'll notice how most of her character couples look exactly the same in the face from title to title but only differ in their hair styles. This is one reason for my hesitation in buying any more of her work.

I am happy to see an improvement in the sexual content as there are two very lovely and a good deal more explicit sex scenes between our main characters (and another sex scene with rather violent connotations involving Gerard). I wasn't happy with the sexual content of volume 1 but I feel the mangaka has done a fine job with volume 2. The general illustrations are just as good as volume 1 and the translation into English is as perfect as ever. I've increased my ratings for character design, plot and sexual content as I feel this volume deserves it. With volume 2 being the conclusion to this story, I would highly recommend obtaining both volumes as I feel they are a worthwhile read.

Character Design = B+
Plot = A+
Sexual Content = A-
Illustrations = A-
Translation = A+

Overall Rating = A