Customer Reviews

Gorgeous Carat 2 (Yaoi) (v. 2)

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

 

 

Gorgeous Carat seems to be having a tough time. It's not smutty enough for rabid yaoi fangirls, it's too dark for mainstream manga fans. But take it for what it is instead of hoping to see the same elements you see your other favorite series, and you'll do just fine.

For everyone complaining that there is no hot man on man action, judging from the first book--here it is. The second book has a good amount of sexual content, although admittedly it's not romantic at all. It's a key component of the plot, this time centering on a very sick man who manipulates both Ray and Florian ruthlessly. Like I said before, if you want to see a book that doesn't skimp on the drama and development, even if it's classified as a BL book, Gorgeous Carat is for you. Higuri executes her story beautifully, building on the twisted nature of Azura, the dependency of Ray and Florian on each other, and even throwing in cultural background. Important thing to remember though; she wrote the story, and likes it the way it is, so don't misidentify personal taste for poor quality if you're not into the same things.

And the art's as good-looking as ever. Attractive characters, well-done backgrounds, formal wear and native garb. Higuri always holds herself to high standards for her work, so no problems there.

The first volume of this series had its dark spots, but it seemed overall light and serial in nature (with no real overarching plot-line).

However, the second volume in the series takes a much darker turn. There is more of a feel of overarching plot here, but the villain is frighteningly despicable. He casually murders his comrades and engages in noncon, all while pretending to be Noir's friend. The noncon aspect really gave me the creeps, but the forced drug addiction on top of it was terrifying. This is not for the faint of heart. Even though it has a relatively low rating, the subject matter is fairly disturbing.

Honestly, I was hoping for a bit more progression on the Florian/Noir front, but alas there is only one kiss at the end of the fourth volume, and, even then, it doesn't really seem to change their relationship.

Overall, You Higuri's art is gorgeous, and her men are devastatingly handsome, but she has a penchant for dark plot-lines. This series isn't as tightly plotted or paced as her Cantarella series, so, if you're looking for You Higuri art, you might be better off with her Cantarella series, which is also quite dark and angsty.

Even though its mild Yaoi, the story and freakin beautiful art make up for any flaws found. I love the characters and their looks and personalities! But its the art that amazes me the most. I own all 4 volumes (and i have Gorgeous Carat Galaxy on the way), this has to be my fav. Yaoi series so far! If i could, i'd give it a billion stars!

This is the key volume in the series, and unfortunately, it's discontinued, just to give people considering the series a heads-up. If you don't read this one, the last two won't make sense at all, and it's pretty hard to get your hands on one.

While I love a dark story, Gorgeous Carat doesn't smoothly transition into one. Unlike Cantarella and Seimaden, the sudden dark turn is awkward and out-of-the-blue. Not in a "SURPRISE!" way as much as a "...what the heck?" way. It's as though Higuri woke up one day and decided to put in some shock factor.

Dialogue stumbles along, all the protagonists have communication and general function issues (and not in a cute way--it's rather ridiculous). Imagine trying to read a story where the plot goes like this:

A B E G H J...

You can kind of fill in the blanks, but there's simply not enough fleshing out of personalities, relationships, and so forth that would make this a good read.

As an over-all rating of the series, I give it a C+. It would be a D if the art wasn't so gorgeous, and the follow-up volume Galaxy wasn't so cute [and utterly misleading...GCG is much better than its mother series.] In all fairness, vols 3 and 4 have promise, but 1 and 2 don't successfully transition into them, which makes it feel like three different stories [the plot follows, but the way they're handled is completely different].

Volume rating: C-.

Would I go back and read it? No.

GREAT alternative: Cantarella, which I give an A. It'd be an A+, except Lucrezia [female lead] is rather ridiculous, out-done only by Hilda from Seimaden [B+, A-. Good if you're typically a shoujo-manga reader, though I personally am MUCH more interested in all the other characters besides the main couple.]

nice art and very well put together. Noir is GOD! i love that man and anyone who reads this book will loved him too. ^^ <33333

Ray has to save Florian from the clutches of the evil Black Hand gang. Though he has the real teddy bear in his possession, Noel threw the jewels that were hidden in it into the river! Will they be able to trick the gang into believing they still have their treasure, so they can trade the bear for Florian?

Then, it's off to Morocco! Ray's childhood friend, Azura, has asked for his help, the good thief rushes to his aid. While strolling through the gardens of Azura's estate, Florian sees his host meet with members of the Black Hand gang! Caught eavesdropping, Azura threatens to kill his friends if Florian breathes a word of what he overheard to Ray.

The plot starts to get rather muddy at this point. Florian is once again held captive, this time by Azura. Forcing the poor boy to do all sorts of nasty things, Azura is determined to use him and kick him to the curb. This is all a part of his plan to destroy Ray, who is still under the impression that Azura is his bestest buddy. So mislead is he, that he strikes Florian when he dares to voice his dislike of Azura, leading to another fit of Florian tears.

After this volume, I have decided that this series is not for me. While I enjoy You Higuri's art, I find the plot rather tedious. Both of our heroes need a seminar on communication skills, and Florian needs to grow a spine. The story arcs aren't very compelling, and the dialog isn't holding my interest.