JUNJO ROMANTICA Volume 1: (Yaoi) (v. 1) [Paperback]

Shungiku Nakamura (Author)

Book Description

Series: Junjo Romantica | Publication Date: October 10, 2006

From the creator of "Hybrid Child," this heartfelt boys' love manga has spawned a popular franchise with novels and CDs. Rated for adults.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Blu (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598167197
• ISBN-13: 978-1598167191
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and Adorable!, November 8, 2006

By 

J. De Salme (Maine, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: JUNJO ROMANTICA Volume 1: (Yaoi) (v. 1) (Paperback)

I downloaded the scantilations of this and the subsequent volumes years ago, but I am ecstatic to see this here in an official (and probably better translated) form! Nakamura-sensei has a wonderful sense of humor and the comedy in this is enjoyable without making the story too slapstick.

While the romance between Misaki and Usagi-chan-sensei is slow-going, both are well-defined characters and their relationship is established in this volume. You can't help but feel for them both as they struggle to impress Misaki's older brother: Usagi with his unending friendship to the man who unknowingly broke his heart; Misaki doing his best to reach the dream that his brother sacrificed for his sake. The sexual tension is light, but that doesn't stop the sex scenes from being erotic.

The second story is actually connected to the first through a character, but you won't discover that until later volumes. Right off the bat, Nowaki's sincerity and straight-forwardness captured my heart. Hiroki shares a lot of personality traits with Misaki in his short temper and perseverence, but he's just helpless to his partner's charms. One of the nice things about this story as opposed to Misaki/Usagi's is that the roles are less stereotypical. Nowaki (the seme, despite being the younger of the two) is the definite persuer, but he's emotionally open and genuine, where Hiroki is more aggressive and emotionally unsure.

Both stories are light-hearted and the erotica lovely. Don't be turned off by the angular style (Nakamura-sensei draws her boys thin and their hands large), the story is well worth any oddity there. The characters are unique, expressive and a lot of fun. Definately a great addition to any collection.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars guilty as charged, October 15, 2006

By 

Savannah Brooks "The girl with the most cake" (Wausau) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: JUNJO ROMANTICA Volume 1: (Yaoi) (v. 1) (Paperback)

fantastic in a plot what plot sort of way...
not that there isn't a plot, it's just that the first thing you notice is the... extreme lack of plot.

this volume focuses on two couples getting together.
first misaki and usagi, who have the longest story in this volume.
usagi is an cliche spolied rich boy (jokes are made) who writes award winning novels. oh... and yaoi comics. with sex. and the protaganists are named after usagi-san and misaki's older brother? wha?
misaki freaks out, and usagi confesses he's always loved misaki's brother, even though he'll have to suffer in silence because big brother is clueless (and straight) big brother introduces his friend to the woman he's going to marry, and misaki cries for usagi. "you wept for my broken heart."

i won't tell you anything else, but the plot is nice, the explicit content is worth the looks you'll get from people who see you buying it, and the sense of real people in an imperfect world is really good to see in a manga.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Hybrid Child, but Definitely Great!, January 20, 2007

By 

Anne (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JUNJO ROMANTICA Volume 1: (Yaoi) (v. 1) (Paperback)

I picked this up in a bookstore because I'd finished Hybrid Child and noticed that it was done by the same manga-ka. The art, while still great, is not quite as breathtaking as Hybrid Child's was.

The plot is intriguing, if confusing at certain points. I have to say, I would have liked at least one completely consentual sex scene in the first half of the novel, but it will not be enough to deter me from buying the next book in the series. And the one after that. And probably the one after that.