Customer Reviews

The Moon And Sandals Volume 1 (Yaoi) (Moon and the Sandals) (v. 1)

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

 

 

The summary at the back of this manga is totally off key. It describes the start of the story and hints at a teacher student romance but the relationship between Ida (teacher) and Kobayashi (student) never develop to that extent. The story itself is much more captivating.
The storyline is engrossing, the mangaka's thought process amazingly smooth as she does a marvellous job developing both plot and characters. Two couples here. We have Ida and his lover since junior high. This couple has been together for eight years. Theirs is one sweet and warm romance as they take the final step in their relationship and I thought this is so well expressed and pretty touching. Wish their story could have been longer.
The second relationship is that between Kobayashi, who readily acknowledges he is gay, and a self absorbed senior. Theirs is an engaging story, at times humorous, and one just have to love Kobayashi's openness and perseverance as he pursues his senior.
Sex scenes appear towards the last chapter. No explicit graphics but tastefully expressed in simple but effective words. And of course Fumi Yoshinaga's artwork is a distinct class by itself. Looking forward to the continuation of their love in Vol 2.

This was one of my more favorite Yoshinaga works. Even though it may have been her earlier work, it was very well written; it enveloped me in a warm blanket and once I picked it up, I could not stop reading the series until I was finished. I liked it better than her other works which sometimes has semi-rape scenes in it. Anyhow, this is a wonderful series. Anyone would be very happy to read it!

This is one of the author's earlier works and as a result, is less polished than her other books. It's quite evident that her style is still evolving, as there's noticeable differences between the first and final chapters. Moreover, while the characters all display Yoshinaga's trademark wit and wryness, they're not as well defined as in more recent stories. Even Gerard and Jacques, which is straight-out yaoi ( Moon and Sandals is a very tame romance with only mild kissing and implied sex) had more distinctive characterization. Check out Antique Bakery before buying this, if you haven't alreday done so. Note: Antique Bakery , while an excellent sitcom, is NOT YAOI. Check out Gerard and Jacques for boy/boy smex. Buy Moon and Sandals only when you're totally hooked on Yoshinaga's work and want everything she's got ;)

The good thing about this volume is that--like Antique-- it's published by DMP, which has excellent production values (clear art on crisp, bright and thick paper stock) and good translations ( the dialogue is a bit stilted, but still manages to flow naturally)- The same can't be said for G and J, which is published by Blu.