Passion: Forbidden Lovers (Yaoi Novel) (Paperback)

~ Shinobu Gotoh (Author), Shoko Takaku (Author), Christina Chesterfield (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The novel that spawned the 4-part manga series previously released by June is now available in English! Shima, a teacher, and Hikaru, a high school student, have pledged to spend the time between now and Hikaru's graduation to lose themselves in each other's arms. No matter how many times their bodies join, Hikaru can't figure out Shima's feelings. With the two consumed by passion, graduation day approaches...

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing (October 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569705747
• ISBN-13: 978-1569705742
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So-so retelling of the manga, November 9, 2008

By	B. Smith (Logan, UT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this novelization of the manga "Passion" hoping that it would delve more deeply into the characters and their motivations (what was Shima thinking!) Unfortunately, it doesn't. It's exactly the same story as the first volume of the manga, but without the artwork that makes the manga worthwhile. The writing isn't great - I'd say it's on a par with the cheaper Harlequin romances - and there's absolutely no character development. I was left knowing no more about the characters than I did when I started the book. If you've read the manga, you can skip this forgettable novelization.

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet romance but zero sexually explicit content..., January 30, 2009

By	The Yaoi Review - See all my reviews

Hikaru is in love with his teacher, Shima. He expresses his love for him like any high school boy with a crush would; he attacks him in an empty classroom and has his way with him. Realizing just what he's done Hikaru is humiliated and asks how he can atone for his actions. Instead of turning him in to the authorities, Shima decides Hikaru will be his "make-believe" lover until he graduates. Hikaru could not be more thrilled and so their make-believe relationship begins.

Hikaru is the seme in this relationship, however, being the younger one he comes across as more inexperienced and nervous around Shima. Shima definitely looks the part of the uke and really doesn't look old enough to be the teacher. His personality conflicts with his looks as he acts more like a seme in how he treats Hikaru.

I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this one because it didn't seem like there was much to it. Surprisingly, I did like it quite a bit. Hikaru's personality is very endearing and I found myself wondering just how this one would end. Shima acts very indifferent to Hikaru's constant expression of his love but periodically we get a glimpse of his true feelings. The author does manage to slip in a little bit of a twist at the end, which I though was a nice touch.

One thing to be aware of is that the sex scenes are not described... at all. If you're looking for explicit or even moderately descriptive sex scenes you won't find it in this one. Even with that, I still enjoyed it overall. Another thing is that this novel runs on the short side at only 130 pages. The one color insert is actually double sided so that is a nice touch. Outside of the color insert, there are only eight black and white illustrations scattered throughout as opposed to the usual ten or eleven. The characters as illustrated are attractive but I wouldn't say overly sexy. As I mentioned earlier, Shima the teacher looks younger than the student so I think they could have done a better representation of the age of the characters. The translation is pretty good, there were only a few times that I had to back track and reread a sentence. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and think the author did a nice job representing the feelings of the characters. The lack of sexual description and length of the overall novel may make you want to think twice, however.

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

Overall Grade = B-