Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, it's finally Yaoi., March 15, 2006
I really wanted to hate this. ^_^. I don't like cool stylized art in the Japan BL style, but that's what you get with Kosen. The art is gorgeous, bordering on handsome. It's simply some of the best manga-esque art I've seen published domestically. Hats off.
Sastre is a Guardian of the North. When we first encounter him he's kicking ass in typical hero fashion. What's interesting about Sastre is, he's got a bod for sin but a head for duty, and so this makes him a serious if not attractive foil for Prince Anel, a spoiled brat that doesn't think twice about putting anyone's life before his own. Enter Kaleth, one of Anel's most loyal slaves-who doesn't bat an eyelash when Anel so callously volunteers him to take his place on a very dangerous mission through unsafe territory.
Kaleth has a bit of crush on his master Anel, and so when he meets Sastre there is an immediate and intense dislike because he's aware of Anel's attraction for him. I don't want to give away the plot so I won't, but as our journey gets serious we are introduced to two more insanely hot characters; the first is a complete bastard known as The Ripper [used to be called Riot] and Yinn, a dangerous but noble soul. So in the first volume alone you've got two physically flawless ukes with personality defects, surrounded by a bevy of smoking hot semes all trying to kick each others asses. It's very interesting.
My only complaint about Saihoshi is the random asides to chibi-comedy, some of which were just unnecessary, but the intentional physical comedy is rather funny. I look foreword to the next installment of Saihoshi because it is, by far, the best in domestic BL to date. All those die purist who live to bad-mouth Western produced `yaoi' will be eating their words with Saihoshi The Guardian.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unfairly Criticized, October 2, 2006
I almost didn't get this book because the reviews were so lackluster. I'm glad I did anyway. I bought and enjoyed "Stallion" by Kosen and decided to try Saihoshi anyway. The first story about the guardian is very good and the artistry is pleasing.
Yes, it was irritating that the guardian story was only about half the book (as the other stories were not nearly as good). BUT, I have to disagree with the reveiwer that says "this never happens in Japanese manga." Yes, it does. Case in point, Target in the Finder, which happens to be my favorite Yaoi title. Target was awesome, but half the book was taken up with 3 stories unrelated to the main story about Asami and Takaba. The other stories were very good, but Finder was by far the best.
Saihoshi did end in a cliffhanger, but the second Volume is already available for pre-order. Some readers may be put off by the Americanized left to right layout (as I was), but don't let that deter you if you enjoy Yaoi and are looking for something new. I also recommend "Desire of the Gods" by Insanity Team (also Americanized). Is Saihoshi the best Yaoi out there? Certainly not. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's good for the beginning, September 30, 2006
First of all, a lot of reviewers gave false expectations of the book (I should recommend first looking at it in a bookstore before buying it) thinking it was something like "viewfinder".
I have known Kosen since they first published doujinshi in a popular spanish anime magazine, so I can safely say they are way better than most "western" mangas out there, whatever their genre is.
Saihoshi could've been longer, that's true, but considering that this is their first published title outside their own country and without depending on other publications, I give them the benefit of the doubt, and of course I'll expect more pages and improvement in their storyline.
The second story was done by another studio, and although I like their art style less than Kosen's, it's not horrible as a lot said (in fact if you look at Love Mode I heard the art was a bit hard to get used to). Also, they told the story very nicely and it's auto-conclusive. Please look beyond the art, the story is what makes a manga (or any other book/comic) enjoyable, not the other way round (and I'm not saying a manga shouldn't be pleasing to the eye). Saying that the manga is not good because "the other story stinks" clearly shows how much they've paid atenttion after glancing at the pages.
The price, for me, is way too expensive in ALL mangas, and if we consider most yaoi titles only, they all range between 12-18 dollars. Saihoshi costs the same as any other manga; I'll give in with the number of pages, but I as said this is Kosen's first overseas manga, so I'll wait for them to improve.
Saihoshi is a great book, it does have rough edges I won't say no to that, but it has great potential and I think people should not overestimate or understimate a manga based on where they're made. Kosen and cia. are authors with potential, some things will get polished with time; I do recommend this book, but as always I recommend giving it a look in a bookstore first, that's what i do with all the manga I buy.
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