Star (Yaoi) [Paperback]

Keiko Konno (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

Hoshimi Sudou is known as a lady-killer at the office. But Sodou leads a double life - lady-killer office man by day, awkward yet charming singer in an amateur band at night. His co-worker Hirokawa stumbles upon Sodou late one night on the street and is taken by his true face. At work Hirokawa finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Soudou and sets out to seduce him.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569708150
• ISBN-13: 978-1569708156
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,942,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars despite some awkward writing enjoyable w/ unusual artwork, November 1, 2007

By 

spacedog "spacedog7" (boston, ma United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star (Yaoi) (Paperback)

i hadn't realized this was by the same mangaka as words of devotion. konno's art in general is bolder than most other yaoi books (somewhat similar to yugi yamada's work), with heavy lines and a more rugged feel overall. the art is similar to words of devotion, but as the features an older cast the artwork is even more focused and intense, which may not appeal to the average reader. i enjoyed it though, esp. w/ one of the main characters' beard which is very unusual for yaoi and much appreciated, and there are also more sex scenes than the average yaoi. as for the story, honestly it's rather hard to follow and there are a lot of gaps in the character development, but on the second read you'll be able to enjoy the story much more. despite the sometimes awkward writing konno still manages to conjure up some interesting emotions, and if you can accept that the writing isn't perfect and if you're looking for some less-standard yaoi artwork this is def. one worth checking out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Love Story, April 3, 2008

By 

Karnation (Queens, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star (Yaoi) (Paperback)

While DMP June's "Yaoi" lineup is supposed to be romance and/or erotica, the values underlying much of their output seems to be as follows: Sex is filthy and degrading; Those who feel desire or inspire passion in others are "asking for it"; Love excuses abuse, and cruelty is synonymous with virility. To the extent that you have opposite views, finding enjoyable titles in this lineup might be a bit difficult. If you want a decent story into the bargain, even more so.

STAR is my reward for not giving up on DMP -- not only an exception, but actually something of a antidote to the mental trauma of slogging through some of their other titles. It does have a few flaws - mostly the translation, which strikes me as hasty and overly literal. This occasionally obscures the meaning temporarily ("Are you feeling numb?" turns out to mean "Are you cold?") but sometimes obliterates it altogether, which means I had to settle for merely getting the gist of the conversation. The workplace setting and supporting characters are unusually well-realized for the genre, but could have used further development. Konno admits that she doesn't know much about the work that these characters do, which was obvious.

Everything important, however, STAR gets right. The simple guy-meets-guy plot has an underlying complexity. I for one really loved the artwork. Konno does cut corners with some panels, but clear care is taken with others, and the faces are really expressive. I appreciated the more masculine build of the characters, and Hirokawa's trace of beard: But this goes deeper than appearance. Hirokawa ACTS like a man, with warm strength instead of cheap aggression. He is nurturing without being infantilizing, generous instead of needy, vulnerable without being a sap. He does not "set out to seduce" Sudou but to befriend him, and falls for him in the process. Sudou has certain vulnerabilities and issues, but he also has a life, and it is his positive side that attracts Hirokawa's interest. Sudou's past traumas are nicely human-sized -- the ordinary life experiences which do cause lasting hurt in real people -- rather than some extreme horror story.

The love scenes are completely consensual and mutual - nothing even remotely borderline. This allows -- for once -- real surrender and intimacy, and results in an unusual emotional and erotic intensity. The sexual content is among the strongest I have come across in an M rated comic, yet its inclusion seems organic, and important to the progress of the relationship. STAR does have the usual fixed-sex-role cliché, with Sudou sulking about being "the girl", but this is never used to justify demeaning treatment, and the relationship ends up feeling the opposite of emasculating.

The supporting cast includes women and straight guys, with a nice sense of simmering tensions and rivalries at the office, and camaraderie among Sudou's bandmates. Another big plus is that STAR tells the whole story in chronological order, from beginning to end, in one thick volume, with no filler side stories.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars meandering angst but good artwork, September 25, 2010

By 

BhamGhostwriter "Patrick" (Birmingham, Alabama) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star (Yaoi) (Paperback)

The artwork was interesting but the humorless story itself comes across as meandering, angst-ridden ruminations on bisexuality complicated by lots of confusing workplace jealousies and rivalries. Hirokawa seems likeable but he also struck me as somewhat dull; I suppose he and Sodou are a good match in that regard.

For me, the author's WORDS OF DEVOTION was a much more appealing story.