Customer Reviews

Star (Yaoi)

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

"Star" is an exceptional book, especially when compared to other early BL ("Boy Love" or "Yaoi") releases. While the Amazon blurb isn't misleading, I would say the story goes more like this:

Hirokawa spies Sudou playing with his fellow jazz musicians on the street one night and is surprised, because Sudou's reputation at their workplace is not as lively. Instead, Sudou's known as a cad with a dour personality. Hirokawa takes an interest in Sudou and discovers that the rumors are not entirely true. Sudou returns Hirokawa's interest and soon they end up in a touch-and-go relationship that leaves them both questioning their desires and choices.

And when I say questioning, I mean that both men do some serious, realistic reflecting on their feelings, although we see more of this from Sudou than Hirokawa; reflection is somewhat rare in the average BL release. It was a breath of fresh air to see the characters' motivations explored instead of just having them fall into bed together without another thought as to why they prefer each other to the women they previously dated.

Another element that makes this book exceptional is the addition of several perfectly normal side characters, including a sane, pleasant female character with her own place in the plot. (I say "normal" in that the extra characters are not chibis, over-the-top in their reactions, or just there for comic relief or conflict.)

Although the characters keep talking about how "pretty" Sudou is, the mangaka's style is fairly bold with solid lines and about 75% in backgrounds. Sudou and Hirokawa appeared handsome to me, but not feminized or "bishi". Adult scenes are of typical style for this publisher's early books (June - nothing below the waist, although that varies now in newer books), but the characters are expressive and the scenes appeared especially intimate to me. In fact, all of Konno's characters had a wide range of facial expressions that were interesting to view.

The translation is the only awkward part of this title. Many of the sentences, especially in the more reflective parts, do not flow smoothly. However, awkwardness didn't stand in the way of understanding for me, so I won't be lowering my rating for it.

If you're looking at older BL titles now that the publishers have all slowed down on their new releases, this is one to pick up! Wait, actually, "Star" is a great read that shouldn't be missed, period. ^_^

Although the art is interesting and unique, I just couldn't get into this one.

First of all, I found the plot to be a bit silly, even for yaoi. The whole cheesiness of the aloof coworker that reveals his sensitive side while... playing in a street jazz band? No. Did not work for me.

And I just did not find the characters likable.

One the plus side, though, I really liked how the male characters actually looked male, and the sex scenes weren't bad.

Still, had this book not been wrapped in cellophane, I probably would have chosen something different after reading the first few pages.

But, honestly, it kind of is.

Two things you should know upfront: 1) Keiko Konno rocks. 2) The translation of this book does not.

2) Is especially unfortunate in light of 1). One of the best things about Konno's manga is the story-writing, which she executes with text that is fairly spare and concise. This translation manages to make it seem positively kludgy, awkward, and hermetic; if I didn't have the original to refer to I think I would've been rather confused at points.

But, should you decide to soldier on, you'll uncover an absorbing story and a sympathetic starring (sorry) pair. Hirokawa has got to be one of my favorite semes in a long time: calm, caring, attractive, direct, yet enough of a dork to be human. Konno seems to relish telling her stories from the uke's P.O.V., so it's no surprise that Hoshimi's also a satisfyingly well-rounded character. He's inexorably drawn to Hirokawa but struggling with massive self-defense complexes left over from his past. Part of the pleasure in this story is watching them have to negotiate Hoshi's emotional landmines yet still be completely unable to walk away from each other. The story is also enriched by the supporting characters, Shinobu in particular.

Konno's art style is spare, with strong lines and a good command of form. If you like more realistic masculine depictions (muscles and stubble and all) there are several scenes that will score pretty high on your hot-meter. However, if you like a prettier, more feminine style, you might not be as pleased by it.

DMP has also put out one of Konno's earlier series, Words of Devotion. If you'd like to check out her work but are hesitating because of the translation issue or the salaryman setting of this story (which might make it better for older readers), I recommend you read that first.