Voices Of Love (Josei) (Luv Luv) [Paperback]

Kanae Hazuki (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2008

Why let men have all the fun?

This is a collection of five romantic, hot and sexy stories about modern women and the men they love. All of the stories depict romantic relationships with nothing held back. The title story is about a relationship between young teacher Mika Tsukahara and Naokazu Kuga, an 18-year-old student at her school. Some say forbidden fruit is the sweetest! They're neighbors too, and can't control their attraction to each other. Love thy neighbor! From Luv Luv with love!

Editorial Reviews

Review

When you've outgrown the shy schoolgirl romances of most shojo manga and are turned off by the machismo of most seinen (men's) manga, your best bet is to check out the world of josei (ladies') manga. While there isn't a whole lot of it available yet in the States, that's about to change with the arrival of Aurora Publishing's new LuvLuv Press line of "passionate manga for women."

First out of the gate is Kanae Hazuki's Voices of Love, a series of short but sweet love stories about twenty-something men and women falling in love and getting it on shortly after they do. You won't find magical girls or flying ninjas here Each story is about contemporary twenty- and thirty-somethings living in Japan and dealing with heartaches that should be familiar to any reader of chick lit: The forbidden affair between an older woman and a younger man. The abusive relationship that's difficult to escape. A girl doesn't understand the difference between "friends with benefits" and real love meets a boy who tries to teach her. What makes it surprising is that both the men and women here are grown-ups with interesting imperfections, and their attraction to each other seems real and plausible.

The artwork is pretty and contemporary, and tells the stories effectively. Yes, the sex scenes are explicit, but only a few exceptions, they're tender, sweet and sensual. There are a few scenes of violence that might disturb more sensitive readers, but for the most part, the stories are fairly female-friendly. --Deb Aoki - About.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Aurora Publishing (January 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934496081
• ISBN-13: 978-1934496084
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There's potential, but..., October 8, 2008

By 

deucetokki - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voices Of Love (Josei) (Luv Luv) (Paperback)

This compilation of 5 one-shots have typical romance story lines combined with cute heroines, edgey art, and lots of raunchy smuttiness. Lots. So if you like what you heard, maybe you ought to check this one out. But caution, there is a complete lack of effort on the mangaka's part to develop the motives for the characters' romances. This supposedly josei-tagged manga is not all that sophisticated. If all you're looking for is a little steam, go right ahead. I don't know about buying it, but it's definitely worth a peak. And I would definitely keep my eyes out for other Luv Luv Press titles.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Collection Luv Luv -- Not to a good start, February 26, 2008

By 

A.P. "Let's Read Some More" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voices Of Love (Josei) (Luv Luv) (Paperback)

When I saw that Aurora Press was starting a josei collection (josei = targeted audience is women rather than girls), I thought, how great, we'll finally move on from the wishy-washy ditherers common to a lot of shoujo and see some women...! Nuh-uh.

The heroines of 'Voices of Love' have got no backbones whatsoever - NONE - and they're even worse than the usual clichéd shoujo heroine: the latter at least show some spirit when its time to protect their virginity, or their loved ones (I know, I know, this is grossly reductive... but I'm not that far off-track, am I?). In 'Voices of Love' however, the heroines are (on top of everything else) sexually submissive to dirt-bags who're supposedly of love-interest material!! WHO DO YOU TAKE ME FOR. Really.

There are five oneshot stories in the manga, and to be fair one of them was not so bad... but honestly, spend your precious manga money on another one.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong introduction for Luv Luv Press, February 29, 2008

By 

M. Perry (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voices Of Love (Josei) (Luv Luv) (Paperback)

I believe it is a great thing that Luv Luv Press is bringing in a whole new genre of manga for our American audience! For their debut manga, they chose "Voices of Love." While some people may compare this to shoujo manga, they will be gravely mistaken. Made for adults, this is a collection of short stories with a common theme. There is the teacher/student, the friends with benefits (but the guy has a girlfriend), the abusive boyfriend, the relationship with a big age gap, and the girl who thinks she must fornicate for friendship. Each deals with something slightly taboo or painful, and most are very well-done. I loved the artwork in this, as well.