Customer Reviews

S Volume 1 (Yaoi Novel) (v. 1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read a lot of M/M fiction, both erotic romance and other genres that feature such relationships. I also read a ton of yaoi manga, but this is only the second "yaoi novel" that I have read (the other was Ai No Kusabi The Space Between Volume 1: Stranger (Yaoi Novel)). I enjoyed this story very much, and consequently ordered a few more yaoi novels to try.

Unlike yaoi manga, there is room for much more story and relationship development in a prose novel. For those wondering, the main differences (that I can see) between yaoi novels and M/M fiction is the inclusion of illustrations and the relationship dynamic, specifically the carry-over of the uke/seme roles. In M/M fiction, most gay men like to "switch" between top and bottom in the sexual relationship. In yaoi, one man is the bottom (uke) and one the top (seme). That is certainly the case here. Shiiba is a detective in Tokyo Metropolitan Police investigating arms smuggling/crimes. He works with an informant know as an S, or spy. Shiiba loses his S and has to cultivate a new one. Munechika would make a great S, only Shiiba doesn't like him! But that aversion covers up a secret attraction.

For the first in a series, this was very well done. The plot has a lot of detail, and the ongoing backdrop of a police investigation provides a good atmosphere for a tense romance. Shiiba is a well developed character with a enough back story to make him believable. Readers can easily identify and sympathize with his vulnerabilities. Munechika is kept deliberately mysterious to help build suspense around his actions concerning Shiiba, and it works beautifully. The only problem I found was that the author was a little too detailed about the workings of the police and government bodies associated with crime investigation. I found the bureau relationships and conflicting names confusing at times. I really could've used a hierarchy diagram! Fortunately, a reader can skim these parts since they aren't critical to understanding Shiiba's job, or his purpose. The story has a lot of action, and twists. Also, unlike Ai No Kusabi's first volume, this includes some graphic sexual situations, though they don't occur until more than halfway through the book. I can't wait for VII, but it's nice to not be left hanging waiting for the relationship to begin. Another bonus is the illustrations sprinkled throughout the novel, some of which are quite steamy. They give the reader a little something more than you find in a traditional novel.

My only real issue with this, and all yaoi novels, is the price. S looks like it will be at least 4 volumes, possibly 5. All of these together would equal about one mass market paperback, given their page counts. So, the price is pretty steep considering a mass market is less than $10, and 4 volumes of a yaoi novel comes to nearly $36. However, I realize that the market for yaoi novels isn't large and the cost of translating these from Japanese can be high. In the end, I think the story is worth the cost especially if you can get the books with Amazon's four for three promotion. Overall, I highly recommend S.

The story centers around a young police detective Shiiba and his undercover work in the Kabuki-cho district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, one of the largest red-light districts in Asia and a hub of criminal activity for Chinese and Japanese mafia.

Aida does a good job of giving the reader an overview of life in Kabuki-cho as well as an inkling of difficult relations between the Japanese police, organized crime, political tension between Japan and China and how it all affects the lives of ordinary people.

The pairing of Shiiba and Munechika is perhaps not as well done as it might have been, but since this is just the first third of the story, their relationship might later on become more believable. For those looking for hot bedroom scenes, there are plenty.

Chiharu Nara's illustrations are also nicely done.

The most surprising thing about this edition of S, at least for me, is the paper quality and the very good translation. DMP even included the first color page, making it look more like a standard Japanese yaoi novel release (I'm comparing it to my edition of Aida's Deadlock). The way a book looks might seem like a very insignificant thing to talk about, in comparison with its contents, but American readers are constantly short-changed when it comes to the printing quality of manga and Japanese light novel releases. For once, it's nice to see something done properly.

I hope that the subsequent two books will be done with the same level of care and I can't wait to see them on bookstore shelves.

At first, this story was a little hard to get into. In the beginning there is much discussion about how the police system works that Shiiba Masaki is involved with. It goes on for quite awhile and I put the book down 2-3 times until I got into the story. I am guessing that this is because this is the first volume of the series. At the end I was wishing I had a hold of the second volume. This book had the best translation that I read so far. So far the plot is good and I like both of the main characters.

This is the only yaoi series I have ever enjoyed, and I have tried numerous titles. If you're looking for nothing but plot-less sex, this series is not for you. There is sex, yes, but so so much more.

S is a deeper, more involved story that takes its time to develop characters, their relationships, their surroundings, and all the events that are tying them together. It's mature and raw, and it demands full attention from its reader.

It has incredible back story, a vast display of Japanese Criminal Justice intuitive, and intelligent dialogue and motive for its characters. There are times when I am blown away by how smart these novels are, how well-crafted they are for their genre.

S is a rarity, a definite must-buy series of novels for yaoi fans and manga readers alike.

"S" is a novel about a police detective undercover in the red light district known as Shinjuku. Our main character is Masaki Shiiba, a 28 year old detective specializing in intelligence gathering specific to arms trafficking. The "S" in the title is short for "spy" and Shiiba's spy (informant) in the story is Andou, who is a member of the local crime syndicate. The story revolves mainly around Shiiba, Andou, a Chinese arms dealer and a "mysterious" stranger Shiiba first meets on an elevator. If you like a little story to go with your [....], then this is the story for you. It is very detailed but it has some delicious sex scenes that are beautifully written. The book itself has a sexy cover along with a VERY erotic color illustration as the very first page of the book. The rest of the story includes ten black and white illustrations scattered throughout that are well drawn and the men are drawn in a masculine fashion. There is a second volume to this story that was just released (and that I have eagerly waiting for me) so we'll get to see more of this one including volumes 3 and 4 that have yet to be released (but are available for pre-order on Amazon.com).

OK, I am going to admit that I initially wanted to read this title because it featured a Yakuza seme and a straight arrow uke which, thanks to Yamane Ayano and her Viewfinder series, have become a particular reading fetish for me. (That sounds so BAD, doesn't it? >.< ) Once I began reading the volume, the totally different feel to the story and the author's own sense of style quickly captured my interest for the characters themselves.

Shiiba is a rather complicated man, doing the work he does despite having a developed a loathing for the police organisation itself out of an inner drive to rid himself of the pain he feels after a personal tragedy. This in itself leads him to do more emotional and psychological damage to himself of course, as he builds an emotional barrier precisely in the places that he needs to be more open, in order to no only build a better relationship with, and to protect, his S, but also causes rifts with his fellow officers in ways that can only lead to severe complications later. In fact, his brother in-law is a career track bureaucrat in the police force, yet even he is being pushed away, with the spectre of their shared tragedy forcing the distance rather than bridging it.

When the worst possible outcome comes true for Shiiba, he finds himself not only having to deal with his own emotional backlash, but the need to recover his position. This is where the we get to the crux of the matter, as this involves the charasmatic and slightly sadistic Keigo Munechika. The illegitimate offspring of a yakuza boss and half brother to the group's young and unstable successor, he is really the man behind the scenes of many a shady deal. He makes an ideal informant, but at what price? It's riveting as we watch him manipulate Shiiba both for personal pleasure as well as the Matsukura Group's own advancement.

This is not to say the novel is not without issues. The story is well thought out, there is no doubt about it. Aida Saki created a unique plot with well defined characters who stand out well above the crowd in the yakuza BL sub-genre. It is however a sad fact that the translation feels rough in places, with an almost awkward feel, which served to rather rudely pull me out of the world I was immersed in as it suddenly felt all too artificial. This was nothing in comparison to the editing the lovely art provided by Naru Chiharu suffered across all four of the novels. Being a light novel, there are only a scattering of images, but they take up an entire page, which makes it all the more noticeable when a man suddenly suffers the misfortune of invisibility to his body parts. The novel is clearly rated as an 18+, so this just felt ridiculous, and again, rendered a feeling of unreality to what was an otherwise fascinating story detailing undercover work in Japan's Metropolitan Police Intelligence division. These niggles aside, it is a fine story, and one that I enjoyed so much that when I returned to the first volume to flick through to check names and spellings, I found myself re-reading it again from beginning to end.

"S" stands for Spy, not hard to figure out, but when Shiba's S is killed, he wants to know by whom and why.And quickly had to find a new one to stay on his game. Earlier he'd gotten a message warning him to watch out for his S. Shiba ia cop working in the criminal division to stop guns and the mafia. The author goes into great detail in describing the tension between the 'thugs' and the cops, which almost mirror society today. The illustrations are very well done, plenty of steamy and interesting bedroom scenes and a plot that is thickening by each page. We Americans are short changed because of censorship laws and restrictions, which leave us/me wanting and wanting more and feeling slightly-a lot- cheated and wishing that the manga would come to us in its entirety and original form. S is very good, full of police tension, mafia tension, gun tension and tension with romance.The characters and plot are slowly developed and the story gets deeper and deeper into the underbelly of crime and with some serious bad guys. Shiba walks a fine line between cop and vigilante and goes it well. Shiba has to find a new S and the one he finds he can't stand but needs. Personally, I skimmed through some of the police story about how Shiba got there, why he didn't follow the same route and there are parts that are mor prose and sometimes have nothing to do with the plot but with the character and you can do without. Even so, it's a great read and can't wait to read S vol. 2.

While the writing on a technical level is decent enough, this is very overpriced for an amateur piece of fiction. It's not an insult to call it that, it's really just a fact. This is the type of fiction that belongs in an online community where it can receive the well-earned praise of fans of this type of this genre, and be appreciated in that setting for what it is. But this can't compete with professionally written and published fiction and shouldn't be priced as such. The author has potential, particularly in building her worlds, but this story is written from an obviously youthful point of view, and that leads to some painfully juvenile characterizations that are implausible in adult characters in any genre, no matter the expected tropes. At these prices, I'll have to pass to see if the author matures with the later volumes.

I enjoy the story, thought it was pretty cool.

Like the romance scenes as well.

Overall enjoyable.

I'm a little weary to read the second one though.

Still debating if I will

I agree with the other reviewer, how the author goes into details about police system of Japan.I wondered how much research the author did. It wasnt easy to get throught that part but it sure makes it an interesting read.The way the characters unfolds pleases me.
The thought that keeps bugging me is the idea of a "bishonen" pretty boy undercover detective.
I somethimes wished there is more revealed about Andou's hidden desire but I guess that is left for the reader's imagination.
I love the color page illustration and the rest.
This one is a keeper.