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Posts Tagged Boys’ Love/Yaoi

Review: Selfish Mr. Mermaid (Vol. 01)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Nabako Kamo
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis: “Kanan is a passive sort, whose timidity has a way of irritating anyone around him with half an ounce of self-respect. When investigating an upstairs apartment leak, he discovers the source is something beyond his wildest fantasy-a mermaid?! That’s Mr.Mermaid, thank you very much. Kaioh is aquatic royalty, with tears of pearl and a selfish, bullying attitude bigger than the ocean. One look at submissive Kanan, and Mr.Mermaid knows he’s found someone to wait on him hand and foot!”

Kanan is passive, submissive and generally walked over by everyone. One day he heads home only to discover his apartment is soaking wet after an upstairs tenant leaves the water running. Much to his surprise, said upstairs tenant is actually a mermaid (or merman as the case would be), and after being kicked out of his apartment, the mermaid moves into Kanan’s bathtub. Not only does the mermaid, Kaoih, start ordering Kanan around for food and service, but it also turns out he’s literally a ‘royal’ pain in the butt.

Read more…


Yaoi Press Adds Bishies in Spades

Art By Saihoshi

Like what you see? I know I do! Over on Yaoi Press’s blog, you can see some more images of the card deck illustrated by artist team, Saihoshi. Through Yaoi Press the duo has had published several stories, including Stallion and Saihoshi. Characters from both those original series are featured on the cards.

The cards themselves may not be available for long however due to expensive production prices. Currently there’s a deck up for bids on eBay to guage interest so take a bid and keep these beauties coming :) I know I will be as soon as I return home from the con this weekend.


Review: Double Trouble


Manga-ka: Takashi Kanzaki
Publisher: June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “Kou is staying at the dorm of Seiran Academy High School to prevent himself from acting on his love for his sweet and meet stepbrother Naruki. But Naruki follows him to Seiran! Now, Kou has to protect Naruki not only from himself, but from other students who want to have innocent Naruki for themselves. Enter Yoshino, Kou’s roommate, with his brilliant plan – hypnotize Naruki into becoming someone who can defend himself. Kou reluctantly agrees, but the result blows his mind! Now, every time Naruki is aroused, he develops a split personality – seme-Naruki, who will take any chance to top anyone, but most especially Kou!”

Double Trouble is a comedic tale of boys’ love that plays almost entirely on the idea that guys never have anything but sex on the brains. I’ll leave the validity of the statement alone, but at least say that it’s a focus that works well in the book’s favour. Cue the mild incest and love triangles!

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Review: Meeting You


Manga-ka: Mio Tennohji
Publisher: 801Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “Handsome Himeshiro will go out with anyone who asks, male or female. But when shy and timid Touru Onozuka makes his confession, Himeshiro decides to see just how far Touru is willing to go to win his love. He sets up various tasks and trials that Touru must complete to prove himself. Will Touru get fed up with all the weird conditions and humiliating acts, or will Himeshiro finally get serious? Mio Tennohji takes you on a journey of unrequited love, misunderstandings, and happy endings in this collection of heart-warming stories.”

If you’ve read one Mio Tennohji book, you’ve read them all. In recent months this has become a fact that I’ve all too clearly come to realize as 801Media continues to put out various titles by the boys’ love manga-ka. The various stories in this book aren’t anymore memorable than her others and they all stick to the considerably small range of plotlines that the artist seems comfortable with.

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Review: Love Is Like A Hurricane (Vol. 05)


Manga-ka: Tokiya Shimazaki
Publisher: 801Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “When a little fun between the sheets gets a bit too rough, Mizuki ends up breaking Azuma’s glasses. Azuma has an incurable eye disease and his glasses need to be made to exact specifications. Mizuki, being the compassionate uke that he is, tries to make Azuma as comfortable as possible until his glasses are fixed. Of course, Azuma’s most comfortable between Mizuki’s legs with Mizuki flat on his back!! And what is the name of that incurable eye disease, anyway?”

It’s more of the same shenanigans here in volume five of Love is Like A Hurricane. The stories remain pretty episodic, continuing to offer lots of weird and funny situations from the kinky to the cute (and all sex-filled for your entertainment of course). In this volume, the opening chapter takes readers back a couple years in the school life of its characters while the rest of book continues with Mizuki and Azuma sex-capades, including sunburns, tutors and sex in a shrine.

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Review: Love Training


Manga-ka: Tatsumi Kaiya
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: February 2008

Synopsis: “Koji’s mother just married up in the world and now this average boy is finding it hard to adjust to a school where nearly all of his peers have grown up wealthy. Meanwhile, Taiki is a playboy who insists that he doesn’t want to go steady… until he meets the adorable rent-a-boy, Makoto! And how will the charming Romeo – the French-Japanese Kotaro – keep his innocent little Juliet away from rival suitors? Some boys will find true love in Sakurajo School while others won’t.”

Love Training is a story that takes place in your classic prestigious all-boys school. From character to couple, it follows several students as they get used to life at the facility and learn to get along with each other, among other things. While one is a love between stepbrothers, another follows a game of lovers gone further.

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Yaoi Generation Adds Shinri Fuwa Titles

YaoiGen Adds Shinri Fuwa Titles

Recently launched boys’ love publisher, Yaoi Generation has announced two new licenses today: Shinri Fuwa’s Tendar Affairs (Yasashii Kankei), and its sequel series, Perfect World. Combined the two connected series are five volumes long.

Yaoi Generation gave out clues pertaining to these licenses on their forums not too long away:

“…they’re older multi-volume works from a mangaka whose work has been published in the US before. She’s known for drawing wonderful expressions. It’s a light yaoi.”

Shinri Fuwa’s work has previously been published by Digital Manga and BeBeautiful and one of their current projects is the Libre/Deux english-teaching project, Repeat After Me?. Shinri Fuwa’s two titles bring Yaoi Generation’s series list up to three, but they assure fans of their initial release, breath, that it remains their top priority.


Doki Doki Website Goes Live, Books Arrive with Promo

Doki Doki

A press release from Digital Manga today marks the opening of their new website for the upcoming imprint, Doki Doki. The Doki Doki line-up is described as their ” “Gateway from Shojo to Yaoi,” with stories varying between shojo and shonen-ai to yaoi, and will be for ages anywhere from 13+ to 18+. “

I don’t find this new website as sleek as their Digital Manga corporate site but certainly a much cuter and organized step-up from older imprint sites. Shame some of the randomized title graphics are pixelated though (the graphic artist in me can’t help but be nagged!).

Admittedly while I do see the appeal of multiple websites for multiple imprints, I do find the multiple forums a bit of a shame. Personally I’d like to see one Digital Manga forum with sections for their individual imprints, bringing together their communities as a whole instead of leaving fans of them all hopping forum to forum.

This new website as also gets me thinking about the look that the Doki Doki books themselves will have. As some may recall, Digital Manga recently revealed the cover designs that their future releases under the original DMP imprint will be having. Both the June and 801Media imprints’ have their own consistant visual designs and differing cut sizes. I can’t recall if this was previously established for Doki Doki books already. The larger cut size of June or the smaller size of 801Media? Dust jackets or no dust jackets? Though with recent removal of said dust-jackets from their June and 801Media books, I’m inclined to believe Doki Doki won’t be starting out with them (no complaints from me though!).

Edit: Information on DokiDoki’s website tells us that the books will be the same size as their June and DMP line-ups (5.875″ x 8.25″) and will have no dust jackets. They will also carry the same price tag of $12.95/US.

But wait, there’s more! Going back to the original press release that brought about this post, Digital Manga staffers would also like to share news of their promotion for Doki Doki’s launch. When purchasing the books through their website, Akadot Retail, and (as I understand it) registering for their Doki Doki newsletter, you’ll recieve a special a print of the original artist’s page from the particular book you’ve purchased (first come, first serve). The two books launching the imprint are Eiki Eiki’s Train Train And Mikiyo Tsuda’s Princess Princess Plus (both of which being my biggest excitement-factors regarding this new imprint!).

While the promos are a neat add-on, it’s the books themselves that I can’t wait to get my hands on. More Mikiyo Tsuda and Eiki Eiki books are good any day, any time! Looking forward to it, Doki Doki :)

For your viewing convenience, you can read the full press release here.


Review: Waru


Manga-ka: Yukari Hashida
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis: “Diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Joe figures that the last chance he has of ever making a name for himself is to kidnap a politician’s son, demand an insane amount for the ransom, escape to the South Sea Islands with the money and die partying with booze in one hand and a beautiful babe on the other. But can you say “Stockholm Syndrome?” Things don’t turn out as Joe planned when the kidnap victim, Yuushi, begins to develop feelings for him. Which one is the captor and which one is the captive?”

The synopsis had me hopeful that this would an interesting book so please take a moment to read it above. Got it? Alright. Now while this much of the plot is true, it’s all over by page fifty-six in this book, and if you’re thinking that it doesn’t sound like a whole lot of development time, you’re exactly right.

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Review: The Devil’s Secret


Manga-ka: Hinako Takanaga
Publisher: 801Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis:
“Father Mauro lived a peaceful life in a small town ministering to his community. That is, until he found a wounded demon (?) in the bushes of the church garden. While Raoul looks like a demon, complete with horns and a tail, he doesn’t act like the typical demon. Playful? Yes! Mischievous? Yes! Outright evil? Well… that depends on the definition. Does seducing men of the cloth count as evil – especially if they like it?”

Father Mauro is a kind-hearted priest living in a quaint little town. One day he finds an injured man named Raoul in the garden of his church, and despite the suspicious horns and tail the stranger has, Father Mauro takes him in to nurse back to health. Back on his feet in no time, Raoul is a very friendly individual who has no idea about whether or not he’s a demon. But, what he does know, and makes no secret of, is how much he likes the priest who saved him.

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