Manga-ka: Saemi Yorita
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis: “When Shouzo Mita left home, he thought it would be for good. Although he followed his father’s career path as a construction manager, Shouzo never wanted to enter the family business – that is, until dad got laid-up with an injury. Forced to return home and oversee his father’s company, Shouzo finds that a lot of things haven’t changed, but some things have. Nanami, a childhood acquaintance, has gone from being an awkward fatty to a sparkling pretty-boy straight out of a shojo manga. As an electrician contracted to work for Mita, Nanami’s simple, naive charm and healthy appetite manage to flip Shouzo’s switch. With the choice between remaining independent and accepting responsibility for his family even more complicated, what will Shouzo do?”

Brilliant Blue is an interesting yaoi. While the focus is the relationship between Shouzo and Nanami, it’s barely even romantic at this point. The two spend time together and grow closer over the course of the volume but things like work, family and the dynamics of living in a small town make theirs a far from straight forward romance. The drama in Brilliant Blue is refreshing in that it’s the kind of drama that arises naturally out of life.

Shouzo is a conflicted guy. On one hand, he is quick to come home to help run his father’s company when his dad ends up in the hospital. On the other hand, he can’t help but resent getting sucked back into the small town he grew up in. Being caught between duty and desire is a relatable situation: who hasn’t had to choose between what they should do and what they want to do? In the end, Shouzo chooses the right thing, but he still grumbles about it. This basic facet of Shouzo’s personality shows up throughout the book, making him a solid and well-defined character.

Nanami is both more straightforward and more complicated. Nanami is a young man who has the mentality of a seven-year-old. Maybe not literally, but nearly every character talks about how childlike and simple Nanami is (with Shouzo making the most pointed observations). I found it a little disturbing that one of the leads in a yaoi manga could be so emotionally and mentally stunted. At one point Nanami tells another character (a man who regularly pressures Nanami into sex) that his family told him not to let other people touch his “private parts.” It’s a moment that shows just how young Nanami is mentally. I don’t see how any adult could be attracted to someone who has the mind of a small child, especially someone as uptight as Shouzo. It will be interesting to see how the manga-ka handles their relationship in subsequent volumes. While there is chemistry and attraction between the two of them, there’s also a big gap in their maturity levels.

The way the series is drawn and paced seems more like a slice-of-life story than a yaoi. Ample page time is given to the leads’ friends and family. They come off as actual people with their own lives, rather than merely sounding boards for the main characters’ problems. Part of the reason I want to read volume two is to see their reactions to the main characters’ relationship.

The art is all right. It’s by no means bad, it’s just nothing really stands out. That’s not such a bad thing. Considering the laid-back nature of the series, the placid art actually works in its favour. Character designs are likewise nothing memorable, but they work.

If you’re looking for hot man-on-man action you won’t find it in volume one of Brilliant Blue. The leads only get as far as a kiss on the forehead (the manga-ka berets herself for this in the funny and candid author’s notes at the end of the book) and any sex scenes are not only very brief and vague, they’re between Nanami and a real creep of a guy. But, if you are looking for an interesting drama, then Brilliant Blue is a good bet.

Review written September 6, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by eManga for review purposes

Another week, another slew of new releases! I was too late to get a hold of a copy of 20th Century Boys (Vol. 10) but there was still plenty of other good titles to pick up (now with some pictures):

BLU, the boys’ love imprint of Tokyopop, had a couple of new titles out this week. The most exciting of which was the third volume of Voice or Noise. The second volume was released in February 2008 so it’s been quite a wait for this follow-up. None the less I’m as excited to finally purchase a copy now as I was looking forward to it after finishing the last. Great boys’ love series!

The other title I picked up from them is Scarlet, a one-shot by the same creator who did Cute Devil. Honestly, I don’t have much interest in this artist or this premise but I bought the painfully overpriced book all the same because it marks a new (potentially continued?) book style and I wanted to check it out/support it. It sports a larger-than-the-norm trim size and colour inserts at the front. I flipped through it and it was actually a bit disorienting reading a BLU title suddenly notably larger, though snazzy all the same. It’s great to see, especially since it takes a step closer to almost justifying the $18.99 price tag.

Continuing on the semi-boys’ love trend, I was amazed to see a whole slew of DokiDoki titles on the shelf of Chapters (the B&N/Borders equivalent to you Americans out there). They’ve only ever carried sparse copies of Vampire Hunter D from Digital Manga so seeing them branch out to this varied imprint was exciting, plus very promising to the local boys’ love fanbase who are too timid to special order. Though not boys’ love, I purchased a physical copy of Alice the 101st which I reviewed earlier in the month for ANN.

Moving onto other genres, I picked up a copy of Bakuman (Vol. 01) – the team of Death Note makes a manga about making manga – and the fourth volume of Ooku in which it feels like the faux-Shakespearean speech that I really dislike seems more toned down (or is that just me?). In the mail I got a copy of the newest volume of Butterflies, Flowers which is hilarious – I am completely enamoured with the mature silliness of this series and I hope many others are too.

And lastly, thanks to my local library, I’ve been reading the Manga Guide to Databases. After reading the Manga Guide to Statistics last week and being impressed with how much I actually retained from it, I sought out this one as I’ve been wanting a basic introduction to databases. Yay for learning?

Happy Birthday to me! I’m 24 today which I’ve been warned means I’m only one year away from being five years to thirty – this is scary now I’m told.

On a completely unrelated note (and one considerably more post-relevant), I’ve got a new review up over at AnimeNewsNetwork – Alice the 101st (Vol. 01).

I was really excited for this book as a fan of the artist’s previously-released-in-English series, La Esperanca. Alice the 101st is thus far considerably less melodramatic but that’s not a bad thing; there’s some interesting different plot elements coming together and a fun amount of humour in this one as well. I thought things fell into place a little too easily though so there’s room for improvement in volume two in regards to handling the plot it has a little better. What I liked the most though was the artwork which looks really sharp, especially the stronger use of black. Snazzy stuff and fun to see how her art’s evolved since the last series I read.

A digital copy of this book was provided by eManga.com for review purposes

Author: Arika Kuga
Manga-ka: Taishi Zaou
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: November 2009

Synopsis: “On the night of the year-end party, in high spirits and under the influence of the party’s free-flowing alcohol, Satori ends up sleeping with Asou. Since then, every day that Asou comes over, he does nothing beyond kiss Satori over and over, and as much as it perplexes him, Satori is unable to resist his advances. But one day Satori hears a nasty rumor that Asou has a girlfriend!”

This is the first boys’ love novel I’ve read that isn’t a June publication, though it is published by another Digital Manga imprint, Doki Doki. I enjoyed it – for some reason, it had a different feel to the prose. It maybe sounded a little less like it had been translated from Japanese than the June novels tend to do, and a little more like the English you might expect from a native speaker. I don’t know that either style is necessary better, or even that I like one or the other better. They’re just different.

The characters in this book are well rounded. The uke, Satori, from who’s point of view the book is written, is studious, smart, and generally a good student, but I like that those aspects are just a part of who he is. He doesn’t come off as a geek or someone who doesn’t know his own worth. He may wonder what the hottest guy in school sees in him, but he doesn’t think of himself as a mouse or shadow; just an ordinary guy with ordinary friends and an ordinary life.

Asou, on the other hand, is extraordinary, but if you read between the lines when he’s in the scene, you can see that he doesn’t necessarily think he’s all that like the other students do. He has a past he doesn’t like to talk about, and it colours his impression of himself. It makes him act more aloof than he really feels inside, and the author has done a good job of letting us see this, even through the eyes of Satori, who doesn’t see it at all at first. I liked the way the author’s created characters who are a lot deeper than what even they themselves see.

The complication (so often used to get reluctant ukes to see how much they really want their semes) is that of the rumoured girlfriend, giving an added twist to the story. It’s Asou’s own doing though. He sets Satori up to think there’s a girl in his life so Satori will be shocked into realizing how he really feels about Asou. It’s perfect, showing just how unsure of himself Asou really is. Usually, this device turns out to be just a misunderstanding, but in this case, the fact that Asou connives to trick Satori is just another facet to his personality that makes him a real character, and not just another pushy seme.

For a story that isn’t actually that long, (just 68 pages), the plot has a surprising number of little twists and hiccups to keep the lovers apart but not so far apart you get overly frustrated with them. There’s a lot of internal dialogue so you’re never left wondering what’s on Satori’s mind. By the time he gets to the point of knowing he can’t be with Asou, even though he’s figured out he loves him, you want to cry with him. I found him an emotionally strong, satisfying character and well able to carry the story.

The book’s ‘bonus’ story, Hold Me Tighter, is actually longer than the title story, at 84 pages, but it reads so fast I didn’t even notice. Now that the characters are introduced, and there’s no need to go into quite so much depth (though I did notice there were brief explanations about how the boys had got to this point, ie: very short summaries of Fevered Kisses here and there), there’s more room for plot and actual story. And a lot more glimpses into Satori’s head where we get to see him in all his neurotic glory. I did get a bit frustrated with him in this story, but only a bit. The introduction of Asou’s past, including an old hook up, gave Satori lots of reason to angst.

As for Asou, he was actually absent for a lot of the story, present only through Satori thinking about him, missing him, wanting him, searching for him, and ultimately, deciding to love him no matter what. This was very much Satori’s story, and he undergoes a lot of growth throughout the tale.

The illustrations in this book were fantastic, and I can see why fellow-reviewer Lissa mentioned this is one of her favourite manga-ka. There is a lovely amount of detail in the drawings, especially in the clothing and expressions, although, there are a disconcerting number of pictures in which Satori looks a little stunned. What’s nice is that the manga-ka doesn’t skimp on background, and that finishes the illustrations off making them look more complete. I do have to say my favourite is the very first within the story itself. Although it’s one of the images in which Satori looks a little stunned, it also shows off a bit of his nice little ass. The best part is the gentle, almost hopeful expression on Asou’s face. I love that picture.

I would definitely recommend Fevered Kiss to anyone who likes that extra bit of introspection in their stories, and the illustrations have whetted my appetite for more of this artist’s work, for sure.

Review written June 28 by Jaime Samms
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Eiki Eiki
Publisher: Doki Doki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2009

Synopsis: “Up until now, the most exciting part of Minori’s schoolgirl life has been playing video games… but one day, her skills win more than she ever could have imagined. When Minori beats some guy at the local arcade, suddenly he declares he’s going to marry her! When the same guy turns out to be none other than Kanata Okazaki – Japan’s newest, youngest-ever prime minister – Minori finds herself swept up in a world of politics and paparazzi. Is Kanata really in love with her?”

Suspension of disbelief is a tricky thing: push it too far and it will snap. A twenty-five year-old prime minister of Japan? All right. In real life, Japan’s just elected its fifth prime minister in four years, so why can’t one of them be really young and good-looking? But even the cutest world leader couldn’t get away with getting engaged to a sixteen-year-old high school student and having her move in with him. Factor in that he does all this against her will and it’s hard to believe this guy could get elected, let alone stay in power.

Minori is a typical teenager, in that she doesn’t really care about politics. One day she skips school to go play video games at an arcade. After she beats some strange guy at a game he declares that she will be his wife. Naturally, this freaks Minori out and she gets away from this strange man but later at home she happens to see the new prime minister, Kanata Okazaki, being sworn in on TV. With a shock, she realizes that it’s the same guy from the arcade.

Minori figures that since she never told him her name, that’s the last she’ll see of him. But she underestimates just how dedicated her stalker is. The next day Kanata Okazaki is waiting for her outside the school gates and next thing she knows he’s at her house, asking for her parent’s permission to marry her. Her parents give their consent full heartedly (“If she doesn’t want to, we’ll make her marry you!”).

Soon Minori is getting bullied by jealous classmates and harassed by reporters. To try and retain some degree of privacy, Minori moves into the prime minister’s residence. And the press and public seem not only cool with this, they like the fact that their new leader has a child bride. It’s one of the many points in the manga where my suspension of disbelief just snaps like a faulty bungee cord.

The weird plot might work if the atmosphere was a little more madcap, but the story’s tone stays a little too grounded to pull off the bizarre logic-breaks the story needs in order to work. There are a few characters who indirectly comment on the plot, such as one of Kanata’s underlings who repeatedly calls him a pedophile (this is treated as a joke instead of a valid point). By having these characters the manag-ka seems to want her cake and eat it too, as if by acknowledging how unlikely the plot is it somehow excuses it. Instead it just creates a discordant contrast between the characters who are insane (the Prime minister and his overly-devoted assistant Sai) and the ones who aren’t (Minori, the Prime Minister’s chief bodyguard and the reporter he has on call). It also makes the sane characters seem cruel. If they recognize that what Kanata is doing to Minori is wrong, why don’t they do anything about it?

Minori herself is the most levelheaded character in the manga. She’s actually a pretty strong shoujo heroine. While she might be politically apathetic and prefers video games to school, she’s strong willed and doesn’t give up easily. But the deck is stacked against her. Kanata is constantly pulling strings to make Minori’s life hell (leaking photos to the press, organizing an elaborate public engagement). Minori may be tough, but when everyone in the manga is on Kanata’s side-his staff, the press, public opinion, Minori’s own friends and family – there’s no one left for her to turn to for help. It becomes too much reading a series where the main character is manipulated at every turn with no way out. Minori is a relatable character, but maybe that’s not such a good thing. I felt so much for Minori’s situation that I couldn’t like anybody else in the manga, seeing as they all have a hand in turning this kid’s life inside out.

The worst of the lot is Kanata. While Minori’s classmates may squeal over how cute he is, no one seems to realize that the guy is a psychopath. He has no remorse, no empathy, no gage of how other people are feeling. He also has a strange fascination for hair. The first time he meets Minori he strokes and smells her hair before declaring she will be his first lady (note: he had just met her). Later, when Minori is living at the prime minister’s residence, Kanata wakes her up every morning so he can do her hair. Kanata doesn’t seem to have any overtly sexual designs on Minori (after stroking her hair, he touches her breasts almost as more of an afterthought). For a while I started wondering if maybe Kanata was gay, and his manipulations of Minori was just an elaborate way to set-up a beard for himself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the story is headed in that direction, though there is a gay character who has a huge crush on Kanata.

The art is cute enough, though nothing really special. I would have liked to see more backgrounds, but the few that are used set the scenes well. The author’s notes in the back are funnier than anything in the actual manga, especially the bit about her family’s reactions to the series.

Despite the story being incredibly frustrating, I can’t help but want to see what will happen next. I hope that Minori will finally find a way to fight back and start having an effect on the plot, or else Millennium Prime Minster is going to lose my vote.

Review written June 21, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Makoto Tateno
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: May 2010

Synopsis: “Naive and easy-going Kousaka is a bartender at a local popular hangout place. One night, a couple–a young mischievous, spirited guy and a rich, handsome and well-groomed man walk in. Kousaka noticed that they seemed a bit odd being together-but little did he know, they weren’t there for happy hour drinks! They were there to approach Kousaka and to be a part of their 3-way relationship. When he finally realizes that he is wanted by the two-Kousaka finds himself embroiled in a messy love triangle! Now what will he do?”

Some boys’ love manga can only be enjoyed by stretching your disbelief. For example, in How to Control a Sidecar, one of the characters goes through a horrible trauma, only to brush it off. In real life no one would react the way this guy reacts, but, this isn’t the real world. It’s still a little disconcerting to see a manga casually wave off something like rape, especially since otherwise How to Control a Sidecar is a fun manga.

Kousaka is shocked when he finally figures out that the bar he works at is a gay bar. Kousaka is straight but that doesn’t stop two certain patrons from hitting on him. Fumi and Kanashiro are a couple who order the same thing every night: a drink called a ‘sidecar’. Every night they proposition Kousaka, but Kousaka adamantly turns them down.

Gradually Kousaka gets to know the strange couple better. It turns out that the two aren’t really in a relationship. They used to have an arrangement with a third man where the man was both Fumi and Kanashiro’s boyfriend (Kanashiro and Fumi never got together). But one day the man left both of them, and the two are looking for someone who can be ‘their’ boyfriend. Both have taken a liking to Kousaka, since he not only looks like their former lover he also makes a mean sidecar (the lover’s favourite drink).

Kousaka is soon in over his head as he tries to help both Fumi and Kanashiro move on. They do manage to get over their abandonment, though both still like Kousaka. Kousaka still isn’t interested in a threesome, but leaves the door open to going out with one of them. This turns Fumi and Kanashiro into rivals as they playfully fight for Kousaka’s affection.

The most entertaining part of the series is when the two friends fight over Kousaka. It’s not just a matter of which guy Kousaka likes better, but also whether he wants to top or bottom: Fumi is an extremely girly-boy while Kanashiro is a stereotypical seme. According to the author’s notes, Kousaka was designed to look like he could fill either role, and it works. It’s a nice angle on the usual love triangle and different from say, two seme fighting over a uke or two ukes vying for a seme’s affection.

But even the nifty plot is weighed down by an event early on in the book. Kousaka gets raped and eventually not only forgives his attacker but ends up with him. The whole event seems out of place for an otherwise pretty light-hearted book. The rape gets brought up several times throughout the story by other characters (partly as a bit of a running joke) and it’s hard to shake the feeling of ‘what the hell?’ as Kousaka falls for the guy who raped him. It’s not so much a plot hole, since we follow Kousaka’s train of thought as he comes to forgive and forget, but it’s just such a leap from how the mind of any real-life sane person would work that it makes the book seem like something from another dimension.

At least Makoto Tateno’s art is consistent. Most yaoi fans will know her artwork from the popular series Yellow. Sometimes her faces a little off, especially when it’s from a 3/4s perspective, but overall her character designs are pretty. For the most part her layouts are pretty per functionary, but every now and then she’ll pull out a really effective layout (for example, the scene where Kanashiro kisses Kousaka for the first time perfectly encapsulates the flow of a stolen kiss).

Despite issues with the plot, readers can still enjoy How to Control a Sidecar, since the idea behind the love triangle was an intriguing one. It’s just worth wishing the plot it went with was a little better.

Review written May 10, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Youka Nitta
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: February 2010

Synopsis: “Kaname Otonashi is gifted with a super-hearing ability, so much so that he can even hear voices from the “other side”. Having once worked as a top notch detective specializing in Sound Engineering Investigation, Otonashi resigned to work as a private investigator. His partner, Yasuhide, aka Hide, collaborates with the police department to take on unsolved and mysterious cases. Surrounded by a string of mysterious deaths, the police turn to Kaname’s findings to identify suspects…but can Kaname handle the non-stop screaming of the dead?”

Youka Nitta is famous for creating landmark yaoi manga like the popular Embracing Love and The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy. Not knowing anything about Otodama except for the manga-ka when I started reading it, I was expecting more of the same. I couldn’t have been more surprised. Otodama isn’t a yaoi series (or even shounen-ai), but instead a smart police-thriller with supernatural elements. What it does have in common with Nitta’s other work is fantastic art and a gripping story.

Kaname and Hide used to work for the police until an incident made them both decide to leave. The two now do freelance work: Hide as a private detective and Kaname as an audio technician. Hide occasionally relies on Kaname to help him out on cases, putting to use not only his sharp hearing but also his ability to hear the dead.

When the manga starts, a series of bizarre murders have started occurring around Tokyo – young woman are being killed and their bodies hung from signs over busy overpasses. Hide’s older brother, Nagatsuma, is in charge of the police investigation, but they have only a few leads to go on. Meanwhile, Hide takes on a client who is unknowingly a target for the killer, and an old enemy from Kaname’s past gets involved with the case as well.

The manga manages to weave in many themes, plots and characters; the above paragraph only covers the first story, and even then it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Trying to put it all down on paper would make it sound overly complicated, but in the end everything blends together perfectly in a way that makes sense. I liked how very little of the plot twists have to do with convenience or luck: people do things because it’s in their nature, not because the plot requires them too.

The second story continues to keep up the first story’s intricacy. A madman has been setting off bombs over Tokyo, bombs designed not to kill but to deafen anyone caught in the explosion. The killer seems to have some kind of vendetta against the police and is challenging them to step-up their game.

Kaname meanwhile must deal with Shoei Kodama, a disturbed man who also has powers. While Kaname can hear the last thoughts of the dead, Kodama can sense when someone will die in a certain place. This has developed into a fetish for Kodama, and his hobby is taking pictures of dead bodies. One of the more disturbing parts of the manga involves Kaname waking up in a room full of Kodama’s photography and being assailed by the cries of the corpses in the pictures.

Just to throw one more plot element in the mix, a recent hit and run incident in Kaname’s neighbourhood left a child dead. Somehow, all these distinct plot threads tie together to form a multi-layered thriller. There’s also interesting, ongoing sub-plots about office politics within the police and a debate between the Nagatsuma brothers about the merits of being part of a huge organization like the cops versus going it alone like Hide.

While the plot for Otodama is great, there are several things in particular I like about it. I like that Kaname’s powers aren’t ever key to solving a case. Usually, when Kaname hears the voice of a dead person, it ends up being just one more clue rather than the clincher. Instead the focus is on old fashion detective skills: talking to people, gathering clues, and then putting the pieces together. It’s a credit to Nitta that when I went back and re-read parts I picked up on clues that I had missed the first time round despite them being in plain sight. Part of me wonders what the manga would be like if the paranormal aspect was taken out completely. It probably wouldn’t be too different, but it might lose some of its creepy atmosphere.

It’s also interesting to see a manga where sound plays such a key element. It’s not the first manga to place such a prime importance on sound (think of any manga featuring a band, like Ai Yazawa’s Nana) but it’s always interesting to see a silent medium tackle the subject of audio. Otodama does it in an especially interesting way. There’re very little sound effects. Instead the sound gets filtered through the characters and they tell us what they hear and why it’s important. It’s a neat trick that makes the reader dependant on the characters. It makes you think about what it would be like to lose your sense of hearing, to have to rely on other people to tell you what sounds are going on around you. It also nicely mimics how most of the other characters feel when they need to depend on Kaname to use his super-hearing and tell them what’s what.

As mentioned earlier, the series isn’t shounen-ai but it wouldn’t take much imagination to turn Hide and Kaname from friends/roommates/partners into something more. But even without boys’ love connotations they are still interesting characters. Nitta draws really beautiful, solid character designs. Everyone is distinct while still looking like real people. She’s also great at body language. It’s a treat to read a scene where uptight Nagatsuma answers the phone and talks to his brother. While talking to Hide his body language is loose, but once he hangs up he goes straight back to being his straight-laced self. There are little things like this all throughout the manga, extending not only to the main characters but even nameless extras in the background.

Nitta’s brilliance isn’t just confined to the character designs. Her backgrounds don’t just help set the scene, they are beautiful to look at it in themselves. The layouts are fantastic, never falling into a pattern but always interesting.

It’s rare to find a manga like Otodama. It manages to run several plotlines at once without becoming bloated. The paranormal aspects enhance the detective aspects rather than overshadow them, and the writing is smart. In all my praise of this manga, I almost forgot to mention that Digital Manga did a really good job with the translation and touch up work also. If you are looking for an intelligent and dark manga, I can’t push this one enough.

Review written March 10, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Makoto Tateno
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “Innocent Naoyuki fell head-over-heels for drop-dead gorgeous senior Shinobu when he was just a shy underclassman. But after a whirlwind fling filled with first kisses, first drinks (and much more!), Shinobu vanished on the very day that Naoyuki was set to confess his feelings. Years later, the two grown men suddenly cross paths in a chic city bar where the exotic drinks flow freely… and the trysts only last one night! Can Naoyuki convince the cool and distant Shinobu that what was once a childhood dalliance is now deep and passionate love?”

How To Capture A Martini – it wasn’t until the end of the book that I figured out the title’s figurative meaning. Despite my personal ‘duh’ moment in regards to this clearly laid out reasoning, it doesn’t change the fact that the name itself suits the story very well. It throws a pleasantly cheeky spin on the largely emotional foray of the two leads, well-embodying this one-shot tale of their adolescent romance’s second chance to flourish.

Shinobu and Naoyuki are in love – or at least that’s what Naoyuki thought. Their happy years of dating in high school came to a sudden and unexpected end when Shinobu disappears on graduation day without so much as a goodbye. Flash-forward a few years and life has gone on for the heartbroken Naoyuki. He now attends college and is dating a presumably nice young woman (alas though to be a yaoi-girlfriend). However, a trip to a well-known bar leads to an unexpected reunion when Naoyuki and Shinobu come face to face for the first time since high school.

Adding insult to injury, Naoyuki returns to speak with the now more-attractive-than-ever Shinobu only to become an accidental audience to one of his ex-lover’s sexual escapades strewn across the bar top. Far from the moral ideal that Naoyuki remembers him, Shinobu now spends his days practicing as a talented bartender and serving up much more than drinks to other men as he pleases. This includes the bar’s owner, who has his own creepy skeeze factor involving his cute but eerily cheeky younger brother.

Melodramatic as it occasionally becomes, I enjoyed the interaction between Naoyuki and Shinobu. Most enjoyable was the potentially interchangeable nature of their quasi-relationship where there isn’t always a clear dominant or submissive. Naoyuki spends the bulk of the book callously refusing Naoyuki’s renewed advances but by the end is reduced more so to a weeping willow who just wants to be loved. Admittedly he was more compelling as a jerk but the plot-convenient transformation doesn’t feel as hollow as it could. This is because of how reasonably well the story establishes that he’s succumbing to his own repressed desires rather than caving to Naoyuki’s. Being a little drunk during these pinnacle moments didn’t hurt either.

On the other hand you have Naoyuki, who we see in flashbacks as an adorable bright-eyed young man. He carries himself very differently these days, both in appearance and in our interpretation of his relationship with Shinobu. For most of the book he’s trying to win back Shinobu’s affections and learn what really happened back in high school. In a sweet but notably cheesy action, he hopes to seal their love with a pair of matching rings he’s held onto for years, a failed graduation present to his lover. These rings serve as the catalyst for the crack in Shinobu’s ice-wall that romantic-purists can only hope leads to a relationship resembling monogamous.

Predominantly set in a bar, alcohol mixing and drinking scenes are sprinkled throughout the book. There isn’t much to learn from these scenes about it, nor any exceptional push to drink, so it serves more backdrop than substance. Still, it gives a certain classy adult-air to the story and offers something for the characters to focus on at times that isn’t just their own romantic trepidations.

How To Capture A Martini falls in the realm of your fairly standard yaoi-fare: light on reality and generous with the fluff and flair. Shinobu ultimately proves more interesting before he falls to Naoyuki’s determination but it’s still near impossible to deny the lovey-dovey charm of the inevitable. Add on top the attractive pretty-man style that Makoto Tateno is known for, plus DokiDoki’s sharp production values, and you have an entertaining one-shot that’s worth having on anyone’s boys’ love shelf.

Review written February 20, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Digital Manga announced on their blog yesterday their first giveaway of the new year. From today (Wednesday, January 13) to Tuesday, January 19 – anyone who rents or purchases-to-keep any title on eManga will be entered into a draw to win a copy of Taishi Zaou’s one-shot boys’ love story, Electric Hands.

“In most ways, Fujino is a typical high school student; his mind wanders during class, and he often finds himself lost in a daydream. But the odd thing about Fujino is that his daydreams are starting to revolve around a peculiar fetish for hands – specifically, the sleek, beautiful hands of his classmate and tutor, Takie. Hours spent admiring an attractive set of appendages is one thing, but Fujino is in for the shock of his life when a brush with Takie’s hands gives him a literal jolt. What makes a current pass from Takie through every part of Fujino’s body? How will Fujino’s fellow students react when each accidental contact sends him skittering across the room?!”

Along with the book, the winner will also receive a shikishi/shitajiki pencilboard signed by Taishi Zaou herself! The winner of the draw will be announced the following day.

Manga-ka: Kaim Tachibana
Publisher: Doki Doki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: November 2009

Synopsis: “Magazine editor Mamiya meets popular high school model Noeru Kisaragi for a story Mamiya’s working on. When Noeru suddenly tries to go down on Mamiya and makes sexual advances at him, Mamiya turns him down flat. But Mamiya’s loneliness starts to get to him and he decides to try starting over with Noeru on equal footing. Mamiya’s sincerity causes Noeru to open his heart as well, and before long the two begin to form a deep emotional connection, but…”

One problem I have with many yaoi manga is the sense they give that if a relationship isn’t some earth-shattering love-story to end all love stories, then it’s just not worth it. Not every couple has to be soul mates destined to be together forever and ever. This may make me sound like a cynical, unromantic grouch, but some love stories could really be helped by dialling back the melodrama. Boys Love is a good example of this.

The manga starts off on the right foot with Mamiya, a young magazine editor who has been assigned to write an article about a young male model named Noeru. While Mamiya is slightly older than Noeru, he’s a lot more naive and a lot less jaded than the young model. So when Noeru makes a pass at him, Mamiya is surprised and rejects the high school student. This leads to Noeru playing mind games with Mamiya, getting him into trouble at work. Eventually, Mamiya goes to Noeru’s apartment to confront him. There Mamiya finds out that Noeru is living a self-destructive life-style: he drinks, he sleeps with a different guy every night, and only gets by in school because his friend Chidori helps him cheat.

Seeing how Noeru is wasting his life, Mamiya steps in. A really nice part of the book is seeing the stages the main characters’ relationship goes through. Like in many rom-coms, they start out hating each other, but unlike other series where the leads immediately fall into bed, Mamiya and Noeru take their time. In fact, their friendship is more powerful than their love story. There’s one page where with just a few wordless panels the manga-ka is able to convey the fact these two guys are spending a lot of time together and are growing closer. There’s some really nice character development for both Mamiya and Noeru as we see the effect they have on each other.

There’s an important third character who also grows over the course of the book: Noeru’s friend, Chidori. Chidori is Noeru’s childhood friend who knows the secret of his past and is obsessed with staying at his side. Over the course of the book Chidori’s devotion to Noeru gets pushed to the limit, making him take extreme actions.

I could buy Chidori’s actions at the end of the book. The manga-ka does a good job of showing the reader where he’s coming from and how his mind works. What I can’t buy is how the main characters react to it. This is where the book goes from telling a story about Mamiya and Noeru’s budding romance to being about how they were meant to be together forever and always. Their relationship quickly goes from being relatively realistic to being overblown, all in the space of a few pages. It’s not the end that bothers me so much as the strange tonal shift that comes with it.

The art is beautiful. The boys are prefect examples of shojo pretty boys. I like that Mamiya does look a little older than Noeru but still manages to appear more innocent. The layouts all work really well. There’s one sequence set partially underwater that is especially well done, but the whole book is laid out nicely. The layouts help with the pacing of the story, something important in any medium but especially in a one-volume manga.

Pacing is another thing I really liked about Boys Love. Many one-volume yaoi manga end up being rather choppy and episodic. This is understandable: often times the manga was only supposed to last a chapter or two and then the manga-ka was asked to expand it, or the book might end on an open-ended note in case it gets a second volume. But with Boys Love you get a compact, one volume story. Some yaoi volumes are often little more than a collection of short stories featuring the same leads, but Boys Love actually has a beginning, middle, and end. In that sense it really earns the title of graphic novel.

A lot of people probably won’t mind the end, as it’s no worse than many other melodramatic love stories. It just feels like a betrayal to the story that had come before it. Despite that, I’d still recommend Boys Love to anyone who likes, well, boys’ love.

Review written November 26, 2009 by Shannon Fay
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Eiki Eiki/Taishi Zaou
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “When art student Takashiro Tsuda chose to show his painting, Color, in a gallery exhibition, he never dreamed that an uncannily similar painting would hang next to his – with the same title, even. Works of art come from the deepest depths of an artist’s soul, so how can anyone else be expressing themselves so much like Takashiro? Filled with a yearning to find his artistic soulmate, Takashiro goes off to art school in Tokyo and meets classmate Sakae Fujiwara. Soon, Takashiro learns that this is the artist he’s been searching for – the one who created a Color so much like his own – but Sakae is a guy! Can such a profound connection between two people transcend gender and become something more?”

Takashiro is a young artist whose work has recently been displayed in an art gallery. However upon his visit he sees a very similar painting hanging next to it and immediately becomes enthralled with the idea of meeting its creator. When discovering that the painter Sakae-san is a young man, and soon a classmate at that, Takashiro’s quickly growing affections may’ve hit a speed bump but it’s only sent them flying.

When Takashiro and Sakae have their eventual open revelation of identity, the story quickly shifts gears, throwing itself so unapologetically into boys’ love mode that it’s almost refreshing. The young men find themselves quickly enamoured with each other and their hugging and hand-holding quickly turns into daily meetings for kissing, cuddling and hopes at privacy eventually leading to more physical exploration with little work-up. Warning to the sixteen year olds out there, you’ll get some sex in this one – obvious but not graphic genitalia-wise.

These opening chapters of the book are pretty cute, albeit in a way that oozes so much fluff and embarrassment on the characters’ part that some readers may have similar sentiments to the group of background-friends constantly sharing their very vocal opinions about the lovebirds. It’s the kind of sweet that gives you cavities but you’ll suffer through a few for that feel-good fluff.

The story has a whole takes place over their years in school and along with a small notation of how many years has suddenly gone by, visually the characters age as well. Takashiro in particular grows from a slender pretty boy to being a taller, ganglier slender young man. The changes are obvious without being dramatic and it’s nice to see attention to how much teenagers do grow in a mere two years. The art in general is pretty pleasing to the eye and the characters, through obviously not without a certain manga-style grace, still look notably male. The overzealous expressions add a lot of physical humour and charisma to the characters as well.

Like many constructed boys’ love stories, Color takes its leave with a chapter that sees Takashiro and Sakae at odds with the prospect of being separated. Family issues add some darker drama to the story, such as the hospitalization of Takashiro’s Father, but the over-dramatics of their reactions stop it from being very distressing. Those looking for a deeper, down to the Earth story may find themselves disappointed with the superficial handling, which reads more comedic than compelling, but the story never seems to take itself seriously long enough to expect that of the readers either so it’s an enjoy with suspended belief kind of read.

Interestingly however, the characters of Takashiro and Sakae are based on the story’s creators. The book itself is a collaboration between the two relatively well-known manga creators, Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou and they share credit for both the art and the story. Those familiar with their styles, similar as they are, will be able to see at first glance which artist was responsible for what parts of the artwork. The plot itself actually follows a loose retelling of the two getting to know each other, told under the glazed-guised of these two high school artists (and boys at that in contrast).

What this manages to create is possibly the most relevant point about the book for potential buyers and that’s your affection for the artistic duo behind it. The book could still prove a good read for those not familiar with their work, and in fact would work as a gateway release, but the story has a different level of entertainment for those who’ve enjoyed Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou’s work before. The end of the book sports some explanatory pages of the book’s plot comparatively to Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou’s first encounters, as well as some humorously candid mini comics that don’t shy away from addressing some of the obvious questions readers will have when learning this book is based on them.

Color is an interestingly constructed take on the personal lives of these manga creators but it still works as an intended boys’ love one-shot that any fan of the genre can pick up. The two artists have managed to mix their interests with their lives to create a fun, silly and overall charming story about two people finding their other halves in each other. Not intended to be taken too critically, but still emotional enough to float above being entirely shallow, it’s an enjoyable one-shot that warrants a read.

Review written November 26, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Makoto Tateno
Publisher: Doki Doki
Rating: Teens (13+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Welcome home, madam!” For the patrons of Lady Braganza, an afternoon outing for tea and cake becomes an immersion in high-class lifestyle, where mannered servants attend to their each and every need. You see, Lady Braganza is a butler café, and the cheerful staff of Shiva, Renjo, Ivory, Silk and Eve are charged with the task of making each and every “sir” or “madam” feel like pampered royalty!”

The Lady Braganza is a butler café where patrons are treated as royalty, served the most delectable of teas and cakes while being served by the most wholesomely attentive staff. Happy Boy’s cast of characters all work at this café and it’s their job to make sure every customer finds themselves pleasantly lost in the illusion – but not all readers may find themselves as entranced.

Boys’ love fans are likely familiar with Makoto Tateno’s body of work – ranging from the thieving Yellow or the costume-donning Hero Heel – but this work, though ripe with intended potential, isn’t intended as a yaoi. Despite this readers of her work will still find a lot familiar with Happy Boys, but though she can draw a guy in a suit with few complaints, Makoto Tateno’s stylistic consistency continues to create some difficulties in telling characters apart and unfortunately for said characters, their generally one-dimensional personalities don’t help as much as they could either.

The staff members of Lady Braganza consist of a variety of expected and type-casted characters – the guy with glasses, the young guy, the gay guy, the old guy and…. well, the other guys. While momentary focus on different characters offers glimpses of more than surface-level individuality, there still isn’t a whole lot of distinction between the group members. Partially it comes down to being so casually introduced to a cast of more than seven characters in one chapter but it also doesn’t help that each person has two names on top of that – one being their original and the other being their ‘butler name’.

Still, despite the trouble in telling the characters apart sometimes, their interactions still manage to weave a pretty fun story at times. All the guys are learning to get along as both employees and friends, and seeing the difference in countenance between their professional personalities and their natural behind-the-scene selves proves to be an entertaining contrast that creates more than its share of troubles.

A big part of this pertains to the fact that all the characters must adhere to very strict rules in order to maintain the fantasy for their patrons – which includes not socializing outside of work, never letting a patron see you outside of work and living together in a complex where higher level employees are the only ones allowed their own apartments. There’s some bickering between some, while more mutual understanding exists between others, and though at times it seems they don’t get along as a whole, the positive vibe the whole book maintains constantly reminds you that it’ll all be okay because they’re actually kind, caring individuals who’re just becoming friends on someone else’s terms. In this case that person would be the café’s elusive owner who always seems to be away on some sort of exotic spelunk around the world.

Happy Boys is ultimately a title well established by its name – though they may annoy each other on occasion and have their own pretty-boy issues, overall this is a volume full of Happy Boys, or at least a story about boys meant to make you happy in the feel-good fluffy sort of way. Shallow characters keep this book feeling superficial overall but it still has its memorable charms as long as expectations don’t range too high.

Review written November 10, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Digitalmanga.com | DMPbooks.com | Junemanga.com | 801media.com | Dokidokibooks.com

Digital Manga’s multiple imprint web pages were hit or miss in the past but since their recent upgrades and redesigns, they’ve risen to the cream of the crop status for manga publishers on the web. Their new websites are visually attractive and full of colour, and the usability of the sites has seen a huge improvement. Overlapping databases between the different websites ensure all information is the same and is updated simultaneously. All sites also share one blog with imprint-specific posts appearing on their individual front pages.

All book information, release dates and blog posts are compounded on their company’s index site, DigitalManga.com which also includes job postings, surveys and corporate information. This hub site also includes links to all the imprint pages as well as other Digital Manga properties such as Pop Travel Japan and Akadot Retail.

*Note: At the time of this writing, 801Media.com had not yet received it’s intended overhaul. It’s design and function will not be included in this review.

___Visuals___________________________________________________________
All the individual Digital Manga imprint pages, with the exception of 801Media*, share the same layout structure – a 3 column layout with a large header banner. Past this each one has its own set of graphics and fonts that serve to make each distinct from one another, while still maintaining enough consistency to well utilize many of their shared features such as the blog and book information. All sites use artwork from their licensed books, making them both appealing to the eyes and the site’s focus immediately recognizable.

Dokidokibooks.com looks the most flat visually compared to the others, using much more solid colour space. It isn’t an unattractive design on its own but held up to the more multi-coloured and detailed Junemanga.com and DMPbooks.com, it falls a little short on the glamour scale. The rotating images on the header are a nice touch though most images suffer from rough editing work that leave them look rough around the edges, appearing a little rushed.

The front pages of June, DokiDoki and DMP’s sites are all very image heavy with several ads and feature promotions. It’s a little overwhelming to the eyes and causes the blog to look squished between the multiple image areas. Fortunately this is restricted to the front page and sub-pages open up to a two-column layout to best utilize the space.

DigitalManga.com is the simplest of the designs, which suits being the corporate hub website along with having the most information as a conglomerate of the others. It’s more about facts than flash which makes it an excellent alternative for those who would prefer to go without the extra images and imprint-centric design work.

___Usability__________________________________________________________
As primarily a manga publisher, Digital Manga hits a lot of good notes with their sites’ usability when it comes to promoting their products. Visitors are easily able to find titles they’re looking for, with books organized in a variety of ways from alphabetical to by date of release. There is also a handy search feature that easily pulls up series by their title name and all results are shown in the form of both a title and a thumbnail, furthering ease in finding a specific title.

Sidebars on each website have an up to date release calendar and each title listed is a link back to the page’s information which includes summaries, artists, specs, genres, cost, page count and more. Many titles also have manga preview pages. Both cover pages and manga previews are viewable in Javascript overlay windows when clicked that runs with little load-time. Each volume of a series also gets its own individual listing, adding more detail to the sites while still keeping easily navigated. Also despite image heavy layouts, the load time on all the websites in general is very good.

Sections of the websites are clearly labeled with easy to find links on every page so visitors won’t need to take forever finding the page they’re looking for. Slightly different layouts between websites do cause some variance in this, with some links larger or more swiftly locatable than others.

Interaction with the website works smoothly including an easy to sign up for newsletter and blog commenting that doesn’t require any sort of an account. The forum requires an account to post but the process of signing up is quick and simple.

___Online Presence_____________________________________________________
Digital Manga has a very strong online presence. The websites are frequently updated with new book listings and blog posts that provide both professional and casual looks at the production process and other fun company related info. They frequently send out review copies to spread knowledge of their products and include links to multiple websites’ reviews on the relevant series’ pages, showings a keen attention to peoples’ opinions, both positive and negative. This offers up an incredible resource to site visitors interested in their books.

The staff of Digital Manga is also one of the most interactive with their fans. The forums are well moderated to keep spam under control and they always have at least one staff member designated to the forums to keep an eye on things and answer fan questions and concerns, often shortly after they’re asked.

Digital Manga also maintains a regularly updated Twitter account as well as LiveJournal accounts for several of their imprints. They have a YouTube channel where they post video previews of their books as well.

___Overall____________________________________________________________
Digital Manga’s recent site overhauls have made a huge difference when it comes to their digital impression. With bright, eye-catching websites and up to date information, they do a great job keeping their consumers up to date and in the know. Their consistent and honest outreach to fans is an appreciated gesture that combined with well-tended websites shows an attention to both detail and their readers that hits a good balance of fun and function.

- – - – - – - – - – - – -

So what do you think? Is Digital Manga on the ball with their online work or is there something you as a consumer would like to see done differently?

Easily the most anticipated panel of this year’s Yaoi Con, Digital Manga brought out the big guns as promised in recent weeks to deliver to the eager audience. Deb Aoki and The Yaoi Review were both present and live-updating the panels so thanks to them both for the information.

You can read all about it under the cut -

First off the licensing list, which is sure to make more than a few readers excited:

A Bloody Kiss Tonight – Makoto Tateno
Koyoi ha kimi to chi no kiss wo, Mid 2010

Cafe Latte Rhapsody – Toko Kawai
Mid 2010

Double Cast – Ellie Mamahara
Mid 2010

Endless Comfort – Sakura Sakuya
Mid 2010

Kizuna – Kodaka Kazuma
Late 2010 (Previously licensed by BeBeautiful)

No Touching At All – Kou Yoneda
Doushitemo Furetakunai

Stay Close To Me – Yaya Sakuragi
Early 2010

Your Love Sickness – Kiku Hiyate
Mid 2010

The Tyrant Who Falls In Love – Hinako Takanaga
Summer 2010 (Previously licensed by Drama Queen)

The Tyrant Who Falls In Love and Kizuna were the most fan-anticipated announcements, both rescues from defunct manga publishers. Kizuna will also be the deluxe editions of the series, with each volume collecting two of the originals and includes the elusive eleventh volume.

Digital Manga staff also had confirmations that several previously announced titles are on track for publication.

Crimson Cross – Kyoko Negishi, Sakae Maeda
Doki Doki

Maiden Rose – Fusanosuke Inariya
June, March 2010

Maniac Shorts Shot – Miya Ousaka
801Media, January 2010

Otodama: Voice From the Dead – Youka Nitta
Doki Doki, February 2010

Spiral of Sand – Yuna Aoi
June, Late 2010

Tale of a White Night – Tooko Miyagi

Wolf God – Ai Tenkawa
Doki Doki, Mid 2010

Yokan: Premonition – Makoto Tateno
June, February 2010

Crimson Cross and Wolf God are not boys’ love titles, while Otodama and Spiral of Sand are , and all four were announced at Anime Expo 2008. Maiden Rose, Maniac Shorts Shot and Yokan have been previously listed on Digital Manga’s website.

Other interesting tidbits of news include that Digital Manga is activiely looking for submissions for their eManga website, including boys’ love novels. You may recall they’ve recently posted Yaoi Press’s Yaoi Hentai volumes on their online manga reading site, along with the original series, Games With Me.

eManga will also have exclusive online publication of the Harlequin Manga, which I believe is this project by Japanese publishers and the Canadian company Harlequin Enterprises. Edit: AnimeNewsNetwork has more details regarding the Harlequin Manga including will include 20 titles.

The Digital Manga staff fielded some questions as well, addressing several interest-heavy areas:

Youka Nitta’s Embracing Love, which was partially released by BeBeautiful, is owned by Libre but is in licensing limbo because of the tracing scandal in which it was discovered Youka Nitta was utilizing copyrighted material as tracing guides for some of her artwork. Otodama, also a Youka Nitta series, was able to be licensed because it was owned by a different company – Shinshokan – with whom Digital Manga has a partnership.

Any news regarding the status of Amane Yamano’s Viewfinder still falls under the “lips are sealed” category.

A second volume of Black Sun, released as a one-shot with a very open end by 801Media, is not currently being worked on by the artist so no way of saying if a second volume will ever actually exist for release though in more positive news, the second book of Close the Last Door by Yugi Yamada should see publication in late 2010.

Manga-ka: Taishi Zaou
Publisher: Doki Doki
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis: “High school student Tasuku Mizuochi has a secret he knows and a secret he doesn’t. Even though he punches, kicks, and otherwise abuses fellow karate team member, Ryouta, on a daily basis, Tasuku has hidden feelings for his childhood friend. Confused and embarrassed by his secret crush, Tasuku takes his frustrations out on Ryouta to keep him from ever knowing the truth. When Tasuku learns that his late mother may have been an “ageman” (ah-gay-man) – a woman who brings men good fortune – he starts to believe he’s inherited these powers, too. Can having the ability to influence luck give Tasuku and Ryouta a future together? Or will all the people crawling out of the woodwork wanting to use Tasuku’s power cause him to run screaming for the hills?!”

Right off the bat you know this isn’t going to be your average boys’ love story as Tasuku spends the first chapter criticizing and literally assaulting his friend, Ryouta, out of frustration. The interaction and banter between the two is very cute, albeit a little violent, and it becomes all the fluffier as you read further into the story and see how the high-strung Tasuku uses those opportunities to vent his uneasiness at the growing affection he feels for Ryouta, his own variation of the ‘tease-because-you-like’ reaction.

Tasuku Mizuochi’s life is suddenly turned upside down when a television special spreads the rumour that, thanks to his now deceased mother, Tasuku could be in possession of the power of ‘ageman’, meaning that anyone who becomes close to him could be blessed with good luck and fortune. In a world full of those who will anything they can to succeed, Tasuku suddenly finds himself hounded by males and females alike. But the situation also presents a unique opportunity for him, for the object of his tormented-affection could use a little luck, so what better chance could there be to offer himself up for both love and luck?

Along with the two leads, there is also Katsuyama, a friend and fellow karate student to both Tasuku and Ryouta. Right from the get-go he realized the feelings that the two held for each other and he acts as both confidant and instigator. His bluntness has an entertainment value all to itself and he makes for a great third-party for the couple to bounce ideas off of, plus he seems happy for the both of them even when concern is expressed that he may not care for the idea of them being gay. I really loved him as a side-character, non-judgmental and always ready to point out the obvious to his two emotionally frustrated companions.

When Tasuku finally comes forward and shares how he feels with Ryouta, in a way that’s both surprisingly forward and a tad ignorant, it also easily serves up one of the most entertaining moments of book as Ryouta suddenly finds himself stunned by the receiving end of Tasuku’s physical display of attraction. And no, I don’t mean anything non-consensual between the two. Plagued, though not in a necessarily bad way, by the erotic images continuously playing out in his mind the next day, Ryouta is left to ponder his own feelings for Tasuku and how things could play out between the two of them.

Mikiyo Tsuda continues a tradition of humour and wit in her stories that keeps her one of my all-time favorite manga artists. Here in Living For Tomorrow, there’s plenty to chuckle about as the couple both struggle with their feelings in their own special ways. From Tasuku’s violence to Ryouta’s shock at the sudden confession of love, both deal with their feelings in a way that never fails to be sweet, exuberantly thought out and always entertaining. Her artwork plays a big role in this as well with lots of physical humour that’s impeccably well placed within the story. I laughed at loud at more than one moment when an exaggerated expression followed a shocking discovery or embarrassed recollection. On a technical level, her artwork is also clean, polished and very professional looking. It makes for a very pleasing-to-the-eye reading experience that always serves as reason enough to keep seeking out her works with every opportunity.

Digital Manga’s work on this is really appealing also and continues to build upon my steadily growing affection for their new DokiDoki imprint, one that sports nice packaging, smooth reading and thus far a library of books that have yet to do wrong as far as I’m concerned. Albeit the library of released books is currently very small, but with lots of equally fantastic books on the near-horizon, I’m really enjoying all DokiDoki has to offer.

Fans of Mikiyo Tsuda can certainly do no wrong in picking up this title and boys’ love fans in general can easily enjoy this infectiously charming one-shot that’s full of fun and fluff. I loved every page of it and hope others do as well. Living For Tomorrow is the kind of easy, enjoyable reading that you can return to again and again and that’s exactly what I look forward to doing.

Review written June 22, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes