Review 18: Oujisama Game

Art: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Characters: 6
Sex: 7.5

Oujisama Game ("Prince Game") is a compilation of four different stories, each involving a prince. The first is about a prince who is approached by a slave and at first shuns him, but then he discovers that the slave is the same man who tutored him when he was a child (and the tutor not much older, thank goodness). The second is about a prince who is attacked by an assassin and overpowers him; the assassin wants to commit suicide, but the prince is amused by him as say that he'll take him as his official consort and give him a chance every day to kill him - and for every day he fails, he has to spend the night in the arms of the prince. The third story is about a man (the 'minister of the right') who is obsessed with the prince from the second story, but ends up realizing that the person he really loves is his associate, the 'minister of the left'. The fourth story is about a prince who has a (mostly, or there wouldn't be a story) unrequited love for a mercenary.

The art is pretty nice; it's not awe-inspiring but it is tasteful and rather pretty at some points.

The plots vary from downright lame (stories number one and three) to intriguing (story number two) to comical (story number four).

The characters, despite the different stories, are always easy to predict and stereotypical 'types' that one sees all the time in yaoi. None of them present any surprises, sadly.

The sex is just a little sub-par, mostly due to its brevity and the fact that most of it is left out of the actual drawings. Oh, well.

All in all, a 30.5/40. Not that great, but hey, it's a risk with these gamble-compilations. Could be good, could be totally nasty.

Recommendation: Another semi-decent rainy day read, but don't try it if you want any kind of substance.