Reviews 71 - 80

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've got to breeze through these next ten reviews at a speed faster than something that is speedy. So, with that said, prepare for a barrage of mini-reviews!

Review 71: Gay's Anatomy

Art: 6
Plot: 7
Characters: 6
Sex: 7

First off, I very much dislike the art in this one. The uke looks permanently uncomfortable, such that his face itself appears awkward. Not appealing at all.

The plot is the classic 'brothers fighting over one man' dynamic, only... in a hospital! Goodie!

The characters are pretty typical. Jealous, semi-abusive seme and submissive, 'oh, take me!' uke. As well as smooth, slimy brother who's a powerful executive. Predictable.

The sex is frequent and not surprising. It makes an attempt at steam but falls flat due to the brevity of the scenes, the bad art, and the lame characters.

26/40.

Recommendation: If you like doctors. Like that.

Review 72: Hanky Panky

Art: 6
Plot: 6
Characters: 7
Sex: 7

The art style seems somehow amateurish, in a way that reminds one of bad doujinshi. How very sad...

There are five different stories in this one, and it isn't a large manga to begin with. This means that every story is extremely short, as well as under-developed and dissatisfying. It feels much too rushed, and it doesn't help that every story is a similar cliche.

The characters are bland and generally not engaging, though the title story, involving a nerdy guy with glasses who is actually the star of a host club at night, is almost decent due to the antics of said guy. Otherwise, all the other characters don't amount to much.

The sex is okay, but it, like the plots, is always rushed and doesn't last more than a couple pages. What a shame.

26/40. Will this become the next popular score...?

Recommendation: Find something with more substance.

Review 73: Hero Heel

Art: 8.5
Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Sex: 8

For all my talk of not liking Makoto Tateno's art as much as, say, Akira Kanbe's... this one gets a good score simply for all the wacky character designs (being that it focuses on a live-action show based on a sentai idea).

The plot actually piqued my interest. Or at least, enough that I bought the three-volume series. It revolves around a guy who gets a job as the main character in a live-action superhero (sentai) show that swiftly grows in popularity. He acts alongside a famous live-action star, who plays the villain. But his curiosity in the older actor quickly becomes sexual once he spots him kissing a man backstage. Despite the tension between them, they still have to act together, which is a lovely dynamic, if I do say so.

The characters are a nice depth, for once. Easy to identify with and likeable. The main character is sometimes whiny but also understandable from the reader's perspective, and the other actor is enigmatic and alluring. Good job!

The sex is not really satisying until the end of the series, but it is done well throughout. It doesn't distract from the dramatic elements of the plot, either, which is refreshing. There's a lot more love than lust going on in this series, so there's not as much in the way of steamy scenes, but it's also much more realistic in return.

34.5. That's a pretty darn good score, as expected of a lengthier series.

Recommendation: If you're looking for something with more substance and not as much mindless lust.

Review 74: Hot Limit

Art: 7
Plot: 6
Characters: 7
Sex: 7

Aaaaand it scores three lucky sevens! Although, that's a pretty bad thing in this rating system. The art is by Akira Kanbe, but unfortunately it isn't nearly as nice as in 'Crimson Spell'. You're letting me down, Kanbe-saaaaan! The uke annoys me in particular because he honestly looks like a girl in most scenes (and this is from someone who has seen many girly ukes).

The plot is awful. Nice, honest semes meets a really shy uke who turns out to have a slutty side-personality that comes out at night. Said uke is also a sex slave to a powerful political man, who is running a prostitution ring of younger boys/men. Eventually, heroic seme frees uke from evil's clutches, but he can't press charges on the political man due to the guy's ridiculous amount of influence. How very irritating.

The characters aren't great, either. The whole 'split-personality' uke thing is more than a little weird. And the seme is nice but doesn't make up for the downright disgusting characters of the politician and his minions.

The sex is meh. It looks like it's supposed to be steamy but just ends up being boring. I'm sorry, but having an innocent uke who magically transforms into a slut at night is something I don't care to see.

27/40.

Recommendation: ... Just don't.

Review 75: I'll Be Your Slave

Art: 8
Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Sex: 8

All right, so the art for this one is good. I especially like how the seme is drawn - overly dramatically, with tons of extra effects because of how theatrical he is - and the uke is satisfactory as well.

The plot is kinda sad. Boss of a Jewelry company gets a model for their new ad. Model requires constant attention, so the boss becomes a slave to his every whim. Eventually they (loosely) decide they are in love.

Characters are disappointing. The seme is funny because he's so womanly while still being, well, seme. And he's melodramatic. The uke, however, ticks me off because he's so stupidly apathetic. He barely talks, just lets the boss take care of him and never even thanks him. It's laaaame.

The sex is okay. It's not that great but it's up to standards.

31/40.

Recommendation: If you need a laugh.

Review 76: In the Walnut

Art: 7
Plot: 7
Characters: 8
Sex: 5

I really need to start reading stuff in the store instead of buying it and then realizing it's not that great. There was no excuse for this one, as it wasn't wrapped (meaning, not explicit enough). The art is okay, but I don't like the way the uke is drawn, and the seme always has stubble, which I detest.

The plot is a random series of stories about an art gallery run by 'roguish' Tanizaki, who really isn't that interesting. He's just lazy and boring. Nakai, the guy who wants to be his uke - and has been - hangs out with him a lot, but due to Tanizaki's laziness they never formally declare their relationship.

The characters are decent, I guess. There are some cute scenes where Tanizaki actually does something, for once, but besides those few moments, the characters aren't particularly memorable.

The sex is not completely shown and not steamy at all. Tanizaki is so lazy that he's even lazy in this aspect. Lame.

27/40.

Recommendation: Nah. Just don't bother.

Review 77: Noodle Shop Affair

Art: 8
Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Sex: 7

The art in this one is good. Nothing much to say.

The plot is hilarious and touching at the same time. The son of a powerful yakuza group falls in love with a boy who runs a ramen shop while his father's in a coma. He confesses his feelings, but the boy tells him that he hates all yakuza, so the seme is forced to masquerade as a starving, jobless man in order to generate pity and allow him to work at the shop with the uke. So he goes between roles of high contrast - from minimum-wage worker to yakuza boss - throughout the story, secretly protecting the uke from rival yakuza groups who are harrassing the shop.

The characters are cute. I really like the seme because he's just so focused. He will do anything to have the uke love him back, even though he could use his yakuza influence to 'get' him, if he wanted. He is the most pure-hearted yakuza boss I've seen in a manga so far.

There is no sex in the first volume, which knocks it down a point. But the nature of this yaoi is such that it doesn't seem that bad, as it would have detracted from the comedy and the plot.

31/40.

Recommendation: If you're looking for something silly and funny, or yakuza-oriented.

Review 78: Totally Captivated

Art: 9
Plot: 8.5
Characters: 9
Sex: 9

No joke, this series totally captivated me. A stunning read, this one has it all - comedy, drama, steamy scenes, deep characters, six volumes - to the point that I feel the need to buy the entire series.

I could go on and on about the art in this one. Hajin Yoo, a Korean artist, brings a completely fresh look to this manga, and the style is very distinct. The chibis and humorous panels are absolutely laugh-out-loud silly, while the serious parts are appropriately drool-worthy. I approve!

The plot's a toss-up. Uke ends up working for a cover company of a yakuza group, the leader of which is the seme. Mookyul, said seme, is a demanding and generally antagonistic character but very, very appealing all the same. Ewon, the uke, ends up running all sorts of crazy errands and getting on Mookyul's bad side, all the while trying not to have sex with him because, frankly, he's a pretty scary guy. Later volumes incorporate a whole new level of plot with some background on the two that makes things much more interesting (no spoilers this time)!

The characters are brilliant. They have real, well, character. I don't know how to describe it for once. Ewon and Mookyul are superb foils for each other, and even the minor characters are memorable and entertaining.

The sex is pretty steamy, mostly due to Mookyul. Heh heh. Not much more to say here.

35.5/40.

Recommendation: You can't go wrong with this one, unless you hate yakuza stuff, like the uke in 'Noodle Shop Affair'.

Review 79: Madness

Art: 9
Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Sex: 9

Madness? This... is... UNBELIEVABLY GOOD YAOI! 'Kay, I'm done. Anyway, the art is fabulous and entirely suitable for the genre (a darker, science-fiction-y thing).

The plot is ridiculously complex, which, for this genre, means that it's pretty amazing. I find myself really excited to see what happens next, to the point that I literally fangirled in the middle of a bookstore when I found the second volume (much to the consternation of those nearby).

The characters are also impressive. For once, the innocent, naive uke actually has a background that makes sense with his character. He isn't whiny, and his innocence is understandable. Quite the rarity in yaoi. The seme is fascinating, due to his change of personality that occurs due to... spoilers that I won't reveal here. He's a bit like Mookyul from 'Totally Captivated' at most times, which is pretty sexy. The side characters are also fairly well developed (and the female is very developed, that's for sure).

The sex is very steamy, though there isn't a full sex scene yet in the first two volumes. What we do get, however, more than makes up for it. Oooh, let's see how many odd locations we can use for sex scenes! Ready? Go!

36/40. Whoaz.

Recommendation: This is particularly suited to people with fantasy/sci-fi tastes.

Review 80: Steal Moon

Art: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Characters: 7
Sex: 8

Soooo... they're stealing a moon. Okay. I can deal with that. Anyway, this is yet another Makoto Tateno, so the art is naturally pretty good. The plot - where, in a post-apocalyptic setting, an evil group is using a moon to spy on the entire main city - is quite diabolical, especially when the main character uke is being used, most of the time, as entertainment due to the fact that there are cameras in his room, and so he is sexed up often. Points for creativity with the largest hidden camera ever.
That's no moon...

I don't like the characters in this one nearly as much as in 'Hero Heel'. It felt a bit rushed... the uke is the same as the one in 'Hero Heel', and so is the seme. But the seme is shallower and betrays the uke (more) than in the other series. Plus, there are annoying little brats who serve as cardboard side characters. Lame.

The sex is not bad, actually. Tateno is good at this part, for sure. Once again, being creative with location is always interesting. Would you love me in a car? Would you love me in a bar? Except there's no bar sex here. Pity.

32/40.

Recommendation: If you like the post-apocalyptic stuff. Although, really, you'd be better off reading 'Madness', in that case.