Review 136: Ark of the Prince

Art: 7
Plot: 5
Characters: 6
Sex: 6

This one was way confusing. It starts in a fantasy world, where the prince, Louis, is 'betrayed' and imprisoned by his closest advisor/guard, Armand. But then he learns that Armand only did this to save him... or something. But then the world literally crumbles around them, and when Louis finally wakes up, it is in a futuristic hospital. He then learns that the fantasy land that was all of his memories was only a gaming device, used to submerge people in said fantasy land. But a crisis brought the game down, and so most of his memories were 'deleted'. When he returns to 'real life', he has no actual memories except for Armand, who returns to him as a real person. He and Armand make peace with the eternal confusion this will bring.

Okay, so it goes without saying that the plot was full of confusion. I have no idea what parts of it mean, so I didn't even list them in the summary. The characters didn't make much sense as a result, and there wasn't any sex depicted. The art wasn't even that great - there were many points where details weren't drawn to save time... pretty obviously, too. Sometimes there are even just silhouettes where fully-drawn characters are expected.

Overall, a 24/40.

Recommendation: No. Just no.

Review 135: Amai Jouken

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

When Hisaya gets let go from his old job - and his abusive relationship - he has nowhere to go. That's when Munekazu randomly picks him up and takes him back to his apartment. Munekazu demands nothing except that Hisaya work at his French restaurant. After a while, however, Hisaya grows to love Munekazu and battles with his fear of the unknown - what does Munekazu want of him, anyway? Luckily, they resolve these troubles in the end, and sexytimes commence.

The art is very nice in this one - I especially like that Munekazu is dripping wet during at least 60% of the story. Thought that was a nice touch.

The plot is done well despite being so simple, and the characters are pretty nice, too. Hisaya's troubled nature is interesting and not too over-the-top, while Munekazu is very sweet.

The sex is pretty darn good. Especially the shower scene.

Overall, 32.5/40.

Recommendation: If you like dramatic 'does he love me? Oh, heavens!' type deals.

Review 134: Akanai Tobira

Art: 7.5
Plot: 7
Characters: 8
Sex: 8

This one is... really different. The uke has an unrequited infatuation with the seme, who he ends up working for and living with (they work from home). The uke has these pheromones that attract all sorts of weirdos, but strangely they don't work on the seme, who is a self-proclaimed 'straight'. Despite this, whenever the seme gets irritated by the blushing, easily-ashamed uke, he gets in the mood to do 'homo stuff'. Okaaaaay.

The art is all right, the plot is really weird but kinda interesting, the characters are oddly likable, and the sex is... well... pretty good, actually.

Overall, a 30.5/40.

Recommendation: If you like blushing ukes... who are way more shameless than most.

Review 133: Aitsu to Ore

Art: 8
Plot: 6
Characters: 7
Sex: 6

This has such memorable lines as, "So since I'm your father's mistress's son, you think you can do whatever you want with me!?" and "give yourself to me totally." Yeah, this has a variety of shorter stories all involving convoluted family trees and borderline incest, with the theme of troubled lives and naive ukes getting disillusioned by cruel older semes. Yeah.

So basically, the art is fine, the plots are complicated and dissatisfying, the characters are regrettable, and the sex - when there is any that isn't forced - is not very good.

Overall, a 27/40.

Recommendation: Nope.

Review 132: Ai no DNA

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

Hmm... another difficult one to judge. It's a little weird because the seme and uke are 'brothers' (the seme is from the father's first wife, and the second wife brings a child from a different man, so they aren't blood-related)... even if they're not blood-related, the fact that they start from a brotherly relationship is kinda creepy. Despite this, the art is pretty good, the plot is pretty interesting, and the characters are believable. The sex, if you are comfortable enough with the idea that they're not really brothers, is all right. But still... a little bit putting off.

The plot revolves around two guys born on the same day (different years) who share an odd 'bond' such that the older guy feels all the physical pain the younger feels, and the younger guy feels all the physical pleasure the older guy feels. This is a fascinating dynamic, if only if was used with two people not in the same mishmash of a family.

Overall, a 30/40.

Recommendation: If you like flustered, angry ukes.

Review 131: 1999 Shanghai

Art: 5
Plot: 9
Characters: 8.5
Sex: 7

This one is an odd mash-up of good and bad. We've got the typical mafia story with lovers from opposing 'families', only it's a much slower-paced story than most of its type. This adds to the tension and makes it a lot more enjoyable than usual, but regrettably it is brought down by its older style of art (in my opinion). The expressions aren't clear enough, and sometimes I got really confused with who was who since a lot of them look the same.

So yeah, Dawu is a low-ranking guy in one gang while Xiaoxue is a prized assassin in its rival gang. They meet without knowing each other's backgrounds, but they soon discover their inherent incompatibility during a gang fight. But despite that, they have steamy, forbidden sex anyway.

Art's awful, plot is oddly fun, characters are very likable, and the sex is not quite up to par.

Overall, a 29.5/40.

Recommendation: If you like mafia yaoi.

Review 130: Take Over Zone

Art: 9
Plot: 9
Characters: 8.5
Sex: 7

Another difficult one to judge, although this one I liked in spite of that. This stars a guy who used to be a great runner but quit the Track Club due to molestation by his coach. Then in high-school he gets inspired to join a new Track Club, where he meets a serene but cold upperclassman who doesn't seem to like him much. But their relationship grows closer until he discovers that the upperclassman actually likes him... a lot. Thankfully, the upperclassman is truly a kind-hearted person, and he doesn't rush the guy. This yaoi has a lot of Track Club action - as in running relays and all that - as well as many cute romantic scenes.

The art is very nice - I loved the different looks for all the club members, and the expressions and emotions were done well.

The plot, as said above, was pleasing and adequately exciting.

The characters are very likable and diverse, which makes for a more enjoyable story overall. The main character and upperclassman-guy are my favorites. Very good.

The sex never technically occurs, unless you count the flashback to the molestation - which I don't. For once, such a thing is treated with the seriousness it deserves, and it does not strive to seem pleasurable.

All in all, 33.5/40. Not bad!

Recommendation: If you like sports-oriented yaoi.