Yaoi Review: PUNCH UP! Volume 3

PUNCH UP!, VOL. 3
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shiuko Kano
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERING: Joanna Estep
COVER: Shiuko Kano with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4354-3; paperback (January 2013); Rated “M” for “Mature”
202pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

A prolific, female Japanese manga creator, Shiuko Kano is known for her boys’ love and yaoi titles, such as the “Steppin’ Stone” series and Play Boy Blues. Punch Up! is a yaoi manga series from Shiuko Kano. The series focuses on Maki Motoharu, an unpredictable architect, and his boyfriend, Kouta Ohki, a 19-year-old, foul-mouthed, young ironworker who has fashion model looks. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga (BL) and features explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

At the beginning of Punch Up! Volume 3 (Acts 7 to 9), Motoharu’s career as an architect is soaring. But he isn’t completely happy because he is jealous of Kouta. Yuya Fukazu, the man who took Kouta’s virginity, is back in the picture. Motoharu thinks that he is finding Fukazu in Kouta’s presence too often. Motoharu’s suspicions create hard feelings between him and Kouta, as well as making Kouta unsure about himself and also depressed. Kouta finds himself desperate to prove his love.

Then, a terrible accident occurs. A 15-year-old close to them returns. And Kiyoto Ohki, Kouta’s transgender brother, arrives.

The Punch Up! yaoi manga is a conflict-driven narrative. The love is real. The sex is hot. However, love and sex come with conflicts between lovers; even friends and colleagues squabble. I don’t want to give away the big turn-of-events that happens in this volume, but conflict and love become entwined more than ever. It’s good character drama, although it also seems a bit stretched too far in some places.

The best sex scenes happen in a bonus story, “Maki Motoharu’s Recreation Special.” The story starts off as a hand-made, drawn-in-a-tablet comic created by Kouta. Talk about explicit – male genitalia and orifices don’t get the shadowy-blurry art treatment. This is definitely a behind-the-counter / backroom edition. Readers looking for intense romance and explicit depictions of gay sex will want to Punch Up! Enjoy!

B+

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

SuBLime Celebrates First Birthday with New Titles

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime CELEBRATES 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Global English-Language Yaoi Publisher Celebrates Milestone With New Acquisitions Announcements And A Special Manga Discount From Retailer Right Stuf

San Francisco, CA, January 31, 2013 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd., is proud to mark its 1-year anniversary and emergence as North America’s premier yaoi/boys’ love imprint.

SuBLime is celebrating this important milestone with the announcement of six new title acquisitions. TABLEAU NUMÉRO 20, by celebrated creator est em, and MAN OF TANGO, by Tetuzoh Okadaya, will both be available Fall 2013 in print and digital editions. Digital-only titles available Summer 2013 include PERFECT TRAINING by Yuiji Aniya, SWEET MONSTER by Tsubaki Mikage, PRETTY MEN FIGHTING DIRTY by Sakira, and LOST LETTERS by Sakae Kusama.

A couple of special discounts and promotional offers will also be available to fans for a limited time. Leading manga and anime retailer Right Stuf is offering 40% off on all SuBLime print manga orders of 2 volumes or more starting today through February 13th. A special Valentine’s Day freebie will also be available directly from the SuBLime website starting February 14th at: www.SuBLimeManga.com.

“VIZ Media’s SuBLime imprint achieved an important milestone with our first year anniversary, and over the past 12 months we’ve developed a substantial collection of celebrated yaoi titles from a cadre of the genre’s top creators,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “From AWKWARD SILENCE to YEBISU CELEBRITIES, SuBLime offers an expanding catalog of manga titles to impress even the most discriminating reader. 2013 will be an even more exciting year for SuBLime as we continue to nurture the expansion of the yaoi/boys’ love genre globally and prepare a potent roster of new title debuts.”

Since launching in January 2012, SuBLime has released 20 different titles available as print and/or digital releases. SuBLime digital editions are available with an MSRP of $5.99 (U.S.), and print editions are offered with an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. Digital versions are available worldwide from SuBLimeManga.com and are viewable as a download-to-own PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer, or may be directly accessed via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

New 2013 SuBLime Print+Digital Titles

Man of Tango, by Tetuzoh Okadaya
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available September 2013

Tableau NUMÉRO 20, by est em
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available October 2013

New 2013 SuBLime Digital Titles

PERFECT TRAINING, by Yuiji Aniya
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available June 2013

SWEET MONSTER, by Tsubaki Mikage
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available June 2013

PRETTY MEN FIGHTING DIRTY, by Sakira
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available July 2013

LOST LETTERS, by Sakae Kusama
Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • Available August 2013

In addition to the new acquisitions, fans can look forward to the debut of 11 additional new titles this year, including:

• BLUE MORNING Vol. 1, by Shoko Hidaka

• BOYS, BE AMBITIOUS!, by Saburo Nagai

• EGOISTIC BLUE, by Mio Tennohji

• EMBRACING LOVE Vol. 1: 2-in-1 Edition, by Youka Nitta

• FALSE MEMORIES Vol. 1, by Isaku Natsume • Creator of DEVIL’S HONEY, also published by SuBLime

• Hide And seek, by Yaya Sakuragi • Sequel to BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE, also available from SuBLime

• THE MATCH SELLER, by Sakae Kusama

• THE RAVISHING OF THE CROWN PRINCE, by Wang Yi & Feng Nong

• SLEEPING MOON Vol. 1, by Miyamoto Kano

• SPIRITUAL POLICE Vol. 1, by Youka Nitta

• SWORD AND MIST, by Hayate Kuku

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga, Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga, or Tumblr at sublimemanga.tumblr.com.


About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in download-to-own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

Loveless: Mobile Suit Gundam /Loveless Crossover

I read Loveless, Vol. 10

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: LOVELESS 2-IN-1 Volume 1

LOVELESS 2-IN-1, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Yun Kouga
TRANSLATION: Ray Yoshimoto
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Lillian Diaz-Pazygyl
LETTERS: James Dashiell
EDITOR: Hope Donovan
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4990-3; paperback; Rated “T” for “Teen”
446pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S., $16.99 CAN, £9.99 UK

Yun Kouga, the pen name of Risa Yamada, is known for creating such manga as Crown of Love and Gestalt. One of her other popular titles, Loveless, a fantasy/drama series, has a new North American publisher. Tokyopop had the license to publish the series in English, releasing eight of the series’ graphic novels before going out of business. VIZ Media now has the license and resumed the English-language publication of the series with the ninth volume.

VIZ Media will also republish the first eight volumes in 2-in-1 editions, which has a single graphic novel edition containing two volumes. Loveless 2-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 collects Loveless Volumes 1 and 2.

Loveless, Vol. 1 introduces 11-year-old Ritsuka Aoyagi, a troubled sixth grade student who is still grieving the loss of his older brother, Seimei, who was murdered a few months earlier. Ritsuka meets Soubi Agatsuma, a 20-year-old man who claims to have been a friend of Seimei’s. After a little while, Ritsuka learns that Seimei and Soubi acted as a fighting pair.

They were involved in battles in which the fighting involved spells composed of carefully selected words. Soubi was the “sentouki” or “fighter unit.” Seimei was the “sacrifice,” the one who bears the damage inflicted upon the fighter. When the sacrifice gets worn down, the fighter loses. Through Soubi, Ritsuka learns that Seimei was killed by a mysterious group called Septimal Moon.

In Loveless, Vol. 2, Ritsuka and Soubi grow closer, while more pairs of fighters come forward to challenge them or Soubi, specifically. Yuiko Hawatari, Ritsuka’s classmate, falls deeper in love with him. Ritsuka’s therapist, Dr. Katsuko, tries to unravel the mystery of his apparent dual personalities.

Apparently, Yun Kouga does not consider her creation, Loveless, to be boys’ love manga, although the series does depict romantic, committed, or intimate relationships between pairs of boys and young men. There are no scenes of fleshy entanglements between naked young men, as may be found in the boys’ love subset, yaoi manga. But there is the kind of lusty hugging between fully-clothed young men that one might find in the non-explicit-sex subset of boys’ love called shounen-ai.

That’s how Loveless is. It takes on the characteristics of many genres. It’s part battle manga, and I must admit to being intrigued by its verbal, word-based skirmishes. Call Loveless a battle rap manga. It is also a high school romance with a love triangle (Ritsuka, Soubi, and Yuiko) that threatens to keep adding romantic interests (a fellow student and possibly a teacher). It is a family drama complete with a psycho mom and a largely absent dad.

Loveless is not too much of a good thing, but rather, too many good things. I like Loveless, but I’m not in love with it.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Yaoi Review: PUNCH UP! Volume 1

PUNCH UP!, VOL. 1
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shiuko Kano
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERING: Joanna Estep
COVER: Shiuko Kano with Florence Yuen
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5002-2; paperback; Rated “M” for “Mature”
178pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Shiuko Kano is a prolific, female Japanese manga creator. Known for her boys’ love and yaoi titles, she has produced such comics as the “Steppin’ Stone” series and Play Boy Blues. Punch Up! is a yaoi manga series from Kano. The first volume focuses on an unpredictable architect and a construction worker with a fashion model’s looks. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga, which features explicit depictions of sex between male characters, and Punch Up! definitely features explicit sex.

At the beginning of Punch Up! Volume 1, architect Maki Motoharu breaks up a fight at a construction site. One of the combatants is a 19-year-old, foul-mouthed, young ironworker named Ohki Kouta. Motoharu takes notice of the hunky, well-toned young hothead. He gets a big surprise when he discovers that Kouta found his lost cat, Shinobu, whom Kouta has named “Nyanta.”

When Motoharu learns that Kouta’s kind act of saving his cat caused Kouta to be evicted, Motoharu offers to let Kouta live with him for until he finds another place. Before long, the new roomies are playing grab-ass, but Motoharu’s fickle ways confuse Kouta. Add old boyfriends and rivals like Ryoji Misonoh, Junsuke Aki, and Shinobu Hishiya, to the mix, and love cannot blossom. Can Kouta the stray cat find love in a relationship with a tomcat like Motoharu? Plus, the bonus short story, “Sweet Train,” finds Aki and Hishiya trying to enjoy a love train.

Punch Up! Volume 1 is a conflict-driven narrative. Both Motoharu and Kouta have past affiliations that cause stress and strife in their relationship. As I read this story, I was sure that at any time I turned the page, I would come upon a break-up scene. The tension that the conflicts and old boyfriends create, however, does lose its starch towards the end of the story, but that is mitigated by the sex scenes.

The characters seem to live by the creed, “Let’s have sex, even if you did just hear me propositioning an old lover.” The depictions of sex are hardcore, but that fits with the story perfectly. The young men in Punch Up! Volume 1 are pretty, but their rough personalities fit the story’s hard hat setting.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

http://sublimemanga.com/

Yaoi Review: STARTING WITH A KISS Volume 1

"Island of Lust Souls"

STARTING WITH A KISS VOLUME 1
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Youka Nitta
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERING: NRP Studios
COVER: Youka Nitta with Chii Maene
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5002-2; paperback; Rated “M” for “Mature”
186pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Born in Japan, Youka Nitta is a female mangaka (creator) known for her works in the boys’ love genre, especially the series, Embracing Love. Starting with a Kiss is a yaoi manga series from Nitta. The series focuses on two up-and-coming crime bosses who enter into a sexual relationship. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga which features explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

Starting with a Kiss Volume 1 introduces readers to two characters. First, there is Tohru Suki, son of yakuza boss, Shinya Suki. Then, there is Mutsumi, the son of Itsuki Kiria, Shinya’s second-in-command. Shinya sends Mutsumi into exile on a deserted island in order to keep him out of harm’s way during a gang feud. Itsuki also sends Mutsumi with Tohru, hoping that his studious son will take a liking to the family business. Mutsumi doesn’t like the family business, but in Tohru, he does see something he likes – something he likes quite a lot.

I have read a fair bit of yaoi manga, but I don’t think I’ve seen as many penis silhouettes as I saw in this first volume of Starting with a Kiss. Like illustrated depictions of sex? Well, Starting with a Kiss Volume 1 is hip-thrusts ahoy. If you want sex in your yaoi manga, this volume will certainly give that to you. One young man is often on top of another, grunting and sweating as he pounds out a message of love on the fleshy typewriter that is his partner’s firm body.

However, this isn’t just some humping around. Starting with a Kiss has a sense of humor, and the fathers, Shinya and Itsuki, are a riot. Part of this first volume has some back story on them, but they deserve their own graphic novel. Leering yakuza soldiers and an over-protective fixer add to the comedy. Starting with a Kiss starts off just right.

A-

[This volume includes the short story, “LOL Theatre.”]

http://www.SuBLimeManga.com

SuBLime Offers Steamy Yaoi Manga Titles for the Summer Reading

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime CONTINUES THE SUMMER SIZZLE WITH THE DEBUT OF BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE AND STARTING WITH A KISS

Bold English-Language Yaoi Publisher Will Delight Fans With Both Debuts Available Now In Print And STARTING WITH A KISS Also Available Digitally From SuBLimeManga.com

San Francisco, CA, August 14, 2012 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publisher, delivers more hot summer romance with the debut of Yaya Sakuragi’s BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE, and Youka Nitta’s STARTING WITH A KISS. Both new series launch today, are rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and carry a print-version MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN.

STARTING WITH A KISS is also available as a digital edition worldwide from www.SuBLimeManga.com for $5.99 (USD), and is downloadable as a PDF for viewing on any enabled eReader device or computer, as well as accessible via the online manga viewer found on the SuBLime web site.

BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE Vol. 1, by Yaya Sakuragi • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN

High school student Ao has been dreaming about his longtime neighbor Ryomei, a priest at the local Shinto shrine. A little freaked out—and a lot excited—at the prospect of having a relationship with Ryomei, Ao gathers up his courage, confesses his feelings...and gets turned down flat. Luckily, Ao's not the kind to give up easily. Thanks to some creative persistence (and Ryomei's weakening resolve), he finally gets a kiss. But one single kiss won't satisfy him for long!

Yaya Sakuragi’s previous English-language releases include Tea For Two, Hey, Sensei? and Stay Close to Me. She is also a prolific novel illustrator.

STARTING WITH A KISS Vol. 1, by Youka Nitta • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN • $5.99 Digital From SuBLimeManga.com

Tohru, the son of a yakuza boss, is sent into exile on a deserted island for his own protection during a gang feud. Fiery and impetuous, he isn't thrilled to be sidelined when he'd rather be in the fight, and is even less thrilled that Mutsumi, son of the gang's second in command, is going with him. The serious, studious Mutsumi is Tohru’s opposite in every way, and it doesn't take long before the sparks between them begin to fly!

Youka Nitta made her publishing debut with GROUPIE in 1995, and since then has become one of the most prolific and popular yaoi creators worldwide. Her most well-known series, Embracing Love, has been adapted into both a drama CD as well as an anime series. More information about Youka Nitta is available on her English-language website at: http://nittayouka.com. “Hot yaoi romances continue to sizzle this month for fans worldwide with the print release of BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE and the print and digital release of Starting with a kiss,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “Yaya Sakuragi shows how a not-so-innocent kiss, mixed with plenty of determination, can lead to so much more, while Youka Nitta demonstrates her prowess as one of the genre’s greatest creators with a sultry tropical gangster love story. We also invite readers to visit SuBLimeManga.com and heat up the rest of their summer season with a variety of other sexy yaoi titles available now!”

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.


About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

Yaoi Review: AWKWARD SILENCE Volume 1

AWKWARD SILENCE, VOL. 1
SUBLIME

CARTOONIST: Hinako Takanaga
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
LETTERING: Deron Bennett
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4347-5; paperback; Rated “M” for “Mature”
202pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Born in Aichi, Japan, Hinako Takanaga is a female mangaka (creator) known for her yaoi manga work, including such titles as The Devil’s Secret and Liberty Liberty! She has also provided illustrations for light novels.

SuBLime recently published the first volume of her BL/yaoi manga series, Awkward Silence. For those who don’t know, “BL” is boys’ love manga, a comic book that features romance between male characters. “Yaoi manga” is a subset of BL that usually depicts explicit sex. Awkward Silence is about an introverted boy who finally gets the boy of his dreams, but finds himself too overcome to speak to his dream lover.

Awkward Silence Volume 1 introduces Satoru Tono is a shy, introverted, high school boy. He has long had a crush on Keigo Tamiya, a popular boy who plays baseball for their school, Nishikou High. Tamiya shocks Tono by striking up a conversation with him, but Tono is so overcome that he cannot respond to the nice things Tamiya says to him. As their relationship blossoms, Tono and Tamiya find others coming between the two of them.

One is Yukari Machida, a pretty girl who always seems to be next to Tamiya. Tono is shocked to discover that he is jealous of this pretty teen rival. Tono also discovers that Yuji “Yu” Sagara, a former childhood pal, is also a student at Nishikou. Yu wants to be friends again, much closer friends than before (and they were pretty close). Tamiya, however, thinks Yu is trying to get too close to Tono.

I think the most compelling thing about the romance of Tono and Tamiya is that one is such an introvert (Tono) and the other is the typical high school athlete/extrovert (Tamiya). Tono’s inability to give voice to his feelings – literally, he can barely speak when overcome with strong feelings – is a bit overstated. Hinako Takanaga presents this in such a way that it made me want to follow this love story, if for no other reason that to enjoy Tono’s humorous suffering. When he can’t express himself in words, Tono allows others to make assumptions about what he wants, thinks, or feels, and such misunderstanding is a mother of comedy invention.

The supporting characters, Yukari Machida and Yuji Sagara, are just what Awkward Silence needs when the narrative gets bogged down in the speechless boy/aggressive boy dynamic. More pixie than vixen, Ms. Machida is seemingly oblivious to the problems she causes, which makes her good for relationship comedy. Takanaga depicts Sagara as so insistent, especially in the way he pursues Tono, that he comes across as a lead character. Sagara is Awkward Silence’s biggest stimulus of conflict.

Takanaga’s art is not one of the better examples of graphical storytelling you’ll find in a yaoi manga. The art emphasizes facial expression, because this story is all about expressing feeling and depicting the intensity of romantic love and sex via facial expressions. Also, the story is divided into three chapters. Takanaga has Tono and Tamiya make love to close each chapter. And while the silence may be awkward, the bedroom play isn’t.

B+

SuBLimeManga.com

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Leroy's Yaoi Review: Honey Darling

HONEY DARLING
SUBLIME

CARTOONIST: Norikazu Akira
TRANSLATION: Christine Dashiell
LETTERING: Sabrina Heep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4343-7; paperback; Rated “M” for “Mature”
194pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Norikazu Akira is the creator of such manga Beast & Feast, Heart Strings, and Twin’s Labyrinth. SuBLime, a new global yaoi/boys’ love publisher that has partnered with VIZ Media, recently published an English-language edition of Norikazu Akira’s Honey Darling.

For those that don’t know, boys’ love (abbreviated as “BL”) manga is a comic book that features romance between male characters. “Yaoi manga” is a subset of BL that usually depicts explicit sex. Honey Darling is a stand-alone, yaoi graphic novel that tells the story of an idle young man whose rescue of a kitten brings him purpose and maybe love.

The focus of Honey Darling is Chihiro Takahashi, a young man who drifts through life with no purpose. One evening, shortly after leaving work, Chihiro finds an abandoned kitten in a box. Initially reluctant, he rescues the female kitten and names her Shiro. She becomes his surrogate daughter, and soon, he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

One evening, he arrives home to discover that Shiro has fallen ill. While searching aimlessly for an animal hospital, Chihiro runs into Daisuke Kumazawa, a local veterinarian who takes Shiro into his care. Watching Dr. Kumazawa in action, Chihiro realizes that he would like to work in a vet clinic. The good doctor hires him to work at Kumazawa Pet Clinic, but he also needs a live-in housekeeper. Soon, Chihiro has a new home, double-duty at the clinic and in Kumazawa’s home. But living with the handsome vet makes Chihiro feel really strange inside. Is this love?

Creator Norikazu Akira tells the story of Chihiro Takahashi and Daisuke Kumazawa (and Shiro, of course) over the course of a seven-chapter serial entitled, “Animal.” Individually, they read quite well, with each short story having a solid beginning, middle, and end. Collected as the graphic novel, Honey Darling, the offers the reader a chance to savor a slow building love story that is built around romantic cliffhangers accentuated with flower tones and effects.

Chihiro Takahashi is an especially likeable character, a sort of lovelorn, girlish, yet somewhat masculine man. Daisuke Kumazawa is a bit aloof, perhaps too aloof, which comes across in the story; I found that I sometimes could not warm to him. Shiro the kitten is a scene-stealer, almost turning this boys’ love manga into a cat manga.

Honey Darling is cute and charming and goes down like a cup of hot cocoa, but this is not a love story as empty calories. The romance does hit many bumpy moments – enough to keep the reader interested. Norikazu Akira saves the best, the hot sex, for last, and boy, is it hot. The passion is, however, a nice payoff for the patient reader, and Honey Darling will make for a happy reader.

A-

SuBLimeManga.com


Buy Honey Darling (Yaoi Manga)

SuBLime Debuts "Honey Darling" and "Three Wolves Mountain"

GLOBAL YAOI/BOYS’ LOVE MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime DEBUTS FIRST PRINT RELEASES WITH “HONEY DARLING” AND “THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN”

Bold Yaoi/Boys’ Love Manga Publisher Releases Two Acclaimed New Titles This June

SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate), delivers its first pair of print editions with the worldwide debuts of HONEY DARLING, by Norikazu Akira, and THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN, by Bohra Naono. Both new manga (graphic novel) are available now, are rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN.

Digital versions are available worldwide in a download-to-own format for $5.99 each from http://www.sublimemanga.com/, are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer, and also may be accessed via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

HONEY DARLING by Norikazu Akira • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN • Available Now!

Chihiro drifts through life with no purpose, going from girl to girl, until one day he finds an abandoned kitten in a box. He quickly falls in love with little Shiro and couldn’t imagine his life without her. One evening, Chihiro finds Shiro has fallen ill. While searching aimlessly for an animal hospital, he runs into Kumazawa, a local vet who takes Shiro into his care. Watching Kumazawa in action, Chihiro realizes he wishes to learn the value of life and asks Kumazawa to consider hiring him at the vet clinic. Kumazawa agrees, but only if Chihiro serves as his live-in housekeeper. Has Chihiro finally found his purpose in life, or will living with the handsome vet be a little too much to handle?

Norikazu Akira is also the creator of the manga series Twin’s Labyrinth, Heart Strings, and Beast & Feast.

THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN by Bohra Naono • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $12.99 US / $14.99 CAN • Available Now!

Way up in the mountains, far from any major cities or towns, Kaya Susugi runs a small café by day and guards a haunted cemetery by night. Then, one night, he comes across werewolf brothers Taro and Jiro. Cheerful but klutzy younger brother Jiro quickly falls head over heels for the capable loner Kaya. What results is a dive into the hot, tail-twitching delight of werewolf mating season!

Bohra Naono has created over 20 manga series, some of which have been adapted into drama CDs. She has also published “doujinshi” (independent comics) under the pen name of “NAIFU.” THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN is Bohra Naono's second English-language release, with her first being Yokai's Hunger.

“The summer heats up in a sexy way with our publication of THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN and HONEY DARLING in June,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN creator Bohra Naono is one of the most requested creators among yaoi fans. In THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN, readers will learn of all the strange things that go bump in the night at a foreboding cemetery as well as the love that binds two people together – even if one of them is a werewolf! HONEY DARLING is also not to be missed with its heartwarming tale of an unlikely love between a vet and his live-in housekeeper.”

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at http://www.sublimemanga.com/, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.


About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

SuBLime Website Offers Digital Boys' Love and Yaoi Manga

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime KICKS OFF 2012 WITH TANTALIZING DIGITAL OFFERINGS

Bold New Publisher Releases Acclaimed Boys’ Love Manga LOVE PISTOLS, OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES, THE BED OF MY DEAR KING, And HUSBAND, HONEYMOON

SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate) and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. (Libre Publishing), opens 2012 with a variety of notable new releases. Today, the company launches LOVE PISTOLS Vol. 1 by Tarako Kotobuki, HUSBAND, HONEYMOON Vol. 1 by Haruka Minami, OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES by Noboru Takatsuki, and THE BED OF MY DEAR KING by Sakae Kusama.

The new titles are rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and carry an MSRP of USD $5.99 each. The $5.99 purchase price offers fans digital access to two versions of each manga volume on http://www.sublimemanga.com/ – a downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, and via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

“Yaoi fans will not to want to miss this collection of exciting releases available now from SuBLime,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “Haruka Minami and Tarako Kotobuki are two of the most acclaimed creators within the genre. We invite fans to visit the SuBLime web site to take advantage of the speed and ease of digital download, and to further explore these titles.”

LOVE PISTOLS by Tarako Kotobuki • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $5.99 USD • Available Now
Norio Tsuburaya is just your average, regular high school student—until the day when he drives his scooter into a garden wall and wakes up with the ability to see zoomans! His eyes aren't the only things affected—his pheromones are working overtime, and all the hot beast breeds at school are looking to mate... with HIM! Just when he thinks things can't get any worse, his heavyweight schoolmate, Kunimasa, "marks" Norio as his! What's an in-demand premium to do? Series is known as SEX PISTOLS in Japan.

HUSBAND, HONEYMOON by Haruka Minami • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $5.99 USD • Available Now
Sakuya and Shuji are a couple of love-struck newlyweds. Shuji is a hard-nosed section chief who, unbeknownst to his employees, sneaks away on his coffee breaks to gaze lovingly at pictures of his sweet Sakuya. Sakuya, on the other hand, struggles with the simplest of household chores, desperate to please his loving, hardworking husband. With the sudden intrusion of a handsome next-door neighbor, Sakuya’s days are about to be just as stimulating as his sexy nights with Shuji!

OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES by Noboru Takatsuki • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $5.99 USD• Available Now
Oku-san is a normal office worker who has one joy in life, to fantasize about his local deliveryman, Sudo-kun. To feed his fantasies and his desire to see Sudo-kun, Oku-san habitually shops online filling his room with useless and sometimes very erotic things. It’s all pretty harmless until one day his neighbor Yokoshima finds out about his secret hobby. Caught between two hot guys—at least in his mind—will Oku-san be able to fantasize his way out of this one?

THE BED OF MY DEAR KING by Sakae Kusama • Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers • MSRP: $5.99 USD • Available Now
A suite of emotionally resonant, romantic stories told by a critically acclaimed manga creator. In “The Bed of My Dear King,” an electrician called to a remote job deep in the mountains discovers the startling reasons behind the behavior of the house’s lone occupant, an eccentric young sculptor. In “Cherry,” an overachieving high school student forms an unexpected bond with a laid-back classmate. And in “Flowers,” the secrets surrounding a tragic death lead to an unexpected, and poignant, resolution.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at http://www.sublimemanga.com/, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.


About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

Men of Tattoos/Dream Lover

I read Men Of Tattoos (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has comics).

Finder: Naked Truth

I read Finder Volume 3: One Wing in the View Finder (Yaoi) (See all Manga)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Finder: Body Chase, Unobtainable, DNA in Love

I read Finder Volume 2: Cage in the View Finder (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

FINDER: Target in the Viewfinder and Fixer

I read Finder Volume1: Target in the View Finder (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

I Reads You Review: WORLD’S END (Yaoi)

Creator: Eiki Eiki (cartoonist); Douglas W. Dlin (translation)
Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP; B&W, paperback, 232pp, $12.95 U.S.
Ordering Numbers: ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-766-1; ISBN 10: 1-56970-766-9

Drama/Romance; Rated “YA” for “Teens 16+”

World’s End is the sequel to the yaoi manga, Dear Myself. Both books are the creation of mangaka Eiki Eiki (Train Train). Dear Myself focused on Hirofumi Mizui, a freelance writer, and his possessive boyfriend, Daigo Furubayashi, a businessman and college freshman.

If I understand the story correctly (and I may not because I’ve never read Dear Myself), there is a third character in this scenario, a character known as “Alien Hirofumi.” At one point in the story, Hirofumi loses his memory, and he essentially becomes someone different from the real Hirofumi – thus the term “alien.” It is “Alien Hirofumi” who falls in love with Daigo. This Hirofumi writes “Dear Myself” letters so that when he regains his memories and goes back to being the “real” Hirofumi, he’ll have written memories of his time with Daigo.

As World’s End, a continuation and conclusion of Dear Myself, opens, Hirofumi and Daigo have been living together for a year. However, Daigo has become frighteningly possessive of Hirofumi and starts imposing restrictions on when and where Hirofumi can go. Determined to be independent, Hirofumi insists that Daigo not accompany him to a high school reunion. There, Hirofumi meets an old female acquaintance, Nanae Maeda, who may have romantic feelings for Hirofumi. Meanwhile, his psychological scars lead Daigo to taking drastic action for fear of losing Hirofumi.

This volume also includes the short story, “The Last Spring,” a side story to Dear Myself, featuring the amnesiac Alien Hirofumi. Here, Hirofumi worries that regaining his memory will mean losing the part of him that loves Daigo, so he makes a promise involving cherry blossoms. The only new story in World’s End is the short story, “The Next Spring,” a follow-up to “The Last Spring.”

Eiki Eiki is one of my favorite Boys’ Love (BL) creators. I love her drawing style and the sensibilities of her graphical storytelling, even when I’m not impressed by the core story and characters. This is straight melodrama, but what makes it work is character motivation. The fact is that the characters are selfish and self-centered, even in romantic relationships. They are so focused on their own good feelings and fear of pain, and that gives this drama some edge, as well as potent conflict, both internal and external. A love story that involves stalking, deception, and false imprisonment is a spicier read than a straight love story.

This book also includes stories featuring two more young couples. In “Kiss on a Honeymoon,” Fumiya Yoshino and Ayane Kumagai are a gay couple who married before they graduated from high school. However, school obligations kept the duo from honeymooning. Now, they’re trying to make the class graduation trip to Hawaii double as a honeymoon, but classmate, Takagishi, is a full-on cock block. What to do?

In “Papa’s 18,” former street punk Chiharu Daisawa is now a 20-year-old college student, and he wants his mother, Kayoko Daisawa, to be happy. He approves of her engagement to get married until he discovers that her fiancée is an 18-year-old kid just out of high school. This kid has even taken the family name and goes by the name, Noboru Daisawa. What’s worse to Chiharu is that his new “dad” is a sleepwalker who likes to get in bed with his new “son.”

“Kiss on a Honeymoon” is just a trifle, a cute BL story that really plays out like a high school shojo manga romance. “Papa’s 18” is funny simply because its not-so-farfetched scenario plays out with raunchy, mini-set pieces. There are so many possibilities here for outrageous and scandalous comedy that “Papa’s 18” should be a full-length graphic novel.

At 232 pages, World’s End is packed with entertaining boys’ love manga. None of it is great. Some of it is quite good, and even the average stuff can be entertaining.

A-

I Reads You Review: INVISIBLE LOVE (YAOI)

Creator: Rie Honjyo (cartoonist) with Vivian Chien (translator)

Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP, paperback, 184 pages, $12.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-770-8 (ISBN-13); 1-56970-770-7 (ISBN-10)

Rating: “M” for “Mature Audiences 18+”

Invisible Love is a yaoi manga short story collection from creator, Rie Honjyo. Eight stories focus on five couples, each couple a perfect match, except that love is having a hard time being seen or coming to fruition.

The title story, “Invisible Love,” and the stories, “Impossible Lover” and “Extra Time,” focus on Inori and Senou, longtime friends. Inori is a hound dog and lothario who sleeps with many women, but he is always being dumped by them. Senou is the best pal who listens to Inori’s complaints, but Senou has feelings deeper than friendship for Senou. What happens when they act on those feelings?

“In a Box with You” finds two roommates at a boys’ boarding school who enjoy mutual masturbation. Is something wrong with them, or is masturbating merely a prelude to a more meaningful relationship? In “The Warmth of Your Hand,” Takeru meets a pretty blond boy named Yukihiko. Takeru thinks Yukihiko’s doll-like face looks familiar, but at the bottom of his memory hole is a childhood accident… and maybe love.

Rie Honjyo is quite talented at cartooning the male figure. In fact, Honjyo has a knack for cartooning the male figure as gorgeous male models. Her work is like manga as fashion photography. However, all that pretty boy art does not translate into erotic comics or even romantic boys’ love manga. The stories in Invisible Love aren’t bad; they’re just average.

The exception is “In a Box with You,” which I find interesting. I’ve never before read a yaoi story in which the sex is mainly mutual masturbation. Reading the story, I couldn’t help but wonder if the relationship between the characters, Sugawara and Nishimura, is representative of how women imagine budding sexual relationships between young men to be.

I ask this because the story is visualized in a sensitive manner, featuring compositions that are emotionally evocative. All the sex scenes in this story are depicted in a manner to suggest that each youth is considering the other’s pleasure. Too bad all of Invisible Love does not go into such intimate detail.

B

Invisible Love (Yaoi)

I Reads You Review: LOVE LESSON (YAOI)

Creator: Hanae Sakazaki (cartoonist) with Translation by Design (translator)

Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP, paperback, 184 pages, $12.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-737-1 (ISBN-13); 1-56970-737-5 (ISBN-10)

Rating: “M” for “Mature Audiences 18+”

Love Lesson is a collection of yaoi manga short stories from Hanae Sakazuki. Six short stories follow six couples and sometimes their friends, associates, and former lovers as they deal with the very painful first steps of new romance.

The title story finds mild-mannered math teacher, Haruto Shirai, fending off the aggressive advances of Akira Akagi, who is also a popular actor. Akira needs after school help because he is behind on his homework assignments, and Haruto begins to care deeply about his new pupil’s academic success. Or is there more to his concern than just being a good and caring teacher?

In “Uncle and Me,” Tohma discovers that he and his granduncle, Kiyomi, get along better with each other than they do with the rest of the family. The truth is, however, that Tohma loves his uncle – really, really loves him!

In this collection’s longest story, “Don’t Love Me Tender,” we meet the bed-hopping Tomo Miyazawa, the young man known by his many of his one-night stands as the “manslut.” Now, Ryo Harada, a saucy bartender and fellow college student, starts romancing Tomo. Although Tomo is ready to sleep with him right away, Harada insists that there be no sex until Tomo falls in love with him. That infuriates Tomo, but it also causes him to examine why he acts the way he does.

Some of the stories in Love Lesson are merely typical yaoi in which male characters take on the traditional roles of a heterosexual romance. That pretty much describes “Love Lesson” and “Blame it on Spring.” Other stories, such as “Uncle and Me” and “Don’t Love Me Tender,” address the personal and, to a lesser extent, social issues facing a gay couple. In fact, these gay romances are more complex in dealing with romance, self-doubt, and matters of the heart than a story like “Love Lesson.”

Although the background art is about as good as it is in most yaoi manga, the figure drawing by creator Hanae Sakazaki has an awkward quality that lends itself to depicting the emotionally charged content of a story like “Don’t Love Me Tender.” However, the art does nothing for a standard yaoi tale like the title story. Overall, Love Lesson is a pretty good collection mainly because Sakazaki offers as much heart-wrenching romance as she does sex. This makes the entire volume seem not so shallow.

B+

BLU's You and Me, Etc.

I read You and Me, Etc.

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).  This is a Boys' Love title from BLU.

I Reads You Review: GREAT PLACE HIGH SCHOOL (YAOI)

Creator: Naduki Koujima (cartoonist); Sachiko Sato (translation)

Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP, paperback, B&W with some color, 164 pages, $12.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-747-0 (ISBN-13); 1-56970-747-2 (ISBN-10)

Drama/Romance; Rated “M” for “Mature 18+”

Great Place High School is a manga from Naduki Koujima, the creator of the manga series, Our Kingdom. The story takes place at a high school full of rambunctious boys and has elements of boys’ love (both shounen-ai and yaoi), bishounen, and high school comedy.

Great Place High School may be like most high schools, with a student body comprised of jocks and geeks and popular girls and not-so-popular girls. The focus, however, is the computer club known as the Information Management Club. There, control freak Ryouichi Tsuruga has to keep things in order, which is made difficult because he has to fend of the machinations of his ultra-vain twin brother, Naruhito.

The arrival of a new member, Minami Wakamatsu, a cute kid with a tendency to destroy electronic gadgets, only complicates matters. Naruhito has a cuteness fetish, and he begins to both harass and hit on Minami. But why should Ryouichi care, unless he also has strong feelings for Minami, whom the Tsuruga brothers feed and dote on as if he were a small pet.

Meanwhile, two other comic melodramas ensue. We learn the history between Student Council President Rin Amanohara and Vice-President Eichi Shidou who have been together since childhood. Also, people think Kotone Kimura and Suzune Kimura are identical twins. They are really first cousins whose mothers are sisters. One thinks they are rivals, but the other cousin thinks they should be romantic.

One of my favorite manga artists is Naduki Koujima because of her gorgeous art. She cartoons the human face with such skill that her characters are beautiful (or pretty like a girl) whether she’s drawing them straight or super-deforming them. I could make viewing Koujima’s comic book art a daily exercise in uplifting my spirits.

Great Place High School, however, is not a great manga, but it is offers light entertainment. It is a collection of short, short stories and several pages of four-panel, vertical gag strips. The Rin-Eichi stories are yaoi as they feature graphic depictions of sex between a male lovers. The Kimura stories are light-hearted shounen-ai boys’ love. The rest of this book is boys’ love comedy – more comedy than BL.

Most of Great Place High School is feel-good and cozy. One might even think of it as BL comfort food. Those who like me enjoy the eye-candy art of Naduki Koujima will want this comfort food.

B