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).

VIZ Media Announces New Yaoi Manga Line Called "SuBLime"

VIZ MEDIA PARTNERS WITH JAPAN’S ANIMATE AND LIBRE PUBLISHING TO LAUNCH SuBLime, A NEW YAOI MANGA LINE

North American Manga Publishing Powerhouse Launches A Bold New Initiative To Deliver Acclaimed Boys’ Love Titles Digitally And In Print To An Eager Fan Base

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced the launch of its highly anticipated new yaoi manga (graphic novel) line – SuBLime – which represents an innovative new partnership between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate) and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. (Libre Publishing).

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 on its dedicated web site at SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide. From the supernatural men of Naono Bohra’s tales of fantasy to the sexy actors portrayed in some of Youka Nitta’s best works, SuBLime will offer something for even the most discerning yaoi manga fan.

“The yaoi manga genre enjoys a sizeable and very passionate following, and the launch of SuBLime will give fans around the world an entirely new outlet that will deliver an exciting range of titles,” says Leyla Aker, Vice President of Publishing, VIZ Media. “We invite fans to join us as we prepare to bring some of the best new boys’ love manga titles to North America and beyond!”

“I’m very excited to open the way to providing boys’ love manga to fans all over the world,” says Shingo Kunieda, Director of Animate's Overseas Division. “There are many wonderful yaoi manga titles released every month in Japan, and we know that fans want to read them as soon as possible. We are always moving forward to find new ways of doing business, and by partnering with VIZ Media, we can make yaoi fans happy and release boys’ love titles as quickly as possible!”

Toshiko Ohta, President of Libre Publishing, concurs, saying, “Libre’s dream is to bring our content to yaoi fans around the world. In partnership with VIZ Media, this is now a reality. We look forward to readers’ support for SuBLime!”

SuBLime’s first round of digital manga titles are scheduled to launch this December, and will feature LOVE PISTOLS Vol. 1, by Tarako Kotobuki, and the North American debut of DANNASAMA TO MITSUGETSUCHU Vol. 1, by Haruka Minami. January 2012 sees the debut of OUSAMA NO BED, by Sakae Kusama, and in February, SWEET POOL Vol. 1, by Nitro+CHiRAL. Additional new titles slated for 2012 include SHIZUKU HANABIRA RINGO NO KAORI Vols. 1 and 2 by Toko Kawai, DEVIL’S HONEY by Isaku Natsume, KEKKON ZENYA by Kou Fujisaki, ADULT TEACHER WA OSUKI? by Kiu Aion, and YOKUBOU NO SHIZUKU by You Higashino.

SuBLime’s first print titles are scheduled to be THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN, by Naono Bohra, and HACHIMITSU DARLING, by Norikazu Akira, which will both be released in Spring 2012, followed by PUNCH UP Vol. 1, by Shiuko Kano, and AITSU NO DAIHONMEI Vol. 1, by Suzuki Tanaka, to be released in the Summer of 2012.

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 VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at http://www.viz.com/.

About Animate, Ltd.
From North to South, it’s by far the largest anime store chain in Japan! There are 100 shops across Japan, gathering countless anime-related goods to fire up the spirits of anime fans. It’s the go-to place for any anime-manga fan! Character goods from anime, manga, game, comics, art supplies… You name it! All anime/mange-related merchandise is available! Additionally, you can find original Animate goods, specials, etc. Furthermore, we have special events such as autograph sessions, panel discussions, campaigns, and more! Come to Animate filled with ‘dreams’ and ‘hope’!! See http://www.animate-world.com/ for more information.

About Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.
The biggest boys’ love publisher in Japan. The company name “Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.” is taken from the Latin base “Lib”, which can mean “Book” or “Liberty”. Such is the aim of our company, to be able to share this love of “books” and “freedom” by the unique contents of the works that we offer, for the enjoyment of our readers. See http://www.libre-pub.co.jp/ for more information (in Japanese).

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: 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+

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for March 2 2011

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
JAN110059 PREVIEWS #270 MARCH 2011 PI

COMICS
NOV101003 ABATTOIR #3 (OF 6) (MR) $3.50

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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

I Reads You Review: VANILLA, VOL. 2 (YAOI)

Creator: Riyu Yamakami (cartoonist); Sachiko Sato (translation)

Publishing Information: June Manga/DMP, paperback, 200 pages, $12.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-755-5 (ISBN-13); 1-56970-755-3 (ISBN-10)

 

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

Originally published in Japan in the late 1990s, Vanilla is a yaoi graphic novel from creator Riyu Yamakami. Under its Juné Manga imprint, Digital Manga Publishing released Vanilla in two trade paperbacks a few years ago. Vanilla is the story of a high school student, 17-year-old Ichiro Morio, who falls deeply in love with a new teacher, Yoshitaka Saeki, who doesn’t believe in declarations of love.

As Vanilla, Vol. 2 opens, Morio has broken past Mr. Saeki’s rough exterior, or has he? They knocked boots, but afterwards, Mr. Saeki is as callous as ever. Now, Kazuki Nakajima, a former lover of Saeki’s, has decided to make things even more difficult between Morio and Saeki by hitting on Morio!

This volume also includes a Vanilla Extra Episode, entitled “Pink Diamond.” This story takes place after Vanilla and tells the tale of how Kazuki Nakajima and Saeki’s butler, Yajima, became the pair known as the “Jima Duo.” Both discover that two people who seem to be very different are actually quite similar.

After a strong start, Vanilla doesn’t race to a passionate conclusion. It skips to a soft happily-ever-after ending. It’s still fun to read about the lovesick student pining away for his aloof, lover boy teacher, but as I read this, I got the idea that it was too short and that something was missing. What? I don’t know, perhaps, some heat. The chapter that leads off Vol. 2, “Scene 5” starts off with some passion, but the narrative quickly cools. The “Pink Diamond” novella is a bit livelier, mainly because Nakajima is so petulant and stubborn – in a charming way.

Vanilla isn’t exactly vanilla. In some ways it works like a romance novel, but there is just enough nuttiness and crunchiness to make Vanilla a bit different from everything else.

B+

I Reads You Review: VANILLA, VOL. 1 (YAOI)

Creator: Riyu Yamakami (cartoonist); Sachiko Sato (translation)

Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP, paperback, 192 pages, $12.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-754-8 (ISBN-13); 1-56970-754-5 (ISBN-10)

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

Vanilla is a yaoi graphic novel from creator Riyu Yamakami. Originally published in the late 1990s, Vanilla was published in two trade paperbacks by Digital Manga Publishing under its Juné Manga imprint a few years ago. The story focuses on a high school student just starting to accept his gay inclinations when he falls deeply in love with a teacher who does not believe in confessions of love.

Vanilla, Vol. 1 introduces high school student, 17-year-old Ichiro Morio, who is just one of the boys, except that he really isn’t. Morio’s friends are always talking about the girls they would like to “get with.” Morio is not really crazy about dating girls. He has his eyes on the new chemistry teacher, the cold and callous Yoshitaka Saeki.

Morio notices that Saeki is also indifferent towards the girls who throw themselves at him. Saeki, however, is not into romance and sentiment, so can the romantic Morio melt his teacher’s cool apathy?

Readers who prefer their boys’ love to be deeply romantic will love Vanilla. The lead character, Ichiro Morio, is old-fashioned in that he believes that romantic love must absolutely come before physical intimacy. He is practically scandalized by one-night stands and recreational sex in general. Thus, Riyu Yamakami gives the readers page after page of Morio thinking about love, his schoolmates’ lusts, and, of course, his aloof teacher. This is romance-shojo masquerading as yaoi because it is about young love more than it is about hot sex.

While this volume only has brief graphic depictions of sex between male lovers, the passion and yearning slowly simmers, constantly building up anticipation. In fact, whenever the characters share some physical contact, the narrative seems to explode with a burst of energy. I look forward to the next volume.

A-

http://www.junemanga.com/

I Reads You Review: CRUSHING LOVE (Yaoi)

Creator: Ritsu Natsumizu (cartoonist); Issei Shimizu (translation)

Publishing Information: DMP/Juné Manga; B&W paperback, 208pp, $12.95 U.S.

Ordering Numbers: ISBN 10: 1-56970-774-X; ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-774-6

Rated “M” for “Mature Audiences 18+”

Crushing Love is a yaoi manga short story collection from Ritsu Natsumizu. The stories focus on romantic love and passionate affairs. In each relationship, the romance is a burden on or creates a burden for one of the partners more than for the other – a crushing love.

The title story, “Crushing Love,” opens to find rich boy, Keiichiro Kuroda, still smarting over being the jilted lover. When his former lover, desperate for cash, asks for money, Kuroda agrees to give him the money (5 million yen), but he won’t make it easy. Kuroda sets up a game wherein he leaves the money in the park as a test.

The bag with the money in it, however, gets picked up by Kaoru Otowa, who is also desperate for cash. Although he initially plans to turn the money over to the police, Kaoru decides to leave to town for Kyoto in order to pay off his debt to Yukihiko Shingyoji, a shady businessman. Kuroda accosts Kaoru and then, decides to accompany him to Kyoto where a cat and mouse game between Kuroda and Shingyoji ensues – with Kaoru as the prize.

“Crushing Love” epitomizes the stories in this collection, stories in which love is a burden or puts a weight on a lover. In the title story, the weight is on Kaoru as the one who needs the money and because he believes that his debt is what stands in the way of real romance with Kuroda.

A better example of crushing love is “Purity and Tyranny of Love,” which is tied to “Crushing Love” by the character, Yukihiko Shingyoji, who is one of the romantic leads in “Purity.” In fact, this story actually takes place during “Crushing Love” and is a side story. This time, the burden is on Sei Aoyama, the son of a former Shingyoji family servant. Sei loves Yukihiko, and while Yukihiko flirts with Sei and has sex with him, Sei is unsure how real their relationship is.

All these stories play with the idea of uncertain love, in which one lover is unsure of his partner. In these stories, the uke (bottom) is both the girlish bishounen boy and the one plagued with doubts. Meanwhile, the seme (top), who is usually masculine, devilish, and a tease, happily enjoys the sex, but also slyly keeps his uke toy unsure about the seriousness of the relationship.

This collection is a good read, light and frothy. There is plenty of sex, but the drama is not serious. It’s a bit too melodramatic, like a gentle spoof of soap opera romance.

B

TOKYOPOP Adds Titles to DMP's Online Stable

Digital Manga Publishing and TOKYOPOP bring twelve new titles to eManga.com

Digital Manga, one of the manga industry's most unique and creative publishers, is proud to announce an online collaboration with TOKYOPOP, a leading manga publisher and pop-culture digital entertainment company. The partnership will launch with the addition of twelve new titles from TOKYOPOP's BLU Manga yaoi imprint to eManga’s online library.

The BLU Manga yaoi will be available for purchase through eManga’s online manga service, emanga.com, which streams content through an Adobe Flash player, allowing readers to access their library wherever they have an internet connection. Originally sold for $14.99 in print, the BLU volumes will be available on eManga.com for $5.99, making it more affordable than ever to read old and new favorites.

The first twelve BLU titles will include: Liberty Liberty! by Hinako Takanaga, Calling by Miu Otsuki, Croquis by Hinako Takanaga, Cute Devil by Hiro Madarame, Isle of Forbidden Love by Duo Brand, Blood Honey by Sakyou Yozakura, Love Knot by Lemon Ichijo, Madness volumes 1 & 2 by Kairi Shimotsuki, Scarlet by Hiro Madarame, Secretary’s Love by Tohko Akiba and Stray Cat by Halco.

For more information about our eManga system and to begin reading right away, visit http://www.emanga.com/ and click on the TOKYOPOP tab under "publishers".


About Digital Manga Publishing
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry's most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere - specifically through the licensing, importation and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company's imprint line includes DMP: its mainstream imprint, DMP PLATINUM: its classic manga imprint, JUNE´: its boys love imprint, 801 MEDIA: its adult boys love imprint, and DokiDoki: its exclusive co-publishing imprint with Shinshokan Publishing.

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit http://www.digitalmanga.com/ as well as:
http://twitter.com/digitalmanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/junemanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/801media
http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalmanga
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Manga-Inc/225333830592

About Tokyopop
Founded in 1997 by international media entrepreneur Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP established the market for manga in North America, introducing the term to the English language in the process. Over its history, TOKYOPOP has published over 3000 books, distributed anime and Asian films on home video and television, licensed merchandise to consumer goods companies, created graphic novels of major brands such as Warcraft, Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Hannah Montana, and led the way digitally in social media, e-commerce and user-generated content. TOKYOPOP’s brand expanded internationally with offices in Europe and Japan and a network of over 160 partners in more than 50 countries and 30 languages. Taking its Manga Revolution beyond the page, TOKYOPOP has begun producing live-action and animated film and television content based on its extensive intellectual property library, including Priest, Van Von Hunter, and another 20 projects currently in development, along with America’s Greatest Otaku, an 8-episode reality show filmed during its 2010 summer-long, 28-city national tour.

For more information, visit http://www.tokyopop.com/ as well as www.twitter.com/tokyopop and www.facebook.com/tokyopop.

The Secret of Madness

I read Madness Volume 2

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phone apps and they're FREE).  Madness is a yaoi title from BLU.

Waiting for Death

I read Yokan - Premonition (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has apps for the iPhone and Palm smart phones and they're FREE FREE FREE!)