VOTE: Manga Review of The Month (MROTM) - March 2015

[aarinfantasy]

Please vote for your the review of your choice this month. You get 2000 points for voting.

Review #1:

TITLE: Kuma to Interi ~ Orso e Intellettuale (Bear and Intellectual)
ARTIST: Basso (Ono Natsume)


http://i.imgur.com/iFCaSxY.png

Basso-sensei brings us a collection of stories that oozes with well-dressed men and European settings.


ART
Sketchy art-style without the minimalistic elements popular among other authors; sensei uses a rough line to detail the characters’ gestures and background scenery. You can notice an almost rustic finish that is far from being unpleasant to look at, it rather highlights the character’s masculinity and the atmosphere’s intimacy.


CHARACTERS
They are men in their late twenties, thirties and above, and are recognizable by their professions, ambitions and their behavior with the people they relate to. Basso-sensei aims to create characters that resembles to actual men i.e. she doesn’t hesitate to nullify the misconception of characters defined only by their sex positions. Reversible is the norm and this doesn't endanger the protagonists' pride or their romantic development. Ultimately, the artist digs into their mundane concerns and insecurities which provide them with an air of realism.


STORIES
They take place in Italy; the first three oneshots are interconnected by characters related to politics. While the anecdotes are easy to follow, there’s space for comedy, introversion, a bit of violence and even a series of fortunate events. The variety of themes these men bring up while trying to convey their feelings, leaves you with a sense of having witnessed ordinary people making their daily lives ―a bear and an intellectual? That’s just a treat for starters.
The gelato, a typical Italian motif, is recreated in the next three stories; each snapshot will tell us about the romantic affair of a gay couple bonded by love but also by their gelato enjoyment.
To finish the journey, the last set of three stories will leave us wondering about how odd or unique could be love among mismatched couples.

An ideal read for those looking for high-quality BL.

Review #2:

Manga title: In These Words
Manga artist: Toga Q & Kichiku Neko
Manga cover picture:
Link: http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...b.jpg~original
Review: What first got my attention about In These Words was that gorgeous man in bondage in a few, rare manga panels I could eventually come across when browsing the web. Being the huge hardcore yaoi fan that I am, I always thought of looking for that manga until the fortunate day I found out it was surprisingly sold in my country.

I bought the first chapter and started reading it as soon as possible. The next evening, I just had to go back to that online store and buy all the other chapters available.

The story IS that good!

Revolving around a complex police case of serial murders, it is centered on Asano Katsuya, an investigative psychiatrist, deeply involved in bringing to light all the mysteries covering the case by facing its prime suspect, challenging Shinohara Keiji.

At the same time, Katsuya has to struggle against his own personal problem – terrifying vivid nightmares of psychological and physical torture.

Such an involving plot is told in a very elegant way, even having a very well written text-only introduction of some pages.

Its gorgeous artwork, different from what I'm used to, as a yaoi manga reader, has a more realistic trait to it, but in a pleasing and welcoming way. You just don’t get tired of looking at those panels again and again and admiring all their beauty.

Now about the sexual content, there’s a lot of it, but sex in this story comes with pain, suffering, humiliation and blood, so I DO NOT recommend it AT ALL, if you’re not comfortable with BLOOD, RAPE and EXTREME EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.

On the other hand, if you can deal well with it, or even are especially into it, you’ll have the pleasure of reading a thrilling, addictive manga.

[Yuuri Kirito]

It's tough this month. I like both reviews, and it's giving me the hard time.

I'll get back here later.

[Dr. Muraki]

Great reviews this month!

[angerbda]

voting for #1 after a lot of hesitation.
The two give a good idea of the story and the style...

[frano]

Both are really good and I like stories, as the art.

Voted...

[Dids]

Both reviews are excellent this month; both titles I have not read. Voted for #1 in the end as the structure of the review made it a logically-developed, effortless read~

[celtic7irish]

So, so hard to choose this month. I love them both! Only one of which I've read, though. The other is now on my list.

[takaakisan]

Great reviews for two interesting titles which I still have to read.

Hard choice......but voted!!!

[kerlyness]

This was a hard vote, as both reviews were very well done. I eventually went with #1, with my love of section headings, but if this had been the Olympics (of manga-reviewing), the difference was less than 30 seconds! Great work, both reviewers!