Aiso Tsukashi is the story of Sawaragi featured in the manga Takaga Koi daro, and focuses on the aftermath involving his prison days.
Kyousuke Sawaragi has had enough of his yakuza lifestyle and decides to make a clean start once he's released from prison for sake of those he holds dear. He is unwilling to let anything from past impact his decision; even a boy in prison whom he took a liking to deep in heart, but turns a cold shoulder against without second thoughts. Years later, their fates entwine and the same boy Shuuya crosses his path again. When Sawaragi intervenes to save Shuuya from his distressed state, he has no intention to make it a permanent habit. What he doesn't understand is that living in denial can only go so far. Little by little, Shuuya chips away at the restraints Sawaragi set on his life and thus began their struggle for love.
Although it's a fairly well written story with good development and beautiful art, I couldn't help but notice there's a certain dullness in story which fails to leave the reader truly engaged. Sawaragi pretty much keeps a straight face in every situation which makes him mature but sometimes bland character. For someone who has faced numerous hardships, Shuuya has a maturity level of a toddler. Perhaps a lot was covered in one volume, but the plot could have been more interesting. It's hard for me to rate this manga anything lesser than perfect given that it's a work by two of my favorite artists, but I really couldn't appreciate it as much.
Apart from these let downs, I still think it's a good manga to read and deserves a chance.
Here comes the story of Tatsuyuki Oyamato, a young and handsome yakuza that doesn’t want to inherit the leadership of his group. Even though his caretaker is always chasing after him trying to bring him up into a man among men, Tatsuyuki only wants to fool around and ease the pain of his broken heart. One day, he’s sent to Fukuoka just to find himself involved into a pretty awkward situation.
Sounds exciting? Of course not, you'll probably think this is your run-of-the-mill yaoi manga. The same old premise, the same old settings, why exactly would someone want to read this? Appart from the detailed art that makes the characters' muscles stand out nicely, you might find amusing how the mangaka mixes up the formula, that is, a strong uke paired up with an equally strong seme. Not enough? what about seeing a beautiful but whiner seme whitout being dumb, cheesy or simply annoying? If you don’t like that type of puppy-like-semes, fret not! because this seme is cool enough to accept the source of his feelings and talk about it with his partner.
I recommend this book if you want a light comedy with lots of smut. Definitely a must for those who enjoy clear-cut seme/uke pairings and for those chasing new takes on these traditional roles. Despite being cliché in that sense, this story leaves you with that lingering feeling of “somehow these guys aren’t quite stereotypical”.
Give it a shot! it’s now available in english via Renta! and if you end up liking it, you will adore the CD drama featuring Satou Takuya, Okitsu Kazuyuki and Shingaki Tarusuke. Performing quality ensured, it’s a top notch treat for your ears~♥
06-23-2016, 11:52 PM
kerlyness
Both reviews were good, but #1 had just that much clearer language to nudge itself to the top. I admire that you were willing to to give a balanced review and point out some flaws.
06-24-2016, 11:58 PM
laketica
*peers in* Yay! Two reviews to pick from! :twinkle: While the writing style of review #1 was more eloquent and had fewer errors, I eventually selected review #2 because it was more of a review (and a well written one, at that). I have not read either title but I had a clearer picture of what to expect with review #2. That being said, both are great reviews of different style! Hope to see more from both critics, thanks for the reviews! *goes off to read more porn yaoi*
