1-en no Otoko
Man of 1 Yen

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Hi, guys.

"1-en no Otoko" was a nice manga to read, especially the first story, which portrays Sanjou-san, the private detective, and Masaki, the supposed millionaire who buys his partners. I fell in love with both at first sight, since besides possessing very good personalities, there is an inexplicable chemistry among them. The second story, on the other hand, did not excite me very much. It is that typical case of a person falling in love with his best friend, an extrovert and popular boy in his school days. I think it sucks, but if you like that sort of thing, voalá! The good thing about ... it is that their sex is more audacious. Finally, the last couple is related to the first story. I did not feel involved with them in any moment. Characters without personality, I would say. Art is beautiful -with an adult appearance, which I love -, I must admit. But if the story portrayed only the first couple, it would be a thousand times better.

Monden Akiko’s Man of 1 Yen was a fantastic read. With themes of compensation and reciprocation running through the 3 stories, there were plenty of chances for give and take. The semes were right up my alley (or so I wished). Sanjou, he’s such a protector; if only Masaki would relax a little, but his tendency for histrionics was rather endearing. I really wanted to hug Masaki and let him know that it was going to be alright. Fortunately for him, Sanjou was already on it. Then there was Kanji, the straightforward yet devious megane. Ume has it so good! I really like a man ... that can put you in your place and not make you want to gouge his eyes out once you realize what he’s done. I could really see Kanji patting Ume and saying, “don’t worry your pretty little head.” Lastly, there’s Kijima… who wouldn’t want to be ravished by him? Extra points for the katana and the sideburns! Poor Bon, yearning all these years. It’s like you knew, but you didn’t know. I think these two had the sweetest story.

Monden Akiko’s art has made it to my Drinkable Art list. Not only were the semes gorgeous, but the ukes were appealing as well. The facial expressions were on point and didn’t go over the top and the panels where the characters were embracing, reclining or just sitting at the bar were well proportioned and in proper perspective. The character interactions were entertaining and charming and the story lines were engaging and made me want to read more. She’s good at writing multifaceted characters. Unfortunately I’ll have to wait for Limiter, another yaoi title by Sensei, to be worked or licensed to get another taste. It’s a story about police detectives and revenge, but it includes some Man of 1 Yen extras. She’s more well-known for her josei titles and now that I have reconfirmed that I enjoy her writing style and humor, I’ll probably look into those as well.

All in all, I had a great deal of fun watching these couples trying to break even and I think you will too.

I haven't finished reading yet, but I had to stop just to review how fantastically in love with this manga I am. I really love reading yaoi manga, and sometimes it's beyond hard to find the stuff that I like, actual yaoi, without cross-dressing, or doe-eyed, 5 foot nothing, cutesy, crying, girly, young, ukes, that can't lift a finger, spend every other panel whining, etc, etc, I could really go on forever.

On the other hand, I don't really love the chunky men bara stuff either. So middle ground is hard to find and I definitely found it here. 1-en is good. The story line ... is , while not entirely original, a nice one and by no means overused. I love both characters, and I feel they're likable and real. The manga overall is 'real', I'm not sure if it's because it's newer and yaoi manga's finally catching up with the times, or if the writer is just fantastic, but it's good. If you're into yaoi without the cutesy, you should check this out.