May 20, 2024
This is one of those rare BL manga with a worthwhile story attached. It revolves around Fran, a former outlaw who found that life unfulfilling and became the sheriff of a small town in the middle of nowhere, his chance encounter with a Native American man, and his difficulty in escaping his past. Secondary protagonist Toto saves Fran from a slow death in the desert, despite not particularly wanting anything to do with him. (One element that i particularly appreciated was Toto’s fear that associating too much with Fran would cause him to lose his own culture, something that Native people struggled with in this
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time period.) Unable to get Toto out of his mind, Fran goes looking for him again, and the two develop a bond.
As far as romance goes, the romantic element is low-key – we don’t really see any of the common romance tropes – but the connection between Fran and Toto isn’t. Fran is able to open up to Toto about his past, something he could never do with the people he works for as sheriff. And while it’s never addressed why Toto is on his own, he too keeps coming back to meet Fran, rather than spending time with his own people. The question of why he’s alone is one i really wish had been addressed – are they gone? Is he an outcast? What happened in his past? But the question of his background and circumstances is the only problem i had with this story. There’s a poignance to these two lonely people coming together that is going to stay with me for a long time, and when they do have sex, it’s more about the emotional charge than the fanservice appeal.
This is hands down one of my favorite gay manga i’ve read, and one of my favorite Westerns (in any medium) that i’ve ever encountered. I would love to see this story adapted into a movie – it certainly has a happier ending than Brokeback! The art is fantastic, and i would definitely recommend this series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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