Back to Bambikill's Profile Bambikill's Profile

This title might be the most fitting one for a manga, ever. Because complex it is. And absolutely frickin' amazing.

This work proves the proverb that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Literally.


It's been on my (huge and constantly growing) read list for many years. I added it because of the raving reviews but I just haven't been able to muster up the motivation for reading it--since the cover of volume one was so extremely offputting to my taste in comic art.
But in the name of research for recommendations to others--I decided to finally get it over with and read it.
I ended up ... reading all four volumes in one go, in the middle of the night.

SUCKERPUNCH!

It's official, I'm a shallow idiot.



I have never been so floored by a manga. (Except for Dokuro Yaryuu's "Endless World". Do NOT miss that one either.) The emotional rollercoaster it took me on, was so massive that I couldn't stop crying for a good while after finishing it. It's truly one of the best mangas I have ever read, all genres, and there is no doubt whatsoever that this is a 10/10 for me.
At the very least, I can confidently say, that this is one of the most BEAUTIFUL stories I have ever come across.


Before straying into my very long and philosophical review, I want to start by saying that reading this manga, one has to make the choice to overlook a couple of very disturbing things--but I still think that it's an absolutely essential read.

This work has one MAL's highest ratings among BL mangas--8.44/10--and it deserves an even higher one. It has some flaws, but as a whole, I can't call it anything but a masterpiece.



Before explaining why I think it's so amazing (my thoughts about the general stuff concerning this piece, are below this long pondering upon the content of disturbing elements);

I need to properly address the one thing that I find disturbing and wish wasn't there--but which also is the thing that leaves me brooding over the reason it's there in the first place--if I'm misinterpreting the intentions of the mangaka.

Pushing for this title is a rare exception to my moral standpoint of never recommending anything that involves shota in general--and sexual abuse of children in particular. However, when an artist chooses to include these types of things, it's a question about the intent, IMO.

I always hate seeing it, but there's a big difference between it having a valid reason for being in the story--as opposed to being exploitative and gratuitous. It's a very heavy subject and it needs to be handled in a serious and responsible way. I can't even begin to describe the disgust and anger I have towards the people who appreciate, read and support shota manga and anime. All people have their kinks, but when that kink is the actual sexual abuse of children, the fans need to take a serious look at their preferences.

I dislike any manga/anime art where characters of legal age look like children if the work contains even the smallest hint of sexual content, but I can take it as long as it's made clear that the characters are of legal age. But "real" shota is an entirely different story.



*** MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD--plus a trigger warning. ***



(HEAVY TRIGGER WARNING for graphic sexual abuse of children, in two chapters:

Vol. 1, ch. 1: Sexual abuse of children (11 year-olds), by a teacher. The disturbing content is connected to the chapter, so kind of a need-read. Skip those particular more graphic pages, if you're really disturbed by it. The whole incident is unnecessary but at least it's depicted as a crime. (Although taken far too lightly, IMO.)

Vol. 2, ch.7: The same teacher, at a later time, sexually abusing a very young boy (we're talking, like five-six years old...) My advice is to skip this chapter altogether if you can't stomach it. It has absolutely no point for the main story so you won't miss anything crucial. It's just a one-shot with the teacher.)


So--what about the intent of these elements?

At first, I was pissed and raging about the discomfort of having something so disgusting tainting this wonderful piece. My opinion was that this mangaka did not justify the content of abuse, but I still felt that I was willing to (reluctantly) overlook it since it's only a very small portion of the story and to condemn this amazing manga on the grounds of that one (albeit huge) minus, would be unfair and simply put: a huge loss.

But then, when describing it to a friend, I started thinking.

It doesn't make sense that a storyteller that can create a story with such depth and complexity, would haphazardly shove in gratuitous, disturbing child pornography. But she did. Why? There has to be a reason. All the more so, considering how graphic the abuse is. It's revolting.
So why the heck is it there?

I haven't got the slightest clue if my intuition might be on to something--but I started thinking about those scary misconceptions that some homophobic people have. That tiresome old thing about not wanting gay men around your children, because you're convinced that they're all child molesters and pedophiles. (No, a pedophile and a child molester are not the same thing. Far from all pedophiles ever even touch a kid. Google it.)
The teacher is portrayed in a humorous way, but it doesn't in any way mask what a lewd predator he is. The way he expresses himself is frighteningly unabashed, giving us detailed descriptions of what he wants to do to kids and how his schemes will allow him to do it.

The more I think about it, the more I get the feeling that Manda wanted to show how fucked up it is to compare abusive monsters, to normal men who just happen to be attracted to other men, by shocking the hell out of us--contrasting this teacher from hell with the loving, gentle main characters.


Well, no matter the reason for the disturbing abuse scenes, I still urge others to not miss out on this story, since it's absolutely unique in its narrative.



STORY AND CHARACTERS:

This piece starts where other romance stories usually are close to their conclusion. "Fall in love, confess, some trouble comes their way, things work out, happily ever after."

But that's when "Complex" really gets into a higher gear. We get to follow these guys throughout their whole lives. As children, as teens, as adults, as aging men--through all the stages of a human life. The dreams of a kid; the careless teens and the buzz of first true love; the exciting first steps into independence and finding your path in life; maturing and shaping into an adult when trying to handle life-altering choices and their consequences.

It addresses all those things that are so easily ignored in many BL stories--confusion about your sexuality, figuring out how to adapt to a relationship that deviates from the societal norm. Coming out, facing not only acceptance but also prejudice. The heavy decisions and sacrifices you eventually will have to make, no matter with path you choose, in a society that won't allow you to have both your sexual preference and a family of your own, nor bend the rules of convention: you made your bed, you have to lie in it--no room for a middle ground. (I can't explain that last part closer than that, without spoiling a major part of the plot.)



But more than about gay relationships, it's about human relationships. Romance, family, friends, colleagues, children, and parents. We love, we hate, we fight, we break up--and sometimes find our way back. No matter how much we love someone, we can make mistakes and hurt them. We can find ourselves loving more than one person--in different ways, but none less than the other. Sometimes things don't go as we would have wished for, nor planned--sometimes shit just happens. There are love and joy, there are grief and loss. Life has its ups and down and things aren't as simple as they are in manga... We can just try to make the best of life--since we only have one.

We should be thankful if we have the privilege of getting to walk through this one life together with people who love us as we love them. Family by blood--or family we have chosen.
If we are lucky, we might find someone to hold our hand--that someone who only comes along once in a lifetime--and experience that unconditional love that seems to last through every storm and never fades, no matter how much time passes or how many times we part ways and find our way back.



Another thing I really appreciate is how this story has a different take on the whole thing about labels and how a person's sexual preferences and feelings can overlap in different ways--or not overlap. Where goes the line between friendship and romantic love? What is it, exactly, that ultimately decides which way we go when the feelings are in the grey zone?

Here we see a different version of the "gay for you" thing. Here, it's not a cop-out to avoid being labeled "fag," but rather about love so strong that it could've gone either way--friendship or romance. In one instance, it tilts one way, in another, it tilts the other. And both are fine.


Also, I commend the fact that this story allows for something that's rarely seen--the right to change your mind. Or rather: the right to discover new things about yourself-- whenever in your life it might happen. Not everything is written in stone. This is something that I've noticed is totally taboo, both in the straight and the LGBTQ community, but especially so in the latter.

It's much more accepted that a (thought they were) straight person realizes late in life that they're actually gay or bi--than for someone who has always identified as gay, to realize later in life that they are actually bi. (I can't really imagine that it's very common that one would identify oneself as gay from a young age and then suddenly come to the insight that they're straight, considering the heteronormative society we all live in--it's a completely different thing to feel sudden attraction to the other sex later in life, if you've exclusively been attracted to the same sex, before.) It's kind of a "you traitor!" mentality. This is prejudice and bigotry--and this from people who really should understand how it feels to be prosecuted for whom they happen to love.

I personally have known several people who've always considered themselves to be gay, but suddenly fell in love with someone of the opposite sex. One of them, a "used to be" gay man, got a lot of flak from many around him, when he, at age 35, married a woman and got two kids. Although seldom being able to agree about anything, here, the LGBTQ people and the straight people all said in unison: "He's faking it, he's a fag, you can't wash that out--he's just trying to be normal."
He himself simply says that "I just didn't know that I was bi since I until then had never before been in love with, nor felt attracted to, a woman."

What you know at one point, might change at a later time, because you just don't know what the future brings. Of course, I don't mean that it's impossible to know for sure--many do. Perhaps even most. But not everyone.



Obviously, a manga consisting of only four volumes could never depict every minute of a whole human life, but somehow, this story manages to catch all those moments that build the frame, letting us fill in the blanks. The years roll by fast, but it doesn't matter since you feel the time between those glimpses.

The chapters are named by their age at that specific time, and it feels like looking through someone's photo album, all the moments that were important enough to be caught on film. Picture by picture, they grow up and age, every single snapshot carefully is chosen to highlight different defining times in their lives, to convey just about every single possible human emotion. The character development is nothing short of amazing--most likely thanks to the unique narrative. One would think that by showing only anecdotal moments of their lives would give less insight into the characters, but instead, it's the opposite.

When you're there, you're really there. At moments, Manda tells whole stories with just one single panel--cleverly chosen to convey so much more than the picture itself. The way the mangaka has weaved all these little pieces of a puzzle together--is visual storytelling at its finest--true craftsmanship.

The beginning is quite choppy and a bit rushed, but the story grows for every chapter, pulling you in more and more--maturing in pace with its characters. (And its creator.)


Towards the end, it's among the finest pieces of drama you will ever encounter. If some of the last chapters don't leave you in tears, your heart is made of stone.
Any reader, of any age, will appreciate this story, but perhaps one needs to have a few years of life experience, to fully comprehend the weight of some of the themes.



ART:

The art is... well, it's ugly. Super classic 90's shonen manga art--in all its glory.
You'll feast on people that all look like they have hydrocephaly and underbites, hair that grows in ways that defy all logic, yaoi chins and eyes the size of saucers.

In all fairness, the art does get nicer along the way. A lot nicer. And when you think about it, you realize that the style, for the most part, probably is an artistic choice. Because it is pretty realistic further on in the manga. In a distorted kind of way. Manda does know her way around anatomy and proportions, fairly well. But it's never exactly... pretty.

But it's okay, the story makes up for it a thousandfold.



WHY YOU HAVE TO READ IT:

I don't think any manga I have ever read, has affected me this deeply, on so many levels. I have read other amazing stories, that have made me bawl my eyes out and touched me deeply--but "Complex" is in a class of its own. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it breaks my heart and it makes me incredibly happy. I'm there, every step of the way, throughout the lives of Junichi and Tatsuya--loving, laughing and crying with them.

Even with its (small) flaws--this is nothing short of an epic.


This isn't just a slice of life--it's a whole lifetime. So it's complex.

This piece by Nakamura Asumiko, is probably one that will be misunderstood--and therefore ignored or put down--by many people who read it.


"Boys Love" is not as much an actual story, as it is a comment on society and the hardships of same-sex love. In just a handful of pages--glimpses of a romance, accompanied by sparse and vague dialogue--these two nameless boys tell the universal tale of countless people who happen to love someone of the same sex. A short little tale with a huge innate meaning.

I find it very hard to decide by which factors I should rate it. But I guess I'll go ... by the importance of the message + the artistic qualities in terms of construction and art.


If read as a story, it could be perceived as rather pointless--just an impersonal and shallow look at two boys falling in love, having an emo conversation. Just an excuse for some fine art and fanservice. But I think that the mangaka thought much bigger than that when drawing this work. She doesn't sell cheap.

At first, the title fooled me. Even though I'm a big fan of Nakamura, I'd put off this one, since the title felt "meh" to me. However, when I was checking for works I might have missed by my favourite mangakas, I looked it up. I couldn't really believe that it would be as stupid as it sounded since I value her stories highly. And it wasn't.


I guess Nakamura Asumiko doesn't really need to be introduced to fans of BL. She's one of the brightest stars in the genre--with good reason. Even if she works with a great array of genres, she's probably best known for her BL stories, of which many are already classics.

What I find extraordinary about her, is her impressive versatility. She can do everything from sweet shounen-ai to disturbingly dark, mature stories--and master both. In "J no Subete" she told the intricate life story of "J", a tale that spanned over decades, dealing with heavy themes and serious issues. In "Double Mints" she went all out and dug out the darkest and most twisted sides of the characters and their screwed up love. "Doukyuusei", its sequels and other stories orbiting around the characters from it, are sweet enough to make your teeth hurt--but even in those, there are underlying themes of serious nature. Destructive relationships (Koma's past), morals vs. feelings regarding love between teacher and student, questioning why--or why NOT to--come out to loved ones, etc.


Her anchor to reality is always there, no matter how cute some of her stories get. A reality that isn't all that rosy for LGBTQ people. In "Boys Love", Nakamura uses her art and storytelling for social critique. "Why is one love acceptable and not the other?"

It's already there in the title, "Boys Love". The very epitome for describing what kind of story it is, blatantly telling you; this is boy on boy romance. But when put into the context of social commentary, the title gets a different substance.

The boys have no names, we know nothing about them, we don't NEED to know anything except two emotions; Love--and fear.

Comics are about pictures meeting words, taking the best of two worlds and merging them to create another dimension to storytelling. The art is usually the foundation since, well, it's comics. (And I won't dwell on that bit--Nakamura is an amazing artist and brought a whole new feeling to the BL genre with her exquisite and unique style.) Too much dialogue can feel tedious--but on the other hand--too little can make things confusing. This little one-shot was confusing at first, I had to read the piece twice and think about it a bit before I could put words on my feelings when reading it.

The--seemingly detached--dialogue and the visuals co-exist while they still tell separate tales. The pictures, by flashback, tell a story of love--while the words, a voice-over, tell of angst and guilt. At first, I wasn't quite sure of what I thought about the concept, since the repetitive and narrow dialogue kind of distracted attention from the art--but in the end, I liked it. It enhances the contrast between heart and logic, what couldn't be stopped but always will have a shadow lurking behind it. The words that were slightly annoying--instead became sort of like a mantra. A desperate attempt to convince each other, convince themselves. Although unable to resist--always hesitating.

One wishes that all love should be like those visuals, that the dialogue wouldn't be necessary. No one should have to constantly be aware of the huge negative impact that their love will bring. In a straight romance, that dialogue wouldn't be there. It would only be the pictures. For someone gay, that dialogue will never disappear, it will always be there, no matter how sweet the pictures are.



The world desperately needs a change, and it's not only the general public that needs to reflect on their part of the problem. Far too many BL-fans prefer to live in the fantasy, avoiding the "sad ones", without ever giving thought to the real-life people that these stories are really about. The truth is that being LGBTQ in most of the world is completely unacceptable, often criminal, and can get you socially--or literally--lynched, jailed or even executed. We might think that Japan is modern in all aspects--but definitely not in this matter.

Being gay in Japan means you can't get married nor even have a registered partnership. You can't adopt children (as a couple). Your relationships are not acknowledged by law no matter if you've been together for 50 years--so you have no rights to social security/insurance/inheritance/etc related to spouses/partners. Your citizen rights may in some aspects be trampled on without repercussion for the other party (for example, businesses such as hotels/restaurants etc, may refuse you service if they so wish, your employer can fire you, your landlord can kick you out etc.) You will be socially shunned and often lose your job, family, and friends.

In my opinion; if we swoon over BL, we should also take part of the responsibility to make a change--if so only by stating our opinions loud and clear and try to make others see it, too. So, have YOU?

"Yasashii Anata" is a sadly overlooked and grossly underrated gem of a love story. I have no idea why so few seem to have discovered it because it's a damn shame to miss out on it. If you like good stories, you really shouldn't.


Perhaps its anonymity is because it's low key, it's mature, the art is of a more humble and simple kind--or perhaps it just drowns unnoticed in the flood of loud and flashy mainstream yaoi. Titles that rely solely on what they have to tell, have a hard time attracting attention when competing against aggressively marketed works by pop mangakas. Nishida Higashi is ... definitely no rookie in the business, but I guess her simplistic style makes her stuff kind of invisible amongst the colourful covers of the bestsellers.
I just wish that more people would discover the hidden little diamonds that lurk in the background, and not just focus on the easy-chew stuff.


Even if I'm delighted to see that the winds have been changing in recent years, giving room for a lot of fresh stuff and new reading experiences (not to mention fabulous art styles), the BL manga scene is still far too dominated by more or less superficial crowd-pleasers. (That also feed the tiresome and sad stereotypical portrayal of gay guys.) The best selling titles are mostly ones that lack in any true depth--light-weights that are designed for a quick and amusing read. On the other extreme, we have the explosive popularity of super dirty stuff. Don't get me wrong--I, too, read a lot of that type of BL. I don't hate it. (Most of it, anyway.) But I get tired of it really fast. I want variation. Some of the BL from recent years have both stories AND cuteness overload and/or smut--but it's still pretty rare to get it all in one package. (However, I've noticed that even the old long-running stereotypical series have begun to add a bit more serious themes. I'm overjoyed!)

I'm a very picky reader, especially when it comes to my drug-of-choice-genre BL. When looking at my average ratings--I'm harsh in my judgments, to say the least. But all types of BL have their place in the assortment, and there are titles that I really appreciate, from all of them.
When I want cutesy--I read cutesy. When I want smut--I go for smut. When I want storytelling--it's much harder to find. (Of course, there are many out there. Problem is--I've already read a considerable part of the ones available.)


*** Very slight spoilers in the following parts of the review ***



I recently stumbled over "Yasashii Anata" just by happenstance, when digging around for more BL with deeper stories. Based on the very sparse and generic info given on MAL, I didn't expect much, but I was SO wrong... After a pretty much paint-by-numbers take-off for a typical yakuza-BL, it developed into something entirely unexpected and became one of my all-time favourites.


The plot isn't really anything of great magnitude and complexity--on the contrary, it's a pretty simple and clear-cut one. The theme and angle isn't really anything that hasn't been done before. However, what's different about this one, is how it gets to you. This has to be one of the most heartfelt love stories I have ever read. So low-key, yet so filled with emotion. Even if the setting and plot have bearing for the development of the story, the core here lies in the feelings and relationship between these two men, and how well the mangaka manages to portray that. You get it all; the initial magnetic attraction, the butterflies in your stomach when crushing on someone, overwhelming passion, and profound love.

For a single volume story, it's pretty rare that you really get to know the characters this well, which IMO is proof of the talent of Nishida as a storyteller. She weaves in little stuff that makes you feel that the characters are real people, living real lives. Like how she uses something as unusual as a song as the very frame and spine of the story, or them sending cell phone pictures of the sky to each other. Those little things that just about anyone who has been in love, can relate to.

She's also rather good at using the art as a plot device instead of just illustration. Aside from the fact that I think she has a very good feeling for constructing panels that tell whole stories by themselves, I really like her art style from an aesthetic point of view. I appreciate mangakas from many different styles, but you can't really go wrong with this clean, classic and uncomplicated art. It's realistic, tidy and pleasing to the eye. Nothing exceptional, just timeless and well drawn. What's more compelling to me, is the before mentioned talent for creating interesting panels and contents that give additional depth to the characters' personalities and feelings, the situations and the story progress.
"A picture tells a thousand words", right? That is--if you do it right.
Really good comic art shouldn't necessarily need any dialogue or text at all, to get the point across.

I draw myself, so I pay a lot of attention to the art in the comics I read. A lot of the time, it's not very interesting from an artistic POV, no matter how skilled the artist is at actual drawing. There are pictures that accompany the dialogue. Period. The kind of art that gives you the gist; "oh, he/she's sad because his/her expression is sad", or; "they're interested in each other because they're blushing and glancing at each other", step-by-step progress that actually just drags stuff out and takes up valuable page space and so on. Planning a smart storyboard isn't that easy, but one would expect that a professional comic artist should master that...
There's also the kind where it DOES tell a lot, but too obviously so--making it in-your-face. I'd much rather discover and interpret things myself. That makes for a much more interesting read.
Then there are some mangakas, that have that knack for actual comic art--who don't need to plaster flowers, bubbles, and dreamy haze all over the pages in order to make the reader understand what the character is feeling.



As for the characters--well, the guys are endearing and I really like them, but for me, their relationship dynamics are more important than their personalities. And this is EXACTLY what I want. These are two normal (well... except for their "profession", perhaps...) men who are equal and treat each other with respect. They are manly, they are built similarly--pretty much like most men are, they look like most men do. Good looking, but pretty normal. Pretty much like MEN in general are. So in other words--they are like GAY men in general are.

There is none of that exhausting seme-uke trope crap (and by that I mean the stereotypical molds and roles, not the actual sexual positions) and that's soooo nice. The number of mangas that portray these realistic gay guys and real relationships are increasing in the genre, thank god. There is room for all kinds of personalities and relationship dynamics in BL, just as there is in real life, but when unhealthy, unequal and more or less degrading/abusive roles and clichés are a norm and standard in the genre--that's something that should be considered to be seriously disturbing.
But these two guys are the exact opposite of that, and the way they are two people on equal footing in their relationship--should be an inspiration to all other BL-mangakas. (I wish...)

I also appreciate how Nishida put in a quite real, but seldom explored issue that sometimes arises in life--how do you solve the problem if both are fixed on set sexual roles and reluctant to change? Actually, most gay guys I've known are versatile regarding batting positions, but obviously not everyone. So what happens when you get two people who prefer the same role? If it's just casual sex, it should be easy--just say "sorry, no thanks" and find someone more suitable. But if there's love involved, the matter is trickier.
Solution; if you really love someone, then it's not such a big deal to adapt to the situation. In real life, that is.

In BL it's more or less always a given who's a no-exception-bottom and -top. Period. No discussion, no hesitation, apparently it's just "obvious".
There is no chance in hell that the set top would ever bend over for his BF. (That goes for 99 % of BL mangas). In the few stories where the issue even arises, it almost always turns into some kind of supposedly "funny" scene where one party is begging--only to be ridiculed. If someone is 100 % hell-bent on one position or the other, that's just fine--but please, ffs, all authors out there--at least in some way show that it's something that both parties involved are content, and in agreement with. Don't just treat it like it should be a given, based on looks, personality or demeanor.
In this story, the set sexual roles the characters previously had had--becomes a tool to further depict their feelings for one another--that in the end, love (and mutual desire) proved to be of greater importance than who
gets to be on top.


"Yasashii Anata" isn't THE best BL work I've ever read, but it does rank very high for me because it got to me emotionally. The story of these two men engages me and touches me.
My 10´s are reserved for very few works (although, I'd like to point out that I grade a work by the intention of the story. If it's smut, it's smut--if the intent is "porn", then it doesn't necessarily need any story at all--and can still be worth a 10--from the perspective of what the point of the work is meant to be. If it's meant to be porn and it's good porn--then it can be a 10. If the point is to tell a real story, then it needs
to be a good story in order to deserve a 10) but I have no problem grading this work with an overall 9.
I don't really have a single thing to complain about and the only reason I don't give it a 10, is because it would have been even better if it had had, say, two volumes--so that the plot could develop even slower and creep even deeper into your heart.

I have absolutely no idea how the rating can be as low as 7,29 (as of the moment I'm writing this) when there is pop crap that scores close to 9. Absolutely incomprehensible.



This story is low-key, pretty uncomplicated and in terms of plot--not very exceptional. But it's still one of the most engaging and touching love stories I have read in BL--and very, very beautiful in all its simplicity.
If to compare it with other works and mangakas, the works of Hidaka Shoko comes to mind--the same type of gently and lovingly told tales, with the same type of soft and graceful art.

So... if you are looking for something a little bit more mature (yet still crazy sweet), this might be something for you.

This is not a yaoi, this is a love story.


*Might contain very, very slight spoilers (not IMO really, though)*

I seldom give out tens, especially in a genre like Yaoi, where the stories are seldom deeper than knee high and are sweet as candy, but this story goes above head height and leaves you treading water.
I rate a manga after the genre it belongs to - a 10 in a comedy means that it's a qualitative comedy even though a drama might be of a higher all in all quality as a work.
"Sojou no koi wa nido haneru" is a ... brightly shining star in both the category yaoi as well as in drama. Because it doesn't really matter if you're into boy-on-boy-love or not - the topic of love is universal and anyone with a romantic view on life and experience of a broken heart, would be able to relate to the struggle between Kyoichi and Imagase to make their relationship work. Because it's a struggle between them, not by them - and it hurts - boy does it hurt. I AM a crybaby when it comes to romance, but it has to be believable, otherwise it won't touch me.
This touches me.

Mizushiro Setona has created a painful slice of life which really goes deep under your skin and affects you. I was impressed already by the prequel "Kyuuso wa cheese no yume wo miru", where the couple met and developed their relationship, but this is even better.
The story starts out clichéed but quickly turns into a deep view into a complex relationship. Not at all like all the stories where everyone brushes off homosexuality as "nothing" and completely acceptable.
This portrays the struggle in questioning oneself regarding sexuality and societal acceptance of homosexuality - something that is truly taboo in many cultures and very much still so in Japan. Coming out and even realizing one's feelings towards someone of the same sex, must be tough even when living in a country where it is common and pretty much accepted and even tougher in a country where it's looked upon as abnormal and shameful.
I live in Sweden and here it's not a big thing at all, it's almost fashionable being gay and HBTL-culture is common in media and society as a whole. Gay people are able to get married, even in church nowadays. They are allowed to adopt children and they live their lives openly and without persecution or prejudice (of course some individuals are always opposed). I have a lot of acquaintances and friends who are gay, lesbian, bisexual (I am Bi as well and don't regard it as a big deal at all and have been completely open about it since I was 14 or so - my parents haven't cared about it all, neither have anyone else I know, it's no more weird than having... dyed hair or a piercing or glasses or whatever) and transsexual as well and I have never thought much about it.
I am a strong advocate for global HBTL rights and I don't think at sexual orientation as more than a personal trait just any other, BL is just my personal kink.

With all this, I am trying to put words on what I feel in reading something that takes homosexuality on and emphasizes the stigma and fear of being ridiculed, avoided, despised and not accepted.
The manga even mentions the unability to list a gay partner as a beneficiary in Insurances - a very real problem. Japan does not recognize a same sex relationship as any more than a friendship and gives no rights to a partner who in every aspect of the word is a spouse, other than by paper.
How is it to try to come out as living with and loving a man, in a society like that? It has to be hard. Very hard.
Still, Kyouichi's feelings for Imagase are strong enough for him to try to take wobbly steps towards that goal.

Their characters are well drawn out and complex -they feel like real persons with all their good and bad sides - the story woven carefully to tell an angsty and bittersweet tale of love and life.
A rather slow paced journey with twists and turns that still goes it's route - I am amazed at how the author manages to tell so much in so little space as two single tankobons - I feel like I've witnessed a long piece of someone's lives, not just a tiny glimpse.

The art is not all that good in the first volume, but it increases remarkably in quality in the second one - I guess she got used to drawing them.
Then it ends up rather nice. Some scenes are drawn very nicely throughout the story, in both books. So maybe the first book was more rushed in development. I'm usually extremely picky about art styles and simply can not read comics that are drawn in a style not to my taste, but in this particular story I actually don't care either way.
The sex scenes are not abundant but quite a few of them are present - these are always steamy and hot and well drawn.

I absolutely love this story (with this, I mean both volumes but especially this one, but the story really gets even better when reading both so I recommend that) and consider it to be one of the absolute best mangas available in the BL genre. (I do, however, recommend this story to anyone who likes romance, BL fan or not). It truly is, a masterpiece.

*Might contain very minor spoilers*

I just watched this show in a marathon and felt I had to write something about it. Most reviews have said what I feel, but I want to add a couple of things.

My large Point is; This story is for adults (or at least kids 15 or older).
It takes a mature mind to understand the complexity of the feelings conveyed in this anime (and manga).
I think it's perfectly fine for someone younger than that to watch it, but I really don't think they will understand the depth and agony.

And agony there is. I was in something close to physical ... pain, watching most of the series. A big lump in my throat, throbbing of the heart, tears burning and sometimes spilling over.
Any person with empathy would feel the same, watching Koshiro being tormented by the feelings he doesn't want to have. Because he doesn't. He's not a perverted predator.
He tries as hard as he can to fight the feelings, as long as he can.
There is a very fine line here - to show his emotions in a way that makes it clear that this is someone to be pitied, not prosecuted - and I think the creator of the story pulls it off. Koshiro trult feels like a victim just as much as Nanoka does.

This isn't a story condoning incest or taking lightly on the subject - it's a story about love and how it sometimes can be so hard, so cruel, so bitter.
We don't choose whom we fall in love with. It just happens. And sometimes it's not between the "right" people.
Koshiro is not taking advantage of Nanoka, they are just acting on their mutual feelings of love.

I have two brothers, and I have certainly never felt anything like this for either of them, so I can't say that I know what it's like to have a love so forbidden. But I HAVE loved someone who wasn't "appropriate" - with a very large age difference among other problematic things.
So I can relate to that - nurturing a love which was scolded upon by people close to me and him.
Also, when I was Nanoka's age (she seemed to be around 16,5 yrs at the time of the physical part of the relationship between her and her brother) I was fully capable of deciding my own feelings and had a fleeting relationship with someone about 10 years older. There was no taking advantage of from his side, it was initiated by me.
Age is just a number when it really comes down to it - if it's love from both sides it doesn't matter - an older person taking advantage of a younger one, is wrong. Of course.
(I am definitely not saying that relationships between schoolkids and adults are ok - usually they are very wrong - but I can assure you that a 16 year old is not a child.
In my country the age of consent is 15 years. For an adult (above 18 years of age) to have sex with someone over 15 years of age, is not a crime. And I think that is a perfectly good age limit.
In Japan, where this story takes place - the age of consent is 13 years.
So - Nanoka is by law not considered a child regarding sexual acts.)

Besides my blathering - I do recommend this anime for anyone who is in search of something that can give them a ride of emotions.
Which is what I search for when I look for new anime to watch.
This made me feel - a lot.
Not exactly something I would want to rewatch many times, it hurts too much for that - but something I am glad that I did watch.


I absolutely hated the art at first - it's so... rough.
But when I got used to it, I appreciated it a lot. The crudeness makes it realistic in some way. Also, the fact that no one is Picture Perfect, abnormally slim, chibi or alike, is very refreshing.
Because this is a story about two - very real - people.
And this intertwines with the character part -
Nanoka isn't disgustingly babylike and trying to be cute - and Koshiro definitely isn't the fairytale Prince. They have their pros and cons and are very much like ordinary people.
Nanoka is a bit childish and naïve - but she knows what she is feeling and doing. She is the leading one in the development of their relationship.
Koshiro is never leading her on, in the contrary he is stubbornly fighting the inevitable. He's dense and blunt but his war against his own heart touches me deeply, I feel his anguish and it makes me sad.

The story isn't really all that original - the interesting about this anime is how the story is told. It's engulfing and bittersweet.

The only thing about it I absolutey hated, was the horrible ending song - the sour notes of the singer of that disgustingly cheesy song - made me queasy.


As a conclusion and the end of my rambling - I recommend this anime for anyone looking for an anime that makes one feel something. Even if it's mostly sadness. (But there are some sweet moments as well).

I happened to stumble upon this little pearl of an anime while browsing for something new to watch. Even though the recommendations were very positive, I was a little bit hesitant due to the possibility of yet another shojo with identical plot and storyline - but boy, was I surprised :) And pleasantly so, no less. Sure, in general "Itazura na kiss" isn't that inventive - most components of a classic "boy and girl meet, go through a struggle of some kind, and end up happy"-shojo, but there's just something in the way the story is told, that is too compelling to not make you ... engrossed by this anime. And that actually says pretty much since I am a cynical person and get very bugged over sugarcoated sugar mixed with sugar, which usually is the case with a lot of shojos. I like Kare Kano, Hana Kimi, Hot Gimmick and a few other shojos, but generally I tend to avoid them since they don't give me very much. (Sure, I have a couple of exceptions like "Ouran" and Fruits basket - which are kind of silly - but I like 'em anyway.) I tend to stick to other types of anime and manga, but a well told love story is kind of universal and should be recognizable for anyone.

This is hilarious and entertaining at the same time as it's romantic and serious. The weird thing is that it actually even pulls it off. But I say as another viewer mentioned in a recommendation somewhere - what's up with all the excessive ER-visits? Boy, are they prone to illness and accidents in the Irie-family... Also I wonder what makes that baka girl so extremely attractive to all guys out there in her world... She IS, as Naoki says - annoying, loud, stupid and silly...
Sometimes, the story takes a pretty slow pace and becomes slightly repetative, but it doesn't really bother, it kind of stresses the fact that "Itazura na kiss" actually spans a long period of time. This isn't really the kind of anime with cliffhangers or made to make you bite your fingernails. This is more of a story about two people that go through a lot to end up together, and it's a pure joy to follow them along the way :)

Kotoko is one of the most embarrassing idiots I've ran across in any manga/anime, but she is a very sweet idiot :) Naoki makes me swoon as the stupid tsundere moe I am (ah - we always fall for it - such a victory to cure the evil and bring forth the inner softness of a jerk... but hey, news flash... some of the jerks are actually jerks even deep inside...)
Actually, I like all the characters. Kinnosuke, who was extremely annoying in the beginning, kind of harrassed himself into my heart pretty fast, and he would probably be my favourite character of the cast :) And also, I personally love Jinko, although a lot of folks seem to find her annoying - her insanely horrible voice and weird personality makes me laugh :)
I also can't help but to love Naoki's mom - she is too absurd not to adore. Also the brat Yuuki - the younger brother in the Irie family - is a pretty strong character, important for the whole picture :)

The art and style is pretty much standard - same flaws as in many other anime, but it holds a pretty high standard with easily recognizable characters and carefully drawn surroundings - it's not sloppy work, and that's important at least for me (who draw a lot myself). Both the art and style changes and enhances a little bit towards the end, but the change is not detectable in the looks of characters and such, only that it seems a bit cleaner and brighter, characters more carefully shaped.

All in all it's a great series - making one happy and cheerful, there fore the very consistent and high score. Really a little pearl among the oceans of crappy standard cut shojo. Sure, "Itazura na kiss" is very classic in it's storyline - but the author of the original manga really has managed to create some depth to the story, and I am happy I gave this series a chance :) It was definitely worth it. Also, I would say that I agree with all the guys I've seen praising this series are absolutely right - this isn't classic shojo in THAT sense - purely for girls - but rather this is bound to entertain any fan of anime, no matter gender or age. (Except for that it's too emotionally mature for younger kids than say, 14.) But watch it! You won't regret it :)