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I got so in love with Minami and Asakura that I could not breathe while reading this. A 23 years old virgin raped at first encounter with 30ish old male and then have to work together. The nerve of Asakura looking at Minami the next day like nothing happened.I must say that I read this novel twice. At first, I did not like the drawings but while reading the book I can see the resemblance of the characters in them. I do not give this a five stars because I found some misspelling, misused verbs, and I feel that some things were lost in the translation.
This bothered me even more in a format where rape is seen badly. Excellent when compared to some other yaoi novels.Art is gorgeous- I have always loved Minase's work, and this book is no exception- scenes are well chosen and beautifully drawn.Negatives:I figured that there would be noncon, so that wasn't what bothered me, as it is common in yaoi and I was expecting it. First the positives:Pretty good translation- text is not choppy, and though there are some editing errors, there is some style in the translation. (I have never liked this in manga- but most of the time the situations are so unreal that the wrongness I can just ignore). However, this book walks a fine line- in most yaoi, everyone seems to accept noncon to a degree where it doesn't eve seem strange- in this book, refreshingly, many people are aware that it is wrong. But despite rape being portrayed negatively, it still went for rape -> physical response = true love. I suppose it would have been too much to expect a single novel to break the one of the most common tropes of yaoi, but it led to a weird melding of reality and fantasy that came off as uncomfortable to read, at least to me. I didn't even want to finish the novel, I just skimmed it after a certain point.
This book is not really the sort that will be enjoyed by every yaoi fan out there. A final word of advice to my fellow yaoi fans: for whatever reason, major retailers (Borders and Amazon included) usually get books of this type rather late, sometimes weeks after the announced street date. It is often said that mixing business and pleasure is not a wise thing to do, but what about situations where it cannot be helped. I will give Masaki-sensei extra points for intensity. That's how I managed to get this title and many others right when the publisher said they would be available. If seduction and non-con situations make you nervous, you should skip this one. The translation flows nicely and there is a bonus color page.
Please do not pay that much for it - this simply isn't worth more than $9. Kasuga is a young architect who gets employed to design the interior spaces of a new hotel, only to fall into the trap of its beautiful, yet somewhat strange owner, Asakura. As I write this review, the products page states that it would take Amazon 1-3 weeks to ship the book and there are several offers of used copies, starting at $75 and going all the way up to $999. The writing is well done, but at times it seems things happen too quickly. The accompanying illustrations by Masara Minase are as elegant as the rest of her work. Every time a yaoi title is late there are ridiculous offers from third-party sellers, even for items like this one, which shouldn't be out of print.Instead of spending all that money, I suggest that you look for a small local comics shop or anime retailer, if there are any around. You'll have your book on time and at the normal retail price and you'll be able to help the local economy and support your favorite artist/ publisher.
this book is strange and funny.It is well written. If you enjoy yaoi you will like this one. I am very happy with my purchase.
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