I found Arisawa convincing in KKH because I never saw it as a turn. He was always that way to me but I thought she’d take the conventional way out and turn him LOL. I was glad she didn’t. You think Shibata’s hesitating was unreal? He was Arisawa’s teacher! I thought it one of the most real parts of the story. The pacing of KKH was lifelike, something there’s rarely time for in BL because they feel the need to jam a story into little space. I stopped reading the sequel so I don’t know much about it. I was uncomfortable about the ages portrayed in it.

I’ve read all of Love Pistols. I only kept up with it at first because I love SF and thought the universe she created was interesting. But I enjoyed the later stories. You may have put your finger on one reason it doesn’t have that great an impact on me. I used to enjoy stories with lifemates and predestined partners in romance so I understand the attraction, but now I dislike them. It removes the need for internal change and character development, and makes submission to fate the only thing necessary for the relationship to succeed, though sometimes to external factors try to get in the way. I like to watch characters grow into romance. It’s probably also why I love Viewfinder so much.

Fei Long is a character driven by emotion, so he annoys a lot of people. He’s probably the most complex character in the series though, since he’s on so many cusps. Unlike many BL characters, he’s neither seme nor uke, male nor female (in his behavior patterns), boy nor man. He’s a mix of all of these and has yet to find himself. Takaba began to give him some direction. If Yamane ever devotes the time to him, and I hope she does despite all the annoying Fei Long fans out there, she could write volumes about what happens to him. She has said she’ll be writing more about him on her BBS btw, though she implied it would be shorter things.

I enjoy Youka Nitta’s book, but they tire me: the “Embracing Love” series is great, but with too much focus on only one pair of characters, and those two always living high moments of emotion. Phew! It is exhausting to get through. I haven’t read the latest chapters yet, but it looks like there won’t be any end. The lack of closure will leave a bad taste in my mouth I expect.
(I haven’t gone through “When A Man Loves a Man” series yet; I pile the chapters up, until “Irokoi”, then maybe “UV” is done… I hate stopping in the middle of a series and lusting for the rest of it… lusting is great but only when you know more is coming!!)

I prefer Kazuma Kodaka. Luckily I didn’t start with the first volume of “Kizuna” – another doujinshi that got turned into a series – or I might have been turned off for life. I enjoyed KK no H that you cited, but I found it diluted, spread on too long. I much prefer “Ren-ai Houteishiki” (a favourite of mine). Megu’s stumbling about in Ren-ai was more real to me than Arisawa’s turn about or Shibata’s hesitations in KK no H.

Nothing beats Tarako Kotobuki for me (except maybe Suzuki Tsuta, but that’s a whole other discussion). The prelude of “Love Pistol” is bewildering, but the interactions between the characters are so interwoven and they have so many ramifications… it’s fascinating. And the way the seme are wrapped about their uke! It tickles my fangirl heart. (…I tried writing And the way the tops are wrapped about their bottom! but jeez, it doesn’t sound right… to be a seme encompass so much more than merely topping…) You read vol.2? I don’t know if you remember the moment when Yonekuni (the crocodile guy, the one that hates other guys) looks at Shirou and thinks of the hickey; there’s this one panel, right after Yonekuni pictured something he didn’t like… he’s not that expressive but you know he’s just been rubbed raw. I get the same thrill every time I read it.

But yeah, I guess you have to take in the whole Zoomanity thing, and its hierarchy – dear God let’s not foget the hierarchy… only a Japanese could have come up with this. Also, the relationships are discovered rather than developed… But it gives it all a sense of fate and of indestructible bond, which I like. A lot. I don’t know if you kept up with the latest chapters available in English, but Makio – who would be evil incarnate if not for her helplessness when facing Karen-chan – made her appearance, and we catch a glimpse of her father, a very interesting character indeed. I only hope Kotobuki-sensei won’t have to hurry to wrap-up her series and cut us short like Yuki Shimizu did in “Love Mode” (another whole other discussion!!)

As for “Wild Adapter”… I regretted mentioning it actually. It’s not something I should still blithely recommend. It’s very dark, and if you’re a BL fan, you have to get through vol.1, then get over the Huh? factor when vol.2 starts and it’s one year later. Once you’re over that though the story builds and builds and then you get to volume 6 which is… well, you have to let it settle after reading.

Wow, such a long post, I’m so sorry… ^^; Oh no! I forgot about Viewfinder!!

Okay, in short, Fei Long didn’t do it for me as a character. I found him something of a pest actually. He became a big bad boss, but I can’t shake the image of the whiny uke/bottom that stormed off after assuming the worst about Asami and I see all his interventions as one long temper tantrum. (Admittedly, I read through the Hong-Kong arc twice, but in a disjointed way at that. I haven’t absorbed all the details yet… I’ll try focusing more on Fei-Long next time, as sure as rain come he’ll get the spotlight one day –> that’s a hunch, not a confirmed fact.)

Okay I’m done!! Sorry for the avalanche… to think I cut myself short! lol

I picked up the rest of Land of the Blindfolded after I wrote this, and enjoyed it a great deal. Penguin Revolution I’ve still not read.

I finished reading Sand Chronicles recently and am not sure how I’d rate it now. It turned into something, well, odd. I need to see a translation before I can grade it, because my Japanese is poor at best, but some things don’t appear to have been handled well. :(

Love Pistols is fun and inventive, but the story is incoherent to me in parts. I still don’t get parts of Volumes 1-2 even though I’ve read it several times (the snake / leopard story wtf?). Wild Adapter, I’m sorry to say that I’m just not a fan of.

I love Kodaka because of the emotions she evokes. Her characters are human and their love stories touch me more deeply than most BL. She’s so good at giving us romantic moments. Her Kusatta Kyoshi no Hyouteishiki is just a primer on how to do a slow and gentle love story (with a side of manic comedy lol).

Nitta, well, after last year I have troubles with her art. But she still wrote one of the most heart-wrenching series ever, the When a Man Loves a Man series. It’s a total soap opera but I love the complexity of the characters and their relationships. It’s a great BL work. And Harudaki is just love, especially the whole Winter Cicada arc.

Asami… yeah. He wins. But Viewfinder as a whole is just a great manga. Yamane’s subtle storytelling methods that show the growth of his character and Fei Long’s from the beginning up until the end of the Naked Truth arc really put her in the ranks of the best BL mangaka. (Takaba grows, but his extroverted character is right out there for everyone to see.) But half the English fandom doesn’t even seem to get what happened in that series, so they don’t realize her accomplishment. There’s so much subtext to that story in the graphics and the way they’re used. It the best BL series I’ve read.

I wish someone else would license BeBeautiful’s series so we could buy them. Their licenses have to be up any day now.

As for Sand Chronicle it hadn’t come under my radar yet. I usually cringe at the long, drawn-out love triangle but since everyone agree that it’s so good, I’ll try it — and then I’ll come and thank you for a great find! ;-)

Um, on the yaoi front… (I know, I know, this review is not about yaoi, but I’m one of those crazy fangirl that has to plug it everywhere) can I strongly and very very insistently suggest Wild Adapter and Love Pistols…? Anything done by Kodaka and Nitta has NOTHING on those two series. (As for Yamane, well, it’s only because she created Asami. He rakes in all the chips, all by himself.)

Although Lena basically already gave you the length ^^.

Any medium is for adults, you just have to find the gems: US comics have the Finder series by Carla Speed McNeill and Castle Waiting by Linda Medley or even Calvin & Hobbes (in the daily strips category) – and they’re extremely good. It’s just different from what manga offers and that’s fine.

Also this series reminds me a lot of parfait tic, i hope it doesn’t end up like that one.

Manga is definitely not just for kids. Say what you will about Narutards and yaoi fangirls, I’ve been more moved by some volumes of Naruto and Love Mode than many a novel I’ve read. And there are many manga series out there like that.

i just wanted to add that i found out that there’s drama version for sand chronicles.

I adore Mekakushi no Kuni, though, and was so happy to get all nine volumes. I believe the story had a good length and dramatic progression and I was very happy with how it ended. Her current release, Penguin Revolution, is not as strong – but you really have to hand it to the mangaka: she CAN draw animals with amazing detail.

Now go and get High School Debut, too! ;-)