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By You Higuri, & Spray (Tokyopop)
ISBN: 1-59816-708-5
Now that the western world is more generally accepting of the Japanese Manga phenomenon, and there is solid commercial base to work from, publishers are generally becoming bolder in what they make available to the public.
Gakuen Heaven, subtitled ‘Boy’s Love Scramble’ is the first “Yaoi†title I’ve seen translated and although superficially very similar in appearance to other tales of school days there are significant differences the casual purchaser might want to be aware of.
Yaoi are stories created primarily for female audiences in Japan, and the genre concentrates on love, affection and relationships between beautiful young men. The difference between Yaoi and the more common “Shonen-Ai†tales of boys’ mutual affection is the degree of graphically explicit, erotic, homoerotic or sexual content. Yaoi stories, especially in the West, are for Mature Readers Only.
Kieta Itou is a high school student who suddenly and mysteriously wins a scholarship he didn’t apply for to the most exclusive Boys School in the country. Afraid and unsure, he slowly settles into his new life, but is riddled with self-doubt. All the other boys are beautiful and masters of some talent, skill or ability. How can he fit in? And why do the glorious and wonderful school glitterati spend time with someone so unworthy as himself?
This is a classic Cinderella-style school-romance, and were it not for the graphic sexual scenes that form the book’s denouement, this would be a much shorter review. But since it does deal with Gay Sex and Schoolboys, I felt it necessary to be more verbose than usual.
This is a romantic, not pornographic or sexually exploitative story, beautifully drawn, from a culture that views sex and love in a different way to the general population of Britain and America. It won’t be to everybody’s taste. It is not meant to be. If such content is liable to shock you, don’t buy it and don’t read it.
If you are more broadminded, less prone to apoplexy, and looking to see a different sort of romantic mystery – and with a happy ending – this might be a good place to start.
This book is printed in the ‘read-from-back-to-front’ manga format.
© 2004 You Higuri, & Spray. All Rights Reserved. English text © 2007 BLU