By Suzuki Tanaka (Blu)
ISBN: 1-59816-358-2
Here’s another Yaoi story, (romanticized fantasy relationship tales of beautiful young men created for female audiences; like Shonen-Ai but with a more explicit erotic content) although very mild – to the point of chaste gentility – by that standard.
Kotori is a shyly demure young man living in the big shadow of his older brother Kujaku, who’s smarter, prettier and much more successful. This gentle tale of first love recounts his growing confidence and closeness with “Boy-Hottie†Akaiwa whose attentions, though heartfelt, are constantly questioned by the insecure Kotori.
Set in the crucible of a Japanese High School, populated with a lovely looking, manipulative bunch of gossips and back-stabbers (Yaoi guys are apparently all the sort of snotty bitches beloved by TV teen soap operas), these two meander down the path of true love hampered by the eternal hurdles of misapprehension, misunderstanding and the impossible dream of a little privacy.
Funny, unassuming, charmingly and painfully romantic, the main tale tells a very common story and tells it very well, with the minor characters adding to the narrative mix in their own sub-adventures in separate chapters, rather than as scene-changes in the major text. This can seem a little disconcerting to western sensibilities, but these drastic jumps will resolve into the big picture eventually, so bear with it. I personally couldn’t grasp the oddly unwholesome concentration – an almost veiled sexual subtext – regarding the physical attraction between brothers – but I might be reading too much into the family relationships of another culture, so you should really decide for yourselves…
Menkui translates as “shallow†or “superficial†and although this everyday saga of pretty-boy angst might seem to condemn itself with this title these characters have the potential for a genuinely moving tale. If you are a grown-up romantic you could do worse than begin this journey with these young lovers.
This book is printed in the ‘read-from-back-to-front’ manga format.
© 2000 Suzuki Tanaka. All Rights Reserved. First published in Japan by BIBLOS Co., Ltd. English text ©2006.