Keiko Konno

Despite rumors of his sexual exploits with the various women in the office, Sudou is rough, grumpy, and unsociable at work. But when Hirokawa happens to see him playing in a street corner jazz band, he begins to take an interest in who his standoffish coworker really is. When Sudou opens slightly to him and the two end up sleeping together, they must then begin to figure out what the other means to them and how they will let the relationship progress.

Basically, we've got a lot of usual stuff (the guy with two faces, the guy with horrible rumors about him that couldn't be farther from the truth which the future lover will see through, the guy dealing with keeping his masculine identity while being the 'girl' in the relationship. ...All that's the uke, of course. The seme is just your usual unrealistically strong, calm, caring, supportive, mature type), but they don't really get in the way here. Mostly, this is just the story of two grown men finding their footing in a relationship with one another, and growing a little. The mature sort of romance that doesn't need the excessive melodrama and twists, yes?

But...I didn't really like this much. The unfortunate thing about romances that include a lot of soul searching is that so few writers can actually write it convincingly. Most others come off dull, self-important, and as if they're trying to be much deeper and smarter than they really are. Sometimes, though, it's hard to tell just how much of this is the mangaka's fault, when the translation is this bad. Consider some lines:

Sudou: It's the parents' fault if their kid's late in understanding the real world.
Hiro: As long as they figure it out, it's fine. (No harm done.)
Sudou: I don't understand it when you say it though.
Sudou: Like right now...
Sudou: I don't understand your choice of words.
Sudou: Like how can you say things and then regret them later.

Sorry...what? Don't understand what when he says what? What choice of words? What is there to not understand about this choice of words? And when did 'say[ing] things and then regret[ing] them later' come into this? Looking back earlier in the conversation, nothing seemed to shed light on this. I get the feeling this could have been clearer in Japanese. All the same, though, it still carries the air of someone trying to write an intense, deep conversation without giving it actual substance or making it realistic. “How can you say things and then regret them later?” What are you, seven? Because I'm fairly sure anyone over that age has already realized that everyone says things and regrets them later, all the time.

This manga is considerably less ridiculous than some BL I've read, but I had difficulty enjoying it when the 'deep' exploration of the characters and relationship are done in sometimes empty, sometimes badly translated monologues and conversations that sometimes barely make sense. The art's very nice (perhaps something like if Yamada Yugi drew with more detail...*cough*andbetter*cough), but other than that I was barely engaged.… (plus d'informations)

Shinoda is gay and in love with Ikeuchi, a younger fellow basketball club member (with a girlfriend). In the very beginning of the manga he confesses, and the rest simply details episodes in their starting romance. There isn't exactly too much plot to speak of. The first chapter deals with the start of the relationship, the second seems to center around how they deal with the romantic competition/jealousy, the third centers around a plot to dress up Shinoda as a girl, the fourth is the obligatory 'one's got the flu' episode, and the last covers the hectic first date. The mood is sweet and quite, with a slice of life sort of feel. There's often humor, but it's gentle stuff mostly. The manga also sports a few very likable supporting characters in the ex girlfriend and a couple other male friends. Through all the stories, the common thread seems to be Shinoda's wondering if Ikeuchi really wants a girl, or would like him better as one. There is a good dose of sex, but it tends less toward the eye candy style and more toward emphasizing the intimacy of the scene.

The first couple pages of this manga intrigued me very much, as Shinoda put up a somewhat 'confident gay man' act when expressing his desires to Ikeuchi, but after the scene is over it is promptly revealed how naive and uneasy he really is. I began looking forward to a story about Shinoda being very much in love with this other character but having difficulty expressing himself because of his desire to seem confident, masculine, and mature. ....Then when Ikeuchi actually accepts Shinoda's offer and the relationship starts... Things quickly devolve into the usual simple seme/uke dynamic, with Shinoda as the latter, never again showing any sign of the interesting attempt at cool manly indifference he used before.

While a disappointment, reading this was still an enjoyable, if not particularly memorable experience. Even if Shinoda is eventually made out to be the pretty/cute uke type, he's never really feminized too much, and the art keeps them both looking firmly masculine, in both character design and body language. The supporting characters do a good job of mixing things up in the couple's lives a little to keep the stories a little more interesting, along with having some of their own intriguing-sounding (though mostly only alluded to) romantic entanglements. Though I wouldn't say they were my favorite aspect, I do think they are one of the things, if anything, that do set this manga a little apart from a lot of other manga like it, and probably what enabled the story to go on beyond one volume (as it seems to have) without going stale. All the same, after a volume of this, I'm on a bit of an overload of plotless romantic shenanigans, and won't immediately seek out the second volume, if ever. I am interested in looking up this managka's other works, though, as I do like their style, and if I could find something by them with a clearer plot, I might really enjoy it.… (plus d'informations)