Reviews written by flyingmoon

The best of the mangaka Hidaka Shouko's works.

This is the manga I check for updates every week and always pining for the release of the next chapter. I have fallen in love with this manga from chapter 3 onwards. The reason why? It has real plot and the characters grow on you over time, the story and characters are likely to make an ever lasting impression once you have read this manga.

Firstly the manga takes you through first meeting of Akhito and Katsuragi. As a child, Akhito has no one to rely on rather than Katsuragi who despite seeming to see to his overall health, safety and education, behaves coldly to Akhito. He is one who does his duty and nothing more. As Akhito grows up into a young man, his need for Katsuragi's approval becomes something different and his feelings no longer that of a child. Using his superior position as the younger master of the house, he makes a deal with Kasturagi for his body. However can he win his heart this way? Katsuragi only obeys his instructions as his right hand man but akhito wants something society disaproves of. He wants them to 'stand as equals' while this is not possible in a society where the nobility will always have a higher standing. Can their relationship ever be more than that of a master and servant? Can it withstand social pressures of marriage and social status? Read and find out...

The main characters are complex and likeable. There is so much mystery surrounding the house, katsuragi's birth and other character's self-serving motives. Plot is amazing, very well planned out and the intimate scenes are hot. It is in those hot scenes that Katsuragi's coldness seems to melt. Behind that cold face, does he actually care for his master more than he admits?

I say again, it is a manga you will very unlikely forget and i highly recommend this to everyone!

ART: Hot and cute at the same time! i think this is a style that no one can dislike!

PLOT: at first glance it is a not-so-original plot of a young woman disappearing before her wedding
BUT it is a very ORIGINAL plot that the son-in-law is left alone with the daddy-in-law and well our story goes on from there. The daddy feels really bad for his son-in-law who actually does not feel as unhappy as he should be. why? because as a kind of compensation he gets to live with his daddy in law for whom he has a little (or huge) crush on.

Once living together, the attraction between these two men is too blatant to ignore! the scenes are hot without either of them taking off their clothes!

Here is a forbidden 'dad-son' relationship! Did I say he still calls him dad? Did I mention there is a hot pool?

To me, this is the best vampire yaoi i read. the characters are amazing.

kazuki is super cute in both chibi and teenage form (its slightly shota the way kazuki is drawn but i think he's meant to be a very young looking teen)
touya is a super sexy vampire who needs both blood and sex everynight.

it's surprising that even though touya drinks blood from kazuki he doesnt have sex with him (at the beginning at least) To me that shows that Touya really cares about whether Kazuki is ready or not. This story comes with lots of love, betrayal and sacrifice and we hope that love will win out against all odds.

But what if I say there is a twist in the story that completely changes what kazuki knew about their relationship and Touya did not adopt him only to drink his blood? Will this change the affections that Kazuki has for his guardian? Can a love survive betrayal?

Great plot, sexy seme and cute chibi! Go read it everyone!

ART: brilliant - clearly drawn facial features

Plot - very good
Ayumu has one sided crush on his best friend who doesnt know his feelings. Sawatari notices his feelings and blackmails Ayumu who doesn't want his friend to find out. Ayumu hates being used by Sawatari to get rid of his boredom but still agrees so long as Sawatari doesnt reveal his feelings to his friend who is believed to be homophobic. How long will this blackmailing go on?

Great to read, definitely a good plot for everyone who loves schoolboys and seme bullies!


Characters: amazing
What is interesting is that ayumu thinks himself a seme but got blackmailed, which makes him very uke! Ayumu is the typical 'im happy with our friendship' even though he wishes for more he doesn't push it because in reality he knows he would be rejected and destroy the friendship. He is the one who is afraid to take the step in a relationship confession so he needs someone who will make the first move it seems. Sawatari is desparate to get the attention of the guy he likes he doesnt care about the means so much. He is a poker face making it difficult for people to read his real intentions and that's what makes him interesting.

ART 5/5
Nitta Youka sensei has designed the hottest bishies ever! Koushi is so good looking even with glasses on! Tomohiro is also smart and handsome and together they make a hot couple! Beautiful character, fashion and setting art! The sex scenes are hot, explicit and varied in styles. Character's facial expression (especially Koushi's) alone can heat up the room!

CHARACTER 5/5
Apart from being beautiful, the characters have depth - they are clever, maniplative and romantic! Koushi being the most manipulative politician, has used Tomohiro in such a way that helped his political plans as well as his personal feelings in provoking Tomohiro into a physical confession! Despite being manipulative, Koushi's strong feelings for Tomohiro can be seen from the risks taken by him, a cool-headed man who plans every stage in advance, that can jeopardize his career as a leading politician. Tomohiro's also very clever and seen as the more brash but also more sincere of the two.

PLOT 5/5
Beautiful plots involving political manoeuvring, setting traps for your political opponents and 'behind the scene' negotiations. The centre of the story isn't politics but love between two politicians who risk everything by having a homosexual affair. To maintain their high position, they are expected to marry and Tomohiro makes a choice to sacrifice and betray all (including his sister, Koushi's husband) to be faithful to his love.

CONCLUSION:
(I want Koushi!) MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BEAUTIFUL GUYS, HOT SEX, AMAZING PLOT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT - A PACKAGE OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN YAOI

ART 5/5
Amazingly drawn with great attention ot detail. All the bishies are beautiful! The details are so amazing you can even see every buttons on their clothes! The setting is very well portrayed for a Renaissant Italy and the archetecture is grand portraying the rich history of Italy and its former glory (I say
'former' since in the story Italy is sinking into turmoil).

CHARACTER 5/5
Cesare, beautiful and cruel. Whether the reader likes or dislikes him, they certainly are impressed by him and would never forget him once they read Cantarella. The little innocent boy abandonned by his father who sold him to the devil, cruelly taken away from all those who cared for him sets much sympathy in the readers heart for this devilish charmer. The complex character development and character relationship is one of the best among shnoen-ai works. It's realistic that the characters use each other for their own gains and purposes but in the midst of this treacherous turmoil, there are very strong loyalty between great friends and master/vassal relationship.

PLOT 5/5
Set against an Italy in turmoil on the brink of civil war and war with other countries where Italy plays the defensive, the plot is political and adventure with spices of romance and friendship. This situation restricts character's choice of action (e.g. political marriages) and choice of friendship and not upsetting the wrong person is very important. Can a strong loyalty and friendship survive? Can love survive in such turbulence?

CONCLUSION: 5/5
MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BEAUTIFUL BISHIES, AMAZING PLOT AND ANGST.

One of the greatest works is work whose genre the reader hates but the work itself has totally left the reader wanting for more. This is the case for me. I

do not like horror but the plot of this work is so detailed, mysterious with lots of suspense and fast moving I just can't wait to read the next chapter.

ART 5/5
The artist is very attentive to detail and all the character's facial expressions are beautifully drawn. The horror parts are well drawn and really scary. (I

don't read horror so for me it is very scary but for those who like horror I apologize if this is considered mild by horror standards.) I was reading this at

night when everyone in my house has gone to bed (Advice: DO NOT read this at night if you are a scaredy cat like me) and I kept on checking my room for dark

corners and I kept on hearing strange noises which might have just been the wind or my over-imagination.


CHARACTER 5/5
The characters are very well developped (but their pasts and motives not shown as part of the mystery). The strangeness of the the Akhiko's relatives is

accounted for by the fact that they have lived in the secluded (and haunted) house for years. Any haunted house can change a young guy from a once happy

child to a youth who keeps to himself. There are so many mysteries behind each characters whom the Akhiko interacts with that the reader has to guess their

motives.

PLOT 5/5
Brilliant and fast moving. The way scenes jump from one place to another forms part of the mystery. Like a detective story, we are given lots of information

but all in a jumbled up way that we are not certain if some of them are relevant (although they must all be relevant since it's not an author's style to

waste hours of superb drawing!) So it's up to the reader and the main character to piece together the jigsaw parts to solve the mystery. At the beginning, no

romance has happened but this is what is great about this work because there is no love at first sight but gradual development. After a couple of chapters,

we can see the Akhiko having some feelings for a certain character (no spoilers!) and it's up to him to decipher what he feels as well as the solve the

mystery so he can live a long enough to share the love.

CONCLUSION: 5/5
MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO LOVE ROMANCE, TIME TRAVELLING/PERIOD DRAMA, MYSTERIES

ART 4.5/5
The art is very good (but those who are looking for stunningly beautiful bishies might be a little disappointed). The artist is very attentive to detail and

all the character's facial expressions are beautifully drawn. Even without the translation, one can at a glance know what the characters are feeling. Also

this is a beautiful illustration that any ordinary guy can be loved and admired by others.

CHARACTER 5/5
Characters are not the typical ideal hero in shiny armour or the perverted gropers we get from lots of yaoi manga. Like most of Kanou-sensei's work, the

characters have a depth with realistic flaws but also have good points enough to make the readers sympathize with. The characters character development is

one of the best among yaoi manga titles with the characters learning to accept others, to face and correct their flaws and move on while embracing their

past. The characters have to learn to understand each other and have mutual feelings to truly have strong relationship.

PLOT 5/5
A tale of love, obsession and real-life problems. The main character's relationship started because one developped strong feelings for the other who however did not visibly seem to reciprocate his feelings. Instead the other character seems to carry on the relationship out of charity/guilty conscience, might enjoy attention but feels the attention is often too much with the guy's obssessiveness and possesiveness. The plot is really realistic in that it portrays the insecurity and fear of losing someone you love may turn into possessiveness and obsession when your feelings are seem to be accepted but not reciprocated. The plot also revolve's around character's indecision and uncertainty about his own feelings. It deals with learning about oneself and trying to find out what one really needs in life.

CONCLUSION: 5/5
A MUST READ FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE A BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE REAL-LIFE STORY.

GRAPHICS: 5/5
For any one interested in hot yaoi scenes, this is DEFINITELY the anime to watch. It's explicit enough to make one feel hot but definitely less explicit and less shocking than some other titles like Sensitive Pornograph. However, if this is your first yaoi anime, then I suggest watching something less mild first but if you feel brave, then ignore my advice but don't say you havn't been warned!

STORY: 4.5/5
The story is very good though not excellent. I do not approve of the 'healthiness' of the master-pet relationship. Its sexual torture for poor Riki as well as being rather degrading and I could see no love.
But for Iason, the master-pet relationship is the only relationship he has known because of the social practices of the elite group he belongs to. Initially I felt little love between the characters but towards the end because of the decisions Iason makes and Riki then makes, there is little doubt in my mind they have at least some strong feelings for each other.

However I felt the OVA is rather short to fully develop the change of heart between the characters and I am glad a remake is coming out in 2010 with 13 episodes which should give better character development.

CONCLUSION: 5/5
Definitely worth watching!