Tsuki no Sabaku wo harubaru to (Beyond the Moon Desert)

Author: Ozawa Kuriko
Imprint: Bamboo Comics
Publisher: Take Shobou
ISBN: 4-88475-765-3

Reviewed by Jeanne

Ozawa Kuriko does bishounen, not the classic boneless boys but their older brothers. Even when they have pomaded hair that sticks up in all directions, they still look like they're wearing mascara and rouge. It's an interesting contrast.

The stories in this volume ran in various magazines between 1989 and 1992. This was well before the pro yaoi boom, but obviously the pro impetus was there. Generally the stories are odd and low-key examinations of the tristesse of existence- as in the classic 'I loved him and he didn't love back on account of he won't admit he's gay even though he says 'I love you Takaya' in his sleep.' (The title story, Beyond the Moon Desert.) Then again, at least one story has full-blown weirdness, in that a group of friends all quit their jobs to go sailing round the world on a yacht looking for treasure. (Blue Moon.) The story is told from the pov of the teenager whom the leader of the group tutors. Teenager wants nothing more than to be one of this romantic band, but leader won't take him. Underage and all that. And in fact the whole yacht-treasure plot was something the leader had brought into being to fulfill the dream of his old teacher, now a retired man who sits on the beach looking out to sea. But teacher has no desire to make his dream come true. He's happy just sitting on his beach. Dashing and romantic leader is forced to leave him, in tears, to go off sailing around the world. Now *that's* romance. And comes back, years later, to carry off his former pupil, who's turned into a plodding dull salaryman, and ravish him on the high seas.

And then there's the complicated little foursome of this man and the kabuki onnagata actor he's mesmerized by and the actor's sister whom he becomes engaged to and then breaks off with. (Ochiba no Tegami- Letter in a Fallen Leaf.) It's complicated because all this stuff gets thrown in casually while what we're actually seeing is the spoiled childhood friend who shows up on his doorstep every autumn and moves into his bed because he's gotten the 'falling leaf letter' that tells him the nights are now too cold to sleep alone. And finally, amidst all this akogare (longing) and indecisiveness, we have a straightforward PWP with the mandatory student screwing his blue-lidded mascara'd 'no no' saying teacher. It's very beautifully drawn, even if the anatomy does get a bit weird in places. Reality bug shouldn't intrude into erotic fantasies, but one does occasionally wonder where these 17 year olds are supposed to have learned little sexual techniques like rimming and 69...