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There is now such a overwhelming variety of shounen-ai material in
the market that we sometime forget one of the genre's original inspirations,
the dark, gorgeous tradition of Aestheticism.
The four stories in this volume pay hommage to the great horror classics of the last century. Sanbika is a classic vampire's tale, a tale of loyalty, jealousy, and betrayal, told in stately measures and cadenced phrases. Killing moon is more unusual, featuring werewolves who can transform themselves into creatures of their desire. Life of the machine is a modern Franskestein, with the added twist that the machine fell in love with the creator. Prince of Monster is a dark fairy tale of purity stained and evil redeemed, one that conceivably could have been printed in one of the literary magazines of the era. The volume derives its spirit directly from the aestheticism movement of the end of last century, with the art to match. The drawings are lush and gorgeous, the eyes and lips reminiscent of the heavy eyed Pre-Raphaelite beauties, beckoning the readers to share in the tales of mystery. |