Seifuku sarezaru taiyou (sol invictus)

Author: AKAI Toreno
Imprint: Super BBC
Publisher: Biblos
ISBN: 4-88271-358-6

Kitty review by Jeanne

Genre: overheated High Romantic historical angst-fest

Plot and Theme:'The unconquered sun.' Set in the Roman Empire in 33 AD. One hunky blond Germanic captive, one angst-ridden patrician general, guest appearance by Jesus Christ. German is Elbe, like the river, who looks like Flowering's Sirius but fatter. Gets raped as often as Sirius, though. Patrician is Marcus Antonius who looks like Flowering's Nadeen but fatter. Much fatter. Waaay fatter. Thick-necked, beef-bodied, enough meat to feed a garrison for two weeks. Sex scenes between Marcus and Elbe look like bulls copulating.

Angst from the past: Marcus' mother Didn't Love Him. Elbe looks like Marcus' mother. 'Rika, all men are maazaa-con.' Take it from there.

Angst in the present: Marcus killed Elbe's father. Love/hate opportunity, foax. Marcus rescues Elbe from a fate worse than death (unwanted multiple orgasms during stock orgy.) Elbe (in tears- I said he's like Sirius) runs from Marcus without even saying thanks. Elbe whores his way (offscreen) across the empire, but by great good luck winds up in exactly the same street in the same town in the same province as the bitterly broken-hearted and reposted Marcus. Lovers are reunited at the foot of the cross. If this was a deMille epic they'd become Christians on the spot and get martyred 20 pages later. This is yaoi, so they fall into each other's arms in a passionate embrace. Could this ardour have something to do with the lovingly depicted naked bleeding man overhead? No fair pointing out the decadent homoeroticism of christianity like that, sensei.

Yaoi rating: 3

Silliness rating: 8

Unresolved plot point: Why does Elbe have the same tattoos as Mary Magdalene and what do they mean anyway?

Mitigating factor: Straight men need not apply to this man's Roman army