English Title: The Hinoyama Jr.
Author: Kirishima Tamaki
Imprint: Drap Comics Special
Publisher: Core Magazine
Reviewed by Lynda
Waka!! is a by the numbers BL story, currently three volumes, about a couple of young men in a yakuza family. The story in a nutshell - the family has converted from being yakuza to running a security services company. In trying to go straight, Hinoyama Takara gets a job as a school nurse, becoming the first person in the family to hold a legal paying job. Woohoo! Along with him goes Saeki Shinnosuke, his bodyguard and the new school counselor. The story revolves around Saeki's pursuit of Hinoyama and the things they have to go through to become a couple.
So the story itself is not all that remarkable. It's a stock comedy about yakuza trying to go straight - the mistakes made and the inappropriate attitudes and behaviors of yakuza trying to fit into normal society. Hinoyama has a typical comedy yakuza role. He's not too bright, but he's really stubborn. Hinoyama's life is a hard one. He unintentionally terrifies his students which makes it difficult to help them. One of his students catches him at a weak moment and develops a bad crush on him. Saeki's always making advances on him in the health room. He's got a bratty little sister who's both more violent and a lot brighter than he is. The family also has some old enemies who try to move in on their territory. All in all, he spends a lot of time trying to figure things out and getting nowhere at all. And to top things off, he's obsessed with being a manly man, but is prone to 'sensitive, beautiful, emotive' introspection.
What's the attraction of a by the numbers story like Waka!!? For me, the first attraction is the title itself. I'm entranced that it includes exclamation points because that's a reflection of the story itself, full of kinetic energy and over-the-top emotions. In English, the name makes me think 'wacky' which pretty much describes the story and whack-a-gator, another good likeness. In Japanese, waka (若) is the start of many fun-filled words, like youth, young couple, young master, chicken, and premature baldness. It's a title that's just full of comedic potential.
The title doesn't disappoint. The story itself is full of frenzied energy. There's a lot of action- running, jumping, yelling- all frequently done in the form of deformed characters which generate even more visual kinetic energy. There's a graphic obsession with the bottoms of boots- they seem to symbolize so much. Putting a boot down can mean taking a first step or perhaps taking a stand. It can mean giving someone the boot. Stepping on someone can be an indication of contempt or running roughshod over them. It can indicate stomping something into the ground, squashing it dead. Or perhaps it's just a case of stepping on it, taking off in a hurry and bowling someone over in haste. A boot can be a comin' or a goin'. A boot comes down from above with a lot of energy. The bottom of a boot is visually dynamic. A boot's treads are rough and ready, as are the characters and their attitudes. And Waka!! men do it with their boots on! In addition, the author makes good use of stock generic manga imagery. There's Saeki, one foot on the bed, triumphant fist raised, rising sun in the background. There's Hinoyama's sister, fist raised in one of those 'send you to the moon, you pervert' blows so common in comedies. It doesn't take words for a reader to know exactly what's going on! Compared to the normal run-of-the mill BL, Waka!! looks more like a shounen comedy.
Continuing with the theme of kinetic energy, the artwork is competent and energetic. These are not willow boys or sissy men. The Waka!! men have the shoulder muscles to be good fighters, they have fat-knuckled, knobby hands, and their Adam's apples bob when they swallow. Their bodies, while not as bodybuilding buff as in shounen manga, are in keeping with the newer trends in BL of more realistic proportions. The character poses look natural. There's no badly awkward or unbalanced poses. The character designs include rumpled over-sized suits and military style casual wear which only enhances the impression of testosterone-driven energy. The backgrounds in Waka!! are filled with plenty of realistic detail and good perspective. Overall, the little details in the character designs, clothing, and background make the story feel more plausible and give it a visual energy that enhances and illustrates the plot.
Another attraction of Waka!! is the characters themselves. These are energetic men. There's no fretting whether this tie goes with that shirt or fussing over their lattes for these characters. These men are concerned about more important issues, like making sure they're keeping their manliness quotient up. There's not a lot of angst-ridden behavior going on here. When faced with an unsolvable emotional puzzle, they toss it over their shoulder like an empty beer can. Out of sight, out of mind. In keeping with the momentum of the story, they act first and think later, and that itself is great comedy. The plot sets up some rather lovely situations which lend themselves to tearful angst, but rather than deep emotional wallowing over their problems, the characters react in energetic masculine fashion - they get mad, they fight, they throw up.
So what's missing from this comedy? Waka!! is not the place to look for deep, soul-searching angst or surprising plot twists. It's also not the place to look for lots of steamy hot sex. The first volume has foreplay but no sex. The strong comedy and characters carry the story. Still more sex is never bad, is it? Here's hoping for many more volumes of Waka!! and more steamy testosterone laden sex!
Characters - volume 1
Hinoyama Takara - scion of the Hinoyama family
Saeki Shinnosuke - bodyguard of Hinoyama Takara
Hinoyama Yayoi - younger sister of Hinoyama Takara
Tanigaki (Shunin) - bodyguard of Hinoyama Yayoi
Takada Jirou - student at school
Muraoka Ryuuichi - heir apparent of the Muraoka-gumi
Nakayama - member of the Hinoyama company
Ozawa - member of the Hinoyama company