Ai no Kusabi *
Novel by Fujiwara Reiko, 2 fansubbed OAVs
Untranslatable title: 'ai' is a space, a period of time, or the distance between two things. Kusabi is a wedge. Go figure. Future dystopia. A twisted version of a boy and his dog. Super-elite genetically engineered superman Iason falls for his sex-show pet Riki. One untranslated novel and two fansubbed animes. See the article on the Manga Shelf for an idea of the art style and a rundown of what's going on. (Jeanne)
Nice sex. (Nora)
An understatement. The lushest most explicit sex on vid, with
kinks for those that like them. 'Can such beauty be!' (Jeanne)
Not enough sex. (Susan)
Kizuna (Bonds) *
Manga by KODAKA Kazumi, plus OAV
The story: a pair of half-brothers, (Enjoji Kei and Sagano Kai) both the sons of a yakuza boss by different mothers, one raised by the boss and one not. Basically a series of story arcs centering around the brothers' lives and lovers/would-be lovers. Pretty explicit sex, low bodily fluid presence. One realistic depiction of rape, the rest standard seme-uke "you belong to me" umbling. Comedic lover-household stuff interspersed with assumably grim yakuza stuff. Nice art; gets better as the series progresses.
Anime: available commercially in English, pretty much the only yaoi that is at the moment. Manga: Comprehensibility is aided by the presence of a few translations of a few chapters on the net, hampered by the rampant use of Osaka-ben (I think that's the dialect, anyway), which makes the dictionary darn near useless. (Nora)
Wind and tree song (Kaze to Ki
no Uta)
Manga by TAKEMIYA Keiko; called Sanctus in anime OAV
The series which defines 'shounen-ai' (boys' love) in most people's minds. Followed the same author's Natsu e no Tobira (The Door into Summer) which was also animated; and HAGIO Moto's Touma no Shinzou (The Heart of Thomas.) Takemiya probably shouldn't be blamed for defining shounen-ai as an angst/tragedy genre. Moto did it before her. But W&TS didn't help. Decent school-boy type gets to room with the school slut and tries to save him from himself. Sex, but not between the protagonists, no matter what it looks like. (Jeanne)
Pain. Lots of it. Be prepared to cry. Lots. Hurt-comfort UST shounen
ai, if that makes any sense, set in a boys' boarding school at the turn
of the century, in France. Easily available, however, in fansubbed anime
from the Techno Girls (who did a wonderful job, IMHO). And lovely art,
akin to Moto Hagio, IMO. (Nora)
Patarillo/ Patalliro/Patariro
Manga by MAYA Mineo in 64 vols (to date); anime series in the early
80's
Aaangh.... Indescribable, but a classic of its genre, whatever its genre is. There's never been anything like it, fortunately for a lot of people's blood pressure. Maybe it's about Patarillo, the 10-year-old despotic prince/ genius/ brat-king of Marinera and his robots; maybe it's about his bodyguard Jack Bancoran, the long-haired kohl-eyed English secret agent, and his beautiful red-haired 14 year-old assassin lover Maraich. Nothing realistic about this one, including the art style. It's a comedy series that had Ban and Maraich buggering on screen for the amusement of ten-year-olds. Only in Japan, you say? Pity. (Jeanne)
Zetsuai 1989/ Bronze*
OZAKI Minami, the woman who made yaoi mainstream
Not just a manga or an anime, but an industry. Dysfunctional love amongst dysfunctional characters amidst melodramatic events, all done in High Serious operatic style. You have to admire the sheer unblinking excessiveness of the thing. To quote Sir Kenneth Clarke: It's indecent, and like all forms of indecency it's irresistible. This is the woman who had a dj character immobilized and sexually penetrated by a self-aware and very randy tree branch. Bewildered chara utters the classic line 'I'm being raped by a tree!' (Who says the Japanese don't do irony?) See any of the many many webpages for an idea of the eccentric art style. (Jeanne)
After Ozaki's break from her Dokusen Yoku (still an on-going dojinshi entity and it's about as squirrelly as BRONZE) she premiered into the commercial fandom with Zetsuai 1989. That five volume series itself, although not very artistically sophisticated, the story was actually fun to read. Well, at least more interesting than then dojinshi storyline where Ken Wakashimazu wants cut off his arm (yes, her Koji predecessor also likes to self-mutilate). Then that series was compacted into an OVA which I thought was attractive. Her art style reminds one of a fashion designer's workbook. It was unusual, pretty to look at and very simple to digest for the eyes. Zetsuai's 5 volume merely sets the background of the (dragging) impending BRONZE series of how Koji's childhood obsession had returned into his life. Alas, but the womanizing rock star Koji was expecting a girl, so for 3 volumes he pines over his sexuality. BRONZE, up to volume 10 as I'm writing this--takes up to the point where the pair had finally lived together as a couple. BRONZE tells of the many trials of nature, family, self, and with a Benz and a Porsche. Nothing profound. Although the angle with Hirose, the family bully, being the uke is rather delicious. (Susan)