BL on Demand?

Okay, so June is offering an on demand service for some of their books. Print on Demand isn't new, but I find the way June has theirs set up reminiscent of what I've seen popular online comic artist do. What June wants is for people to place pre-orders for a certain book. If enough people pre-order than they will get the book a month or two earlier than the original release. You can monitor how much progress has been made by a status bar. But wait a minute! The book will be printed regardless? The only bonus is the people who pre-order get it a few months before the rest of the public? Yeah... This would be odd if what they had up was a manga, because, lets face it, majority of fans already read scanlated versions of BL manga before they're even licensed by a US company. So, what June is offering instead is a early print release of a novel to pre-order customers. Novels are very rarely translated by fans, so this is a wise move by June because they're offering an item that has had little to no exposure. But, then again, this is a translated BL novel, and I've read very few reviews which were fond of these translated versions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Review: Tea for Two -Vol. 1-

Author: Yaya Sakuragi
Pages: 184
Price: $12.99
Publisher: BLU Manga
Summary from back cover: Clumsy Madoka Tokumaru can't seem to go a minute without breaking something. To teach him a little self-control, Tokumaru's sis forces him to help out the Tea Ceremony Club despite the hesitations of the club president, the graceful Kazume Hasune. Composed and cool, he is the exact opposite of the brash Tokumaru. Will the two be able to bridge their differences, or will a potentially hot romance become cool like iced tea?

Review: I've stated before how BL's strong point isn't typically the plot but the characters. This is a tried and true rule that if done correctly can produce some exceptional work. Tea for Two is an example of this done right. And although this first volume may have a few kinks to work out, it has way more right going for it than wrong.

The story opens with Tokumaru breaking his little sisters picture frame. She tears into him about his tendency to throw his weight around with no consideration for anything surrounding him. Refusing to have him destroy anymore of her things she demands he joins the tea ceremony club to learn composure. Enter Hasune, the club president and our premiere seme. He agrees to take Tokumaru under his wing, hoping to transform the rambunctious duckling into a graceful swan before the cultural festival.

Not much of a beginning, right? Everything I described above takes place within the first six pages. Because of this the plot comes out rather forced, as if Sakuragi couldn't wait to get Hasune into the story. I think the real problem for me is we hear and see more of Nagomi in those first three pages than we do of her brother, so you get more of a feel for her character than his. I understand manga creators are on a schedule and have limited time to complete chapters, but I think the story could only benefit by showing us Tokumaru's personality instead of having it explained to us by Nagomi. Yes, this would have taken a few more pages, but the opening to any story is very crucial and she risked losing readers by cutting corners.

But, despite this flaw, obviously many people continued to read and were smitten. What exactly were they smitten by? Well, when we finally get to actually see (key word here) these two characters in action you quickly discover how endearing they are. And, no, this isn't a story about opposites, in its essence this is a story about people learning to make compromises in relationships. Yeah, Tokumaru is super rambunctious and Hasune is super composed, but this never gets in the way of their relationship. Of course, true to the old addage: opposites attract, this is initially what draws the two to each other. But they go through the same relationship problems many couples go through regardless if they are alike or not. Every person comes into a relationship with different expectations, I don't care who you are, there's going to be something you expect the other person to do or be and you learn, hey, they won't and they're not. Of course this works vica versa and you can change or just keep on keepin' on. In this first volume you see Hasune struggle with this when they are approached by a group of high school trouble-makers. Oh no, what will our seme do?! What he does the first time (yes, it happens twice) takes me by surprise as well as Tokumaru. This is one of the highlights of this manga for me, Sakuragi makes her characters go against the BL norm.

Aside from our main couple there is another: Hasune's pastry chef friend, Keigo. The guy he's had a crush on since high school, Mizuki, dumps his girlfriend of three years, leaving an opening for Keigo to make his move. The only problem is that Keigo is too afraid to take that first step and Mizuki has suddenly become cold toward him. What's a seme to do? Not much of anything, it would seem. He mopes while getting advice from friends at the bar, Hasune, and even Mizuki's ex. This might be great for a character that has been a big part of the original storyline, but to watch a character you barely know mope about isn't very entertaining, especially when he's acting differently from what you've initially seen of him (some how his angst level jumps from 0 to 10 in this short). Despite these flaws I was taken by Mizuki and would love to see more of him. So if anything his presence saved this one-shot for me.

Speaking of extra characters, I think this is a perfect time to segue back to Nagomi. There are BL that are totally devoid of females and I believe they suffer for it. Tea for Two makes use of them and benefits greatly by their inclusion. Hasune and Tokumaru both have sisters and it's quite obvious that they play a huge part in their lives. In many cases Nagomi's interaction in her brothers life would have ended with his introduction to Hasune, but Sakuragi refuses to retire her and ends up making great use of her. She is, of course, a part of the tea ceremony club too. Hasune's sister, Kotoko, even gets her own little story at the end of the manga where Nagomi makes an appearance. This only makes the overall manga more endearing.

When it comes to the art I kinda have a love hate relationship with it. I would have never purchased Tea for Two if it wasn't for a 40% off sale at a local Borders that was going out of business. She suffers from the same "bad cover art" disease that plagues Tanaka Suzuki. And the alterations BLU made to the cover didn't help (they very rarely do). Also, Sakuragi draws her characters with very long pointy faces. Some day's I'm really feelin' this style but others her characters look like horses to me. But, this is Sakuragi's signature style. And I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on this story because they weren't a fan of her art. I do think she does a great job on everything from the eyes on up. But, lol, I guess that's not saying much.

Now lets get to the nitty-gritty and talk about the sex scenes. There are only two. One between Hasune and Tokumaru and the other is between Keigo and Mizuki. In both cases they're short and you don't see much of what's going on. In fact in both sex scenes the characters are still wearing clothes. This happens to be one of my kinks, so I don't mind it one bit. But if you like you're men to be naked and covered in all sorts of liquid for more than 10 pages than the sex in here will probably disappoint you.

But I'm not a gal that requires lots of sex in her BL (although it doesn't hurt to have it ^_-) and Tea for Two excels where it counts so that's why I'm giving it a:

KakaIru Anthology: After Class

Came home this weekend and was welcomed by a nice little package with KakaIru goodness inside. After two weeks of waiting I received my English translated KakaIru doujinshi. A print of the cover in color was also included (pictured above next to the book) as a sweet bonus to people who preordered. It's 44 pages long with three contributors: Comichub, Pandabaka, and Nanaya. There is also a delicous pic by Kuma Wind included.

The first comic, Task, is by Nanaya and is 4 pages long. It opens with Iruka yawning and stating how tired he is. We learn by the second panel that Naruto has tired him out (who doesn't Naruto tire out). He runs into Kakashi and they have a super short exchange. And then: the end! If anything, I like to look at this short comic as a sort of appetizer, just a small taste of what will follow. And what follows is awesomeness.

Pandabaka is the main reason why I purchased this doujin. I like her sleek art style and the way she draws faces (I especially like the eyes). The story for her comic, Life is simple: Iruka adheres to the old adage carpe diem. I do find the dialogue lacking, but I chop it up to the fact that English aren't these creators native tongue (excluding the guest artist, Kuma Wind). But, where dialogue fails the art excels. The composition of the first page is breathtaking. The contrast between the white and black help to set a melancholy mood for the beginning of the comic. What she succeeds at is the way she seamlessly transitions from one mood to the next. The story opens with an air of sadness but as we reach the middle it begins to morph and by the end she leaves us on an upbeat note. Most of this is done through the art.

The final contribution to this small work is a nameless comic by Comichub that has its beginnings in a AU but returns to Konoha. How she does this is one of the most cliched story techniques (Spoiler!!! It's a dream), however it works in this comic and I wouldn't want her to change it. My only real problem was the abruptness of the ending. I just felt there was no closure. I don't think things had to be tied up in a nice little package, but I do believe a few more panels were needed to make the ending feel complete. Although I wasn't a big fan of the art, I did enjoy her story the most. It would be great to see her write a script for Pandabaka to draw.

I do appreciate that this doujinshi is very well put together. In fact, the print value is 10x's better than the print release of Totally Captivated, and that says something if amateurs can out do the so called professionals. So, if you missed out on this lovely anthology, sucks for you, 'cause it was a nice treat to read a KakaIru doujin and not have my 100 pound kanji book at my side as a translated one panel at a time. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on Pandabaka's DA page because she occasionally opens up an online doujinshi market. Although she's currently into Bleach (noooooooo) I'd love to snag some more of her prints.

May 2009 BL Manga Releases

Title: Awaken Forest
Creator: Yuna Aoi
Publisher: June Manga
Pages: 200
Price: 12.95

Title: Hey, Class President!
Creator: Kaori Monchi
Publisher: 801 Media
Pages: 224
Price: 15.95

Title: Kirepapa
Creator: Ryo Takagi
Publisher: Deux Press
Pages: 192
Price: 12.95

Title: Noodle Shop Affair
Creator: C. J. Michalski
Publisher: Deux Press
Pages: 192
Price: 12.95

Title: Sex and Sensuality
Creator: Kaori Monchi
Publisher: Media Blasters
Pages: 192
Price: 11.99

Happy Yaoi Yum Yum is advertised on the Yaoi Press website for a May release, but Amazon has it down for a June one, I decided to go with Amazon's date since they tend to be more accurate. I know the releases look a little sparse. I wouldn't doubt if I missed some or if there were some releases from last month that got pushed back to this month. But, yeah, not a whole lot to choose from this month. This was released in Japan on the first:

Libre's release of Tanaka Suzuki's Aishiatteru Futari. The original version came out stateside last month under the name, Love Hurts (still hatin' that title). I tend to snatch up any Suzuki releases, but I think I'll pass on this. I know there will be new content but I was never a big fan of this particular manga. And that new cover does very little to entice me.

Yaoish Newsy Stuff -Edition 2-

Deux Sale ends in 2 days
That's right, April 30th is the end of the $5 sale over at the Deux website. If you haven't already done so go ahead and check out their wares. Scroll down a little and you'll see the titles I recommend.

Y!Gallery
Lots of little improvements over at ygal. I think a few people will be happy about the new Robotics tag. But I understand how new filters can be annoying for those who have to go back and edit their entries. There's always that one jerk who will flag a picture instead of kindly telling the artist they've yet to apply the proper filter. So, go forth robot lovers and edit your pics before that jerk comes along.

My favorite change at Y! thus far? The new status icons. Wooooo, so shiny and sleek.

Jpqueen
If you browse and shop at Jpqueen you've noticed the new account page. But what is really cool is that they've instituted a point system. What Jpqueen did in the past was give you a ten dollar coupon for every ten reviews you gave. Now you earn points not only when you write a review for a product you purchased but also when you purchase an item you were looking for. Speaking of looking for items Jpqueen has added a form for those items that have never appeared on their website but you desperately want to find. They use to have something similar to this form in the past but they took it down for some reason. So, for all you people who have been searching for Hajime no Ippo doujinshi go and fill out that form! I know jpqueen tends to wait until they receive certain things from people who don't want their manga/doujin/or whatever anymore, but if there is a great demand for something maybe they'll actively search for it.

And, wow, I totally missed this...
It seems there's going to be a yaoi convention in the Midwest. Bishie Con will take place November 20-22nd in St. Louis MO. They have a couple of guest lined up and a few activities. Things will, of course, get more fleshed out as they draw closer to the event. But so far nothing has really caught my eye. That doesn't mean I wouldn't support them. If I still lived in Missouri you better believe I would have purchased my ticket already. I'm all about supportin' da fandom, baby.

Ippo updates and other junk

New Ippo up. Not much of Ippo lovin' Miyata this time around. But it was very heavily Ippo/Kumi centric which is 20 million times better. Totally love that pic up above. It so looks like he's inhaling marijuana and the final image is the after affects, lol. You know it looks like that!

Mostly posting just to give a heads up to the two people who follow this blog XD. The next two weeks will be filled with finishing up projects and final exams. So unless House decides he suddenly wants to be gay with Wilson there probably won't be an update from me until May. When I'm finally free from the life-sucking clutches of school I want to give this blog a face lift and introduce the two characters that make random appearances throughout my post. I also have a few more reviews I need to get around to completing. And I promise, no more Static post for awhile.

Speaking of Static, before I give this blog a little break from it's awesomeness, if anyone clicked through the links I posted in the last entry that lead to some of the comics I drew it can be easily surmised that I like my Static to be HARDCORE. And, seriously, it's like one of the only things I slash where I want these guys to be going at it like two sex deprived rabbits. As I've stated previously, I tend to like more comedy in the pairings I slash. So Static Shock is really a unique case with me. I don't think I'll ever do KakaIru porn, or Itsuki/Kyon just totally going at it. And I really think this has a lot to do with the fact that I just don't find yaoi to be sexually appealing. Gaspity?! What? How does that make any sense?! But as I stated before, my doujinshi collection is filled with comedy stories. There is a rare occasion where I want one where its whole existence is dependent upon how hot the sex is, but for the most part, I prefer to laugh.

Beautiful by Bandou Emiri
This doujinshi just isn't funny but it's super cute, a double whammy, so I couldn't resist snatching it up

Don't get me wrong, I like looking at guys dripping in sweat and other bodily fluids as much as the next fujoshi. But, for the most part, the build of the guys in most doujinshi just isn't what does it for me. I love muscles, but the characters that most yaoi are based on, like, lets say, Naruto, just don't have that type of build. That's not to say the sex is automatically gonna be bad. A good sex scene is a good sex scene. But, physically, for me, the perfect situation is two muscular guys going at it. And what do you know, Hotsreak and Static fit the bill.

Now, here's my problem when it comes to me drawing this pairing: Muscles are hard to draw, lol! So, poor Static and Hotstreak don't come out looking as delicious as they do in the animation or the comic. It's something I'm working on changing, though.

Anyway, this so came out of nowhere. Better get back to work on these projects. Good luck to the rest of you guys in the midst of finals!

Hotstreak Loves Static

In my first Static Shock post I discussed why the Hotstreak/Richie pairing irked me. This couple, though, makes up a very small percentage of Static slash. The overall majority of all slash is Virgil/Richie, also known as VR. I remember when I got into the fandom I was shocked by the fact people paired these two up. Yeah, it makes sense now, but back then I really only saw these two as best friends. Watching the series I just didn't find anything slashy about their relationship. Besides, why were people slashing those two when they could slash Hotstreak/Static?

When I'm asked why I like this pairing I always respond with the question, "Did you see the episode No Mans an Island". This is an episode from the final season where the two guys have been chained together at the wrist. There are quite a few touchy-feely moments and there’s this really sweet scene where Hotstreak opens up to Static (this really needed to be expanded upon). It's also made very obvious that Hotstreak respects Static. Now, there are some slashers who can take two characters who have never come into contact with each other and throw them together. Hey, that's their prerogative. But for me as well as many other slash fans, we like having something that can validate the relationship. A carrot, if you will, that dangles and tempts us. The majority of Static slashers found many situations questionable between Richie and Virgil. There are, and I'll give them that. But Hotstreak/Static is just way more sexy.

Now that you know why I slash these two, I'm going to share the crazy storyline I came up for them. If you're a Static Shock slash fan you've undoubtedly read a bunch of fanfics where Virgil isn't gay but Richie-sexual. Or, there are those that explore Virgil discovering his sexuality. I don't go with either of these scenarios. In my opinion, Virgil is straight. But, wait! How is it possible for me to put him in a sexual relationship with Hotstreak if he's not gay, bi, or just crazy about the flame-head? Because the relationship doesn't go past the sex part. Anal orgasms are one of the best a man can have. Static has his first anal orgasm with Hotstreak and becomes addicted. Hotstreak makes himself available to Static and he willing accepts. Many, many, times.

Hotsteark, on the other hand, wants to start a relationship based on more than just sex. In one of the scrolling comics I drew I had Hotstreak try to take off Static's mask, which Static objects to. Because this option is closed to him he tries to unmask him by pressuring Static to tell him personnel information (favorite color, favorite food, little stuff like that) so he can slowly piece together an image of who he is. Static goes along with this at first, but stops when he starts feeling as if Hotstreak is moving their relationship into territory it shouldn't go. Hotstreak, in turn, puts a stop to everything and makes himself very scarce in Dakota. And then I turn Virgil into a total jerk who takes advantage of his best friend's crush on him. So, see, I like using Richie too, just as long as he's topping. But yeah, no happy endings for anyone here. I tend to draw this out of order. Like the last part with Richie I drew is actually near the end. I left out the whole middle part and I haven't even finished drawing the beginning yet (just have it scripted). I'm just glad that so far each section has been able to stand on its own.

Hotstreak/Static is soooo my OTP. It's that one couple I always come back too. It may have something to do with them being my first slash couple. Aw, nostalgia. Anyway, just cause I love pimpin' these two here is one of the only Hotstreak/Static fanfics in existence. Go, read, and may you be blessed with plot bunnies.

Kisses Make Everything Better

After reading the latest installment of Hajime no Ippo and seeing Ippo get all touched over Miyata for the one millionth time I was inspired to do some fanart.

I was also trying to catch up on the anime yesterday and found myself really missing the Spanish dub. I know Geoneon is now defunct, but I hope a Spanish company is willing to license and dub the new season with the same voice actors from the previous one. In my opinion, the Spanish dub is far superior to the Japanese original. Sorry, you Japanese purest, but it's the truth.

Don't be hatin'

Anime News Network recently published a review for all three volumes of Menkui!, by Tanaka Suzuki. The reviewer makes it quite obvious that she was none too impressed with this series. That's fine. To each their own. But I did have a problem with a statement she made below:

Tanaka's artwork is perhaps her greatest asset when her storytelling capabilities are—as they often are—refusing to come to her rescue. She has a clean yet distinctively bold, confident style that has won her numerous fujoshi devotees. In some ways, it looks rather anime-like or perhaps Shounen Sunday-esque. She might have been a slice of life shounen mangaka in another life. Indeed, one wonders if she might not be wasting her time in BL.

Wait, but, what? Do I detect a hint of animosity toward BL? Why is it a waste for Suzuki to dedicate herself to a genre she enjoys? This comment exhibits how little the reviewer regards BL as a legit genre category. Now, maybe she doesn't see BL as a lucrative genre and she believes Suzuki is capable of making more money in shoujo or shounen. She probably meant for this statement to be a compliment. But this belief still undermines BL. As if to say BL is where you go to die a slow death. The thing is, that comment is saying BL is, for the most part, a waste of time. And how can I not take issue with that?

I don't want to come off as if I'm peeved by this, 'cause I'm not. But, I haven't for a while been a fan of the BL reviews produced by ANN. I know you can find more worthwhile reviews elsewhere such as the Fujoshi Librarian over at LJ. I guess, what bothers me is ANN is a staple for anime geekdom and as such they are a very powerful force. And what's that saying good ol' Uncle Ben told Peter Parker? Ah, yes: with great power comes great responsibility. Well, be responsible ANN. If you're going to do BL reviews maybe get someone who understands BL to review it. No one would want someone who isn't good at first person shooters to tell them whether or not Halo is a great game. Someone who has played many FPS's because they enjoy the games is a much more credible person. So, come on ANN; step up. Give me a veteran BL fan.

Yaoish Newsy Stuff -Edition 1-

I'm pretty sure by now everyone knows about the Deux sale. In case you missed it somehow here's the link to the info page. I don't have to tell you that five dollars is an awesome price for a yaoi manga. Also, orders are open to fans outside the US. Yeah. Great sale. You know it, I know it, and your mom knows it. In case you're not sure what to get here are the titles I recommend:

Title: Lovers and Souls
Creator: Miyamoto Kano
Deux Page with summary and previews

Title: Say Please
Creator: Miyamoto Kano
Deux Page with summary and previews

Title: Future Lovers
Creator: Saika Kunieda
My Review
Deux Page with summary and previews

Title: Future Lovers Vol. 2
Creator: Saika Kunieda
Deux Page with summary and previews

You can't go wrong with Miyamoto Kano and Saika Kunieda. The sale ends April 30th. I know things are really tight for a lot of people now, but it would be great if we can help Deux weather this storm. Especially since they were awesome enough to give us comics by Saika Kunieda and Miyamoto Kano.

There's been a mod change over at Yaoi Gallery. For me, the biggest news are a few of the little tweaks made to the site. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that there's now a "marked all as viewed" button in submissions. Submissions pile up so fast if you don' t log in for a few days and then you have to sit and wade through them little by little. Such a tedious task. So thank you yaoi gallery for this much needed improvement.

If you're a Bleach fan Pandabaka over at DeviantArt is selling a few doujinshi. Go check out her page for previews and info. She also has a couple of the KakaIru anthology left. The sale of the doujin ends April 15th. Only a few days left!

And I don't know how I forgot that Tanaka Suzuki's book, Love Hurts (that title hurts me >_<), was released this month. Get it for the story dealing with a boy and his crush on a girl who is obsessed with aliens. I know, not BL, but to be totally honest, it's the best story in the book.

Speaking of Tanaka Suzuki, did you check out her cover for Be-Boy last month. Suzuki's cover art is usually a hit or miss (mostly misses, though), and that one was a total miss. Sorry, Suzuki! This months cover was drawn by Shino Natsuho. Also, Yoneda Kou is in this volume. You're probably familiar with her doujinshi work if you're a fan of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Or maybe you've read the DP scanlations of her manga, Doushitemo Furetakunai, (I ownz it). Either way, you know she writes great stories, so no doubt this one will be just as awesome.

And, wow, I see this pairing very super rarely.