Starting with a Kiss キスアリキ。(Kiss Ariki.)

NITTA Youka 新田祐克  has claimed in the past that she wouldn’t write an yakuza manga nor a manga with a main character with long shiny black hair (not that long) – but she does so in Starting with a Kiss キスアリキ。(Kiss Ariki.), published in English by SubLime (VIZ) and originally published by b-BOY HONEY (Libre Shuppan), b-Boy Kichiku (Libre Shuppan), and Be x Boy GOLD (Libre Shuppan).

BL and yakuza seem to be a good match in many stories and is one of the main sub-genre’s of BL.  However, Starting with a Kiss キスアリキ。(Kiss Ariki.) really has nothing much to add to the genre.  It’s not as dark, gritty nor has the depth of the Finder (View Finder) series by YAMANE Ayano やまねあやの or No Money お金がないっ(Okane ga Nai) by SHINOZAKI Hitoyo 篠崎一夜  & KOUSAKA Tohru 香坂透 , not as interesting as Twittering Birds Never Fly 囀る鳥は羽ばたかない (Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai) by YONEDA Kou ヨネダコウ  or one-shot NightS ナイツ by YONEDA Kou ニトロ攻鉄, not as fun as Like the Beast ほんと野獣 (Honto Yajuu) by YAMAMOTO Kotetsuko 山本小鉄子, and the list of better yakuza stories goes on.  Still it’s a decent read full of plotting, incest, etc., though not exactly all that memorable.

Unfortunately, Sublime (VIZ) isn’t putting out the 3rd and final volume in a timely manner at all – it’s not expected until June 2015!  There were only 3 volumes and they could have been done in a few short months – not almost a year.  3 long months between volume 1 and 2 (too much) and then 7 months to wait to finish the series – are they really caring for their audience?  Will the audience even put up with it by buying the last volume?  I know that I forgot the plot and had to reread the 1st volume before continuing with the 2nd and it had been only 3 months! (I don’t usually have that problem with a series – so it’s just not so memorable for me.) 

Not sure if I’d want to go on with such a long wait – and there is no need as the series was finished before it started to be released in the US in English. VIZ should have released all the volumes within 3-6 months at most (or better yet, as a bunkobon), not the almost a year.  This doesn’t seem to happen with the shonen or seinen series – once again making women the second class citizens.  I also wonder why they’re releasing such a series, even if the author is very popular, as there are much better series that should be published and don’t even seem to be up for consideration.

Spiritual Police スピリチュアル ポリス

I just started Spiritual Police スピリチュアル ポリス, which is a spin-0ff of Otodama (Otodama: Voice From the Dead) オトダマ – 音霊 –, which I’ve not read, by NITTA Youka 新田祐克, better known for her classic Embracing Love Haru o Daite Ita 春を抱いていた and published in English in the US by SubLime (VIZ).

This is a detective mystery drama BL that is extremely gruesome, and possibly, at least when it comes to corruption within politics and police right on (but not exactly like this since it’s science fiction).  I have to admit that this is too gruesome for me – I’m talking about ****spoiler alert**** eyes being gouged out of one of the main characters, rape, slavery, blackmail, etc – all to the main couple.  There may be are other very edgy things going on with both the main characters further into the story that will be just too edgy for me, so I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series, even though it would be unusual and very unlikely to have an unhappy ending in BL.

The series does have a solid story, which is a good point for it and not the usual story found in so much BL.  Since it’s a spin-off and Japan isn’t much ahead of the US English version of  Spiritual Police スピリチュアル ポリス(well done VIZ), it would have been best if Otodama (Otodama: Voice From the Dead) オトダマ – 音霊 – had been published in the US in English first and released, since it’s only 3 volumes, giving the time for Spiritual Police スピリチュアル ポリス to have more volumes before starting it.

Embracing Love Haru wo Daite Ita 春を抱いていた

The classic Embracing Love Haru wo Daite Ita  春を抱いていた by NITTA Youkais 新田祐克 finally going to be published in the US by VIZ SubLime this fall.  This is hard core BL with no boyish ukes and seke & reversible couple action (although limited).

This is the story of the rise of two AV stars into mainstream acting stardom and those around them and their evolving relationship and eventual marriage.

The drawing style will look dated as the first 14 volumes were started in 1997; however, there is rumors that the story has been picked up again in Japan.

Serialized in the following publications:  b-Boy LUV (Biblos), b-Boy Phoenix (Libre Shuppan),b-Boy Zips (Biblos), and Be x Boy GOLD (Biblos).

The main characters are Kyousuke Iwaki and Youji Katou.  With reoccurring characters: Nagisa Sawa, Yukihito Sawa, with lesser characters:  Kazunari Urushizaki and Katsuya Kikuchi.

There are two OVAs that I’ve not seen.

I don’t know anyone that’s into BL that doesn’t want to read this classic or who hasn’t already read it and if in the US waiting impatiently for its publication in English.

This is an extremely adult manga.  And if you hate those young-looking ukes and love sekes and reverse couples, this is a manga for you; although, you’ll be wanting more seke/reverse couple scenes.