Review Corner: Crushing Love
Dec. 8th, 2007 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jukebox_csiAn advanced copy from June.
Title: Crushing Love
Mangaka: Ritsu Natsumizu
Publisher: June Manga
From the back cover: When rich, gorgeous and heartbroken Keiichiro Kuroda's ex-lover asks for a loan, he makes a bet with the man: he'll leave 5 million yen in a park with a sign that reads "Please Use Freely," and if it gets turned into the police, his ex can borrow the money; if someone takes the money, Keiichiro can finally turn away the man who broke his heart. But when the first person to spot the money ends up being a handsome young man in trouble, can Keiichiro give up on his quest for revenge and fall in love once more? This collection of passionate stories includes three other tales of forbidden love, involving a family servant in love with the master's son, an adorable nerd in glasses, a love letter, and some high school drama to top it all off. Indulge in this lush collection of Crushing Love.
The main story takes up the first two chapters, and well over half, the book. As the back cover summary states, Keiichiro makes a bet with his ex-lover over a request to borrow money. It's an ultimate slap in the face for Keiichiro. Not only was his ex-lover the one to break things off, but he selfishly asks for five million yen to save his current lover's company. It is this that drives Keiichiro's need for some kind of revenge. He's so sure that no one will be honest enough to turn in the money, that he is stunned speechless when he sees Kaoru find the money, only to turn to him and ask to borrow transportation money. Kaoru verbally spars with himself over doing the right thing of returning the money to the police, and his desperate situation of needing to pay off a debt of the exact amount that Kei has left at the park. Kei sees this as his opportunity to take revenge, by using this complete stranger and watching his ex-lover's wishes be ruined when Kaoru doesn't turn in the money. He travels with Kaoru to meet the lender, who turns out to be Kaoru's lecherous college buddy Yukihiko Shingyoji. But, the more time he spends with Kaoru, the more he reluctantly falls in love with the young man. When Shingyoji-san decides the 5 million is no longer enough to cancel the debt and practically forces Kaoru to dress in a bunny outfit and work for one night in his Cosplay bar as a host, Kei learns of Kaoru's true reasons for needing the money. It makes him face his true feelings as well as re-evaluate his schemes for revenge. Is it truly a debt that an honorable soul such as Kaoru must fulfill, or is it a joke gone too far? And does Kei, who was betrayed by his ex-lover's selfishness, have the right to now be the betrayer?
The next couple of chapters in the book focus on Yukihiko. He is a salacious playboy, who hails from a wealthy family and owns a Cosplay club. Always by his side is the obedient Sei. Sei is the son of the servant who worked in Yukihiko's house. The two were childhood friends, and Sei loyally remained by his master's side into adulthood. There is more than loyalty that keeps Sei next to Yuki, however. And even as it hurts his heart more and more, each time he sees Yuki with a new lover, he remains determined. But, an overheard conversation between Yuki and his 'flavor of the month' destroys any hope that Sei has of Yuki ever seeing him as more than a childhood friend. With that realization, he decides to move forward with his life and accepts an arranged meeting that has been setup by his superior. To his surprise, the date was a sham, planned and executed by the ever scheming Yuki. Was everything a miscommunication between them? How will Yuki explain the overheard statements that drove the wedge between them to begin with?
The final two stories in the book are one-shots. In both cases, two school friends are sex buddies, but one longs to be something more. The first story, "My Throbbing Heart", Nakahara and Kimijima are casual sex friends until Nakahara happens to find a love letter written by Kimijima. The letter is not addressed, and he can only assume that Kimijima meant to give it to a girl that has been expressing her attraction to him in class. It brings forth previously unknown feelings of jealousy and possessiveness that nearly drive Nakahara insane; to the point he confronts Kimijima and demands an explanation. The second one-shot, entitled "Love Love Me", Himura and Adachi have been having sex for almost six months. But, Himura thinks that Adachi only does it with him because it's more convenient and less work than being with a girl. So, when his mother tells him suddenly that they are moving, Adachi is faced with the dilemma of telling Himura his true feelings or not. If he finds the courage, how will Himura react?
All of the stories within the book are fairly light-hearted. There are angst factors here and there, but for the most part I consider the book fluffy reading. Even termed that way, the intimate scenes within the book are deliciously hot, and definitely earn the mature rating for the book. I was a little confused in the beginning of the main story as to whom Kei was planning to seek revenge against. The flashback scenes are actually hard to distinquish, not showing the graying/blurring aspect that clearly indicates flashback that I'm accustomed to seeing in other books. It was through the writing of this review, where I had to peruse the book a second time to form the summaries, where pieces fell more into place. All four stories are rather common themes, especially the two one-shots at the end which seemed to be the same story told twice with two different sets of characters. Still, it didn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment of reading, though it did take me several 'sit-down' sessions to actually make it all the way through the book.
The mangaka does a decent job of making her characters look different from each other. The possible exception would be the characters from the one-shot "My Throbbing Heart", who actually come across visually as younger versions of Yuki and Sei. But, overall, the characters are visually appealing; masculine and handsome. Even when weeping and/or wearing rabbit ears, the ukes never come across as effeminate. The use, of shading and tones, is done well; not overbearing nor underdone. There is a cute AfterThoughts section, in which Ritsu Natsumizu discusses how various everyday items can spark her imagination. For example, visiting a hardware store and seeing various thickness chains sold by the meter, causes her to visualize a seme utilizing such material to imprison his uke.
I must applaud June on a fine presentation. The paper seems to be quality stock; crisp, clean, and smooth to the touch. The book itself is a little heavier than some in my library, most likely do to the type of paper used, but it is not stiff by any means. As is par for the course with June books, it has a cover flap and decent sized margins that keep all readable text within a visual area that does not require the binding to be cracked. The typical large dimensions of the book are also a trademark of June that my poor old eyes very much appreciates. I did notice that, while most sound effects retained the original Japanese text with the translation nearby, there were some areas where only the translated sound effect was found. These were usually very small areas in which both sets of text would have been crowded. In a case such as this, I do prefer the English sound effect be used, as June chose to do.
Overall, it is a descent addition to my growing library.
Title: Crushing Love
Mangaka: Ritsu Natsumizu
Publisher: June Manga
From the back cover: When rich, gorgeous and heartbroken Keiichiro Kuroda's ex-lover asks for a loan, he makes a bet with the man: he'll leave 5 million yen in a park with a sign that reads "Please Use Freely," and if it gets turned into the police, his ex can borrow the money; if someone takes the money, Keiichiro can finally turn away the man who broke his heart. But when the first person to spot the money ends up being a handsome young man in trouble, can Keiichiro give up on his quest for revenge and fall in love once more? This collection of passionate stories includes three other tales of forbidden love, involving a family servant in love with the master's son, an adorable nerd in glasses, a love letter, and some high school drama to top it all off. Indulge in this lush collection of Crushing Love.
The main story takes up the first two chapters, and well over half, the book. As the back cover summary states, Keiichiro makes a bet with his ex-lover over a request to borrow money. It's an ultimate slap in the face for Keiichiro. Not only was his ex-lover the one to break things off, but he selfishly asks for five million yen to save his current lover's company. It is this that drives Keiichiro's need for some kind of revenge. He's so sure that no one will be honest enough to turn in the money, that he is stunned speechless when he sees Kaoru find the money, only to turn to him and ask to borrow transportation money. Kaoru verbally spars with himself over doing the right thing of returning the money to the police, and his desperate situation of needing to pay off a debt of the exact amount that Kei has left at the park. Kei sees this as his opportunity to take revenge, by using this complete stranger and watching his ex-lover's wishes be ruined when Kaoru doesn't turn in the money. He travels with Kaoru to meet the lender, who turns out to be Kaoru's lecherous college buddy Yukihiko Shingyoji. But, the more time he spends with Kaoru, the more he reluctantly falls in love with the young man. When Shingyoji-san decides the 5 million is no longer enough to cancel the debt and practically forces Kaoru to dress in a bunny outfit and work for one night in his Cosplay bar as a host, Kei learns of Kaoru's true reasons for needing the money. It makes him face his true feelings as well as re-evaluate his schemes for revenge. Is it truly a debt that an honorable soul such as Kaoru must fulfill, or is it a joke gone too far? And does Kei, who was betrayed by his ex-lover's selfishness, have the right to now be the betrayer?
The next couple of chapters in the book focus on Yukihiko. He is a salacious playboy, who hails from a wealthy family and owns a Cosplay club. Always by his side is the obedient Sei. Sei is the son of the servant who worked in Yukihiko's house. The two were childhood friends, and Sei loyally remained by his master's side into adulthood. There is more than loyalty that keeps Sei next to Yuki, however. And even as it hurts his heart more and more, each time he sees Yuki with a new lover, he remains determined. But, an overheard conversation between Yuki and his 'flavor of the month' destroys any hope that Sei has of Yuki ever seeing him as more than a childhood friend. With that realization, he decides to move forward with his life and accepts an arranged meeting that has been setup by his superior. To his surprise, the date was a sham, planned and executed by the ever scheming Yuki. Was everything a miscommunication between them? How will Yuki explain the overheard statements that drove the wedge between them to begin with?
The final two stories in the book are one-shots. In both cases, two school friends are sex buddies, but one longs to be something more. The first story, "My Throbbing Heart", Nakahara and Kimijima are casual sex friends until Nakahara happens to find a love letter written by Kimijima. The letter is not addressed, and he can only assume that Kimijima meant to give it to a girl that has been expressing her attraction to him in class. It brings forth previously unknown feelings of jealousy and possessiveness that nearly drive Nakahara insane; to the point he confronts Kimijima and demands an explanation. The second one-shot, entitled "Love Love Me", Himura and Adachi have been having sex for almost six months. But, Himura thinks that Adachi only does it with him because it's more convenient and less work than being with a girl. So, when his mother tells him suddenly that they are moving, Adachi is faced with the dilemma of telling Himura his true feelings or not. If he finds the courage, how will Himura react?
All of the stories within the book are fairly light-hearted. There are angst factors here and there, but for the most part I consider the book fluffy reading. Even termed that way, the intimate scenes within the book are deliciously hot, and definitely earn the mature rating for the book. I was a little confused in the beginning of the main story as to whom Kei was planning to seek revenge against. The flashback scenes are actually hard to distinquish, not showing the graying/blurring aspect that clearly indicates flashback that I'm accustomed to seeing in other books. It was through the writing of this review, where I had to peruse the book a second time to form the summaries, where pieces fell more into place. All four stories are rather common themes, especially the two one-shots at the end which seemed to be the same story told twice with two different sets of characters. Still, it didn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment of reading, though it did take me several 'sit-down' sessions to actually make it all the way through the book.
The mangaka does a decent job of making her characters look different from each other. The possible exception would be the characters from the one-shot "My Throbbing Heart", who actually come across visually as younger versions of Yuki and Sei. But, overall, the characters are visually appealing; masculine and handsome. Even when weeping and/or wearing rabbit ears, the ukes never come across as effeminate. The use, of shading and tones, is done well; not overbearing nor underdone. There is a cute AfterThoughts section, in which Ritsu Natsumizu discusses how various everyday items can spark her imagination. For example, visiting a hardware store and seeing various thickness chains sold by the meter, causes her to visualize a seme utilizing such material to imprison his uke.
I must applaud June on a fine presentation. The paper seems to be quality stock; crisp, clean, and smooth to the touch. The book itself is a little heavier than some in my library, most likely do to the type of paper used, but it is not stiff by any means. As is par for the course with June books, it has a cover flap and decent sized margins that keep all readable text within a visual area that does not require the binding to be cracked. The typical large dimensions of the book are also a trademark of June that my poor old eyes very much appreciates. I did notice that, while most sound effects retained the original Japanese text with the translation nearby, there were some areas where only the translated sound effect was found. These were usually very small areas in which both sets of text would have been crowded. In a case such as this, I do prefer the English sound effect be used, as June chose to do.
Overall, it is a descent addition to my growing library.
