Boys Next Door Reviews

Rating: ♦♦♦♦

I didn’t think I was going to like this one. I mean, it had good art, and a cute cat. But, good art and a cute cat will only take you so far.

I need some substance to really bring me over, and thankfully, this one had substance.

All Atsu wants in life is a dog. All Junya wants in life is Atsu. Once they hit college, Junya decides to make his feelings clear, confusing the hell out of poor Atsu.

My favorite scene was when our two heroes finally get together. They’re getting all hot and heavy, when Junya’s cat decides to make his prescience known, by leaping on to Junya’s back.
Being the owner of a fat, clumsy and rather stupid cat, I found this to be hysterical.

This release is filthy, graphic and far too endearing. I’m not familiar with this artist, but she reminds me of Takakura Row, when it comes to the amount of detail she puts into her characters, and just how dirty they are.

I’m also reminded of just why I like 801’s releases in the first place. They’re graphic (no glowing cones of light here) and they usually have some substance to back up the filth.

Substance in my smut, who ever would have thought!

Rating: ♦♦♦

I have to give Net Comics a lot of credit for releasing stuff that’s a little left of center.
After being inundated with school boys, it’s nice to have something that breaks away from the pack, and shows relationships with a twist.

From transvestites, to street punks to drivers-ed instructors, this is not what I would normally expect to see in a BL release.

It’s also handled very deftly, with a touch of humor. The characters know that they can be ridiculous, and march straight up to the line of being over the top, without crossing over and becoming caricatures of themselves.

My only problem is that it’s an anthology. I would love to see what this author could do given a whole book in which to grow the characters with. There’s only so much character development you can get in 15 pages - and there in lies my problem with anthologies.

I love series that take volumes to tell a story. I want to get to know every aspect of a characters life. I don’t want to be introduced to a character, find out I really like them, and then have to be done with them and introduced to a new one, all in the span of 15 pages.

If there is a release of this artist’s work that is a full story, and not just an anthology, I will be lining up to buy it.

Pick this one up, if only to be introduced to a new artist that you’re not familiar with, just try to not fall in love with the characters. With an anthology, you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak.

Rating: ♦♦♦

This is a prime example of how great art will make a release. The stories are cute, but even though they touch on subjects that some manga steer clear of (enemas anyone?), on their own, they’re really not that special.

Yet, when you throw in art that brings out the inherent cuteness in the stories, and it turns reading this release into something that’s pure please. Something that’s almost guaranteed to make you smile.

It’s an anthology release, and while I do get tired of those after a while, it is a great way to get introduced to an artist, and their style. This release has stories that are slightly graphic, and stories that are perfectly tame.

I’m always happily surprised when I end up liking a release more than I think I’m going to, and this one managed to surprise me in the best way.

Rating: ♦♦♦♦

I always enjoy Makoto Tateno’s work. I’ve really been happy with this series, and it’s follow up, Steal Moon. There’s something about this dystopian society, with assassins and cabals that just pushes all of my buttons.
Plus, there’s angst and pretty boys screwing. Hell, throw in some Mecha and some teenage pilots, and this would be my version of Gundam Wing.

I love the tension between Kai and Lahti. By now, I shouldn’t be all impressed with Tateno’s deft handling of angst, and longing, but she still manages to get me every time.

Kai wants Lahti, but Lahti is giving off mixed signals. Then there’s the underlying drama of Lahti’s assassin sister, Maria, who captured Kai’s heart - and his conflict with his perfect image of Maria, and the truth of the assassin that she really is.

What drives me crazy is that I shouldn’t like this as much as I do. In one scene, Lahti hauls off and smacks Kai across the face, and Kai goes crawling back to him, like a puppy dog who doesn’t know any better.
My femmi-nazi self is screaming that I should be offended by this, not turned on and enthralled, yet, I’m sucked in and left wanting more.

That’s the talent of Tateno. This is old-school, stereotypical BL. The stuff that normally makes me cranky. Yet, when presented this well, I find myself remembering exactly why I like the genre in the first place.

I’m just in it for the angst.

Rating: ♦♦♦

We’re at that point in a series where I start to get bored. I know the characters, I know how they’re going to act in most situations, and I know that we’re going to have a happy ending.
While I still crack a grin at some of Misaki’s misadventures, it’s getting old.

Now, knowing how good this series is, I’m sure that it will pick back up in a few volumes.
But, right now, it’s just pages of drabble, interspersed with some flashes of smut.

There’s the normal Akihiko family drama, with Misaki feeling overwhelmed, and Usagi having to make things better. Then Usagi’s cousin moves in, and develops a crush on Usagi, leaving Misaki floundering, once again.

Jealousy, chocolate and teddy bears rule this volume, and while it’s cute, it’s an overdose of sweetness.

I may back off of this series for a while, or at least just stick to the anime, until I can appreciate its form of insanity again.