Boys Next Door Reviews

Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Be prepared for a crash course in how the Japanese school system/colleges work with the release of this series. Tamiya is a new law student struggling to find his niche in college. Tohdou is the son of a politician and has a very carefree view of life and school.

During a party at the start of the school year, Tohdou saves Tamiya from having to strip as a hazing ritual by kissing him. Tohdou is gay, Tamiya is not. Or at least he says he’s not. He’s never been able to really connect with girls, never mind have an intimate relationship with one of them.

When a teacher comes on to Tamiya he starts to question his sexuality and look to Tohdou for advice and possibly something more.

I really don’t think that 801 Media could have picked a better series to be one of the ones they’re launching with. This series, along with being completely endearing and engaging, which is a hallmark of Fumi Yoshinaga’s work, is also sexy as hell and very smart. Unlike some manga, this series requires you to do some thinking.

The presentation is lovely, we’ve got dust covers, full-cover inserts, good translations and high-quality binding. The only change from the original release is that on the inside back cover, instead of an advertisement for a product that is not available outside of Japan, they’ve included a sweet little comic strip introducing the people who are behind 801 Media. It’s especially cute if you’ve been on the 801 forums and have interacted with the happy little smut queens.

Really, the only thing I could ask for would be the honorifics, but I guess a girl can’t have everything in life.

If you’re a fan of Fumi Yoshinaga - and if you’re not, what the hell is wrong with you - start saving your pennies for this volume to come out. It’s definitely worth being part of your collection.

Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Fumi Yoshinaga just makes me happy. You all know this by now, but it bears repeating. Her art is gorgeous, her stories warm my jaded, bittersweet and just make me smile. What more could I ask for in an artist. Well, aside from a hell of a lot more material for me to fangirl over, but I think that would be pushing it.

In this volume, not only do we get to see Tohdou and Tamiya and their relationship grow and flourish, but we also have Tohdou’s younger brother, Hiroaki, to contend with. Hiroaki has cut a swath through Japan with his sexual conquests and he’s more than happy to share his life lessons with his slightly clueless older brother.

Hiroaki is still firmly enclosed in the closet though, while Tohdou openly shares his love for Tamiya. This causes quite a bit of heartache for Hiroaki. You know things are going to work out for the best, but it’s going to be quite a ride getting there.

It’s great to watch Fumi Yoshinaga’s characters grow throughout the story. These are not static characters, which is a great thing. Her characters also do not fall into the stereotypical BL stereotypes. As much as I love the genre, I get tired of having the same thing repeated over and over again with nothing changing but the character designs.

This is one of the best short series out there. It’s only two volumes. Run out and pick this one up for your collection. I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed.