Boys Next Door Reviews

Rating: ♦♦♦♦

You know, it’s kind of nice to get back to vampires that are demonic and bloody. Most of the vamps that we get in manga form are too lilly-white to be able to cause some real carnage.

Not so for the vamps in this release. Lots of gore, complete with hearts being ripped out of chests. While I’m not a huge horror fan, vamps should be a bit forbidden and scary. They can’t be sexy and mysterious all the time. Hell, they’re supposed to be killers, not saints.

When we last left these guys, Sein was recovering from an attack by his older brother, Verloren. His devoted human Lou wants nothing more than to be first in Sein’s eyes, and to keep him strong.

Verloren has different ideas for his brother, and is going to do everything he can to turn Sein into a killer like him.

What really makes me happy is the mix of serious drama, and silly, silly art. One moment things are very detailed and all of a sudden Lou says or does something that’s exasperating/cute, and the characters go super deformed for a panel or so.

While there wasn’t quite enough romance to make this a truly stellar release for me, it was really damn good - and something that’s going directly to the keeper shelf.

Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

I adore Makoto Tateno. I know going in that there’s going to be a boat load of angst, there’s going to be boys screwing madly and there’s going to be a happy ending.

She doesn’t tend to stray from this format, and I’m not complaining. Reading her is like escaping into a romance novel. It’s sweet fluff, that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated afterwards. By all rights, I should be looking for something with more substance - but, there are times when you just want something that you know is going to have a happy ending.

While in High School, Naoyuki fell in love with his sempai, Shinobu. Naoyuki was convinced that they were going to be together, forever, and was making plans to follow Shinobu to college. They had agreed to meet after Shinobu’s graduation, so Naoyuki could give him a gift.
Shinobu never showed.

Years later, Naoyuki has moved on. He’s got a girlfriend, but he’s never really forgotten Shinobu. While going to bars one night, he and his girlfriend run into a bartender that looks familiar. It’s Shinobu.
Problem is that Shinobu has no interest in Naoyuki, and is not too pleased to have this blast from his past.

To make things even more problematic, Shinobu has been acting the whore, and sleeping with any male that shows interest to him.

Now, we all know that in the world of BL, this means that Shinobu is hiding his pain and that he’s still in love with Naoyuki, right?
God, I love BL tropes. They make for such fun angst.

So, now Naoyuki has to fight to get Shinobu to recognize that what they have is real, and get him back.

It’s fun. It’s decidedly romantic, and it’s just what I want to read when I’m having a bad day.
Just like everything else that Tateno has ever released.
I know that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but when I’m in the mood for it, it hits a home run.

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.

Rating: ♦♦

I really wanted to like this release more than I did. The art was really well done, and the story wasn’t too silly, but it just didn’t gel.
It was just kind of fluffy, with no underlying substance to make me care about the characters.

There’s Aoto, who’s left alone in the world after his sisters death. He transfers his affections to his brother in law, Takashi, who seems oblivious to Aoto’s feelings.
There’s Takashi’s friend Masayuki who decides that he’s madly in love with Aoto, even though Aoto does not return his feelings.

It’s kind of cute, and has some nice graphic moments, but in all honesty, this didn’t make me that happy.

I guess I’ve been spoiled with a lot of 801’s releases; they’re usually graphic, have a decent plot and make me all kinds of happy. When I find one that’s graphic, and has a plot that’s just okay, I compare it to the ones that I’ve loved, and just find them lacking.

It’s cute, and it’s something that people will enjoy, I just want something with more substance.

Rating: ♦♦♦

You know, I’m really tired of anthologies. Still, they are a good way to get introduced to an artist, and get a feel for their work.
This release, while being very charming and very well drawn, left me feeling a bit lacking.
The stories were very good, and I really liked the characters, but in a short format like this, I didn’t get enough of them. For most of the stories in this anthology, I would be happy to read an entire manga devoted to the characters and their problems.

I guess that’s really not something to complain about. But, it did leave me feeling unsatisfied at the end.

I think my favorite story revolved around the character that was the oldest of six children.
Now, this being Japan, this is a bit of an oddity, and he’s embarrassed by the fecundity of his parents.
He also doesn’t want to let his family know that he’s gay, in case they react badly.
A surprise visit from his lover has him questioning his decisions, and a slip of the tongue has him coming out to his siblings, who are more supportive than he could have ever imagined.

It’s sweet, and it’s slightly silly. The only thing that could improve the story would be the addition of some smut. Well, that and to expand on the characters.

One thing I really did enjoy about this release was the real lack of happy endings in the majority of the stories. These stories seem much more true to life, than a lot of the stereotypical BL stories that always end with true love and buttsex.
Much like the releases by Est Em, who is currently my favorite artist working, these stories show a subjective kind of happiness. Something that will get you through right now, but is not the shojou flowers and joy that I’m used to.

It is a nice change. I just wish there was more of this!

Rating: ♦♦♦♦

I’ve been waiting so long for this volume, that I pretty much forgot what had happened in the first two volumes.
Thankfully, I caught myself up pretty quickly. This isn’t one of those deep thought mangas that has lots and lots of complicated plot twists. No, this is pretty straightforward, boy meets other boy, boys boink, and then complications arise to keep boys from boinking.
Just to catch all of you up, we have Tokumaru and Hasune. Tokumaru is good at anything athletic, but is a dismal failure at almost everything else. Hasune is the head of his family’s tea house, and his charged with trying to teach Tokumaru some grace and manners.
Cue some hilarity with Tokumaru being a klutz, and winning over Hasune with his bubbly personality and we’ve got a relationship.

In this volume, it’s summer break, and Tokumaru is faced with trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Nothing like putting the pressure on! When he’s given the opportunity to look into attending a sports college, where his lack of book knowledge is not going to be held against him, Tokumaru thinks that he’s got it all figured out.
Hasune takes this as an opportunity to tutor and molest Tokumaru at every possible opportunity. Now, the question is if Tokumaru will be able to stay with Hasune or will his future plans pull them apart.

You know, if this wasn’t so well drawn, and so charming, I don’t think I would care for it as much. It’s really nothing special, when you look at the basic plot, but, there’s something with the quality of the art, and the situations the characters find themselves in, which turn this into a series that I’m happy to wait for.

I have volume four pre-ordered on Amazon.com, and it’s slated for delivery in April. Let’s hope that the release date doesn’t get pushed back too far, now that I’m remembering how much I like this series, I don’t want to wait too long to read the rest of it!

Rating: ♦♦♦♦

I have waited a long time to hold a book by Becca Abbott in my hot little hands. She was always one of my favorite Gundam Wing authors that we archived here at BND. Her stories were always filled with pain and heartache, yet tempered with passion and sweetness.
SL Publishing Group has picked a real gem to be their first foray into print books. This is going to appeal to the yaoi fans, as well as to fans of m/m fiction who want a good dose of high fantasy with their relationships.
I happen to be a sucker for high fantasy, so this book pushed all of my happy buttons.

Stefn is a sin-eater. Sin-eaters are humans who are born with a deformity and everything that goes wrong is laid to blame at their feet. Despised by his family because of his deformity, Stefn spends his days wrapped up in ancient histories and books.
There’s a revolution brewing. The church, which Stefn’s family owes full allegiance has grown corrupt and power hungry. The king of the land is in a drug addled haze. The king’s brother will do everything in his power to save the kingdom of Tanrin; even if it means bringing back forbidden Naran sorcery.
A coup is staged, and Stefn is the only male member of his family left alive.
He’s left alive for one reason, to serve as the conduit of power for Michael Arranz, who’s descended from the demon race of Naragi. Michael’s blood is one of the purest left, and he needs a conduit if the plans to save the country are to be fruitful.

Enter in Stefn – abused, sheltered and believing fully that the demon race is evil, and that he must do everything in his power to thwart Michael’s plans.
Yet, it’s hard to rebel when you’re very being is tied to what you hate most in the world - When it holds you in a web of pleasure and friendship, greater than anything that Stefn has ever known.

This book too me to a place that few books are able to bring me to. A place where you don’t even notice that time is passing, yet you’re spending hours devouring every word on the page. I was sad when I found that I only had a few chapters left. I wanted the book to keep going, to spend more time with these characters.
I knew I was going to like this book, based on the strength of Abbott’s previous writing, but I wasn’t expecting to like it quite this much. If this is the quality of work that SL Publishing Group is going to be releasing, then we’re all in for a big treat.