Review Corner: Words of Devotion
The newest review is an offering from June Manga. This one is posted at Boys on Boys on Film
Title: Words of Devotion vol 1
Mangaka: Keiko Konno
Publisher: June Manga
From the back cover of volume 1: After graduating from high school, best friends Tachibana and Otani decided to move-in together as more-than-friends. Although their feelings are very real, the secret nature of their relationship, and the words that have gone unsaid between them, leave room for doubt. When a chance encounter reintroduces the pair to Yuki, a former classmate, Otani becomes suspicious of Tachibana's close friendship with her. Will rumors from their high school days together spin Otani's insecurities out of control? Or could it be that Tachibana and Yuki really have rekindled an old flame? From Keiko Konno comes an unusual love triangle, where matters of the heart are rarely simple - especially when they involve the past. Can Tachibana find the words to express his devotion? Or will Otani's passive-aggressive stoicism doom their relationship for good?
There are four stories total in the book. The main story which derives its name from the title of the manga, makes up the first half of the book. The remaining pages are almost equally split between "To the Ends of the Earth", "Waiting for Spring", and a return to "Words of Devotion" that focuses on a different character that only briefly appeared in the first story.
I often wonder about the phrase "slice-of-life story". To me, it means a story where the reader enters in the middle of something already established, and leaves the story at an open-ended part (where there is no set end to the story, but the understanding that life is continuing on for the characters 'off stage' without you). In between, there is no one focus or issue that must have a resolution. In that vein, this manga fits, as do many stories that simply follow the day-to-day aspects of a relationship. The book starts with Tachibana and Otani in a relationship already, when their old high school classmate Yuki stumbles upon them sitting on a bench together. When she makes an off-hand remark about them still hanging together and perhaps they should become homos, Otani rudely agrees even as Tachibana begins to blow it off, then dismisses Yuki as if she were a nuisance. Almost immediately, Otani begins to question if Tachibana is sleeping with her, even though Tachibana continues to deny seeing her since graduation. He's incredibly jealous, assuming that Tachibana did it with the girl in high school because of all the rumors. This is fueled when Tachibana makes plans to see Yuki again, though he takes Otani with him. Otani's stoic, cold attitude only grows stronger as he overreacts to learning that Yuki has given Tachibana an expensive cologne as a birthday gift. The twist, though, is that Tachibana may not actually be the one on whom Yuki has a crush. This first story in the book continues through daily aspects of the relationship between the two boys; trials and tribulations associated with misunderstandings, resolutions, and words left unsaid but understood none the less.
The second story in the book is of a similar nature as the first, except taking place at the beginning of a relationship in school instead of seeing aspects of the established couple. It again involves two boys and a girl. In this case, it is from the girl, Sawako's point of view. Her childhood friend, Hirofumi , suddenly realizes he's gay, comes to her to seek advice, and admits to her that he has fallen in love with her ex-boyfriend. When Shinji, the ex, begins to question her about Hirofumi, it's easy to understand the morose expressions she tends to wear throughout the story. As she puts it, "Give me a break. Really." Ultimately, though, she is happy that the two come together, though she still feels some of the disappointment that comes with being the one on the outside looking in.
In "Waiting for the Spring", Miyata is a wealthy, but lonely boy. In his attempts to awkwardly gain friendship with fellow classmate Kasahara, he has Kasahara kidnapped by body guards and keeps the victim chained in his bedroom. What follows is a slow development of a friendship as Kasahara's initial anger over being held prisoner turns into understanding when he learns of Miyata's sad and empty life. All Miyata wants is a friend. As both boys get to know each other, Miyata frees Kasahara, who in turn forgives the kidnapping and offers his hand in friendship in front of their fellow students. Thus begins a potentially new life for them both.
The final story takes a character, Sho-kun only briefly shown in the main title, and shows his devotion to a blue-eyed lover across the sea. When spring comes, and he is out of school, Sho-kun crosses the ocean to visit his lover Al. Al wants to become an actor, and struggles with terrible parts in low grade movies. But, he loves Sho, who in turn loves him. They spend their time getting reacquainted, and Sho reaffirms his resolve to take care of his love and let Al chase his dream.
In a way, the book was kind of depressing to me. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the characters in all but the last story wore perpetual frowns on their faces. Flipping briefly back through the book, I was hard-pressed to see an outright smile on any of the pages. The artwork is not very smooth and, though it is not ugly, it has no real appeal for me. The characters tend to look the same from story to story, and I found myself having to look back and compare names to make sure I was indeed reading about completely different characters.
As with all of June's titles, the book is a nice size with plenty of room for the everyday drama that unfolds on the page. It also comes with a sleeve that curiously has more appealing artwork on the cover than within the contents of the book itself. The translation is well done, with no real errors as far as I can tell, and the sound effects retain the original Japanese characters in addition to the translation. One thing that continues to confuse me, however, is the way that June rates their books. Though there are a small number of sexual scenes in the book, you really can't see anything but a hand grasping air - as naughty parts are completely whited out. To me, it seems a rating of 16+ would be sufficient - I've seen worse in a PG-13 movie. But, as I am not a professional when it comes to ratings, I yield to their decision to classify this book as "M" for an audience over 18.
Though I'm not sure that I will purchase the second volume when it comes out, overall it's a decent read for someone who prefers little action and more "day in the life" relationship type books.
Title: Words of Devotion vol 1
Mangaka: Keiko Konno
Publisher: June Manga
From the back cover of volume 1: After graduating from high school, best friends Tachibana and Otani decided to move-in together as more-than-friends. Although their feelings are very real, the secret nature of their relationship, and the words that have gone unsaid between them, leave room for doubt. When a chance encounter reintroduces the pair to Yuki, a former classmate, Otani becomes suspicious of Tachibana's close friendship with her. Will rumors from their high school days together spin Otani's insecurities out of control? Or could it be that Tachibana and Yuki really have rekindled an old flame? From Keiko Konno comes an unusual love triangle, where matters of the heart are rarely simple - especially when they involve the past. Can Tachibana find the words to express his devotion? Or will Otani's passive-aggressive stoicism doom their relationship for good?
There are four stories total in the book. The main story which derives its name from the title of the manga, makes up the first half of the book. The remaining pages are almost equally split between "To the Ends of the Earth", "Waiting for Spring", and a return to "Words of Devotion" that focuses on a different character that only briefly appeared in the first story.
I often wonder about the phrase "slice-of-life story". To me, it means a story where the reader enters in the middle of something already established, and leaves the story at an open-ended part (where there is no set end to the story, but the understanding that life is continuing on for the characters 'off stage' without you). In between, there is no one focus or issue that must have a resolution. In that vein, this manga fits, as do many stories that simply follow the day-to-day aspects of a relationship. The book starts with Tachibana and Otani in a relationship already, when their old high school classmate Yuki stumbles upon them sitting on a bench together. When she makes an off-hand remark about them still hanging together and perhaps they should become homos, Otani rudely agrees even as Tachibana begins to blow it off, then dismisses Yuki as if she were a nuisance. Almost immediately, Otani begins to question if Tachibana is sleeping with her, even though Tachibana continues to deny seeing her since graduation. He's incredibly jealous, assuming that Tachibana did it with the girl in high school because of all the rumors. This is fueled when Tachibana makes plans to see Yuki again, though he takes Otani with him. Otani's stoic, cold attitude only grows stronger as he overreacts to learning that Yuki has given Tachibana an expensive cologne as a birthday gift. The twist, though, is that Tachibana may not actually be the one on whom Yuki has a crush. This first story in the book continues through daily aspects of the relationship between the two boys; trials and tribulations associated with misunderstandings, resolutions, and words left unsaid but understood none the less.
The second story in the book is of a similar nature as the first, except taking place at the beginning of a relationship in school instead of seeing aspects of the established couple. It again involves two boys and a girl. In this case, it is from the girl, Sawako's point of view. Her childhood friend, Hirofumi , suddenly realizes he's gay, comes to her to seek advice, and admits to her that he has fallen in love with her ex-boyfriend. When Shinji, the ex, begins to question her about Hirofumi, it's easy to understand the morose expressions she tends to wear throughout the story. As she puts it, "Give me a break. Really." Ultimately, though, she is happy that the two come together, though she still feels some of the disappointment that comes with being the one on the outside looking in.
In "Waiting for the Spring", Miyata is a wealthy, but lonely boy. In his attempts to awkwardly gain friendship with fellow classmate Kasahara, he has Kasahara kidnapped by body guards and keeps the victim chained in his bedroom. What follows is a slow development of a friendship as Kasahara's initial anger over being held prisoner turns into understanding when he learns of Miyata's sad and empty life. All Miyata wants is a friend. As both boys get to know each other, Miyata frees Kasahara, who in turn forgives the kidnapping and offers his hand in friendship in front of their fellow students. Thus begins a potentially new life for them both.
The final story takes a character, Sho-kun only briefly shown in the main title, and shows his devotion to a blue-eyed lover across the sea. When spring comes, and he is out of school, Sho-kun crosses the ocean to visit his lover Al. Al wants to become an actor, and struggles with terrible parts in low grade movies. But, he loves Sho, who in turn loves him. They spend their time getting reacquainted, and Sho reaffirms his resolve to take care of his love and let Al chase his dream.
In a way, the book was kind of depressing to me. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the characters in all but the last story wore perpetual frowns on their faces. Flipping briefly back through the book, I was hard-pressed to see an outright smile on any of the pages. The artwork is not very smooth and, though it is not ugly, it has no real appeal for me. The characters tend to look the same from story to story, and I found myself having to look back and compare names to make sure I was indeed reading about completely different characters.
As with all of June's titles, the book is a nice size with plenty of room for the everyday drama that unfolds on the page. It also comes with a sleeve that curiously has more appealing artwork on the cover than within the contents of the book itself. The translation is well done, with no real errors as far as I can tell, and the sound effects retain the original Japanese characters in addition to the translation. One thing that continues to confuse me, however, is the way that June rates their books. Though there are a small number of sexual scenes in the book, you really can't see anything but a hand grasping air - as naughty parts are completely whited out. To me, it seems a rating of 16+ would be sufficient - I've seen worse in a PG-13 movie. But, as I am not a professional when it comes to ratings, I yield to their decision to classify this book as "M" for an audience over 18.
Though I'm not sure that I will purchase the second volume when it comes out, overall it's a decent read for someone who prefers little action and more "day in the life" relationship type books.