Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Lovely art and likeble characters) 『The artwork is lovely and the characters are likable though I didn't warm up to Kazuki until the later half.
The characters don't go beyond kissing but that suits the story.』
(Y.A.O.I. in the literal sense) 『Y.A.O.I. equals yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi. No climax. No point. No meaning. This sums up the mood, but in Western understanding, yaoi promises the depiction of hot boy lovin'- which went AWOL along with the plot. Granted, this is billed as a yaoi series, suggesting a future progression to something more, but in Only the Ring Finger Knows there's barely an indication of physical tension beyond a couple stolen kisses, of a tone more suited to the angstiest shonen-ai in a "you liked it!" "did not, you perv!" sense.
If you bother to print an oversized manga collection, the art better be worth it. Something better be worth the extra bucks, but nothing separates either the art or story in this book from a sea of genre.
The abundant angst and plethora of plot conventions may please dreamy-eyed shonen-ai and slash fans, but probably no one else. The story focuses on two one-dimensional characters: idolized, uber-popular angel-cum-jerk, Kazuki, and his whiny, nominally protesting destined uke, Wataru. Both boys lock horns over an incident with a hankie and a pair of mysteriously matched rings that accidentally get switched- the possession of which, of course, imply that the boys comprise a gay couple, something of much irritation to both of them. Except they become obsessed with it, leading to a nasty rivalry on Kazuki's end, and shallow exploration of his resentment/attraction to the other boy on Wataru's. This could be a cute premise, ripe with gag potential, mix-ups and sweet, fuzzy moments as we root for Wataru to triumph- if not for the ensuing bullying and manipulation from Kazuki, prosaic intrigues, and much yowling protest from Wataru as he lamely lets it continue just to have a connection with him while he sorts his feelings out.
Worthy of a short story, I fail to see how this premise can support an entire series, let alone one book.』
(Ultimate Love) 『This manga totally needs its love because between two pretty boys sharing two rings trying to find some way to show there feelings for each other. Its the ultimate way to show there feelings to the world. I'm so glad that I bought this book. Its full of drama and pretty good kissing.I totally said you should buy ths manga.Ultimate yaoi lover.』
(Love it) 『Ahh, i love this manga. I got it last week and I was so excited that i read it right away. it took me one hour to finish it. i am reading it the second time. later, i am going to go buy the novels for it. *love it*』
(Absolutely beautiful) 『Absolutely beautiful story and georgeous art. Very romantic. I re-read this manga over and over again. I love it so much that I ordered the novels from Amazon to know how the relationship between Wataru and Kazuki progresses. I'm happy DMP published the English translation of the novels. I already pre-ordered the 3rd novel, which will be released October 30th. Can't wait!』 『At Wataru Fujii's high school, it's all the rage to wear paired rings with the girl you love. Wataru wears one though he is single, and one day inadvertently discovers that his ring pairs up with that of tall, handsome, and smart Yuichi Kazuki, the senior classman idolized by the entire school. Though Kazuki has a reputation for being kind to all, when dealing with Wataru, he is strangely harsh. Their paired rings somehow draw them together and the two alternately clash and attract, as they must sort out their budding feelings for each other.』
price：$8.95
Digital Manga Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Very good, waiting for the next....) 『I saw the OVA and loved it and then I discover the manga and I am SOOOO happy that I bought these. They are intense, imaginitive and pushes the limits. You feel every word and see it like you were there, watching. As much as you want to read on, you want to stop because you can't stand to know what's goin to happen, but you can't put the manga down. Read them in under an hour. Love them and the OVA.』
(Interesting Series) 『I found the unusual and strange world of this series intriguing. Worth the read.』
(Good middle of story volume) 『 Of the subtitles for each of the volumes of Ai no Kusabi so far released in English, "Nightmare" seems to have been chosen most appropriately. This book is one long bad dream of the suffering and near insanity of the characters forced to be involved.
This volume chronicles the specific events of the three years that Riki spent as Iason Mink's "pet" that were previously unknown to readers of the original release of the novel or viewers of the anime OVA. Rieko Yoshihara added most of the contents of this particular volume for the five volume re-release of the story in 2004, which is probably why a number of reports about the book claim it has been "altered" from the original manuscript. This is perfectly all right with me, as I think this particular part of the story is not only very engaging, but also reveals details about societal secrets and character depth that might have otherwise been left unknown.
And if anyone is unhappy with there being "differences" between this release and the original one-volume printing of the novel in Japan so many years ago, I would offer up the fanservice to be found in this book as compensation. Indeed, if Yoshihara-sensei did not add this piece of the story we would never have been able to experience the graphic details of Iason and Riki's early physical encounters. The scenes are grotesque, graphic to the point of almost being psychologically damaging to the reader who is forced to bear witness to the abuse Riki suffers at the hands of his new "owner." Disturbing, yes, but in the same way that one can't help but look on at the carnage of a car accident as they pass by the scene.
Not only that, but we get a much better glimpse into the mind of Iason Mink than has been shown previously. At one point in the book he even bitterly admits the insanity of his uncontrollable obsession with Riki and laments to his Blondy friend, Raoul, that if he admitted his feelings for the slum mongel he would be laughed at.
Additionally, we get another piece of the puzzle of Riki's time at Guardian, particularly some more details about his relationship with the information peddler Robbie, "God's Grim Reaper," and what happened between them back then. Not the whole story yet, but essentially a "promise" for even more reveals in future volumes.
We also learn some startling facts about Katze and the origins of the "furniture" of Eos. As we are treated to the intricate details of the lives and fates of the "pets" of the Tanagura elite, we are also exposed to their marginalization of human beings, something that leaves more than just a bad taste in one's mouth. The terms "furniture" and "pets" to describe human beings, genetically engineered or not, can lead one to question the ways in which our own society uses and understands the same words, or at least it did for me. The "furniture" is an appliance that serves its master without question, and a "pet" is nothing more than an aesthetic status symbol, neither one having any value outside of those functions or freedom to choose its own path in life. Being presented with the real personality and feelings of the "furniture" tasked with Riki's care, Daryl, and his generally resigned "happiness in slavery" attitude, the horror of the Tanagura system becomes all the more apparent.
Kelly Quine again does a superb job with the translation. There were even fewer typographical errors in this volume than in previous ones. Still a few mistakes, but I'm very glad to see this kind of improvement in DMP's novel localizations and hope for more consistently high quality endeavors in the future. Katsumi Michihara's illustrations seemed to hit at their appropriate points in the story all the way through this time as well. I also noticed that DMP did away with the unnecessary extra two maps of Tanagura that were presented in the previous two volumes.
The book jumps back and forth along the timeline of the last four years of the story, so at times it is hard to follow. It is usually clear when the timeline shifts (and generally they are physically separated by an extra line spacing between paragraphs), but as each skip becomes incredibly engrossing in its own right, it is sometimes forgotten that what is being read is actually an "aside" to the events that are supposed to be taking place in the "active" scene of a particular chapter until it jumps back in and you are left a bit disoriented.
As a result, I would definitely not recommend starting this book series with this volume. I highly recommend reading the story as a whole, but starting with the first book and working your way through it to here. I would like to reiterate, however, to anyone looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, or the rainbow at the end of the storm, that this book is a true "tragedy," and if you are looking for a happy ending you are going to be seriously disappointed. However, if you are looking for an incredible story, within a rich universe that pulls you in and keeps you hanging to the very last page, I can't recommend Ai no Kusabi enough.』
(Loved the 2nd book in the series) 『This is a very well written Science Fiction story and I highly recommend it. I loved the story line about the future world and the division between the classes. The Rikki is a wonderful character and is beautifully written. This is a yaoi story from Japen which means M/M but when you read that they live in an artificial world run by a computer, Venus and that only 10% of the population are female it makes sense.
This story is about people who hope for more and the elite who think nothing of them except what use they have for their amusement.
I can't wait for the next book in the series and if you are hesitant because the first book was hard to read then rest assured this book was much easier.
』 『A Blondie takes a street mongrel as a pet?! The entire city buzzes with the scandal! However, Riki, ever the defiant pet, appears to be losing his master's interest. Is he on the verge of being abandoned? And will his pride survive?』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Bishonen not Yaoi) 『If you don't know, "yaoi" is basically softcore gay porn. If that is what you are interested in then you won't like this book. I have no idea why they call it "drawing yaoi" except for the few pages at the end they have. This book is mainly about drawing Bishonen, which in Japanese is literally translated to "beautiful youth boy." I just bought this book from borders today so I was able to look through it beforehand. I have been looking everywhere for the perfect how to draw manga book and I love this one. It teaches you proper skeletal structure, muscle placement, face design, clothes, and more. I'm not really interested in Yaoi at all so this book is perfect. Conclusion:
If you want Yaoi, don't get this book If you want the perfect book on how to draw the male figure from head to toe. GET THIS BOOK!!!』
("Informative, but...") 『While I have found that this book is quite informative and lots of fun as far as drawing bishonen (aka "Attractive Men/Boys"), I was rather dissapointed in it's actual info information on drawing YAOI, which is what it was created for. There are only 3 actual pages that show two guys together, (which is the nature of yaoi) and they're just full of reference images, but little instruction... /: All in all, if you want an excellent book on drawing pretty boys, and a cute bishonen-themed side-story, this is the book for you. But if you want to learn to draw two men together, you'd be better off with "How To Draw Manga: Drawing Bishonen", which features a LOT of yaoi, despite not being a book meant for it. Or even "How To Draw Manga: Portraying Couples", and I haven't yet purchased it, but Botan Yamada's "Let's Draw Yaoi!" looks promising.
Cheers!』
(Yaoi?) 『Er.. It was a good book but It was how to draw male anatomy more than yaoi. Because it was "how to draw hands", "feet"(alot of feet for some reason O_o), and "clothes" and only had 2-3 pages of actual embracing poses and in the back you get a manga thingy used with the characters within the book.』
(Great Resource) 『Ignoring the inaccuracy of the title (it is mostly about how to draw individual attractive men rather than boy-on-boy lovers) this is a really good drawing resource. It covers mostly how to draw attractive men in a few styles commonly seen in anime and magna. Since it can be difficult to find good resources on drawing ATTRACTIVE males, I appreciate it.
I like this book because of the top-notch perspective figure drawing tutorials and excellent examples on drawing one of the most difficult things to capture right, the human hand. I'm looking forward to trying out this new approach to hand drawing and seeing if it will improve my style.
The How To Draw Couples book in the same series includes same sex and opposite sex couples as examples. That might solve some of the drawing dilemmas you might encounter drawing lovers and I would recommend that one over this if that is your end goal.』
(Soft yaoi) 『It's more like a reference in how to draw cute boys. There's only 3 pages of real yaoi but its just kissing and hugging. There's a short manga in the back about the annoying little characters in the back of the book. There is how to draw feet,hands,sexy lips,clothes,ect. so if your looking for yaoi this isn't the best book.』 『This book introduces the techniques needed to draw the ultimate bishonen (literally, "beautiful boys"), vital to Yaoi manga and presents how to draw the typically delicately delineated bishonen characters. Illustrations accompany the carefully explained, step-by-step drawing processes, which are designed to give even beginners a clear understanding of everything from bishonen sketching basics to practical application. Trends in design are also traced, exploring characters from the 1960s, including the work of Shotaro Ishinomori; characters from the 1970s as represented in Keiko Takemiya's The Song of the Wind and Trees; characters from the 1980s, including from the Captain Tsubasa series; and characters from the 1990s up to the present. Eight styles of reflecting today's characters that represent a blend of such works as Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Death Note and Psycho, are presented along with specific sample works.』
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