price:$6.95
Digital Manga Publishing
Not yet published 『Straight and macho Taki partners with feminine and gay Goh to form an expert team of bandits hired by the police to steal from the mafia!』
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:$1.88
Digital Manga Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (One of Hyouta Fujiyama's bests!) 『I fell in love with this title as soon as I started reading it. I could even tell that it is going to be a great work and better than the manga-ka's previous works.
The chemistry between Kurata and Tozaki is undeniable, though Kurata is a straight man. Kurata was Tozaki's first love in high school but he couldn't come out and say it since he was the shy, bookworm type and they weren't even friends to begin with, so they barely even talked. Kurata transferred schools then, so Tozaki's love for him remained a secret until they met ten years later. It was when they met at that time that they became lovers. I liked how tender and compassionate their love scenes were. As soon as I finished reading this volume, I found myself wanting more. I cannot wait till the second volume come out. This title is more explicit compared to the manga-ka's earliest works but no frontal nudity. I just loved the sex scenes and both guys are hot.
I am a fan of Hyouta Fujiyama's works and my favorites are Freefall Romance, Lover's Flat, and Sunflower. Pure Heart is my #1 and the best so far, IMO.』
(Soft yaoi: Romance between two salarymen) 『I really liked "Lover's Flat" by the same manga-ka , but all her other works published in the US so far (Ordinary Crush, Spell, etc) were just so-so to me. "Pure Heart", however, promises to be good. It's romantic and sweet, as Fujiyama-sensei usually does it. A somewhat typical plot, but well-executed, with very beautiful, original art (as usual from this manga-ka). There are no "bonus" / unrelated stories in this volume. The major and only story is about the rekindled romance between two grown-ups who knew each other in high school (but didn't date back then). The seme is really passionate and impulsive, even cruel at times. I personally like such types of semes, so I ended up enjoying this manga more than I'd have probably done otherwise. There's forced sex between two major characters in one of the scenes, so all those who're sensitive about such issues should stay away from this book. The uke's reactions are predictable, he's a sensitive and kind-hearted, insecure "bookish"-type of a guy. There are quite a few contenders for his heart by the end of the book out of sudden, which I found a bit naive and unbelievable (well, it's typical yaoi, after all...). The level of explicitness is quite moderate, but it's still a bit higher than what the manga-ka showed in her "Spell" or "Sunflowers". I guess it's comparable to "Lover's Flat" in that sense, but overall, I still liked "Lover's Flat" much more. Nonetheless, "Pure Heart" is just the first volume in the series, so it's too early to tell. There are a lot of sex scenes in this volume (not particularly explcit, with no frontal nudity), but some scenes feature quite a "dirty talk". Overall, it's a relaxing and fairly enjoyable story. I'm looking forward to the next volume, which was recently published in Japan』 『Tozaki is a writer who, by coincidence, is reunited with his first love from high school, Kurata, while on assignment. That night they go out drinking, and after confessing his old feelings, Tozaki finds himself, dazed, in Kurata's arms! But what Tozaki thought would be a one-night stand turns into a relationship Kurata wants to continue, and Tozaki finds himself captivated.』