Cross Game

Welcome to Kuriousity

News, reviews and features with a focus on manga, self-published works and a Canadian perspective. Enjoy fulfilling your Kuriousity!

SITE RETIRED - Thank you for the years of support and readership!

Posts Tagged Boys’ Love/Yaoi

Review: Pretty Men Fighting Dirty

Pretty Men Fighting Dirty
SuBLime

Manga-ka: Sakira
Publisher: SuBLime
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: July 2013

Synopsis: “A non-stop collection of romance and smut! In the title story, Taizo the potter finds Shino wandering lost in the mountains and invites him back to his home. Wanting to help Taizo with his artistic block, Shino takes a hands-on approach with Taizo’s rock-hard body. In “A Loving Household,” we follow the story of an adorable house-hubby who has his hands full being salaciously loved by his new husband and stepsons. “Let’s Go to the Proctology Clinic!” chronicles a young man’s first visit to his proctologist for a rather embarrassing problem. But when it comes time for his examination, he finds out he may be in too good of hands!”

This one-shot collection of boys’ love stories is everything I wanted based on its name and then some – well drawn, well-toned men in a series of short, sexy and hilarious scenarios. Sakira is a new name to me for boys’ love creators, but after Pretty Men Fighting Dirty, their name will be one I look for.

Read more…


DMP Deals in Body Guard Drama with Kou Yoneda’s Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai

Kou Yoneda's Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai

Digital Manga took to Twitter on Friday to announce a new boys’ love license:

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai – Kou Yoneda

Contrary to most license announcements, Digital Manga announced this one with the original Japanese title, Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai (囀る鳥は羽ばたかない). It’s a little odd to have a license announced without giving the English name, but I assume one’s coming. Currently they have no release date for the title either but did confirm it would be available as both print and digital editions.

Digital Manga has previously released Kou Yoneda’s No Touching At All, which Shannon Fay thoroughly enjoyed. Here’s hoping this newest work lives up to the expectations! SuBLime also recently announced their own Kou Yoneda license, NightS, which they’ll be releasing in January 2014.


Review: Body Guard

Body Guard
Buy on eManga

Manga-ka: Kimiyoshi
Publisher: Digital Manga Guild
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: May 2013

Synopsis: “Takahiro’s normal life as a high school student gets turned on its head when his father marries a super rich Hollywood actress named, Elizabeth Adley, and leaves Japan to be with her. Takahiro is forced to leave his apartment home move into a lavish hotel room. Fantasies of naked nights of porn and debauchery begin to fill Takahiro’s mind. Too bad his new mother in law has other plans. In order to protect Takahiro (and her money) from kidnappings, Elizabeth hires two bodyguards from a distinguished American company. Any thoughts of unsupervised nights of fun quickly rush from Takahiro’s mind. On the up side, his new bodyguards are totally cool.”

Sometimes there are books so bad that you almost have to recommend them as an important genre piece. Some books just make the good books look better. That said, Body Guard is still not a book I would recommend to many, but I would lying if I said I hadn’t shown select pages to a number of fellow boys’ love fans just to get a good laugh.

Read more…


On The Shelf: August 14, 2013

On The Shelf: August 14, 2013

MAGI is here! I’ve been eager to read this manga ever since I started watching the anime adaptation on Crunchyroll. I really love the characters, and hope the manga is as much fun. I’m still in shock it’s by the creator of Sumomomo, Momomo though. If curious, you can read Andre’s review of Sumomomo (Vol. 02).

Other exciting titles for me this week include the new editions of Embracing Love, courtesy of SuBLime, and volume one of the Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology from Viz Media.

Blue Morning (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Dorohedoro (Vol. 10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Embracing Love 2-in-1 (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Excel Saga (Vol. 26) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Inu Yasha VizBIG (Vol. 16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Itsuwaribito (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Knights of Sidonia (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
MAGI (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]


Vertical Inc Dishes Out Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday

Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday

And the manga crowds cheered! Vertical Inc has revealed at their Otakon panel this weekend that they’ve licensed a much anticipated series:

What Did You Eat Yesterday? – Fumi Yoshinaga

“The manga revolves around Shirō Kakei, a methodical lawyer, and his lover Kenji Yabuki, a sociable hairstylist. The manga tells the story of their everyday lives together in their apartment through their cooking and eating habits. The series also provides recipes and cooking tips for the food featured in each chapter.” – AnimeNewsNetwork

Vertical Inc has volume one planned for March 204 for $12.95/US, $13.95/CAN, and there will be a new volume out every two months. The series is currently seven volumes long and on-going.

The majority of Fumi Yoshinaga’s early series released in English have been boys’ love – by Digital Manga and BLU – but her strong characterization and expressive, minimalist artwork has made her work popular among all sorts of manga reading circles. Yen Press previously released her one-volume food manga, Not Love But Delicious Foods, and Viz Media is currently releasing her on-going feudal drama, Ooku.**

Fumi Yoshinaga is one of my favourite manga creators and I’ve never hesitated  purchasing everything by her released in English. What Did You Eat Yesterday? has been a series I’ve been wanting to read for a long time, both because I enjoy reading series about food and food preparation that’s new to me (which is pretty much everything you don’t microwave) and for a story about a gay couple that doesn’t focus on that as it’s only story element. I also think the series is in really good hands with Vertical Inc, so this is a win-win-win situation.

**Edit: For more Fumi Yoshinaga, you can read Shannon’s review of Not Love But Delicious Foods and my review of Ooku (Vol. 01), as well as my thoughts on her series Flowers of Life,  The Moon and SandalsSolfegeGarden DreamsTruly KindlyDon’t Say Anymore DarlingLovers in the Night, and Ichigenme.


Sparkler Monthly Launches With New Chapters of Off*Beat, and Multiple Series’ Debuts

Sparkler Monthly Launches With New Chapters of Off*Beat, and Multiple Series' Debuts

Back in February I posted an interview with comic creator, Jen Lee Quick – best known for her series, Off*Beat – as part of the launch of Chromatic Press. Yesterday the new publisher launched issue number one of their digital multimedia magazine, Sparkler Monthly.

Issue #001
Issue #000 (Preview)

This first issue – which is free for everyone to read – includes the long-awaited new chapter of Off*Beat (yay!), and the first chapter of Christy Lijewski’s new comic series, Dire Hearts. It also has the newest chapter of their prose story, Tokyo Demons, (which I’ve written about previously) and premieres another prose story, Gauntlet, and a new audio drama, Awake.

As a disclaimer, I am currently working with Chromatic Press and got to help do some work on their Sparkler series. I was completely smitten with the goal of the publisher, and the staff and creators who made it up, so I was quick to offer what help I could at the beginning. I’m thrilled to be a part of it. I hope readers and listeners enjoy all the content already available and stick around as a subscriber for all the continuing goodies.

Information about submitting work for consideration to the magazine can be read on their website, along with subscription information.


PR: SuBLime Debuts Three New Yaoi Series

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime DELIVERS STEAMY SUMMER LOVIN’ WITH THE LAUNCH OF THREE NEW SERIES, SLEEPING MOON, FALSE MEMORIES, AND HIDE AND SEEK

Time Travel, Unexpected Reunions And Romantic Trysts Heat Up Summertime Reading

San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2013 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate), heats up summer reading for yaoi fans with the North American debut of creator Kano Miyamoto’s SLEEPING MOON, Isaku Natsume’s FALSE MEMORIES, and Yaya Sakuragi’s HIDE AND SEEK; all three available at retailers now. Each series is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and carries an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN.

A digital version of FALSE MEMORIES will also be available for an MSRP of $5.99 U.S. / CAN each and will offer fans digital access to the debut volume in two ways on SuBLimeManga.com – a DRM-free downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, as well as via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

In Kano Miyamoto’s SLEEPING MOON, in order to solve the mystery of a rumored curse that brings early death to the male descendants in his lineage, Akihiko Odagawa goes back to stay in his family’s ancestral home. One night, he experiences a time slip that lands him 100 years in the past! There he meets Eitaro, a student from the Meiji Period who is also trying to solve the same mystery. Bridging the gap between the past and the present, the two men traverse time and space as they work together to unravel the family’s secret.

SLEEPING MOON creator Kano Miyamoto has developed over a dozen yaoi manga series, several of which have been published internationally. Her previous English language releases also include Say Please, Two of Hearts, and Lovers and Souls. She has also published over two dozen independent comics (doujinshi) under the penname “Curve.”

Creator Isaku Natsume’s FALSE MEMORIES offers a romantic story of a long lost high school romance that is rekindled. Although they were once best friends in high school, Nakano and Tsuda haven’t talked in ten years, which may have a little something to do with the fact that not only were they more than best friends, but also that Tsuda broke Nakano’s heart, leaving him to pick up the pieces. Now that they’ve been thrown back together thanks to a work project, Nakano is determined to put the past behind him, and both men decide to keep their relationship strictly professional. The question is, can they?

Manga artist Isaku Natsume’s previous works include DEVIL’S HONEY, also available from SuBLime, as well as Dash!, Tight Rope, and her debut title, No Color. She has also published several doujinshi (independent comics) titles under the circle names “139” and “Cheke-rara.”

Manga creator Yaya Sakuragi’s HIDE AND SEEK is a spinoff of the popular SuBLime yaoi series, BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE. In this story, Shuji, a divorced single dad running a modest corner shop, has an easy-going attitude and an eye out for anything to break the boredom of his days. So when Saji, the serious, reserved pediatrician who’s been coming into his store, suddenly declares that he’s gay and wants to take Shuji home, Shuji goes along with it out of simple curiosity. He thought they’d just mess around, have some fun, and that would be that. But he gets a lot more than he bargained for in this story of opposites in love!

Yaya Sakuragi’s previous English-language yaoi releases include Tea For Two, Hey, Sensei?, and Stay Close to Me, in addition to BOND OF DREAMS, BOND OF LOVE.

Read more…


Manga on the East Coast at Animaritime 2013

Manga on the East Coast at Animaritime 2013

Apologies for the sudden unexplained absence, Kuriousity readers! This past weekend was Animaritime, an anime and video game convention that takes place yearly in New Brunswick. I’ve been a staff at this convention for a number of years and returned again for helping with its organization and to run a few panels.

This year was Animaritime’s ninth event and the first at its new location in Fredericton. The event saw a great increase in attendance and we were thrilled to welcome three incredible guests – Brad Swaile, Ed Chavez and Kumar Sivasubramanian. I absolutely loved getting to spend time with them. They were  all such personable, intelligent, experienced and kind individuals who I certainly hope enjoyed themselves as much we enjoyed having them there. And in case you guys read this, I drove past not one, but two, moose on the way home. It was the power of Canada Day!

My panels were all a lot of fun and I have so much love for the attendees who came. I saw a lot of familiar faces, and rooms full of new ones too. I hope everyone who attended liked my panels – [Boys’ Love], [Yuri], [Yaoi], Kumar Sivasubramanian’s [The Art and Business of Manga Translation] and [Manga!], where I was lucky enough to be joined by Ed Chavez and Kumar Sivasubramanian.

OPERAI also got to sit in on Ed Chavez’s Vertical Inc. panel and [Jonseing for Josei], where the manga know-how and title enthusiasm was high. Love for Vertical’s recently released Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin was especially notable. There’s also big title news is coming from Vertical Inc. soon – be excited! Be very excited! My lips are sealed until then though, sorry folks. But seriously. Excited. Thanks to Ed’s Josei panel, I also was quick to purchase a couple issues of the boys’ love magazine OPERA that I found in the Garage Sale, and am very pleased I did. The quality and diversity of the art and stories is beautiful, and it’s home to many of my favourite creators and series.

My thanks to the staff, volunteers, guests, hotel and convention centre staff, our sponsors and, of course, all the attendees for making this another fun Animaritime!


Swag Bag: Girls, Guys and Thermae Romae

Swag Bag

It’s a new Swag Bag post! And as the last was a month ago, we have some catching up to do.

Seven Seas’ omnibus edition of Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink was one of my favourite purchases as of late. Yuri is uncommon enough, but after this release and Girlfriends, I won’t ever pass up an opportunity for more of Milk Morniaga’s work. I found this book tricky to get through. I related to these characters more than most in manga, so the book took considerable more emotional toll on me than I’m accustomed. It only speaks to their quality when in the right hands, however, and while it means I’ll likely never be able to write a full review for them, I have all the hopes in the world they continue to do well so we can get more.

Yen Press continues to make clever power plays for room on my bookshelves with a new set of shiny re-editions. This time it’s Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (Vol. 01-02) and Chain of Memories. Both are adaptations of the video games of the same name, products near and dear to my fangirl heart, and titles that Tokyopop originally published. While I already own the Tokyopop books, Yen Press’s new collected editions look and read great, plus have that new book smell. How could anyone resist? For more thoughts, you can read my review of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix.

A Devil and Her Love Song (Vol. 09) began my Viz Media purchases and was an enjoyable romp of beach time fun and character development. I reviewed another recent shoujo purchase, Dawn of the Arcana (Vol. 10), last weekend. Always the Queen of the crop, Sailor Moon (Vol. 11) was quick to enter the swag bag and carries us into the final, and possibly most emotionally intense, arc of the series.

Completing it’s final arc is Saturn Apartments (Vol. 07), which really surprised me with how dark it got for a while. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to turn out, which is always the best way to read something. All surprises! Much less of a surprise were Attack on Titan (Vol.01) and No. 6 (Vol. 01) from Kodansha Comics, since I’ve already seen the anime versions. But I love them both, Attack on Titan in particular, so I had to buy the manga of each.

Thermae Romae (Vol. 02)It was super shonen time with the newest volume of Toriko (Vol. 16). It’s continuing to be a little disorienting following the series both in the collected form and as new chapters come out via Shonen Jump. The two haven’t overlapped yet, but it is neat seeing what comes, what’s been and wondering what could possibly fill the gap. Less suspenseful is Pokemon Black & White (Vol. 10) but it’s always cute and fun.

Speaking of cute and fun, though in entirely different ways, I was thrilled to finally pick up a copy of Thermae Romae (Vol. 02). This series is amazing, both in the surprise of something with this plot simply existing, but also in how well it’s executed. This series continues to be hilarious and educational, not to mention brilliantly packaged by Yen Press. If you haven’t already, make sure you buy these gems while you can!

And I finished this month’s purchases off with some boys’ love – Bonds of Dreams, Bonds of Love (Vol. 04) and Blue Morning (Vol. 01). Bonds of Dreams, Bonds of Love is now over and went out the same way in came in – funny and full of enjoyably horny hijinks. Blue Morning starts a brand new series and one that’s pretty much the polar opposite in tone. I found Blue Morning a bit dull as it’s dark mood almost suffocated it, but now with the characters set-up, I’m looking forward to seeing more plot progress in volume two.

That does it for this week’s Swag Bag. As always, feel more than free to share what purchases you’ve made recently and if you’d recommend them!


SuBLime Announces Kou Yoneda’s NightS

SuBLime Announces Kou Yoneda's NightS

Viz Media continued to please fans this past weekend as their boys’ love side-company, SuBLime, announced a new license: Kou Yoneda’s NightS.

SuBLime will be releasing the one-shot as both print and digital editions in January 2014:

“A collection of masterful, sensual stories by popular yaoi creator Kou Yoneda! In the title story, Masato Karashima is a “transporter,” a man paid to smuggle anything from guns to drugs to people. When he’s hired by yakuza gang member Masaki Hozumi, he finds himself attracted to the older man, and what starts out as a business transaction quickly spirals into a cat-and-mouse game of lust and deception. In “Emotion Spectrum,” a high-school student tries to be a good wingman for a classmate, with an unexpected result, while “Reply” is told from the alternating perspectives of an emotionally reserved salesman and the shy mechanic who’s in love with him.”

Libre – the original publisher of the title in Japan – released a portion of the book for the Kindle (CAN/US) early last year.

Though I’m not familiar with NightS, Shannon had good things to say about Kou Yoneda’s No Touching At All, which Digital Manga released back in 2010. The comments on SuBLime’s news post also speaks a lot to fans’ excitement for the release. Certainly looks and sounds good to me!


Take me back to the top!