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This manga is no acceptation. There were four one-shots, including the title piece, and a two-shot.
My favorites in the manga were Alone in my Kings Harem and The Sea Bed of Night both of which were very sad and sweet. All the one-shots were very fantastical, while the two-shot was more high school-it was also the most graphic in the manga.
Anyone who is familiar with Lily Hoshino's work should know that her ukes tend to be very feminine, and very beautiful. I really enjoyed it.
I would have bought this manga for those two stories alone. Her art work for lack of a better word is amazing.
While I would not call it yaoi, for most of the stories are more shounen-ai.
There is no explicit sex, but it is obvious when the characters do have sex, and it is often. Period. Hoshino Ririi's uke boys are beautiful, much more beautiful than women, and do seem to be nothing more than women (or girls) with flat chests. Even some of the most realistic mangas ever drawn rely on incorrect (or impossible). I had the pleasure of reading this over the weekend.
positioning, and an overall complete lack of sexual reality. Rarely with her work will you find the standard "schoolboy angst" or the "childhood friend/lover" story you've read a million and one times. No matter what your favorite yaoi title says, no lube=no fun. Give this one a fair chance. The art style is unique, the stories are very original and well-told, and to be honest, I'm upset that I waited so long to read it. Overall, I wouldn't just toss this one aside just because the ukes are especially pretty.
I remember when it was first published in english, and due to the bad reviews I read here on Amazon, I steered clear of it. Hoshino-sensei's stories are heartfelt, strange, and very touching. Despite the fact that the stories call for that sort of character, the genres of yaoi and shounen-ai are not without their fantasies. I'm very sorry I did so, because what I experienced while reading this manga was far better than any of these reviews will lead you to believe.I agree with what's been stated repeatedly: this book is not technically yaoi, it is shounen-ai. The haunting imagery is somewhat similar to director Tarsem Singh's work ("The Cell", upcoming "The Fall"). As someone who reads an average of 10 to 12 mangas per week (most of them unlicensed in America), that's really tough to accomplish, because I have seen it ALL.Hoshino-sensei is a lover of fairy tales and fantasy, and her ukes reflect that in a very appropriate sense.
However, Hoshino-sensei does not write your typical manga story, and I feel that her character designs compliment her stories quite well. The first one-shot in this particular manga of hers nearly brought a tear to my eye.
Sure, they can be amazingly bishounen (pretty boys), but this crosses the line, I think. I remember liking the story of this manga, but I had trouble getting over the way-too-feminine-looking uke. Same thing with My Only King, another manga by the same author. If you can get past it, it's a sweet, mostly romantic manga with several different one-shots (short stories). I cannot emphasize that last part enough, but I guess it's apparent from the cover. I really prefer yaoi with more masculine male characters.
When boys look like girls and have crocodile-tears in their eyes all the time it just doesn't do it for me. It's not yaoi, it's not even good mushy romance or fantasy. Girls don't become boys if they're referred as "he". This was a huge mistake. I never should have bought it.
The art is very beautiful as well. I loved this manga. Either way, it's cute, and I would recommend this to anyone. It's a collection of short stories, and yes, most of the bottoms (uke) look/dress like girls, but hey, that's not a problem, right. I thought it was very cute. No it isn't yaoi, with all the hot steamy sex, but there's romance between guys, and it's adorable.
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