Red=Stop, Green=Go, YELLOW = Risky!
Written: Aug 26 '08 (Updated Feb 11 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A well written and drawn Yaoi. No nudity. A story and character driven work.
Cons: Homosexual themes may offend some.
The Bottom Line: Yellow means Risky, but this Yaoi is not really very risque. It is a good introduction to the style.
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| talyseon's Full Review: Makoto Tateno - Yellow |
Yellow by Makoto Tateno
“Green means go. Red means stop. And Yellow means “Risky.”
Warning This is a Yaoi novel. Yaoi is a Japanese art form depicting romances between men, written for and by women. They range from sweet romances to quite racy and graphic. If this is not your cup of tea, well, you have been warned.
That said, Yellow is by far one of the tamest Yaoi I have read in recent years. In volume one, you see not one glimpse of nudity. So, from that stand point, it might be an excellent ‘starter model.’
This work is more Shoujo or oriented towards girls. The other flavor of manga, oriented towards boys is called Shounen. It deals with the relationship between two “Snatchers”, Goh and Taki. A Snatcher is someone who steals illegal drugs, and the boys work for mysterious clients, both on the police force, and within the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).
Both guys are 22, a bit old for standard Yaoi, Goh is decidedly, delightedly gay. Taki, his partner and roommate is decidedly not. Goh has a huge crush on Taki, and is constantly trying to seduce him. Taki is forever pulling a gun on him. In the author’s own words, “Yellow combines my favorites—action and buddy-type stories and the theme is: ‘Tortured by exciting, heart-wrenching life with a partner.’ That’s a joke. But maybe not.”
And that is what she delivers. She takes us through three delicious adventures, first, as Goh shamelessly uses his relationship with a boy to get at the drugs his father imports. However, the danger does not come from the gangster father, but from the “bunny boy” jealous of Goh’s obvious attachment to Taki!
The second story is much more like a treasure hunt, and explores how sometimes a platonic relationship can be very intense and rewarding.
And the third story is definitely the darkest. It starts as a missing person’s case, with stolen drugs called “Sweet Death,” a combination euphoric and Viagra. Sweet Death, which is very dangerous, makes you high, and horny! And you know Goh is going to get dosed with it!
Goh has to live with his frustration, at least for this volume. Some of the best Yaoi stories work this way. The excellent “Fake” series by Sanami Matoh is a perfect example. Dee, a policeman, chases his partner Ryo through seven volumes before finally capturing his heart, (and all attached real estate, if you know what I mean, wink, wink.) When they finally get together, you are so rooting for Dee to win, and you are emotionally invested.
The same is true here. It is all tension, and no release. Think Moonlighting, Seasons 1 – 4. Will Taki surrender to Goh? Time and future volumes will tell.
However, in the meantime, these are nicely written tales. Makoto’s artistic style is slender and graceful, both Goh and Taki have swimmers builds, and Goh’s assorted boyfriends do look very standardly uke (the passive partner) being small, cute, with huge eyes. Makoto also indulges in “chibi shots” or interspersing her realistic drawings with cartoonish caricatures when someone does something cute or exasperating. This is another convention of Manga one has to adapt to.
Her heroes look very elven, and her portraiture is weak; if they did not have differing hair colours, it might be difficult to tell them apart. Her backgrounds are simplistic, minimalistic, sometimes missing, and sometimes metaphorical, like showing a spray of cherry blossoms behind a young girl. The overall effect is simple and clean and elegant, in other words, perfect Yaoi.
So if you have heard about Yaoi, and you want to see what all the fuss is about, but worry about getting one that reads like gay porn, try this one. Light, refreshing, and not at all lurid, it is a nice way to test the waters.
Try these Yaoi reviews:
Shards of Affection
Romantic Illusions
Ruff Love
Thunderbolt Boys Excite Vol 2
Thunderbolt Boys Excite Vol 1
Pathos
Pathos II
The Crimson Spell 2
The Crimson Spell
Incubus
Incubus Volume 2
Incubus Volume 3
Love + Alpha
Yellow
Yakuza in Love 2
Yakuza in Love
Beyond Scandalous Seiryo University
Return to Seiryo University
Scandalous Seiryo University
Wild Rock
Man's Best Friend
Shinobu Kokoro
Midaresomenishi: A Legend of Samurai Love
Stallion
Gerard & Jaques 2
Gerard & Jaques 1
And Yaoi Anime!
Kizuna, Volume One
Kizuna, Volume Two
Recommended:
Yes
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