Gerard and Jacques Volume One (ISBN 1598165410) by Yoshinaga Fumi.
Gerard and Jacques is a yaoi novel. Yaoi is a Japanese art form, graphic novels featuring tales of gay romance, written almost exclusively by women, for women. They can range from rather tame to very torrid. This book, and the review deal with sex between two men. If this is not your cup of tea, well, you have been warned.
Gerard Anglade is a french man of considerable wealth. Tall, handsome, with silver hair, his looks are marred by the loss of his left eye, and the scar that accompanies it. When the story opens, he is visiting a brothel. They have a new lad they think will be perfect for Gerard, a young nobleman, Count Jacques Phillipe du Saint Jacques. The young man has been sold, probably to pay his fathers debts. Gerard hates the aristocracy, and the chance to deflower one....
But Jacques possesses spirit, and it impresses Gerard, so much so that he pays for the boys freedom, and sends him on his way, presumably to starve.
But Jacques shows up at the home of Gerard, looking for work. He impressed Paul the butler so much he brought him to his master for approval. Needless to say, Jacques' reaction to his tormentor was not what Paul expected from a prospective employee.
But Gerard hired him anyway, to have him close to torment. Only no matter the task, Jacques attacked it with intelligence, determination, and enthusiasm, robbing Gerard of his complaints, and impressing the older man in the process.
For Jacques part, after the first day, when Gerard made it clear he was not there to be his sexual toy, he applied himself with total commitment, to give the arrogant bastard nothing to criticize him on. However, several of Gerard's opinions and habits fascinate and puzzle the fallen Count. One, he gives the lad treats from the kitchens, and second he gives him unrestricted access to the library, even taking an interest that Jacques read books in the correct order.
Years pass, and Jacques becomes an ideal servant, hardworking, capable, well read. His only oddity is the jealousy and outrage he displays when Gerard avails himself of a catamite.
Then one day, three years after Jacques came into the household, Paul dispatched him with a letter he felt could not wait. Gerard was at the same brothel where he and Jacques had met, so off the lad set to deliver the post.
Jacques was not particularly disconcerted by the errand, until, while waiting, the procurer set him up with a lad. Aggressive and experienced the lad soon had Jacques in a very compromising position, and Jacques, (in the scatter-brained way of the uke or passive more feminine partner,) screamed for Gerard's help.
Rescued, and the prostitute sent on his way, Gerard reads the letter; nothing important, his wife has died, saving him the trouble of killing her.
Jacques, already far more attached to his master than he feels he should be is overcome with curiosity. He begins to question the other servants, and we see the beginning of his true attraction to his benefactor.
The story also tells us the story of Gerard's marriage, how he became a libertine, and how he lost his eye. Jacques is not privy to this information.
As the story ends, the romance is beginning, Jacques totally oblivious, Gerard, perhaps also less that aware, but the reader has no doubt where this is heading.
This book is a little different from most yaoi, one it is historical. Two, it is not set in Japan. It is also blatantly sexual, with several well depicted scenes, but not gratuitous.
The art is delightful, a minimalist line form with washed shading. It is more realistic than Manga, but still features the beautiful slightly effeminate men that work for the Japanese audience. Also, the book is laid out in Japanese style, reading from back to front. A little odd, but it adds to overall ambiance, much like eating chinese food with chopsticks.
It is easy for westerners to think that yaoi is too much and not enough. Either the story is too sexual, usually from the woman's view, or it is not sexual enough, for the gay man's taste. It can be too romantic, or the romance can be too delayed by all the angsty worrying the uke has to do. The seme, or more masculine, aggressive partner is either too brutal, or too patient. It all stems from the fact that due the Japanese indifference to blatant sexual matters. Yaoi tends to fall, in western categories, somewhere between romance and porn.
Still this story is well written, and well drawn. Perhaps the pacing is a little slow, but I did not find it interfered with my enjoyment.
Plotting always takes a backseat to character development, and usually serves to develop the relationship more than being action for actions sake. The overall effect is quite enjoyable, and a definite step up from all the High School romances that yaoi seems to produce in endless supply. If you like yaoi, or if you want to try something with a very different pace, give this book a try.
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