talyseon's Full Review: Mika Sadahiro - Pathos 1: Yaoi
Pathos by Sadahiro Mika
Warning: This is a Yaoi Novel. Yaoi is Japanese art form, graphic novels depicting romances between men. They are usually written by women, for women. They can range from sweet romances to quite racy and explicit. Also, there are certain themes beyond this that the Japanese take as a matter of course, but that can be disconcerting to Westerners. If this is not your cup of tea, well, you have been warned!
That said, this Yaoi is unusual. One of the protagonists, Ace, is underage for part of the adventure; though there is no actual contact during these flashbacks, it is still...a bit creepy.
Creepy is sort of the order of the day, since this story is of a unique trio of "Brothers". Ace is an orphan being raised by King and J. King is an author, and J is half Chinese. They are also Vampires.
King is the older, larger of the two. He is definitely the Seme (a term meaning the aggressive partner) Ace is definitely the Uke (receptive partner), and J is somewhere in the middle, something I don't know the term for.
King dotes on Ace, who adores him sweetly and purely in return. J treats Ace somewhere between annoying little brother and red headed step child. Ace is totally infatuated with J. And J is just as passionate about Ace, but in a different way.
J craves Ace's pure sweet blood. You see, sexuality in Vampires has been replaced by the craving. And these two don't seem to get that fact, not entirely.
I am reminded of something. My very aged cat has finally warmed up to the Chihuahua, there being no other furry person around for him to interact with. Ever so often, they decide to play. The dog is playing chase, and the cat is playing pounce, and neither one of them is quite sure why this is not working.
King's fascination with both has to do with their past, pasts that neither Ace nor J is aware of, though we do get J's back-story. He suffered a life of deprivation and bigotry for being an orphan, and half Chinese. And King may be responsible.
This is a very, very angsty title. Every time Ace gets near J, he starts wiggling like a puppy, and J hisses like an aging cat, which of course drives Ace into a weep, followed by a sulk. Teenage years are hard enough without dealing with a guilt driven caregiver.
And J is guilty. He is torn up by his craving for Ace's blood, knowing he could kill the boy. King is guilty too, but of different crimes. Also, I think he enjoys feeling guilty.
The book is called Pathos, and for vampires that term has a specific meaning. It is the quality of remaining human, and they draw it from someone else. King draws his from J, and J draws his from Ace.
And despite the fact Vampires can't really engage in sex (as a Seme, at any rate) these boys still get up to quite a number of shenanigans.
Yaoi frequently engages in "masking" or the censorship that sexual materials are subjected to in Japan. For a country that is pretty laid back about sex, they have some interesting ideas about porn, and even comics have (in the past) been required to cover up the actual male member.
Ms. Sadahiro has a very direct way of handling this; she simply doesn't draw it in. There is a winky shaped blankness where ever it should be. And this makes this Yaoi tamer than some.
That said, I reiterate that watching Ace deal with his sexual feelings at tender ages is uncomfortable, at least for me. Now, when he is eighteen, and looking at the possibility of being turned, well, that is another matter entirely. The Art of Pathos is excellent. It falls into the definite manga pattern of beautiful, slightly effeminate men, the Semes larger and more imposing, the Ukes smaller with larger eyes and more innocent. Every one has lots of hair, rather stylized, that gets in their eyes every panel. The background are sometimes left out to focus attention, but when present, are very detailed. Her grasp of anatomy and perspective are excellent, with no disruptive lapses.
And the writing is good. It is a dark tale of obsession and hunger, and engages in a whole lot of angst, a Whole Lot of Angst, but that is very typical of the art form. Japanese women love angst. The story is a little predictable, but manages to satisfy anyway, and I find myself looking forward to the next volume.
So, if you want a change of pace, try Yaoi. If you want a change of pace in Yaoi, try Pathos. It's a book you can sink your teeth into.
A has been raised in happiness by the beautiful young men K and J. To thank them, A adores them as older brothers and grows innocently attached to the...More at HotBookSale
A has been raised by the beautiful young men K and J. A adores them as older brothers and grows innocently attached to them. But as A grows, J becomes...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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