Archives for January 2009

By Takane Yonetani
Luv Luv Press, 224 pp.
Rating: Mature (18+)

College sophomore Ayame is dating Koichi, who is a cop. They have a loving relationship and a very active sex life, which would be even more active if only Kiochi’s work did not constantly interrupt them in bed. Kiochi worries about protecting Ayame, and Ayame worries about Koichi’s safety on the job. Various people come into their lives to keep the story going (criminals, family members, and so on), but the plot is not much more than a vehicle to move from one sex scene to the next. Still, the volume is readable and provides some sweet, if clichéd, moments.

Both of the main characters fulfill the roles set up for them by their gender stereotypes, but with a bit of slack that makes them more likable than they might be otherwise. Koichi is very protective and possessive of Ayame, though warmer and more nuanced than that would suggest. He also appears to be a generous lover, more often than not. Ayame is using college primarily as a time-killer until she is able to get married, but she displays more independence than might be expected. Both are good, kind people who always do the right thing and never stay angry, leaving the other characters who turn up with the job of providing any necessary conflict.

The art is pleasant, though not especially distinctive, and some of the explicit sex scenes become vague in places.

Despite its warm characters and serviceable storytelling, Make Love & Peace never rises above its genre to become anything more than mundane romance.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally pubished at PopCultureShock.