Features

By Yaya Sakuragi
Published by BLU
Rating: Mature

Madoka Tokumaru is, to put it simply, a spaz. He is verbally crude, physically out of control, and lacks grace and composure on every level–something his sister is certain can be cured by forcing him into their school’s Tea Ceremony Club. Fortunately, the club’s president, Kazuma Hasune, whose family maintains the tea ceremony traditions, is up to the seemingly impossible task. Madoka’s progress is slow. He is crude, clumsy, and has difficulty maintaining seiza for any period of time. Still, as the school’s cultural festival rolls around, Madoka is deemed presentable enough to put on a kimono and serve tea.

Madoka’s newfound composure is quickly broken, however, when he discovers that some students are taking advantage of the festival chaos to rob the Tea Ceremony Club room of its valuable teacup collection–specifically Kazuma’s personal cup, which, despite being of lesser monetary value than any others in the room, has great sentimental value for Kazuma. Determined to retrieve the cup, Madoka chases after the culprits and gives them a sound beating, only to drop the cup himself immediately upon his return. Devastated by his failure, Madoka falls to pieces, but Kazuma is touched by his actions and thanks him warmly. This is really the beginning of a closer relationship between the two and as the first volume continues, Modoka and Kazuma begin to fall in love, though it requires some encouragement from Keigo (an openly gay friend of Kazuma’s) to really loosen up Kazuma’s heart and get things going.

Volume two follows the protagonists as they face questions about their future. Madoka feels directionless and Kazuma begins to question his place as the future head of his family, where he is expected to take over the tea ceremony. Adding further complication is the return of a close friend of Madoka’s who has been living overseas and who inspires some jealousy in Kazuma.

Though this series isn’t remarkably original or groundbreaking in any sense, it is a very satisfying romance story which bests much of its genre by actually discussing the characters’ sexuality in clear terms, at least by its second volume. Though initially appearing to play into the tired female fantasy of two (one, at the very least) apparently straight schoolboys falling in love with each other, as the story continues, the two not only must face how their relationship is viewed by family and friends and how it affects their future, but they even have a conversation about it in which they actually use the word, “gay.” Though it is sad that this is such a rarity in a boys’ love story, the reality of it makes this manga a rare jewel. That said, the mangaka does pull a cop-out by making most of the story’s queer characters actually bisexual (including the two protagonists)–Madoka even continues to ogle girly magazines after he begins a sexual relationship with Kazuma–though this only costs her a few points.

Speaking of gay characters, though the story’s primary relationship is quite touching and definitely a satisfying read, the real gem of the series is Kazuma’s friend Keigo, whose relationship with an artist who illustrates erotic novels begins as a side story in the first volume and continues into the second (actually culminating in a joke about the lack of “realism” in yaoi). Keigo is flamboyant and fun and serves as a sort of mentor for Kazuma who is too serious for his age. “Let me tell you something, Kazuma-kun,” Keigo says, supposedly discussing the broken cup but obviously hinting at deeper things. “Even when you think you’re taking good care of something… if it’s cracked, someday it’s going to break. You should fix things before it’s too late.” Though he never becomes more than a supporting character, it is his presence that really makes the story work–providing much-needed insight and offering a role model for both Kazuma and Madoka, neither of whom are as comfortable with their sexuality and what it means for them as Keigo is.

This is not to belittle either of the story’s protagonists. Kazuma is quiet and intriguing–deeply serious and afraid of letting either his youth or his fears show. When he experiences second thoughts about his career path, it is really quite moving and dramatic, and it’s nice that even at the end of the second volume nothing has been truly resolved there except for the fact that it does not yet need to be. Madoka is brash and wonderfully honest, and he provides much of the story’s real truth as well as a lot of its humor. Humor is actually one of this series’ best strengths and manifests itself with a sense of subtle whimsy unusual for this kind of manga (Madoka exclaiming, “I’ve just never seen a real gay couple before,” while wearing a shirt that says, “Buttocks,” is an oddly funny moment).

Though the story’s character designs are not especially attractive, they are at least distinctive and there’s never a question of telling the characters apart. The art overall is very nice, however–expressive, detailed, and easy to follow.

Tea for Two may not be an epic masterpiece, but it is down-to-earth, funny, occasionally sexy, and above all, a nicely nuanced romance. Though the two volumes published here stand very solidly on their own, it is exciting to note that a third is scheduled for December of this year, possibly answering some of the questions left open at the end of the second volume–something for boy’s love fans to truly look forward to!

Review copies provided by the publisher. Review originally published at PopCultureShock.

By est em
Published by NETCOMICS
Rating: Mature (18+)

One of the most intriguing stories in est em’s earlier collection Seduce Me After the Show was “Rockin’ In My Head,” featuring a young guitarist named Billy who drinks himself into a stupor over the death of a personal idol and the sudden disappearance of his bandmate, Nick (who took off with Billy’s cash and guitar). Billy is escorted home by another patron in the bar who turns out to be Joe Coxon, the former guitarist of Billy’s favorite band, The Rebels–the same band whose vocalist, Pete Brian, has just died. With Nick still missing, Billy convinces Joe, now in his fifties and with his last performance far in the past, to step into his band for a single show, reminding Joe what it means to be needed on stage. Age Called Blue expands on this story, focusing on the complicated relationship between Billy and Nick (introduced “onscreen” here for the first time) and how it mirrors the relationship of Pete and Joe, whose chance for reconciliation after years of estrangement is destroyed by Pete’s untimely death.

The story begins just after the events in the original short, with Nick turning up unexpectedly in the supermarket after his disappearance. Billy is initially furious, but isn’t able to hold on to his anger long in the presence of Nick’s badly beaten face. Billy takes Nick back home to get him cleaned up, and becomes enraged again when he finds out that Nick had prostituted himself for cash to their idol, Pete, the day before he died. Nick tries to kiss Billy and is forcefully rejected, but it’s obvious that the emotions between them run deep and the rest of the story explores just what that means for both of them and for the future of their band.

What’s really effective in this story is how est em weaves together the lives of all four men, retracing the days just before and after Pete died and interspersing them with present-day events. Although Joe and Pete ultimately fail to get what they need from each other, thanks to pride and the cruelty of fate, it is their music that brings Billy and Nick together in the first place and their influence that helps the two younger men realize what is most important to them and just how fragile that can be. “I don’t know complicated things well,” Joe says to Billy one night over drinks, “but I suggest you secure the things that you don’t want to lose. Maybe that’s music, or maybe it’s that boy.” Watching Joe coming to terms with his own regret enough to actually try to help someone else avoid the same mistakes is quite moving all on its own, and when Billy finally makes his choice (“Nick is my music.”) the effect is stunning. The fact that, in Joe’s mind, there can only be one choice–music or love–is a heartbreaking example of why he lost what Billy will give everything to keep.

Nothing comes easy in Age Called Blue, which is one of its greatest strengths. Even after Billy makes the decision to stick with Nick, things get harder, though this only further illustrates the truth of Billy’s choice. Though he is eventually forced to give up the band to be with Nick, the question of giving up music never even comes into play, not with Nick still in his life. Nick is a piece of work, that’s certain–childish, unreliable, and self-destructive–but he really is Billy’s music, both its source and its vessel.

With its intense emotional content and bohemian setting, Age Called Blue may be the most overtly romantic story in est em’s catalogue so far, and this is by no means a bad thing. It is beautifully crafted throughout, and though it is made richer by having read “Rockin’ In My Head,” enough of that story is included to allow this volume to stand on its own. Est em’s visual storytelling is exquisite as always, and though the adaptation lacks the clarity of Matt Thorn’s work on Red Blinds the Foolish, the real meaning shines through in the visuals even when the dialogue is somewhat oblique. The art itself is gorgeous–realistically portrayed adult men in est em’s usual style, which makes her work feel so much more real than most of the yaoi manga being published in English. It is important to note, too, that this realism is achieved without the crutch of explicit sex scenes or coy winks to the audience. Though the characters’ sexuality is a significant part of their lives and their relationships to each other, anything that happens between them is for the sake of characterization and moving the story forward which makes this manga a rarity in the genre, much like est em herself.

The volume ends in typical fashion with two unrelated stories, though the first of these, “I Saw Blue,” again hearkens back to a story from Seduce Me After the Show, which is a nice treat. Still, it’s hard not to wish for a full volume’s worth of the featured story, and seeing these characters return from earlier shorts only makes that desire burn more fiercely. Though est em’s quiet, melancholy style is very well suited to short vignettes–and in fact, even her longer arcs are actually series of short pieces that could each stand alone–to see that unique talent applied to something substantial in length would be truly incredible.

All whining about length aside, there is not a justifiable complaint to be made about this manga. Beautiful, gritty, emotionally resonant, and surprisingly romantic, Age Called Blue is a real treasure, both within its genre and in the medium as a whole.

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