Yaoi | Geekscape

Sorry, Do You Mean “Yaoi”?: Yuri on Ice Anime Review (No Spoilers)

by Ajay StephensJanuary 20, 2017

Yuri on Ice is an enlightening tale of love, courage, and self discovery. This series manages to grab the audience by the feels and hit them hard with a heartwarming love story. Yuri on Ice can appeal to anyone because its depiction of love can be interpreted in many different ways. You don’t have to be a fan of figure skating or tall, sexy, silver haired Russians to enjoy this series.

STORY

Yuri on Ice follows 23 year old Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki as he recovers from a devastating loss at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. After his loss, Yuri loses his love for skating and faith within himself. With no motivation to keep skating, Yuri decides to retire. This is until the talented Russian pro figure skater, Victor Nikiforov, randomly appears and offers to be Yuri’s coach. Together the two work hard to prepare Yuri for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

As Yuri is preparing for the Grand Prix, he struggles through mental and emotional barriers. His loss last season traumatized him forcing him to create this mindset that he’s not good enough to be a skater anymore. The thought of failing causes crippling anxiety that overrides his love for skating. Victor notices these problems and does everything in his power to support Yuri. As the two embark on a journey of self discovery and a quest for love they come to realize that everything they were longing for was right there in front of them.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first yaoi anime and I had no idea that I would fall in love with the genre. This series was one of the most hyped up anime of the season. I usually stay away from such anime. But for some reason I decided to watch it and I don’t regret that decision. Yuri’s story hit home. I may not be a sexy figure skater but I do understand Yuri’s struggles. The emotional turmoil, the mental anguish are things that I and many people suffer through everyday. This anime helps an individual that is going through those things to realize that they are not alone. I highly recommend this anime, especially if you are going through a rough time.

On the technical side, in my opinion there should have been more than 12 episodes (why does anime have to be so expensive to make!?>_<). Despite there only being 12 episodes the pacing was actually good. I can’t say that about many anime with the same amount of episodes. The character development was amazing and the story (though it may have been “predictable” given the genre) was enjoyable. The animation was clean and fluid. The soundtrack was pure perfection. I can’t stop listening to it (please send help!). Everything about this anime fit in perfect harmony, yet I am unsatisfied. I need a season 2 pronto!

To address the Sub vs Dub battle, I would recommend dubbed. Let me explain. Yuri on Ice has a diverse cast of characters from all over the world and you can’t hear their accents in the subbed version. If you want to get the most out of the anime watch the dubbed version. To judge for yourself watch the first episode in sub and dub down below. I assure you that you’ll fall in love with the dubbed version.

https://youtu.be/WewsgJewJfw

https://youtu.be/rfYI5MwxnNc

Genre: Sports, Yaoi; Original run: October 5, 2016-December 21, 2016; Episodes: 12

Kari’s Anime Corner: First Impressions of ‘Free!’

by Kari LaneSeptember 17, 2014

Though summer may be over, it is still hot in southern California! Well, you can cool down with Free!, though for some, it might just make it hotter. A few of my female friends had been squeeing (squee = “an expression of extreme cheerfulness that goes beyond words”) over this show and now with the release of season 2, I thought I would take the plunge.

Free! is about a group of friends who enjoyed swimming together for fun and competing in swim meets when they were in elementary school. Flash forward to them in high school and some things have changed. Their aquatics center is going to be torn down, Rin went away to school in Australia, Nagisa is now in high school and re-introduces himself to Haruka and Makoto (they don’t recognize him at first), and Haruka is still obsessed with being in water all the time. Will they ever be together as a team again? Their high school has an abandoned/rundown pool, but will they be able to fix it?

This is definitely a Shojo show because it focuses on relationships (primarily friendship – though there are yaoi [boy on boy] undertones). To be honest, domestic/real life anime does not have a particular draw for me (compared to supernatural, magical, fantasy, historical, or horror animes) but I did enjoy the first few episodes of Free!. Now, before I get into the meat of the show, let me first talk about why this show has the ladies (and some guys) drooling. It is a swim team = beautiful men frequently shirtless; it is basically fanservice. Then you acknowledge the water aspect and notice these boys glisten. Yep. Not just twinkle in their eye, but full on, let me get out of the water and stun you with my glistening physique. There is a funny female character, Kou, who joins the team as their manager, but her other motive is that she enjoys ogling the swimmers. Not only that, but she focuses on somewhat random body parts. One time she admires a guy’s triceps and one of the boys on the team questions her obsession by repeating the praised body part’s name out loud. The timing is perfect because as soon as she says, “I can’t get enough of those triceps,” I am thinking, “triceps? Really?!” and low and behold a character voices my exact sentiment.

The overall style is very Shojo with everything being so pretty and deeply saturated. The only thing that is a little weird is these shirtless athletes have no aerials or nipples; they are like Ken dolls. Though it is not common in anime to see nipples on men (or even most women), it is emphasized by how often these characters are shirtless.

To be honest, the show did not totally hook me but I am curious to see where it will go. The relationships between friends is entertaining, with warm and fuzzy moments, jokes/teasing, and many of the characters striving to be free like Haruka (the best swimmer on the team).

It has the vibe of a sports centered show and the swimming is shown rather well. There are shots outside the pool as onlookers catch the action and there are POV shots that let you experience their underwater world. Watching the show makes you want to go swimming. Even if you have never been on a swim team, you can appreciate the camaraderie. Not every character on the swim team is a star swimmer, they vary in skill, which is refreshing because it allows those characters to develop.

If you want to ogle some pretty boys, want a refresher from the heat, enjoy sports shows, or are interested in relationship shows, then you should check out Free!.

Attention Yaoi Fans – SuBLime Will Be At Fanime!

by Kari LaneMay 23, 2014

Fanime will be taking place tomorrow through Monday (May 23rd-26th) at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA and SubLime will be there! Complete details on Fanime are available http://www.fanime.com.

SuBLime will demo and sell its extensive library of acclaimed print yaoi manga (graphic novel) titles throughout the convention. The SuBLime booth will be located in Booth #1201. Yaoi fans are invited to stop by the booth to sample popular manga titles such as AWKWARD SILENCE, HIDE AND SEEK, CRIMSON SPELL and many more that are available in print and digitally from the SuBLime imprint. Fans can also sign up for the SuBLime newsletter and enter to win a Grand Prize package featuring digital and print editions of AWKWARD SILENCE – please visit SuBLime booth 1201 for more details!

If you are not able to attend the con, SuBLime has a special Spring treat for you with a sale offering $1.00 off ALL digital manga titles currently featured on SuBLimeManga.com. The sale kicks off today and runs for a limited time only through Friday, May 30th.

Fans can take advantage of this weeklong discount on more than 80 acclaimed yaoi titles regularly priced between $1.99 and $7.99 (USD) that are available digitally in a flexible download-to-own format from the SuBLime web site. Selections are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer and can also be accessed via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

If that was not enough, all SuBLime print volumes will be on sale at retailer Right Stuf through May 29th. Readers can save at least 33% off all SuBLime titles, regularly priced at $12.99 and $16.99 (USD) – please visit RightStuf.com to view the full title list!

Explore a wide range of some top BL series and single-volume releases such as AWKWARD SILENCE, DEVIL’S HONEY, LOVE PISTOLS, OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES, THE SCENT OF APPLE BLOSSOMS, and scores more by some of the most celebrated creators in the yaoi genre. A complete roster of current manga titles is available at: http://www.sublimemanga.com/titles.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

About SuBLime

SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

Geekscape Reviews ‘Nights’ Yaoi Mature Content

by Kari LaneFebruary 24, 2014

******WARNING***** Adult content discussed below!

The nice thing about short story compilations is that you get multiple stories in one book. You are often dropped in the middle then taken to an engaging ending. Nights (art and story by Kou Yoneda) is a compilation of three different relationships.

The first segment, Nights, is about a young transporter, Masato Karashima, who will smuggle just about anything. He is approached by a yakuza gang member, Masaki Hozumi, who offers Masato a job. While working out the job specifics, Masato finds himself attracted to Masaki and everything escalates from there. However, there is more to Masaki than meets the eye. The story ends abruptly, leaving you wanting more, but not to worry because there is a short follow up at the very end of the book.

The second story, Emotion Spectrum, is brief but rather fun. High school student Kugo helps out his friend Nakaya by being his wingman. Kugo thinks fellow classmate, Usui, has a thing for Nakaya but that might not be the case.

The final story, Reply, is the longest and most intriguing because it is broken into two parts that tell the same story but from two different perspectives. The first is the view of a mechanic, Seki, who starts falling for the aloof car salesman, Takami. Takami does not get along with his co-workers much because he is seen as strange and somewhat emotionless. However, Seki seems to get along with him and they start developing a friendship. It does not take long for Seki to develop feelings for Takami and the first part ends with him confessing how he feels to Takami. The “reply” is what happens next from Takami’s view point. After that bit, there are a couple of mini follow ups that have a satisfying ending.

The art style is consistent throughout with handsome but not overly pretty guys and backgrounds that are simplistic yet realistic. The focus of all the stories is more on the relationships and thus the characters are the thing that stand out. The first story has lots of shadows and a darker gray scale because most of it happens at night. Emotion Spectrum has darker outlines of characters and some parts have a more sketch like quality. These slight differences give the book variety while still being cohesive. Also, the book contains a few full cover pages made specially for this edition.

All of the stories have an element of fun in the passion between the characters. The budding romances are engaging and make you want to know what happens next! The first two stories have characters that immediately see past each other’s sex. While in the third story, Takami is does not love Seki the same way at first. Takami thinks to himself, ” I don’t know what it’s like to love someone of the same sex. I’m sure it’s special somehow, not like a normal relationship.” However, everyone has their happy ending. The sex scenes are short and all lower regions are blank. Nights is much more about the relationships and desire between the characters.

NIGHTS is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and carries a print MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. A digital version is also available for an MSRP of USD $5.99 and offers readers two methods of digital access to the volume on www.SuBLimeManga.com – a DRM-free downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, and via the online manga viewer found on the web site. A free online preview is also available on the SuBLime website.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

Geekscape Reviews ‘Embracing Love’ Yaoi Mature Content

by Kari LaneDecember 18, 2013

******WARNING***** Adult content discussed below!

Yaoi explores gender roles and sexuality and what better way to delve into that than to have the two main characters be adult film stars. Embracing Love by Youka Nitta (same author/artist from Spiritual Police) focuses on successful adult film actor, Iwaki Kyousuke, and young rising adult star, Katou Yoji. Both men want to expand their careers by working in more mainstream films and they get the opportunity when they are both asked to audition for a new erotic film. However, at the audition they are shocked when asked to have sex with each other to see who will get the lead role. Ambitious Katou rises to the challenge first but Iwaki will not be outdone by this young punk.

What starts out as a rivalry begins to transition into a romance when Katou starts having feelings for Iwaki. Will Iwaki embrace this new kind of relationship? What does the future hold for these two stars? Their developing romance is a pleasure to read but Iwaki’s self doubt about it all does drag on a little long. I found it interesting that the story is centered around people who have sex for a job and examines how they approach intimate connections.

The characters in this manga are drawn in an elongated fashion. I thought to call them daddy long legs because in some full body images their legs are impossibly long. Their faces are also extended — a sort of cross between an oval and a heart shaped face. Even though they may have long faces, they have chiseled jaw lines and big expressive eyes. The overall visual tone is rather bright with only minimal shading on the characters and blush lines to give any sort of 3D depth to the space. Their clothes and backdrops have nice textures and, in that way, the characters stand out against their surroundings. There is only minor censorship on the private parts; there is actually pubic hair and everything is drawn out, but in a more basic outline style rather than detailed.

I like that volumes one and two come together in a single book as it leads to a solid story arc and character development in one package. I am curious to see where the relationship between Iwaki and Katou goes. Will they be able to stay together? Will Iwaki be able to let go of his envy towards Katou’s mounting fame? Will other people come between them? Will they get to act in the films they always dreamed of? Hopefully the next few volumes will be just as entertaining.

Embracing Love (volume 1 & 2) is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and retails for $16.99.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

Geekscape Reviews ‘Spiritual Police’ Yaoi Mature Content

by Kari LaneDecember 6, 2013

******WARNING***** Adult content discussed below!

I have read manga for many years but only recently started reading yaoi (see SuBLime interview for more info). I enjoy the emphasis on relationships, especially the ooey gooey romantic stuff, and yes, I enjoy reading the sexy time parts. One of the first titles I read was Spiritual Police by Youka Nitta.

Police officer, Nagatsuma, visits a special massage therapist on the recommendation from one of his senior detectives. Nagatsuma is good at his job but he is too empathic and the harshness of his job puts stress on his overall well being. He is skeptical of the treatment at first but soon realizes masseur, Aoi (who is blind), not only mends bodily ailments but also taps into something greater. It seems that with his blindness, Aoi has gained another kind of sight – a sight into the future. Aoi warns Nagatsuma of some impending danger and this just makes Nagatsuma more curious (and apprehensive) about this beautiful man.

Aoi is a person who “sees” beyond one’s sex and Nagatsuma is blindsided by his developing feelings for Aoi. Other characters mention how attractive Aoi is and one even says, “The doc there’s so pretty it’s a pity he’s a guy, don’tcha think”? Another interesting example of gender switch ups is occurs when a character thinks to himself about Nagatsuma, “What kind of man is he? He’s a woman…” Yaoi is a genre where gender roles can be expressed in various ways. The relationship between Nagatsuma and Aoi progresses rather naturally with Nagatsuma giving in and slowly embracing this new kind of relationship. Unfortunately, towards the end of volume 1, a conflict comes up and Nagatsuma instead of asking Aoi what is going on he does something rather frustrating. I did not care for that part of the story but enjoyed the rest enough to overlook that segment.

The art style depicts emotional moments well with many blush lines, expressive eyes, and movement indicators (lines, light bursts, etc). The characters/environments are drawn/shadowed/textured well and reflect the one of the more common styles of manga/anime. Yes, the men are nice to look at and have gorgeous hair and slender bodies. The private parts are mostly whited out, but you can still tell the shape and what is going on. I did find a few of the dialogue boxes hard to follow, but each character has their own style of speaking so it was not too disruptive to my reading.

This volume peaks your interest when it introduces a mysterious organization (possibly evil) that wants to keep Aoi prisoner and use his powers for their own benefit. Will Aoi be able to escape? Will Aoi and Nagatsuma be reunited? I enjoyed the extra element of the psychic abilities, and the developing mystery and I am excited to read what happens next!

Spiritual Police is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and retails for $12.99.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

Geekscape Interviews: SuBLime Editor Jennifer LeBlanc Discusses All Things Yaoi! Mature Content

by Kari LaneDecember 4, 2013

******WARNING***** Adult content discussed below!

Yaoi is an interesting genre because it is part of the anime community but is often misunderstood by those unfamiliar with it. I always noticed the loud (they did a good job at getting your attention) and colorful yaoi booths at anime conventions but never understood the appeal. Then I watched Brokeback Mountain with my friend, and she and I swooned over the romantic relationship between the two male leads. Ah! I finally understood why this genre was so popular with the ladies (and boys). Curious to know more? Well, I was able to interview SubLime editor Jennifer LeBlanc. Read on to get an in depth perspective on all things yaoi!

Can you explain what yaoi is for the benefit of those who may have never heard of it?

The definition of yaoi varies depending on whom you ask, but what most people understand it to be is stories written by women about two men in a romantic relationship, and they are written with a female audience in mind. That’s not to say that men don’t read yaoi, just that the target audience is women.

“Embracing Love”
© 2012 Youka Nitta/Libre Publishing

What do you think the draw of this genre is, and why do you think women love it so much?

Women read yaoi for a myriad of reasons, more reasons than we have space for here. There’s the lingering misconception that women aren’t sexual beings who like to explore their sexuality. They are and they do. Yaoi is one of those things that allow women to do this in a safe environment. They can share their love of the genre with other women in the fandom without being judged for it, or being told that because they’re women they shouldn’t like this kind of material.

“Blue Morning”

YUU−UTSU NA ASA © SHOKO HIDAKA (2009)／TOKUMA SHOTEN

In most yaoi, the men are beautiful and often one of them is the “female” (and they can look more feminine too) in the relationship, would you still consider those stories about gay relationships?

They’re about gay relationships to the extent that the characters are both men and are living their lives as men, even if one is portrayed with more feminine attributes. In real-life gay relationships, one man could choose to have a more feminine look or affect, or a more masculine one; it doesn’t make him more or less gay. That said, realism isn’t the main focus of these stories, any more than it is with other romance genres. In most yaoi stories, traditionally defined gender roles and depictions are deliberately broken.

What you would say to people who think yaoi is just hentai? How would you say the two are different/similar?

Well, that’s kind of like saying gay sex is just straight sex. At their core, yes, hentai and yaoi are both erotic material. However, how each is presented, what they’re about, and who they’re for just aren’t the same. There is some crossover as far as the audience for both, but generally the audience for each is simply not the same. If yaoi was just hentai, we’d have a much larger male demographic.

How much is lost in translation when a title is converted from Japanese to English?

Our goal as a publisher is to not lose anything in translation, so we look to hire the best translators we can who have an excellent grasp of the Japanese and English languages. Sometimes there may be jokes in a story that won’t make sense to readers not familiar with Japanese culture. In those instances we may adapt the joke for English readers, or instead leave it as is with a side explanation.

“Sleeping Moon”

How did you get into reading yaoi?

My curiosity got the better of me. I was already a fan of anime and had heard there was anime porn (hentai) that existed. I kind of didn’t believe it, so off to Google I went, and that’s how I found yaoi. It didn’t take long to find out that there were books with the material in it as well.

What are some of your favorite titles?

Well, my first favorite when I found out yaoi existed was Ayano Yamane’s Viewfinder (now called Finder). That will always be a favorite of mine. Currently, I am absolutely in love with the series Blue Morning by Shoko Hidaka.

How did you get into working with yaoi as a job?

When I first got into yaoi, I was having a hard time finding the stories I wanted to read (hard yaoi). There weren’t any reviews that told me what I wanted to know—Is there sex in the story and if so, how explicit is it? I decided to start my own yaoi review site that specialized in hard yaoi, The Yaoi Review. After running it for a few years, VIZ suddenly posted a position for a yaoi editor. I had no intention of applying, but a few industry people and also readers of my site prodded me about applying, and here I am.

What exactly is SuBLime?

SuBLime is a yaoi manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). We publish both print and digital books, and we were the first manga publisher to offer DRM-free downloadable PDFs of our books for purchase.

Where can fans and curious people find out more about yaoi and SuBLime titles?

The first place they should look is our website, which is www.sublimemanga.com. Fans of the Nook can also find many of our titles on the Nook Book site. SuBLime also has a large social media presence and can be found on:

Twitter: @SuBLimeManga

Facebook: facebook.com/SuBLimeManga

Tumblr sublimemanga.tumblr.com

Check back soon for my reviews on this titillating titles! ^_^

Youka Nitta’s Sexy Paranormal Romance ‘Spiritual Police’ Available Today!

by Kari LaneNovember 12, 2013

For you yaoi fans out there brace yourself, Youka Nitta’s sexy paranormal romance manga, Spiritual Police, launched today!

In case you do not know what yaoi is, it is homoerotic stories that revolve more around romance than sex (though there can be a lot of that!). Surprisingly, it is a genre that is popular with female readers and many are created by female authors (including Youka Nitta).

Read on to learn the plot of Spiritual Police and more about Youka Nitta via the press release!

Rookie police officer Nagatsuma doesn’t believe in superstitious mumbo-jumbo, so he’s skeptical the first time he visits a masseur known as the “Spiritual Doctor.” But he soon learns that the blind, beautiful Aoi is more than just a physical therapist—when he lays his hands on his patients, he can see into their fates and souls. But is Aoi the saintly healer he seems to be? And when the two men give in to the desire for a more-than-clinical relationship, can Nagatsuma separate his new feelings from his job on the force?

Youka Nitta made her publishing debut with GROUPIE in 1995, and since then has become one of the most prolific and popular yaoi manga creators worldwide. Her most well-known series, EMBRACING LOVE (published in North America as a 2-in-1 edition by SuBLime), has been adapted into both a drama CD as well as an anime series. Another of Nitta’s popular manga series, STARTING WITH A KISS, is also published in North America by SuBLime. More information about Youka Nitta is available on her English-language website at: http://nittayouka.com.”

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

Spiritual Police is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and retails for $12.99.