By Mat K.
There are quite a few sensual books coming out, from the final volume of Sundome, to the sexy vampires of Dance In The Vampire Bund, to a fair amount of yaoi, which is always sexy to some degree. So let us back up for a second to Sundome by Kazuto Okada, the most underrated popular series in the store. This series is definitely rated R since it starts with a boy and a girl in high school, and the girl basically takes a dominatrix role in the boys life, controlling him and teasing him with out ever any follow through. In the final volume Kurumi’s frequent absences stretch into weeks, Hideo goes to her apartment to check on her, only to find the object of his shameless passion curled up and in tears. Hideo is only too happy to comfort Kurumi however he can, but even his fond caresses cannot heal the illness that is slowly stealing her away.
Don’t get me wrong, not everything this week is sexy, there are a few things on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. For instance, Yotsuba &! Volume 9 finally came out. You can’t get more non-sexual than a super cutesy green haired little girl going on adventures intent on enjoying all the little things in life that we take for granted. So you know you know how Ena has a stuffed bear named Juliet? She’s so pretty, and Ena makes dresses for her and stuff and Yotsuba really wants one too! So daddy took Yotsuba to the bear store! They have big bears and little bears, and all kinds of bears! You have to hug’em to find out which one’s the bestest! But they’re all so cute! Does Yotsuba really have to pick just one? Yeah, cutesy.
I’m also throwing out a special notice because of the new Fumi Yoshinaga book Not Love Delicious Foods. There is a Japanese saying that goes “Hana yori dango” or “Dumplings over flowers”. And no one is more of an advocate of this adage than mangaka Y-naga, a woman whose life revolves around her intense work and her equally intense sleep schedule. The only thing that can rouse her from this cycle of deadlines and sleep? Food. As Y-naga and her friends visit restaurants around Tokyo, their individual approaches to food add an extra dimension to their witty interactions. Friendships are revealed, lifestyle choices are explored, all over culinary creations that prove that food is, in truth, the spice of life.
We’ll bottom out the week with another premier title: Itsuwaribito (say that three times fast), by Yuuki Iinuma. Utsuho’s truthfulness as a child resulted in an enormous catastrophe, and he decided to lie from that day forward. Raised in a village of orphans by a monk, Utsuho is an unrepentant troublemaker. The monk eventually inspires him to help people, but there’s no way Utsuho’s going to lead an honest life! Instead, he’s going to use his talents for mischief and deception for good. Not to mention the ridiculously cute raccoon (?) sidekick.
Anyway, enjoy the fun and make some noises. See you next time!
Ja Ne!
