I tend to stay away from BL manga, primarily because of that completely ridiculous notion that I should apparently find guy-on-guy rape titillating. So when I stumbled upon a manga that contained yaoi but, to my knowledge, none of that garbage, I naturally became quite excited and couldn't help but jump straight into it. Doukyuusei is a shounen-ai manga (or yaoi, if you prefer to call it that way, as I do; there isn't any sexual content, for your information, although there are some kiss scenes) by Nakamura Asumiko. The story follows Kusakabe Hikaru and his meeting with Sajou Rihito at the all boys' school ... they attend together, and the development of their relationship.
The main issue with Doukyuusei's first chapter is that we are thrust right into the story. This leaves us feeling disoriented with the setting and the characters. We aren't even sure who the main characters are at first and who is narrating the story, nor are we given an introduction to tell us what our primary protagonist's name is. What makes things even more confusing is the odd way the dialogue is organized. It is quite difficult to discern who is talking and following conversations is nearly impossible the first time around. The panels are quite haphazard and it definitely isn't a manga for the type of reader who doesn't think, not because of its deep subject matter (it's quite simple, really) but because of the abstract way it is constructed. Time leaps are pretty poorly written, and, overall, piecing out how events take place is more a matter of figuring it out from characters' conversations than actually seeing them happen.
Well, that all sounds pretty negative so far. And I even gave Doukyuusei a pretty good score. Is there anything positive to say about a manga that is more abstract (and not in a good way) than anything in its method of storytelling? The good news is that the majority of the issues I've outlined are mainly in the first chapter. The subsequent instalments are far more comprehensive and pleasing to read. Perhaps the author was trying out a new style, or perhaps I got used to the way the manga was written. Either way, I very much liked reading Doukyuusei, flaws and all.
It doesn't really have an over-arching plot, aside from the unfolding of Sajou and Kusakabe's love affair. It is a slice of life told mainly from either of their viewpoints, with a one time dip into the mental processes of Hara, their music teacher. That doesn't change the fact that Doukyuusei is absolutely, incorrigibly, completely adorable. It's a very light manga, and while there is the occasional teasing of deeper psychological issues, it's mainly fluff and the perils of growing up and figuring out what you want to do that the manga focuses on. Despite not being particularly jaw-dropping or amazing, it's definitely a stellar manga for a genre rife with cliches and general unpleasantness.
The characters are very much human, both likeable and irritating at various moments. We may not learn a lot about them and there may not be a lot as far as development goes, but they feel realistic. Reading the manga, we discover their quirks and thoughts and personalities, even if their backgrounds are only revealed little by little. Neither Sajou nor Kusakabe feel typical to me, so I don't think they're all too cliched. They may seem like your standard yaoi leads to those who are more seasoned with the genre, however. Kusakabe is a fairly happy-go-lucky student who is a part of a band. Sajou is a serious, studious young man who consistently has quite good grades. The only problem is that he's pretty bad at singing. This is the aspect that draws our two main characters together, just by chance.
Since Doukyuusei is a romance, it is important to know that their relationship rolls along at a pretty even pace. It doesn't seem forced, nor does it play out as simple pandering. It's a quiet sort of relationship shoved forward by raging hormones. The characters are pretty comfortable with the relationship as is, even if Sajou is quite endearingly awkward about it. It makes sense given his natural inclination toward introversion, after all, and it's not as if he's completely against his relationship with his classmate. He might be an awkward turtle, but the romance is consensual, a nice change for the subject matter.
This brings us to the art. Nakamura Asumiko's drawing style is highly stylized and original, and almost immediately recognizable. It is pretty, but somewhat difficult to get used to at first. While not necessarily detailed, there is a certain artistry to the wispy, pencil-like strokes that make up the drawings of her characters. The backgrounds, however, are rather lacklustre in comparison. Sparse and only vaguely detailed, if even that, the cream of the crop is definitely Nakamura's character designs, which are fluid and original.
Doukyuusei is a short yaoi manga well worth your time, even if you're not usually into the genre. As I mentioned before, it doesn't have any themes of molestation or abuse between Sajou and Kusakabe, and it is definitely a fresh, welcome addition to the genre.
Alternative TitlesJapanese: 同級生 InformationType: Manga Volumes: 1 Chapters: 6 Status: Finished Published: Jul 25, 2006 to Jul 27, 2007 Theme: School Serialization: Opera Authors: Nakamura, Asumiko (Story & Art) StatisticsScore: 8.311 (scored by 19,013 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #3342 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #439 Members: 39,479 Favorites: 1,463 Resources |
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