Love Recipe 2 by Kirico Higashizato review

Love Recipe 2

Author/Artist: Kirico Higashizato

Publisher : Juné

Rating: M - For ages 18 and up

Genre: Yaoi, Comedy, Romance

Grade: A+

*** Review originally appeared at The Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society at http://liheliso.com/buzz/. Check it out! ***

This release of Love Recipe 2 is by far the most exciting for me! I immediately fell in love with Love Recipe 1 after I read it several months ago that I actually purchased the sequel in Japanese, and I don't even speak the language (I'm trying to learn it though!) The book arrived in the mail today and was waiting for me to get home from work. Needless to say, instead of doing the things I needed to I curled up on my couch and immersed myself in the tale of Tomonori Ozawa and his lover/mangaka Sakurako Kakyoin.

In the first Love Recipe we were introduced to Tomonori Ozawa, a new editor at a boys love magazine. He knew nothing about boys love when he started but was put through the paces almost immediately. His first major assignment was to pick up a manga submission from Sakurako Kakyoin. When he arrived at Kakyoin-sensei's condo instead of finding a female mangaka, he found a man, a gorgeous man at that. Kakyoin is immediately taken by this adorable new addition to the RoseBoy (the BL manga Ozawa works for) family and uses the excuse of needing inspiration to get into Ozawa's pants. The chief editor saw the positive effects of Ozawa's moe-ness (I know I just made up a new word, deal with it!) with all the artists. Soon after, Kakyoin-sensei claims Ozawa for his own and thus starts their relationship of editor/mangaka/lovers.

In Love Recipe 2 both Ozawa and Kakyoin are super busy and hardly have time to spend with each other. The only time that they see one another is when Ozawa comes to pick up his work. Not only are they supremely busy Ozawa is put in charge of developing a new artist, another male artist going by a female pen name. Ozawa must have quite the uke scent going on because Inukai, the artist in training, has decided that he loves our loveable editor.

They have a little trouble with getting the right kind of emotion from Inukai. He goes more for the whole porn for gay men route as opposed to the female fancy boys love road. The chief editor decides that Inukai needs to be an assistant with current published artist and suggests that Kakyoin-sensei would be the best, since they're both men and Inukai is a huge fan (I forgot to mention, Kakyoin's gender is a huge, mega secret!) How on earth does Ozawa juggle Kakyoin, Inukai, and all of the craziness surrounding him? You'll just have to read it to find out.

This is one of my favorite series. I'm glad that Kirico Higashizato-sensei has plans to continue this series because, I LOVE IT! The art is simply adorable and setting the scene in the world of manga publishing. Not only is it enjoyable to read, but you actually learn something as well. Kakyoin-sensei is absolutely gorgeous, whether he's clean shaven or his scruffy, trying to meet a deadline self. Ozawa is a cute, cuddly, uke. If you want to read works full of angst this isn't for you. But this is such a fun story that how could you pass it up?

***Review Copy provided by Juné***
***Reposted with permission from The Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society***