Monday, November 24, 2008

Lies and Kisses by Masara Minase review

Lies and Kisses

Author/Artist: Masara Minase

Publisher: DramaQueen

Rating: M – 18 and up

Genre: Yaoi, Drama

Grade: C+

Quoting the back of the book:

Separated as children due to circumstances of their parents' making, Tatsuya and Haru meet again at the bar where Haru works part-time. Unaware that Haru is his long-lost younger half brother, Tatsuya invites the young man out for a drink. Haru, who has forever admired the kind hearted brother of his memories, enthusiastically agrees to the invitation. However – when the evening takes an unexpected turn… Haru finds himself in a very un-brotherly position!

Tatsuya is looking for his younger half-brother Haruka. Haru in turn just wants to be closer to Tatsuya. When they meet in the bar Haru immediately recognizes Tatsuya, so when Tatsuya invites him out for a drink Haru agrees to go. After passing out Haru finds himself in a hotel room with Haru. Things quickly spiral out of control and Tatsuya soon seduces Haru. Tatsuya has no idea that this man he's just picked up is his younger brother he adored. Things go beyond what you should be doing with a family member.

Haru went along with things but Tatsuya finds out that Haru is actually Haruka, his half-brother. Oy vey! What to do when you fall in lust with a family member? Not only did they share a bed (in that way, you know what I mean) but there also seem to be all kinds of secrets going on between these two.

Let me warn you now, THIS IS AN INCEST STORY! If you don't like the idea of this, do not, I repeat, do not read this manga! When I first cracked open this story I was immediately captivated by the art. It is really beautiful. I absolutely love Masara Minase-sensei's colored art, especially the full color front page. It is rich in detail and is vibrant and simply gorgeous. Even in black and white it's stunning! Often times I'll recommend titles because of the amazing art, but because of the touchy subject matter I recommend it only if you think you can handle the subject matter. I really wish that this story ended differently that the way it did, but that might be the prudish side of me talking (believe me, I'm not really that much of a prude but I do have my moments). If you read too far into this I apologize for spoiling the ending. Luckily when I picked up this volume I had been reading yaoi for a while and was familiar with the many formulas that are used for stories.

DramaQueen has impressed me so far. Since I only started reading manga earlier this year I haven't been able to accrue many DramaQueen titles. If you decide to Google the company you'll see what a mess that DramaQueen is in. But that's beyond the point! The books are lightweight but high quality. The translation seems to be done well because the story flows well. They have tight fitting dust jackets. The books are very flexible so while reading you won't develop any wrist injuries while reading. It really is a nice volume.

I have a hard time recommending this title solely on its story matter. I don't want to be responsible for someone blaming me because they got weirded out. The art is amazing, I will say that. But be cautious because of the angle the story takes. If you don't mind a pervy tale every once and a while, this angst ridden manga might be right up your alley. But for the mainstream audience, this may not be a wise choice. But I'll leave that up to you.

***Review Copy purchased at Barnes and Noble***

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