Sounds of Love vol. 1 by Rin Tanaka review

Sounds of Love vol. 1

Author/Artist: Rin Tanaka

Publisher: Luv Luv Press

Rating: M – 18 and above

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance

Grade: B

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

If music be the food of love, play on

We are all familiar with this line from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (yet how many people do you know keep their Complete Works of William Shakespeare handy? Just me?). In Sounds of Love vol. 1 music and love weave a beautiful symphony. Kazune is the manager of up and coming pianist Kyoichiro Haneda. But Kazune is more than Kyoichiro's manager; she's also his girlfriend. Kyoichiro is hotheaded and passionate. When he plays it's like he's making love to the audience. Because he puts so much emotion into his playing he is quite frisky after his performances. Kazune is also a pianist but her style is very different from Kyoichiro's. She seems to put everyone to sleep. It's because her style is calming and flowing, like water.

In Sounds of Love vol. 1 we learn more about Kyoichiro and Kazune's love affair all while dodging offers from prestigious talent agencies wanting Kyoichiro to sign with them, performing with other musicians, and even avoiding marriage proposals.

There are also two short one-shot stories, The Prince of Love and Little Lovers Hands. Mayu and Sakito dated in the past but Mayu wanted Sakito to show her how he feels. Many years later Sakito is a hot romance novelist and Mayu models for him. Will their love return? With Little Lovers Hands Shiori is dating her coworker Takayuki. Takayuki gets sick and Shiori is at a loss as to what she needs to do.

Holy crap this is one hot manga. The sex is so steamy you will need to keep a towel handy. We are dealing with a subject that I love. Classical Piano. Music and romance perfect together. Kind of like chocolate and peanut butter, it's the perfect combination. Rin Tanaka-sensei has written a beautiful story to go along with the gorgeous artwork. Kazune's dresses are stunning and Kyoichiro is handsome in his tuxedo. The artwork and story are both so amazing you can almost hear the music coming through the manga.

Lately Luv Luv has released some really amazing titles recently. This one is added to the list of amazing josei titles that I've read. They really hit a home run with this title (mixing sports and music, hmm…). My only complaint is the cover isn't scored near the binding so now you get nasty creases. I know I'm OCD, but aesthetics are very important to me.

I recommend this title to those who love music and romance. The story is compelling and since this is a series I'm anxiously awaiting the next volume. Keep up the great work, Luv Luv!


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