You Make My Head Spin by Kazuhiko Mishima review

You Make My Head Spin

Author/Artist: Kazuhiko Mishima

Publisher: Juné

Rating: M – 18 and above

Genre: Yaoi, Drama, Comedy, Romance, School Life

Grade: C+

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

Shindou has just transferred into the roughest school in the neighborhood. Upon arriving he meets Murai, Sugi, and their leader Yousuke Aizawa. Yousuke looks like your average juvenile delinquent, but looks can be deceiving. Yousuke gets motion sickness from riding a bike and is a bit on the shy side. Shindou, on the other hand, is very forward with his feelings and extremely confident. Wherever he goes he always seems to be sparkling. So when Shindou confesses, seeing him so nervous breaks down Yousuke's tough exterior.

Once Shindou and Yousuke are a hot item on campus (Shindou doesn't mind PDA, Yousuke does) a new transfer student comes onto the scene, Yuki. Shindou and Yuki seem to get along swimmingly. Yousuke feels threatened. You see, Yuki is what you would assume is your typical uke. Yousuke wants to let Yuki know that Shindou is his hot property (even though Shindou has said that he and Yuki are only friends). Yuki freaks out. He's not gay. The only reason why he and Shindou spend so much time together is because Yuki feels at ease with another non-delinquent student around. Phew… but things still seem to be on a rocky course.

There is a second story in this volume called Sensei. It is the tale of a sensei and a student. Mimori has a beast of a teacher. He's strict and mean and doesn't even smile. But something seems to be off with Sensei lately. After collecting the pop quiz papers and delivering them to Sensei Mimori finds out that Sensei has just broken up with his boyfriend. Mimori wants to do what he can to comfort his teacher, so he offers up his handkerchief. This causes a brief moment of surprise from Sensei. He then shows Mimori his smile, which makes Mimori weak in the knees.

I love Kazuhiko Mishima-sensei. The art style is so unique it is immediately recognizable. The art is very angular and square. You'd think that it could be a little off putting, but I find it refreshing. My only complaint about the art is the cover. The eyes seem to be a little weird and I find it kind of strange looking. If I look at it too long it starts to make my brain freak out. The stories aren't super strong. In You Make My Head Spin the sex comes up really quite fast and we don't seem to develop much in the way of character. Sensei is a bit stronger even though it is the shorter of the two stories. I think I liked it better of the two.

Juné did a great job with the look of this manga. I say that because every Juné title comes festooned with pink band on the bottom of the cover. Usually it stands out like a sore thumb. Yet this time around it blends in perfectly. I guess it pays to have the cover bright pink and have multi-colored hearts behind the illustrations of the main characters. Nice!

It is a quick read and must have for Mishima-sensei fans (I'm one now since the release of sensei's First Stage of Love). Be sure to check it out for the awesome art. Just so you know, be aware that the story is a little lackluster, but still enjoyable.

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