Say Please by Kano Miyamoto review

Say Please

Author/Artist: Kano Miyamoto

Publisher: Deux Press

Rating: M – 18 and above

Genre: Yaoi, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life

Grade: B+

Sakura had recently broken up with his lover and was in need of a bed companion. He "bought" Ryoichi from a male brothel for the night. Who knew that this would be the beginning of something new for Sakura. After their one-night stand these two continue to see one another and soon Ryoichi moves in with Sakura. There seem to be some troubles on the horizon, however. Ryoichi seems to have fallen in love with Sakura but he doesn't know how Sakura feels about him. Not only that but Sakura seems to have some troubles of his own. He's not too happy with his job, but he's complacent. It's not until Sakura walks in on Ryoichi and a co-worker getting busy that Sakura is able to recognize his feelings.

There is also a short one-shot A Bird at Sea, A Door in the Sky. It’s a story about a young man who has to transfer schools regularly due to a situation in his past. He befriends a gay American author who is living in Japan but will be going back home soon.

Say Please is part of Kano Miyamoto-sensei's Rules universe. How it all fits in I don't really know because I don't follow Miyamoto-sensei as closely as her other fans out there. For me I enjoyed this volume on its own merits. There isn't much in the way of angst or action, but when all you've been reading are angsty stories or one-shot anthologies a slice of life tale like Say Please is just what the doctor ordered. The story is gentle and human driven and the focus is solely on the characters and their issues. It's like peeking in the window of these two captivating people. Ryoichi is fun and flirty whereas Sakura comes across as boring but he's actually a bit on the shy side. He's unhappy in his job and has aspirations beyond. Once he finds that you know that he's going to be much more interesting. Whether the story is carried beyond what we see in Say Please I don't know. Miyamoto-sensei's color art is beautiful. I know that I've said in previous reviews that her covers look like oil paintings, and with this cover my opinion still stands. These covers belong in art galleries not on manga covers.

Deux Press seems to be the only publisher out there willing to give Miyamoto-sensei a chance. In a sea of schoolboys, bishonen salarymen, and the typical yaoi fare Miyamoto-sensei's stories are different and Deux Press has brought some of her work here for us to enjoy. Her stories have a more realistic feel and her men are often gay to begin with. They have a normal everyman look, but they're still good looking.

When this title came out earlier this year it seems that people either liked it or hated it. Yet when I read it I came down on the side of liking it. I wasn't quite as fond of the one-shot included, but the rest of the book is very good and I recommend it.

***Review Copy purchased through Barnes and Noble***