Tamekou

Kira (Meguru's model friend from volume 1) invites Meguru and Sasame to his house and gets kind of jealous when Meguru spends a lot of time talking to Sasame. After that, Meguru has to learn to sing and gets paired with a voice coach who wants to be an otokoyaku (actresses who play male roles). One of Wako's mangakas gets hooked on Unicorn Boys (the name of Meguru and Sasame's duo) and wants to draw them, which of course pleases Wako. There are also some couple-y chapters featuring Meguru and Wako - the two of them decluttering their home, working from home together, buying a fridge together, as well as a flashback to Meguru and Wako's earliest days as a couple.

This may be the best volume so far, if only because of the quality of the couple moments involving Meguru and Wako. I particularly enjoyed the cuteness of them trying to work from home together, and the end of the fridge-buying scene. There were no scenes in which Wako tried to nudge Meguru into things he wasn't entirely comfortable with in order to advance his career, so that was a breath of fresh air.

This part with Wako's mangaka felt very nearly like the author was breaking the fourth wall and explaining, via that character, why this series has no real plot or angst. As Wako said, "Would it be okay if there isn't a story? Isn't it enough for the manga to have beautiful boys doing things? You don't need reasons. Everyone will be looking at their faces." (137-138) Okay, Tamekou, I mean Wako.

The series has spent a lot of time on androgynous/beautiful guys so far (which, considering the title, isn't surprising), but I appreciated the introduction of a few androgynous/handsome female characters. Wako even spends a chapter obsessed with otokoyaku, which, rather than making Meguru jealous, just prompts him to try out some new makeup styles. I still think that if he ever decided to stop being a model, he might have a chance as a professional makeup artist.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (lisätietoja)

Meguru visits Wako's parents' home (they love him). Wako tries to convince Meguru to apply to be a Log House resident (something like the show Terrace House?) in order to get an even bigger fanbase. Then Meguru agrees to debut as an androgynous boy duo with equally cute Sasame. There's also a brief flashback to Wako and Meguru's high school days - he thought they were dating while she thought they were just going on a series of photo shoots.

The flashback underscored one of my main issues with this series, which is that Wako tends to treat Meguru like some kind of fantasy idol she's a huge fan of, rather than as her boyfriend who she lives with. I really liked that, in the flashback, Meguru called her out on it, reminding her that he's a real person and not some fantasy character. That said, Wako hasn't really stopped doing it. During the Log House portion of the volume, she even had full-blown fantasies of Meguru as a Log House resident being so perfect and cute that he somehow charmed everyone, becoming the first Log House resident to be beloved by all.

On the one hand, we have Wako practically pairing Meguru up with any pretty person he might come across, despite the fact that he's made it clear he's only interested in her (Wako) and even wants to be open with his fans about their relationship. The prospect of Meguru's debut makes her genuinely happy, as Meguru's first and biggest fan. On the other hand, a part of Wako still worries that he's going to become untouchable by someone like her once he becomes super famous.

I'm 100% sure that Meguru would choose Wako over fame if he had to make a choice. What would he do instead? My guess is become a professional makeup artist or something - all we really know about him is that he likes clothes, makeup, and Wako.

I'm still iffy about this series. The artwork is lovely, but the rest of it is...meh. On the plus side, it's a low-stress read that's pretty to look at.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (lisätietoja)

Mamma mia! Se già il primo volume mi aveva colpito in positivo questo... WOW! Bello, bello, bello!
Mi sarei aspettata il classico colpo di scena idiota con tanto di paranormale e invece è tutto molto coerente con la realtà, un pizzico inquietante forse ma... GENIALE. Seno non è altri che... SENO. Lo è sempre stato dall'inizio alla fine e il modo in cui si è sempre comportato, con quella disperazione di fondo per spingere Natsuka ad amarlo mi ha colpito. Mi è piaciuto vedere finalmente il vero Seno, senza filtri e finalmente senza maschere e ho apprezzato che finalmente Natsuka abbia deciso di prendere una posizione e accettare i suoi sentimenti. Mi ha invece un po' deluso Hakushima, devo dire che nonostante si sia comportato da buon amico e spingendo il protagonista tra le braccia dell'amato mi ha lasciato un po' indifferente. Più che altro non ho capito molto perchè Natsuka si sia innamorato di lui... non ho visto particolari caratteristiche o motivi che lo spingessero a diventare un oggetto dei desideri così irresistibile... sarà che l'amore è cieco, fatto sta che sono contenta che il protagonista non sia tornato sui suoi passi dando finalmente l'opportunità a Seno di farsi conoscere :)
Un manga molto particolare ed intrigante. Consigliato!… (lisätietoja)