Kazushi has longed for his childhood friend Izumi for years. And just whenit looked like Kazushi had finally convinced him that they would make anexcellent couple, Izumi up and disappears? Watch the two lovers' relationshipevolve and mature, in this collection of works by Aoi Kujyou.
I didn't really like "Duetto", another yaoi manga by the same author. But I liked this one. I don't think this manga is exceptional, but it's a fairly interesting and emotional read, with pleasant and expressive art. It's not really a fluffy "happy-feel" one though, as it deals with some serious issues, including dealing with a trauma caused by child abuse. The whole book centers on one couple, and is composed of short stories about them. Both characters play "uke" (passive) and "seme" (active) roles interchangeably, which is relatively rare in yaoi genre. Sex scenes are not really explicit, but convey emotions and passion quite well. Two major characters are currently 25 years old and are dating. One of them (Izumi), a carefree and "free spirit" character, is haunted by his past: it appears that he was molested as a child by some famous artist (nothing is explicitly shown on that, it's mostly implied through his flashbacks / nightmares), and plans to revenge now. The other character (Kazushi) helps him to heal from his childhood trauma. (P.S: I'd like to warn some over-sensitive readers: in the very beginning of the book, in one panel (p.24), Izumi is somewhat forceful towards Kazushi (who's initially in a bit of denial about his feelings towards Izumi), so some may consider it a "rape"-like situation. It didn't look like rape to me though.)
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