I was only able to attend BENTcon 2 at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA on Sunday December 4th. It was, I’m told in full swing from Friday night, and I’m sure I missed some good events and panels but what can one do? I am rather kicking myself that I misread the time of the Women in Gay Comics panel and missed it. Oh well, I got to talk to lots of cool artists and exhibitors on my one afternoon at BENTcon 2.

So here’s who I talked to that day:

THE HORNSMYTHE
www.thehornsmythe.com

Cal Cotton of the Hornsmyth. Specialize in drinking horn, blowing horns. He and his wife have been making horns for 23 years and his wife was making horns for five years before they met. They are based in Westminster, CA. They do events like BENTcon, the Ren Faire in Irwindale, and various Sci-Fi and Fantasy conventions. He said his wife makes 75% of the things in their booth and he’s her helper.

Also in the picture is Jeannette Smith wearing a costume from Pendragon costumes, which was so busy I never got a chance to talk to anyone there.

ELVIS SCHOENBERG’S ORCHESTRA SURREAL
www.eschoenberg.com (please click for the swingin’ music on the cool cartoon intro)

I spoke with The Fabulous Miss Thing (and is she evah). The orchestra has been around since 1996, they put out their first CD in 1997, and now they have three CDs out. It’s a very cool and twisted hybrid of classical music and orchestrated rock songs turned on their sides. The song playing on the monitor was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in a jump swing arrangement which I thought was Night in Tunisia at first. The Orchestra has been trying to do more conventions and because they have a burlesque comic book feel they’re doing more comic book conventions. The Orchestra, well, part of it, offered to do some live performances at their booth, but the convention nixed it. I think this is a terrible shame because Miss Thing can really belt ‘em out.

The Orchestra has a performance coming up on December 26 at the Typhoon Restaurant in Santa Monica.

RICK WORLEY
www.rickworley.com

Rick was fighting a cold so he was on Dayquil but still lucid. Full disclosure: I have a copy of Rick’s wonderful comics collection, “A Waste of Time,” sitting on my desk waiting for a review, so I spent a little time apologizing for that. He said the book is doing pretty well, that it’s a gradual thing getting people to know it exists (like, y’know, through reviews and stuff like that). He’s had a good convention even though he’s been sick all weekend. (Everybody get a flu shot!) Rick’s been drawing “A Waste of Time” for the past four years, but he’s been drawing comics since he was a little kid. He used to make his own comics in fourth grade, usually Spiderman mash-ups, but he’s only into Grant Morrison’s work now. He worked at Borders until he got laid off, he said they were a horrible company to work for: arrogant, abusive, and stupid. This is sad because it should be fun to work in a bookstore. He’s mostly self-taught, but has taken drawing classes here and there. Rick grew up in southern California, but has lived in San Francisco for the three years now. There’s another book with the same characters in the works.

ZAN CHRISTANSEN, NORTHWEST PRESS
www.northwestpress.com

I spoke to Zan Christianen of Northwest Press, the publisher of “A Waste of Time.” Zan actually sent me the review copy sitting on my desk, waiting to be reviewed (so, as you can imagine, there was more groveling about it). Northwest Press has been all over the country, but BENTcon is the biggest and gayest convention of the year, so they got the biggest and gayest booth at the convention. He was even opening a bottle of champagne, that’s how cool this booth was. He had several big comics, one of them was “The Power Within,” a very timely comic to help kids deal with bullying. Last years, Zan and the artist on the book, Mark Brill, were trying to figure out what to do for 24-hour comics day and this is what came out of that. 24-hour comics day is in October, and the previous September there had been several gay teen suicides in the news. In doing research for the book, Zan discovered that there were eleven suicides in September 2010. So, he and Brill did the 24-page comic for 24 Hour Comics Day and afterwards they polished the work up and released it as a self-published comic in the Spring of 2011. Then Zan recruited some guest artists—Phil Jimenez, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, to name a few—to contribute more pages. They did a fundraising event so they could do a big print run and started sending them out for free to schools, gay alliances, and other resources for gay teens. The book is designed as a life-line to isolated, alienated kids. Zan says it tells kids that they might not have a supportive family, or teachers or they might not have friends they can reach out to, but even if they don’t have any support, each kid has the strength to get over the hardest parts of their life with the power within. They can make it through and get to the better part of their life. So Zan and his people sent the book out over the summer of 2011 and Zan and Brill got an email from OUT magazine letting them know that OUT would be honoring them as two of their OUT 100 for 2011. Zan encourages anyone with any kind of skills to try to help kids who are being bullied because it’s been going on for far too long and it’s time to stop pussy-footing around it. It’s time for parents to realize they’re better off with a live gay teen than a dead one and stop freaking out about it. I asked Zan why it was getting worse, why there were more gay teen suicides now, and he said it’s actually getting better because it’s getting more attention. It’s not being swept under the rug and he thinks that people are more willing to call it what it is. When a child kills him or herself because they’re queer or harassed for being seen as such, it’s not just swept under the rug and ignored by mainstream society. Surviving your teens is tough enough without bullying, but it’s worse if there isn’t even a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not a freight train, it’s Zan and people like Zan throwing you a rope. Sorry for the mixed metaphor. It really does get better.

Speaking of Dan Savage, Dan wrote the introduction for another Northwest press book by David Kelly (of Boy Trouble fame) called “Rainy Day Recess.” This books is about a tween boy growing up in the 70s, liking Wonder Woman and Charlies Angels, and being a very sensitive boy. “Rainy Day Recess” is a window into the life of a kid before he starts having to conform or being bullied.

Northwest Press has recently released “A Waste of Time” by Rich Worley (grovel grovel grovel), which Zan describes as Calvin and Hobbs meets lots of butt sex with adults. In 2012 Zan plans to release their first “L” book (as in G”L”BT), their first lesbian book by Lea Weathington’s “Bold Reilly.” An action adventure heroine who always gets the girl. Zan describes Bold as kind of like Conan the Barbarian except she’s a better conversationalist and has smaller breasts.

So far of Northwest’s GLBT alphabet soup, they’ve done “Glamazonia, the uncanny tranny” (T), “A Waste of Time,” “Rainy Day Recess” (G) “Teleny and Camille” (G, B), and “Bold Reilly” (L). Hopefully the Northwest press will be around for a long time and do many other wonderful titles like these and “The Power Within.”

Northwest books are available in print, but also in the iPad e-book store.

DAVID KELLY
Prism profile

Is the co-editor of Boy Trouble and more recently, the author of Rainy Day Recess. Rainy Day Recess is about a boy growing up in the 1970s in a family dealing with separation and divorce and him dealing with all the struggles with that. He finds joy in having a crush on a boy in his class and drawing this own comic, Star Woman, in which he is her sidekick, Star Boy. Lots of 1970s pop culture references. The strip ran in gay and lesbian newspapers in the 1990s, and it’s only recently that Zan Christenson and Northwest Press have collected them into the edition I saw at BENTcon.

David would like to do more young adult graphic novels with older teen characters. So there is something to look forward to.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of David. This is too bad because he’s very handsome. I also could not find a link to a David Kelly webpage, so I linked to his profile on the Prism website.

ALEX WOOLFSON, YAOI 911
www.artificecomic.com

He started the Yaoi 911 project in 2006 when he wanted to write guy and guy romance comics that were in a particular action genre and involved a rescue theme. He wanted to write for a broad audience that included women, especially since he wrote his work for one woman whom is a good friend of his, he was looking to write for a predominately female audience. At this point in 2011 his audience is 60% women and 40% men. His men look like men, which takes it out of most of the yaoi genre. For Alex, plot and character come first and the erotic element comes naturally into the story, contributing to the story, not overwhelming it. Alex is striking a middle ground between yaoi comics and traditionally gay erotic comics by creating the comics he’s always wanted to read himself, and he’s very gratified that there’s an audience out there for it.

Yaoi 911 used to be a review site, but has morphed into an original comic website. He does all the writing and works with a variety of artists. So far he’s been working on a gay sci-fi comic and next year will be doing a gay superhero comic. The two artists whose work was at Alex’s booth were Winona Nelson and Adam Dekraker.

Alex’s next book will be Artifice, currently being serialized on the web (it was at page 56 when we spoke), it’s science fiction and will be collected and published as a book in 2012. His superhero comic will also be a webcomic and then a book and should be on the web sometime in 2012.

STEVE MACISAAC
www.stevemacisaac.com

I hadn’t seen Steve in a year and in this past June, he published Shirtlifter 4, two and a half years after his “Unpacking” story cliff-hanger (for me) in Shirtlifter 3. He said it will probably be two and a half more years before Shirtlifter 5 due to having a life and a day job. There’s 60 pages of “Unpacking” in Shirtlifter 3 and also 4 and he goes through a little post-partum depression after each book comes out. He said he hasn’t really written anything since Shirtlifter 4 came out, but he does have the final part of “Unpacking” planned out in his head, and he’s started working on Shirtlifter 5, so there is something to look forward to.

I bought a copy of Shirtlifter 4 because I’m totally hooked on Steve’s story, “Unpacking,” and it was totally worth the wait. “Unpacking” began in Shirtlifter 3 and was serialized on the web, which is where I fell in love with it. It’s got a good story, good characters, and bears! I don’t usually like bears, but I like these bears because they’re Steve MacIsaac’s bears. “Unpacking” can be read as a complete story, with a beginning-middle-end, in each volume, but the story wraps up in Shirtlifter 5. Well, wraps up as much as Steve wraps things up; he always leaves something open ended in all his work.

BRADLEY RADER
www.raderofthelostart.com

Brad has just had a wonderful book called “The Art of Brad Rader” published by his comic book store in Burbank, The House of Secrets, which has a publishing arm called The Art of Fiction. In December of 2009, they asked Brad to be part of their line of small art books by local animation artists. Brad provided them with 300 image files Art of Fiction culled into a gorgeous 60 page, 5.25×8″ semi-paperback book. There’s more information about how to get your hands on a copy at Brad’s website. Right now, Brad’s comics projects are in stalled-out mode while he works full time storyboarding “Bob’s Burgers.” But he said that in early 2012 when he’s on hiatus from animation, he’ll be back on top of the comics projects.

Brad said BENTcon 2 has been a fantastic event. He’s staying at the convention hotel, the Boneventure Hotel (awesome con rate of $109!!!) and it’s been a blast. The food and parking are expensive, but there’s a Subway across the street. Brad went to the film festival the previous evening and one of the standout short films for him was Michael Derry’s “Troy” 2-D, possibly flash animated, cartoon. He also said he really enjoyed Wendy Pini’s “Mask of Red Death” cartoon.

IN SUMMARY…

I am told by reliable sources that BENTcon 2 was a success! The exhibitor area completely sold out, the room block sold out, attendance was high, and there was interest from abroad in attending this one and the next one. So look forward to BENTcon 3 in 2012.

Here’s the J LHLS coverage of BENTcon 2010.

This was the first BENTcon, a select group of GLBT comics creators in a nice little space on Melrose. According to Charles “Zan” Christensen, this is the first ever GLBT dedicated convention so I was very glad to be there. Here’s who I talked to:

William O. Tyler

William O. Tyler has been publishing Carabosse Comics for the past six years. “Fairy Tells” are comics about what the fairy saw other mythological creatures doing, and “The Goth Queen Needs a Mate” is the story of a widow whose grief was so profound, it awakens gargoyles who go out to find her a new husband. William is originally from Washington D.C. but moved here in 2006. He has a degree in film from the American University in D.C. His website is www.CarabosseComics.com.

Steve MacIsaac

Steve is as busy as ever and Shirtlifter 4 will be publishing in April 2011. More information at www.SteveMacIsaac.com

Michael Derry

Michael Derry has been drawing “Troy” comics since 1998. He went to art school for illustration at Northern Illinois University. He came out to Los Angeles and while bartending, met the founders of “Bent” magazine (no connection to BENTcon) who asked him to create a gay comic strip for the magazine. After “Bent” stopped publishing, another publication picked it up and it’s been published in Europe and South America. The magazine publication opportunities have been fading out, so now he’s working on making “Troy” into an animated cartoon. It’s online, too, at www.TroyComics.com.

Jeff Krell

Jeff Krell is the creator of Jayson comics, a strip that’s been ongoing for the post 25 years. He started Jayson because he was a fan of Archie comics and wanted to tell his stories in an Archiesque setting. He based his main character, Jayson, on himself and Jayson’s best friend, Arena, on his actual best friend. Jayson comes from a very small town called Farmville (pre the Farmville game) and moves to the city and struggles with his sexuality. The first publication Jayson appeared in was in the Philadelphia Gay Press and Gay Comics in the 1980s and Meat Men magazine in the 1990s. These two decades are anthologized in Jayson 1980s and Jayson 1990s. “Jayson Goes to Hollywood” is his first graphic novel. He’s been involved with Prism Comics for the past few years. He is also the translator and publisher of Ralf Konig’s “The Killer Condom” and some of Konig’s other works. Jeff’s company is Ignite Entertainment and the webpage is www.Ignite-Ent.com.

Charles “Zan” Christensen

Charles “Zan” Christensen lives and breathes gay comics. Is the founding president of Prism Comics. He has a publishing company called Northwest Press. It is his response to the decrease in gay publishers and distributors, especially in comics. Something like a gay Fantagraphics or gay Top Shelf. The first book published was “Tenleny and Camille,” which was adapted by Jon Macy from the novel “Teleny,” attributed to Oscar Wilde and his circle of writers and poets. The second book is Justin Hall’s “Glamazonia,” the anti-superhero(ine). The next book will be a collection of David Kelly’s “Steven” comics, which are about a gay pre-teen boy in the 1970s. This will be an all ages book and Charles feels that this is an important book in these times of gay kids being bullied and committing suicide. The book is called “Rainy Day Recess” and will be available in March 2011. Prism is planning to do more conventions in the coming year, especially on the East Coast. They plan to be at a new convention in Ashville NC that debuted last year called Fanaticon. Webpages are at Northwest Press and Prism Comics.

Tony Lawrence

Tony Lawrence publishes a comic called “Western Nightmares,” which is gay western romance with angels, vampires and werewolves who are unusual angels, vampires and werewolves. The website is at Western Nightmares.

Sean Z

Sean Z was one of the driving forces behind BENTcon. His goal with BENTcom was to celebrate and showcase GLBT creators in their own convention. The convention came together in four months in a vacant storefront. He is looking forward to having a whole year to plan BENTcon 2011. He wasn’t sure how many attendees there were, he thought it was around 100 when we talked at 3PM and there were four more hours of the show. Sean came to Los Angeles nine years ago after getting a degree in illustration from the Art Institute of Chicago. He’s publishing his work at Rated-Z.

More information about BENTcon at www.bentcomix.com.

Update December 2011: Here’s the coverage of BENTcon 2011.

Review by Kris

In Shinjuku’s Nichome neighborhood (for those not in the know this is the neighborhood well known to cater to Tokyo’s gay community) is a small Detective agency run by Yasuie Kiryuuin and his assistant Yoshiyuki Nomura. There’s one problem they have no business and Yasu is terrible with money. Yoshiyuki seems to handle all of the business aspects of the detective agency and Yasu tries to drum up business by taking care of the cats of many of the ladies who work in Kabukicho (Tokyo’s red light district) and sexually harasses Yoshiyuki. They face a bleak future but they seem to get through it together until Yoshiyuki’s father falls ill. You see Yoshiyuki is adopted and when his adoptive parents have a child of their own he feels out of place. Eventually Yoshiyuki hits rock bottom and that’s when Yasu finds him and offers him a place to belong. That lasted for a while but his parents would like him to come back home, work in his father’s company, and start with marriage interviews. It seems like it’s going to be a tough decision for Yoshiyuki. Does he stay poor and follow Yasuie, the man who gave him a place to belong, or go home with a family and live a secure life?

Live for Love is a title that I’m going to have a hard time recommending. Why, you ask? Well many of the yaoi stereotypes are alive and thriving in this manga. I will warn you now that there is a non-con (non-consensual or rape) scene because Yasu is just so overcome by emotion when he finds out that Yoshiyuki is tossing around the idea of going back home. At least in this case Yasu realizes what a boneheaded move that was and would understand if Yoshiyuki would want nothing to do with him. Yoshiyuki is the typical tsundere type character; he seems to say one thing but means something completely different. Yasu has redeeming qualities, he’s a total goofball and that is something that I love in my semes, but he does push the line way too often.

While the story falls into typical yaoi territory the art is not really my style. Mayama sensei’s chibis are kind of weird looking and even the normal art in many places looks off. I liked the art on the cover and on the back but once I cracked it open I wasn’t as impressed. Juné did a good job on it though. I didn’t catch any spelling or grammar mistakes and they did a nice job on the production.

I will admit that there were a few spots where I enjoyed the humor. If you don’t mind setting your values aside involving non-con who knows you may enjoy this title. But I’m leaving the decision up to you. For another view on this title be sure to catch April Kimm’s review.

Review by Kris

Motoki Matsushima is one of the most popular guys in class. Girls are always confessing their love for him but there’s only one Matsushima has his eye on, Shoji Mashita. Mashita comes across as quiet and brainy but in all actuality he has a cruel streak. Mashita knows how Matsushima feels about him and Mashita enjoys teasing him mercilessly. The two are really close friends and the chances are pretty high that Mashita feels the same way. Unfortunately the secret comes out when Mashita gets jealous of a mutual friend (the friend, Natsuki, has known Mashita for a long time) because Matsushima was getting the dirt on Mashita. Mashita may be able to keep his cool in everyday situations but when passions are high its Matsushima who’s in control. Will these two be able to get together or will Mashita’s inexperience with the physical aspects of their relationship hinder these two from moving forward?

Sorry for the poor synopsis but action packed this manga is not. It feels like it moves slowly but it’s over before you know it. This definitely falls into a unique category. When I first read it it took me a while to get the right name with the right face because the names are just too similar (at least in my mind). But once I got past that aspect of story I was able to sink in and truly enjoy it. Matsushima is like a giant puppy and an ongoing joke is that he grew out his hair because the person he liked said it reminded him of his dog’s hair. Of course Mashita has a dog and the two do share similarities. Mashita does have a mean streak but it’s pretty obvious to everyone (except Matsushima) how he feels. Of course true love does not run smooth so there are a few bumps that these two will need to overcome.

As always I rather enjoyed this title. It is, of course, a Momoko Tenzen title and will get my attention simply for that fact. She is a rather interesting story teller. Not only does she approach things in a little bit different way but she doesn’t always follow the yaoi conventions. Like in this story it’s the uke who seems to be the cruel one in everyday life. Now following the typical conventions it’s almost always the seme that has the cruel streak. I noticed, too, that at the beginning of the manga we jump right in to the middle of their story and then backtrack a little bit (I noticed the same pattern in her title Suggestive Eyes.) But the thing I love most about this title is the art. Tenzen-sensei’s men are impossibly beautiful (with thick lips and windswept hair) yet still have an everyday man quality too them. She isn’t shy to include beauty marks on her characters (that is a statement over all, none of the characters in La Satanica have any that I’m aware of but in some of her other titles you’ll catch them) which makes them more realistic to me (no one has flawless skin). Because much of her stuff falls into the realm of drama there isn’t much need for chibis but when she inserts some humor her chibis are darling.

When it comes to Tenzen-sensei I’m running out of things to say because I’ve said it all once before in previous reviews. She continues to be a favorite mangaka of mine and unless she ends up writing some really weird, distasteful manga she will continue to be a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed La Satanica for the storytelling, the art and the pacing. Some may not feel the same way. But if you enjoy pure romance you’ll like La Satanica.

Review by Kris

Akihito Takaba can’t seem to stay away from Ryuichi Asami for very long. Always searching for the next big story Takaba is approached by another cop (you’ll have to read the first volume for the details on that whole scenario) and he has special access to the exclusive Club Sion, run by Asami himself. Once inside will Takaba get the story he’s looking for or will Asami show up and foil Takaba’s plans?

The majority of the volume is dedicated to Fei Long Liu’s backstory, how he and Asami met, and why there is some massive animosity between these two crime bosses. Fei Long was adopted into the Liu family and was raised like the head of the family’s own son but Fei Long didn’t feel as though he truly measured up to his older brother. Yan Tsui was ruthless in his treatment of both Fei Long and his enemies. Because he was the older of the two it’s expected that Yan Tsui will be taking over the family business but it seems that Fei Long is more capable and more liked. But all is not well in Hong Kong’s criminal underworld and Asami seems to have a hand in it.

The final part of the book is a new chapter starring the two students from Plants in Love. This time around it’s DNA in Love and Mizuno has it tough. His mom is out of town and his dad is in charge. It soon comes to the attention of Hiyama’s dad that his lover’s son happens to attend the same school as his own son and uses Mizuno’s illness as an excuse to head over to the Mizuno household. Not only do the dads seem to get some action but Hiyama and Mizuno enjoy some alone time as well.

This is a rather advanced review but I was given the opportunity so I figured that I’d take it. Luckily I still had my friend’s copy of the second BeBeautiful release and was able to handle it the way I did with the first volume. In comparing the two volumes the art hasn’t been changed. In the comments section of my own website one person commented that BeBeautiful did edit some of the artwork in the second volume if you compared it to the original Japanese version. I don’t have my original Japanese copies yet (I’ll probably be getting them later on in the year or the beginning of next, like y’all needed to know that.) At least compared with BeBeautiful’s version everything is the same, with the exception of the original interview conducted by BeBeautiful’s staff and that the book licensed by Juné is the one released by Libre in 2007 so the author’s afterword is different as well. Even though the artwork hasn’t changed Juné’s version is far superior. The translation is of a higher quality and they’ve included a full color cover sheet that is simply beautiful.

I love Yamane-sensei’s art, it is truly gorgeous. I’m still hanging in there in hopes that the story will truly hook me. I would like to see more of the Takaba x Akihito relationship. I have enjoyed it but I’m not as rabid about this series as others are in the fandom. So far I think I prefer her other English released titles (The Crimson Spell and A Foreign Love Affair) but I haven’t given up hope yet. There are still 3 more volumes to be translated and it is still an ongoing series. If it continues on its current trajectory chances are I’ll be converted.

Review by Kris

Akihito Takaba is a freelance photographer who got a hot tip and a huge scoop involving politicians and the criminal underworld but unfortunately the story was quashed. The crime boss Ryuichi Asami won’t have Takaba butting into his business so to intimidate Takaba he kidnaps and rapes him. But that won’t keep Takaba down. He’s determined to get the story one way or another. But he’ll need to watch out now that he’s entangled in Asami’s world. Not only is Asami after Takaba (he’s attracted to him) but it seems that Takaba’s caught the eye of the Chinese Mafia and their boss Fei Long. Man, poor kid! How will he handle these rough (but gorgeous) men? Also included are a few one shots: Love Lesson involves high school students, Plants in Love feature two classmates who find out their dads seem to be having an affair, and Risky Society is about a secret crime fighting group where the members have superpowers. Sorry for the poor synopsis but I really don’t want to give away the story.

This has to be one of the biggest, and most anticipated, releases of the year. Since the demise of BeBeautiful fans have been clamoring for any yaoi publisher to license this series. Earlier this year Digital Manga, Inc. announced that they had acquired this license just on the heels of the announcement that Ayano Yamane was going to be this year’s guest of honor at YaoiCon. Digital Manga announced that the title would be released through their Juné line. Initially there was excitement to be had but then worries about the fact that Juné was releasing it and not 801 Media (Digital Manga’s more explicit boys love line). Since Juné is Digital Manga’s mainstream BL line it’s a known fact that in the past they’ve been known to make some content edits to make it possible to sell their titles in more places i.e. brick and mortar stores like Borders. To try and quell the fear Deb Aoki at about.com spoke with the folks over at DMP regarding this title (click here for that article.) Now just to let all of you know I don’t own the original Japanese tankobon (I will eventually) or the BeBeautiful series that was released several years ago (by the time I started reading yaoi it was out of print). But thanks to a friend of mine she did have a copy of the first two volumes and lent them to me so I could compare the two against each other.

Now I can inform all you rabid fangirls out there that you have nothing to worry about. This is a beautiful release and you will be pleased. In my opinion it is a far more superior than the BeBeautiful version. They’ve included a full color cover page. The translation read smoothly and they’ve kept the honoriffics (-san, -sama, etc.). For someone who is new to the series and only read the BeBeautiful version right before the Juné volume the Juné translation was clear and made it easier for me to understand what was going on. In the volume Finder is only the first third of the book and the rest are brief one shots. In the BeBeautiful version the one shots Love Lesson and Plants in Love have aged up their characters and either state that they are university students or imply they are college age. But looking at the artwork they look like they are high school students (uniforms and the like). In the Juné edition it is vague. There is no statement of their ages but you know they’re high school students. With the new translation I was able to enjoy Risky Society a lot more and it made much more sense. And finally no artwork has been altered in any way, at least comparing it to BeBeautiful’s version. All in all I have to say that the Juné’s is miles ahead in quality over the BeBeautiful volume. I’m sure that there are people who will prefer the other volume but for me Juné wins.

Ayano Yamane-sensei is a fan favorite and I can see why. Her art is simply stunning and her men ooze sexiness from every pore. The sex is hot, explicit and leaves very little to the imagination. Yamane-sensei is also known to be very protective of her work. She insists on the highest quality and won’t settle for less. Because of this fact I was one of the few fans (of sensei’s, not of Finder seeing how I haven’t read it until now) that knew that Finder would get the best treatment and there wouldn’t be anything to be worried about.

All of the characters are impossibly beautiful, extremely ruthless, and everything you would expect in the criminal underworld. You can’t help but feel sorry for Takaba getting roped into all of this. The Finder story starts out with non-con and some pretty kinky stuff so if that isn’t your thing you may want to stay away but this series is a piece of yaoi history created by one of the genre’s most gifted artists. Do you want to be left behind?

Review by Kris

Review originally appeared at Manic About Manga at http://www.manicaboutmanga.com. Check it out!

It’s so hard to write a synopsis for the final book in a series. You don’t want to give anything away yet you want to be informative as well. I’ll try my best without spoiling too much.

Arata and Yanagi have finally expressed their feelings and are ready to move forward. But there is a huge obstacle in their way. That would be Ten, Arata’s younger twin. Ten will stop at nothing to keep his brother out of the clutches of anyone, not just Yanagi (read vol. 4 for more details). Now that Ten knows that Yanagi and Arata are back together he’s turned into a raving lunatic. After locking Arata in his room he’s roped Kashiwagi (more like threatened him) into his plan by taking him to Yanagi’s home. Yanagi was worried when he sent Arata home seeing how Ten would blow a gasket if he found out that they spent the night together (too late). Luckily Ten failed to confiscate Arata’s phone but when Yanagi calls to make sure everything was OK Arata was unable to warn him on what horrors await him. What will happen to our lovers and the psycho brother?

The final volume of breath contains the ending of the main story, a side story featuring Yanagi and Arata, and two chapters starring Ten and the man he meets after leaving his brother. I feel that the ending was a bit rushed but I’m pleased with how things turned out. I don’t mind angst as long as there is a happy ending. The only thing missing is the steaminess between Arata and Yanagi. We don’t get any sex whatsoever. Another thing that was missing was a true ending regarding the situation with Ten. I really wish that there was more closure but I’m satisfied nonetheless.

Now the book isn’t devoid of sex, trust me. It just shows up in the side story featuring Ten and the sexy doctor that he shacks up with. In these chapters we are able to see Ten in a different light and it redeems him in my eyes. He definitely has some major issues going on upstairs and I would have liked more development but beggars can’t be choosers.

This is a great series and I’m glad that Yaoi Generation brought it to us. To me breath started out as a story of sketchy, but super hot, consensual sex with a bully of a seme and a spineless uke. I quickly changed my tune as we got to know these characters and saw them in a new light. As the story progressed it truly hooked me and made it so I couldn’t wait for the next volume to come out. The characters that started out as kind of stereotypical, stayed somewhat stereotypical, but morphed into characters with more depth and made it a more interesting story.

For a first off series Yaoi Generation did a great job. I must say that I appreciate the fact that they started the series and finished it instead of getting over their heads and publishing several titles all at once. In today’s economic times and the closing or missing manga publishers starting series and then going under before they finish them I really like the fact that Yaoi Gen started the series then finished it before moving on to the next. If they keep up the great work and continue to license interesting titles and release them with their fantastic production qualities they’ll continue to get my support!

If interested here are my reviews for vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, and vol. 4.

Review by Kris

On Kaname Imai’s first day at work is somewhat jazzed up when he saves young Yuuta Fujimoto from some aggressive men. Initially Kaname thinks Yuuta is an adorable young girl but Yuuta is all male. Kaname is a cram school teacher and a year after he saved Yuuta; Yuuta attends his cram school. It seems that Yuuta has developed a crush on Kaname, but there are some objects in the way. Kaname is a college student and kind of clueless and Yuuta is a middle school student and likes to look out for Kaname’s best interest. A relationship at this juncture is not in the cards but Yuuta is determined that one day he’ll seduce Kaname.

A related story called Honey Citron features Yuuta’s two friends Kei and Makoto. It seems that Makoto may have developed a crush on Kei but doesn’t know how to deal with the possibility of the change that may appear in their relationship. The volume is rounded out by Brand New Wednesday, which is the tale of a high school student falling for his tutor.

This is a title that I really wrestle with. Any time there is a student/teacher pairing I always proceed with caution. When we deal with a high school student I’m usually able to look on but in this case we are dealing with a middle school student here and it just doesn’t sit quite as well. I guess the only thing that makes it a bit more palatable (only a bit, not very much) is that Yuuta is the aggressor in the relationship. Kaname also seems to be a bit reluctant to enter into a more physical relationship. But still there is a seven-year age difference and we’re not really sure how old Yuuta is when they finally consummate their love. He’s still in school but I don’t know if it’s middle or high school.

The other two stories are great though. Honey Citron shows us the turmoil that Makoto finds his feelings in. Kei is rather clueless and Yuuta worries that he was the one who planted the idea that Makoto likes Kei as more than friends. In this case we see first love develop and we are dealing with characters that are of the same age. Brand New Wednesday was also a good read. The age spread wasn’t as large and Kana (the student) is in high school. It is a little older story and features some of Tenzen-sensei’s older art. I have to say that I much prefer her newer art style because some of the features are softened somewhat.

Art wise this is a beautiful volume. It features typical Tenzen-sensei art, which are thin lines, perfectly windswept hair, thick lips, and long lanky limbs. She is rather detailed with her character sketches but backgrounds are sparse yet when there is a background involved it is done with painstaking care and are very detailed as well. I think that Juné is a great publisher for Tenzen-sensei. She’s not terribly explicit but is a great mangaka in her own right. With Juné’s larger trim size makes it that much more amazing to look at. Juné’s new branding is an improvement over the pink branding bar by leaps and bounds.

I’m going to struggle with recommending this title because of the issues of dealing with a relationship between a middle school student and his college aged cram school teacher. It’s a must have for Tenzen-sensei fans which I am one but I’m leaving this up to you to decide.

Review by Kris

Momoko Tenzen-sensei seems to have a thing for schoolboys. Unsophisticated and Rude is an anthology chock full of high school and college guys.

The book gets its title from the first story in the collection, Unsophisticated and Rude. Satoshi has a crush on Nao-sempai, a member of the same basketball team. What he doesn’t know is that his best friend Hiroto also has a thing for Nao-sempai. Who will Nao-sempai choose? Pretender is about Katase and Manaka. These two attended the same junior high and have a lot in common now that they are in high school. Katase fell in love with Manaka but kept it hidden even after Manaka confessed to him. Will these two ever get together? The third story is by far the best in the collection, Midori Vivid in My Eyes. Takamiya “rescues” the campus eccentric from a caterpillar attack. Sonoda is so grateful to (and taken by) Takamiya that he begins to shower him with expensive gifts. Takamiya doesn’t know what to do because he’s finding himself somewhat attracted to Sonoda as well. Will Takamiya be able to look beyond himself and accept Sonoda’s attention? Second Love focuses on Haruno and Uenaga. At an elementary school class reunion (they have those?) Haruno recognizes everyone but Uenaga. It seems that despite Haruno’s amazing memory he just can’t place Uenaga. The two again strike up a friendship but not remembering Uenaga annoys Haruno and Uenaga doesn’t want to bring up the past either. Will Haruno remember the past and if he does will the new friendship end because of it? The final story is I Want to Be Your Number One. Not only is this story the oldest of the collection but it’s also the most formulaic. Tomo and Yukihiro have friends for a long time. Now that they’re older Tomo seems to be making the moves on Yukihiro. The thing is Yukihiro doesn’t know if Tomo is joking or is serious. When push comes to shove will Yukihiro be able to recognize Tomo’s true feelings as well as his own?

This is the first anthology collection that I’ve read from Tenzen-sensei. The only other one that might come close is Manhattan Love Story but those stories are all interconnected so it really doesn’t fit in does it. That is one of the things that I like about Tenzen-sensei, she has the tendency to focus on one story for a volume of manga. But even in anthology mode I still enjoy her work. The stories have the usual BL feel to them and are somewhat predictable but because she creates beautiful characters, lush backgrounds, and a feel of pure romance I feel that she does a great job. She utilizes fine lines, thick lips, and windswept hair to make all of her characters absolutely stunning. Be they women or men they all inhabit a very attractive world. The art has a somewhat sparse style but that is what makes it so great. It has a very sophisticated look to it.

This book features Juné’s new look. What I mean by that is there is no dust jacket (even though they look great and it’s kind of nice that I don’t have to wrestle with the dust jacket but every once in a while I miss them.) They’ve also moved the branding bar to the side with the binding and have designed it to fit in with the look of the cover. No more noxious pink branding bar at the bottom of the book. Good work!

If you like your stories sweet and romantic or are a fan of Momoko Tenzen-sensei you’ll definitely enjoy this title. But it is an anthology and if you are a bit tired of them then you might want to stay away. Another thing is Tenzen-sensei isn’t terribly explicit, there is sex in this volume and it’s steamy but if you like your sex plentiful and graphic then you’re probably not going to enjoy it. I really liked it but I’m going to leave it up to you to decide!

Review by Kris

We all know that breakups are hard. Megumu Okazaki is a popular grad student who is trying to put his life back together after a heart-wrenching breakup. Hisashi Kina is a handsome 3rd year college student who seems to have fallen for Megumu. The two end up in bed together after Megumu runs into his ex. The problems arise when both Kina and Megumu have no idea what direction their relationship is headed. Do they love each other or is Megumu only using Kina as a rebound fling to heal his broken heart?

Another couple, professors at Megumu and Kina’s university, also makes an appearance in their own story. Kikugawa and Shibata attended the same college and now teach at said college together. Kikugawa is quiet and comes across as somewhat aloof. Shibata, on the other hand, is social, personable, and gets along with everyone. This is truly a sweet romance where opposites attract and that if you are truly compatible you can have long, fulfilling relationship.

Suggestive Eyes is definitely the style you’ve come to expect from Tenzen-sensei. The stories are dramatic, romantic and beautifully drawn. But the way sensei presented the story is somewhat interesting. Instead of starting the story by introducing us to the beginning of their story, we jump into the middle of their romance. Kina is unsure of Megumu’s feelings and Megumu wants to end their relationship because he’s doesn’t know what his own feelings are. When we pick up the second chapter its there that we find out how Kina and Megumu met. Megumu is a grad student working with Shibata-sensei and Kina is a 3rd year student. After witnessing Megumu crying over a pack of cigarettes (which Kina actually left in the classroom). Megumu seems to be drawn to Kina but when Kina finds himself being somewhat attracted to Megumu he finds out that Megumu was only interested in the cigarettes. It comes out at a drinking party that Megumu dated a guy that smoked the same brand and the relationship ended badly. Once we finish this story then we continue on with what normally would have followed what happened after the first chapter. It is really kind of confusing if you ask me, but upon the third and fourth readings I found the lineup intriguing.

The couple who really makes this manga worth picking up is the story of Kikugawa and Shibata. They may be professors at the same school but these two have a rather long history together. They started out as classmates. Kikugawa can be rather intimidating but it’s just because he’s quiet. Shibata is bubbly, friendly, and has the tendency to be the center of attention. The two struck up an unlikely friendship and soon found themselves attracted to one another.

With this story I liked how even though this book featured two different couples the two stories are intertwined and the four of them have to interact with the others. I liked the Megumu/Kina story but I would have to say that the better of the two is the one that features Kikugawa/Shibata. It is very romantic, which you come to expect when you read a Tenzen-sensei manga. Her soft, thin lines and excruciating detail make what could be a typical yaoi story something beautiful and entertaining. Tenzen-sensei could illustrate boring instructional manuals and I would automatically pick it up and enjoy it.

The book is up to Juné’s usual standards and is beautiful. The translation seems smooth and I don’t remember seeing any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, but it’s entirely possible that I over looked them because I have to turn off my proofreading mode sometimes. I have to give my thanks to Juné for licensing and publishing works by Momoko Tenzen. She is a gifted mangaka that I recommend!

Review by Kris

Written in the corner of a test Tomohiko Isa catches the note “I love you, Sensei” from one of his students. Isa is a stoic high school math teacher. The surprise comes from who left the note, male student Takashi Homura. Homura happens to be the younger brother of his college girlfriend. It was in this relationship that Isa discovered that he was gay and he figured that Homura was using this as a way to get back at him. Bombarded by Homura’s constant sexual attacks he discovers that Homura’s love confession was in fact real and had no idea that Isa was gay.

Isa doesn’t have a lot of experience with matters of love and struggles with the fact he’s falling for his student who is ten years his junior. Homura on the other hand wants to appear to be grown up and be a suitable partner for his lover. Isa reluctantly agrees to start a relationship with Homura. Homura, being the youthful soul that he is, is ready and raring to go whereas Isa, being a responsible adult, wants to take things slowly. Will these two be able to overcome their obstacles and truly love each other?

You may recognize the work of Yaya Sakuragi-sensei. She is the artist behind BLU’s Tea for Two which is a great read all in itself. Because I’ve been enjoying that series I was really looking forward to Hey, Sensei? and I wasn’t disappointed either. It is a very sweet story with humor and romance and dealt with very human emotions. I found it very endearing that these two were both trying very hard to impress each other. Isa was constantly reminding Homura of their age difference and Homura was always trying to act older than he really is. It seemed that as soon as they admitted to themselves that it was ok to be who they really are their relationship really improved.

One thing I really liked about this release was the art. Sakuragi-sensei creates manly looking men. There are no girly looking ukes in this story. I find myself drawn to characters that are drawn lanky, lean and long. That’s exactly what you get from Sakuragi-sensei sexy, tall, manly characters. Another thing I enjoyed was the short personal comic in the Afterword. It has nothing to do with the story at hand but it gives us a little glimpse into her life. In regards to the physical look of the book it’s typical Juné. With Sakuragi-sensei the larger size makes it much easier to enjoy her art. But that’s just me.

I really like this title and can see myself reading this on a regular basis. If you like sweet romance, manly looking characters, and the teacher/student scenario doesn’t bother you I recommend this title. For another view be sure to catch April Kimm’s review.

Review by Linda Yau

Kaoru Miyagi is a bartender who found luck when an elderly benefactor gave him a job at the branch Tachibana restaurant. Fast forward eight years later, he is the manager of the restaurant. Enters the restaurant’s newest chef, Kasuga, and he is very interested in Miyagi. Kasuga also knows of Miyagi’s past that definitely changes his world, when reality comes to light.

I made a several observation thoughts prior to reading this book. On the cover, there was an addition that I noticed. Gracing the covers of several Juné’s recent publication is a boarder and label clear to readers that this is a Yaoi manga, so there should be no surprises to any reader who picks up this book. Would that compel you to purchase or walk away from the book? This boarder scheme does make it easier for people to differentiate.

On the back, with the story’s description, there is a picture of Miyagi, Kasuga, and Kazuki – the benefactor who gave Miyagi the job. Initially, I though there was going to be an older man and younger man story. This is a plot device fetish that I found in some Japanese yaoi manga, an ojisan and younger man pairing. I thought that finally Juné was going where other yaoi publishers didn’t. This expectation was not true though. Sorry to burst the bubble of the perv in most of the hardcore yaoi readers.

But yes I do enjoy this typical yaoi story, it is a sweet and romantic manga in terms of personal realization. Other than the picture disappointment, my disappointments in the book wasn’t as bad as what I thought about some other titles I read recently, and the way Kasuga wooed Miyagi was quite cute.

I am not sure how questionable ratings would be, but I actually thought this was more of a 18+ book. Yes there is no scenes of explicit drawings, but the drawing of sex, and obvious nudity was more so in this title, than a lot of other 16+ title I have read. Perhaps I am becoming slightly jaded, but the sex scenes were more, and with the sounds and scenes depicted. Hmmm..

Also the setting was slightly off, so if you expect this to be a food manga, as I initially thought, with a recent rereading of Eat or Be Eaten, then this is the wrong. More in the department of the relationship and personal conflicts than there is the depiction of food drawings. There is a short author’s afterward, questionnaire and relationship chart at the end of the book.