Spiritual Police 1 by Nitta Youka

Rating: 7
Sublime 2013 - Shinshokan 2012
1+ volumes
Translation: Adrienne Beck

This book had been lying around for a while since I'd bought it, I didn't know anything about the series and the cover art and title didn't stir much enthusiasm (bland cover and what? magical police?), but when I finally got around to reading it, I whipped through it in no time at all. It's a page-turner of a suspense drama, loaded with melodrama and angst, with an intrigue-laden plot that steers you at a brisk pace towards a cliffhanger ending. While the packed plot makes for an exciting read, it comes rather at the expense of character and relationship development, which is a disappointment coming from the creator of my most beloved BL manga couple (see Embracing Love). Though this Spiritual Police couple don't quite have my affection, they're caught up in a conspiracy that threatens to tear the lovers apart and their tragic story does more than enough to elicit my sympathy and support; I can't wait to find out what happens to them in volume two.

Nitta Youka can always be relied on for an interesting plot and she doesn't disappoint with Spiritual Police. Nagatsuma is a serious minded policeman who, stressed from work, is referred by a colleague to a physical therapist. The therapist, Aoi, is blind but claims to be able to "sense" things; by touch alone he diagnoses a stomach problem. Nagatsuma is dubious of this power but as well as the physical, Aoi also has an uncanny way of pinpointing the reasons behind Nagatsuma's mental stress and the policeman leaves the clinic with his mind full of the therapist. Later, a prediction of Aoi's comes true and Nagatsuma begins to believe that his supernatural powers are for real.

No sooner does he meet Aoi than Nagatasuma learns that the therapist is the subject of a police investigation. Despite being on different sides of the law, the two fall in love, but circumstances conspire against them and as the investigation proceeds it becomes increasingly difficult for the pair to be together. It all gets a bit tragic and by the end of the volume I am absolutely rooting for the couple to get their happy ending. But like I said earlier, they have my pity more than my liking, this being one of the weakest couples Nitta has written in a while.

A large part of the problem is the set-up, it's a love-at-first-sight sort of scenario where they confess and consummate their love terrifically fast but just as fast, obstacles come tearing them apart so there's hardly any time for the relationship to develop. What Nitta does cram into their few meetings is intense, emotional and just about believable, but there isn't enough time spent on savouring the moments, the feelings, before the plot goes racing off onto the next piece of action.

I didn't find the two main characters particularly appealing either. Aoi is quite cool, easy-going, direct and forthright, but his supernatural 'feelings' take some getting used to, a leisure that the reader isn't given. Nagatsuma's personality is more of a problem; "Do you have to be so melodramatic?" one character says to him, voicing the thought that every reader must have, but naming the problem doesn't solve it. His character has more layers to his personality, a stoic front belying an emotional mess, which makes him the more interesting of the pair, but his occasional wallowing in drama doesn't do him any favours. Nitta always writes her stories with a strong psychological slant so it's as much about the discovery of self for a character as it is the unfolding of a plot, and it's no different for Spiritual Police; the characters are certainly interesting and you do get involved in their story, but I find this pair are harder to relate to personality-wise than other Nitta creations.

Though it doesn't quite pack the emotional punch that it could have, Spiritual Police is still a highly entertaining read and very much recommended. I'm looking forward more to the next volume of this series than Sublime's other Nitta series Starting With A Kiss, though it looks like it'll be a wait for both, considering the slow rate of releases in Japan.

Embracing Love 1-2 by Nitta Youka

Rating: 10
Sublime 2013 - Biblos 1997/Libre 2007
14+ volumes
Translation: Adrienne Beck

GO BUY IT.

The end.

No, really, that's my review, go buy it. If you've not read it before, what's stopping you? It's one of the most well-known and popular BL manga ever so you've probably heard of it. Is it the age? The outdated art and fashion? (The perma-tans are scary, I admit) That's understandable but all surface, there's a reason Sublime are publishing this in 2013 and that's because it's a thumping good read that's stood the test of time; it's as close to a modern BL classic as you can get. It's a must-read manga, not because you'll definitely like it, obviously there's no such thing as a universally-loved piece of work, but because in the case that you do like it, there's a big fat massive chance that you'll not only like it but love it.

And when I say go buy it, I mean, go buy it, don't read the scanlations, because they are shite. The English scanlations are poorly translated pretty much through all the volumes, with early volumes missing entire conversations. Do yourself a favour, skip the headache of deciphering crappy translations and just go buy it. Sublime have done a decent job and even left in the honorifics (which they don't usually do) to please the fans who clamoured for them when the license was first announced.

Embracing Love (which I'll refer to by its abbreviated Japanese title Harudaki because I can't think of it as anything but that) is probably my favourite BL manga of all time. I say probably, because there's so much manga that I love and it's hard to choose between them, but while other series have fallen in and out of favour, Harudaki has always remained, unbudging, at the top of the pile. The story begins with a pair of porn actors and rivals, Iwaki and Katou, competing for a role in a movie that promises to give one of them a break into mainstream acting. Eventually, they both break through and fall in love along the way, and the series follows their relationship over a number of years.

I think this is the only fictional relationship of any genre, of any medium, that's made me think, I want a relationship like that. This person understands me, this person accepts me for who I am, this person loves me. It sounds simple enough but we all know what a rare thing it is, but Harudaki manages to depict just that sort of love. It's an emotional struggle all the way but as our couple gradually learn more about one other, bit by bit they come to love each other, step by brutal step they tear down the other's defenses and eventually embrace love, souls bared. Do I sound overly dramatic? Well, this is dramatic soap opera kind of romance, it's emotionally charged and tense, there's no room for wishy-washy feelings here, these are manly men and their love is bold and manly, too. Not that it's lacking in sensitivity, Nitta's skill is in how she guides her characters towards understanding of themselves and of others; all too often, here and in reality, it's a matter of learning to accept yourself before you can allow others to accept you.

The series is one of those rare manga that goes beyond the honeymoon period and also explores how a relationship changes after the love is established. A person changes with age, with life, and the story shows how the couple adapt to each other and how their relationship continuously evolves. Of course this doesn't all happen in volume one of this omnibus edition, which sees the relationship getting off to a rocky start, but we do see the seeds of love being sown and can look forward to at least another six omnibus volumes of that love blossoming.

A couple of notes on this 2-in-1 edition: the cover uses the original volume one cover illustration but unfortunately, the original volume two cover is not included inside. Even more of a shame is that all the chapter title page illustrations are missing. I assume this is because of the tracing controversy that forced Nitta to bring the series to a hasty conclusion a few years back. It was brought to light that Nitta traced photo spreads from fashion magazines for several of the title page illustrations in the Harudaki series. I think she only did this for some of the latter volumes but I suppose the publisher (probably on the Japanese side) decided to remove all the title page illustrations for good measure.

Starting with a Kiss 1-2 by Nitta Youka

Rating: 6
Sublime 2012 - Libre 2011
 2+ volumes
Translation: Adrienne Beck

I should start by saying that Nitta's modern classic Haru wo Daiteita (to be published by Sublime later this year, whoop!) is probably my all-time favourite BL manga, which colours my opinion of her other work, though not necessarily in a bad way; if anything, I'm more critical than a nonpartisan reader since I will always be making comparisons with her biggest hit and inevitably nothing can compare. Starting with a Kiss is no exception though it's a solid enough series from Nitta, displaying many of her signature elements including proud hot-blooded men, lashings of sex, an involving story, and a love for which the course never runs smooth.

It's a yakuza story and, surprisingly, is actually Nitta's first yakuza story, as we learn in the afterword. Why she held off for so long in writing one I don't know because the yakuza world suits her type of characters perfectly: strong prideful men with hidden agendas. Tohru is the son of a yakuza boss and Mutsumi is the son of the gang's second-in-command. When a gang feud threatens to erupt, the two are packed off to a remote island to keep them out of harm's way. Two young horny guys alone on an island in a BL story, what could possibly happen? Sure enough, serious studious Mutsumi is immediately attracted to the beautiful fiery and impetuous Tohru and the pair are soon going at it like bunnies. However, because this is Nitta writing, things are never as straightforward as they seem.

Tohru was charged by his father to persuade Mutsumi, an elite Tokyo University student, to join the gang. When Tohru sees that Mutsumi is falling for him he is conflicted on a couple of fronts. First and foremost, his pride as a man coupled with the insecurity he's always had over his effeminate looks make him doubt Mutsumi's feelings and wonder if he's merely using Tohru as a woman-substitute. If Mutsumi's love is real then Tohru doesn't want him to join the gang just for Tohru's sake. Mutsumi, ready to swear his life to Tohru, wants to join the gang exactly for this reason.

The first volume explores these complicated feelings and sets up the beginning of an interesting relationship between the two. In volume two the pair are back in Tokyo and a proper tale of yakuza drama and intrigue unfolds, centered around a battle for power and succession rights. The yakuza narrative alone is enough to keep me reading, which is good because I find that I'm not that into this couple. While I find their personal conflicts interesting I'm not particularly rooting for them as a couple and I think this is mostly because of Tohru's personality. On the one hand he doesn't want to tie down Mutsumi to the gang just because of love but on the other he can't get enough of his dick and still has sex with Mutsumi. Mutsumi has to be stoic and accept whatever Tohru gives. There's an inconsistency to Tohru's character, whether intentional or not, that doesn't agree with me.

I hope that Tohru improves with future volumes and that I'll come to like him more. There's no question that I'll continue with the series, even with its problems Nitta's intelligent compelling writing ensures that it's still more interesting than the majority of BL titles out there.