Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love by Sakuragi Yaya

Rating: 7
Sublime 2012 - Kadokawa Shoten 2008
4 volumes
Translation: Satsuki Yamashita

Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love is an enjoyable easy read that I can readily recommend to any BL fan, as long as you're not expecting anything different from the norm. While it is generic through and through from its setup to its pairing (no prizes for guessing who's uke and who's seme from the cover illustration) it is a solid, well-written series that avoids cheesiness and clichéd dialogue. A polished romantic comedy from a veteran of the BL scene, it's the sort of bread and butter series that keeps the industry going.

Ao is a refreshingly proactive uke, no emo suffering for him. A carefree horny teenager who doesn't think too deeply about his actions, when he starts having wet dreams about his childhood friend, Ryoumei, it doesn't take long for him to blurt out, "I want to do dirty things with you".  Ryoumei, who's around ten years or so older than Ao and has always seen him as a little kid, is understandably freaked out. And so begins Ao's optimistic courtship (?) and Ryoumei's pointless resistance. 

Ao and Ryoumei are a likeable comedy duo, Ao the one coming out with outrageous lines and Ryoumei playing the straight man with his shocked responses. I like Ao for not being one to dwell on the negatives, for although he suffers setbacks he doesn't prolong the moping around but soon decides on a course of action, even when the decision is to take a step back from the relationship. Ryoumei is a tsundere type who's the sweetest kindest guy who's always gone out of his way to help Ao but likes to maintain a cool grownup image in front of him. It takes him a while to come to terms with the fact that Ao is no longer a child and his flustered reactions along the way are cute and funny to see.

Four volumes gives the story time to progress leisurely and for the relationship to develop naturally to fruition. It's a really easy manga to get into quickly and zip through without distraction. I don't know how much of it is down to the author or editor but this strikes me as a well-edited series; the layout and flow of the panels effortlessly draw you in and along, and the pacing is handled so smoothly I'm at the end of each volume before I know it. There's a decent cast of supporting characters populating the story. The best of them is undoubtedly Ryoumei's deadpan best friend, Shuji, who gets kicks from teasing Ryoumei the 'cradle robber'. Shuji is a character so well-liked that he gets his own spin-off series, also licensed by Sublime and soon to be released as Hide and Seek.

I like authors who cling on to their characters, even the supporting ones, it shows the affection they hold for their creations and this is something that you can feel in this series, there's a genuine warmth throughout. I bet Sakuragi had fun coming up with unexpected lines and antics for Ao to torment Ryoumei with. I certainly had plenty of fun reading and it's a series I know I'll dip into again in the future when I want some fuss-free lighthearted entertainment.