Hero Heel, Volume 3

I have to admit I was really hesitant to start this series, but after reading this mangaka's 'Steal Moon' and 'Blue Sheep Reverie' series I had to pick this up. I am so glad I did...all three books are amazing. Not only are they hot, but they are full of characters that actually feel like they could be real people and not 'typical'. I loved the story and that made this yaoi so much more enjoyable.

I'm so glad that I tend to read my *other* piles of manga while waiting for series like this one to be completed. I read all three books of "Hero Heel" over the course of two days, I hated putting it down for even a second. There's so much tension and interesting character development that I had to grab for the next book as soon as I finished the one before it. What I found unique about this series is that the characters changed and grew as it went on. The plot covers a year+ of their lives, and their development is on the page for us to actually see! Anyone who's been reading BL manga for a long time will understand why this is a wonderful and rare thing. And I chalk it all up to the fact that this series spanned three books, so the mangaka had the time and space to create a more fleshed-out story. There is also a true sense of suspense in the plot. I really couldn't guess or spot how the love quadrangle would end up until the very, very end, and that is also a pleasant change of pace from the usual telegraphing many other BL plots give. Tension also builds for the characters' physical well-being. They are actors on an action TV series and the plot makes it clear from the start that the work is fairly dangerous. Finally, the art - wow! The covers don't come close to doing justice to the interiors. Backgrounds are fully fleshed and varied, and the action sequences are fairly understandable. Yes, the TV series costumes look amazing in their variety and levels of detail. And the adult scenes, of which there are at least one per book, aren't bad either. Have I used the word "intense" yet? Well, there you go! There's quite a bit of Makoto Tateno's work in English already, and while I like most of it, this series is definitely the pinnacle of her translated work - so far. Don't miss it! And don't buy one volume at a time - your hands will feel empty between purchases. ~_^

I had a very enjoyable time reading this whole series. I read this book in one sitting on a car trip, even though I get carsick easily. That's how good it was. I love Makoto Tateno's artwork in this series. The costumes on the tv show are amazing. I love Minami! Sawada is pretty awesome too! Although I was rooting for happy ending, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Katagiri. He was one of my favorite characters, perhaps because he was so unassuming. He was so generous and kind. He sort of got tossed to the wayside though. The sex scenes were the hottest yet in this series! Very gratifiying:) Overall five stars!

I really have a wonderful time finishing this series in one go. This story just gets better with each volume as the emotional struggles among the 4 actors deepen. The TV action hero series, in which the 4 guys starred in, serving as a background is refreshing and it plays like a sub plot. Sensei really has a fun time drawing the costumes :). We know the outcome of this quadrangle love story. However it is the emotional battle to get there which holds my attention from Vol 2 onwards as I naturally root for both "hero" and "villain" to be together. Who is my favorite character. It is ofcourse Sawada. He is such a cool, cool seme, his silence and near cynical outlook of life, making him such an interesting character. As the story progresses we almost fully understand Sawada's feelings and he remains a mystique till the end. Minami brought to the brink of despair by Sawada's rejection is one vulnerable character with a naivety and "goodness" which I find sometimes frustrating but then he is forgiven because he is afterall the uke hero. Katagiri may have most readers' sympathy by the end of Vol 3 but then I never rooted for him. I quite like Takagi, the more mature uke who learn the hard way there is no second chance in love, and find myself rooting for his and Sawada's reconciliation but that will not be the Yaoi ending we want. LOL. I enjoy Hero Heel a lot. The 4 guys may have similar features (something sensei could improve on?) but they are 4 distinct characters and their emotional struggles to hold on to the one they love makes Hero Heel one captivating Yaoi. And the sex in Vol 3 is both sensual and sexy, and a bonus point to sensei for the condom :).