La Esperanca Volume 1 (Yaoi)

This is not a hard core Yaoi. For the majority of the volumes there are only hints of boy love. Even then, they're very minute and hard to catch onto. The overall story is actually very captivating. In order to get the full impact I would strongly suggest reading all seven volumes. It sums up beautifully. I baught this manga on a whim and discovered a deep story line that made me want to keep reading. After reading the first volume I was temperarly put off because of the lack of relationships. I enjoyed the art and I wanted to read more because of the small facts thrown in that needed to be explained. It's a wonderful read without explicit content. If you're the type of manga reader that couldn't care less about adult content and only care for story line and art this is a good first pick.

The drawings were gorgeous and the story was well thought out. It has some interesting characters that will be a joy to see mature. It has a similar feel to another manga called "Kaze to Ki no Uta." It is mysterious and slightly dark.

Fourteen-year-old Georges Saphir is popular with both teachers and fellow-students at the Catholic boys' school he attends in the Grand Duchy of Esperanto, a small European country. His piety and outstanding personal beauty even lead some friends to compare him to an angel. Only Georges himself knows that his most sincere prayer is not to become like his father, a moneylender whose ruthlessness (a very Japanese touch) has driven many families to poverty, despair and even suicide. Georges' world - and his fragile self-esteem - start to crack on the day he meets Robert Jade, the headmaster's delinquent son. [All the characters' names relate to precious stones or metals]. Robert seems to be infuriated by Georges, questioning his actions and motives at every opportunity: breaking him down, he tells another student, will be "like the pleasure of deflowering a virgin". Yet Robert himself is haunted by something that happened two years earlier, the death of a mysterious girl who resembled Georges both in looks and "in purity, in devotion, in beauty, in love". Does he want to destroy Georges - or to be redeemed by him? Fortunately Chigusa Kawai knows better than to overload her story with introspection and angst, and there's a fair amount of comedy among all the drama, much of it provided by the truly appalling Sir Frederick, teenage son of the Grand Duke Argent, to whom Georges is assigned as "official friend". `Freddy' does have his insecurities, but his spiky personality and loud mouth make his appearances lighter moments in the story. Kawai also goes light on the boys'-love aspects: although there are a couple of kisses, she concentrates on establishing character and motivation for the four-plus volumes still to come (there's a short preview section at the end which, she informs us cheerfully, is "50% bluff, 30% lies, and 15% projected image"). Her art is competent rather than original - almost everyone has huge eyes and pointed chins - but does what's required of it in carrying the narrative and illustrating the characters' emotions. DMP, as usual, sets a high standard of printing (very important here, since Kawai makes heavy use of screen toning) and translation. There are one or two odd turns of phrase - e.g. "ring of Fate" should surely be "wheel of Fate" - but not more: in this area DMP is almost the equal of Del Rey, and far superior to some much larger publishers. Overall an excellent package, which enhances the reading experience.

yeah, if you are looking for yaoi, you will not find it here. But the story makes up for it. It's set at a boy's european dorm and it's very engaging, with beautiful artwork and pretty boys. I expected it will pick up on the shonen ai front, but so far it is very light. Some part are very funny and it sets up the story slowly as to leave you guessing, something like the style of Clamp. If you enjoy stories with angsty, pretty boys and plot, then this is for you.

I knew almost absolutely nothing about this manga when I decided to purchase it - only that it was boys love, and it had gorgeous cover art. The art inside the book shouldn't dissapoint you either; beautiful characters, beautiful work, definitely very professional. On the other hand, if you're looking for hard yaoi content you probably will be dissapointed. However, don't let it put you off. Just be forewarned that in this first volume, you get naught but a little kiss, obscured by one of the boys' heads. The characters are all quite lovely, and it's not difficult to grow to like them (Even if some of them are unbearable pains in the neck at first). As for the story, it appears it will be somewhat standard, but certainly more engaging and deeper than the somewhat common, 'Hey, you're hot, want me to bed you?'. Not very much has been revealed yet, which is to be expected of the first volume of a series, but this definitely looks like one I'll be sticking with to the end.