Shout Out Loud!, Volume 2

Second of a five part yaoi manga series about a long-separated father and son trying to build a relationship while dealing with other upheavals in their lives. Shino's an anime voice actor. Now he has a son to support, he's started taking on any roles he's offered -- including yaoi audio dramas. Nakaya's a teenager not quite old enough to be independent, but old enough to be initially very uncomfortable with his father's job. It doesn't really help that he's noticed the interest some of Shino's colleagues are showing in him, even if the unworldly Shino hasn't. This volume sees some development in the various plotlines set up in volume 1. Shino may be innocent, but even he can't help noticing when his colleague Mizusawa invites him home and then kisses him very thoroughly. And passing it off as a bad case of bringing the job home stops working when Mizusawa and Tenryu start squabbling over him on a live radio show. Especially when Tenryu mentions having kissed Shino when Shino got drunk and passed out one night... Nakaya is trying to protect his father's virtue, but he's distracted by his own problems, not least of which is getting a crush on one of the ice hockey coachs. As with the first volume, the focus is on story and character development rather than sex, although the UST gets a bit less U in this one. There are several well-developed characters here and a number of potential relationships hinted at for both Shino and Nakaya. It's a sweet and often very funny story that kept me reading, guessing at how things might play out. The sex is limited to kissing, but is none the worse for that. The artwork is beautiful, and includes quite a selection of hot guys. Once again this series scores highly on both the eye candy and brain candy. It's possible to pick up the story with this volume, but I'd strongly recommend starting with the first volume in the series.

This series has what many BL titles lack: character development. The characters in this series avoid most of the annoying stereotypes that are so easy to find, and they each gradually change as events in their lives unfold. The main character, Shino, is an adult who has a job as a voice actor. He takes his work and his son, Nakaya, seriously. At first, he is uncomfortable working on yaoi CDs in between his anime gigs, but he gradually comes to accept it and even appreciate it somewhat. Tenryu-san, one of Shino's coworkers, is divorced and has a daughter that he rarely gets to see anymore. He genuinely cares about Shino, as evidenced by the fact that he listens to Shino's concerns about Nakaya and tries to help out. Nakaya, Shino's son, plays hockey for his high school team, hangs out with his friends, and tries to get to know his recently discovered father. He has trouble adjusting to the fact that his father is a voice actor who sometimes works on yaoi CDs as part of his job. This series focuses on the story and the people more than love scenes (so far), but the kisses, when they show up, are that much sweeter for it. Volume 2 is, if possible, better than volume 1, and I'm eagerly anticipating the release of volume 3.

This series just keeps getting better and yes it is developing into a Yaoi, a soft core one at this point. Shino, the 33 year old father with the face and demeanour closer to his 17 year old son, is an endearing character. In this volume he is being hit on by his 2 gay co-workers, the older and cool Tenryu and the younger agressive Mizusawa. And lurking behind the scene with a definite interest is his son's teacher. To complicate the situation further there is the revelation his 17 year old son, Nakaya, is possibly gay. In this volume, the volatile Nakaya has developed a crush for an older, "pretty" and down on his luck gay Hockey player. Romance is in the horizon as Nakaya aggressively pursue his initially reluctant target. Yup we definitely have a seme in the making in Nakaya. And let's not forget Nakaya's close friend having an unfeigned interest in Nakaya. The interaction among these hot guys is a delightful read. The bantering and cross firing scenes as Tenryu and Mizusawa vie for Shino's attention is hilarious. The fact that all 3 are Yaoi vocal artists just add to the fun of the situation. Who is seme..who is uke..well I am just as interested to find out in this delicious series which is turning out to be quite a teaser. Last but not least, I love this mangaka's artwork and her guys are gorgeous. Such expressive eyes! This series certainly deserve to be more widely read. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

The second volume is as good as the first with the way story develops.The characters are interesting.I find the story "so cute".The drawings are well done. I really like this BL manga but if you are into hard core,so far this is not the one for you.