Where Has Love Gone?

I'm reviewing here specifically to address the possible "non-consensual" (non-con) scene, which is literally the first page of the book. Non-con is a huge no-no in my book, and I generally strive to avoid it in any medium. Here, however, I'm not convinced there was non-con. The man being "forced" is clearly thinking throughout the act, and his thoughts have nothing to do with how horrible what is happening to him is or any resentment or anguish he has over being taken. Rather, his thoughts are all of the other man, wondering about him and what might have brought him to this "frustration". The man being taken is gay and had displayed interest in the other man before, plus, while there is some "hey"s and "don't do that"s from the taken man, there's no visual depiction of him struggling. Yes, the other man is harsh and forceful in his actions, but usually there's at least some wincing and flinching away depicted in most Boy Love (BL) non-con scenes, and there's none of that here. I'm not sure if the mangaka (writer/artist) meant us to think this, but *I* think the taken man allowed the sex to happen because he had been so fascinated by the other man before. The next day, there is disappointment expressed over the other man seeming to ignore what had happened, and instead of there being any pretense of resisting or resentment, the two men instead quickly agree to keep meeting for their mutual releases. Most mangakas would at least have the taken man, after he'd been so indelicately used, protesting all the way back to the bedroom. All of this also casts the idea of their first coupling being non-con in doubt. I'm not trying to...wipe clean the opening scene, though. The man does say "no" and yet sex happens anyway. I'm just not sure if we are meant to read the scene as non-con, or as the taken man only saying "no" to cover his interest in the other man and what is happening to him. I'm not a fan of "no means yes" either, but it seems to be an accepted trope in BL stories, one we all live with to read them. I wanted to lay all this out because I know I'm not the only one who would avoid a book reviewed to have a rape scene. But what follows the opening is a more fully fleshed, emotional journey than we see in most BL books, and I found myself pleased that I'd taken a chance on it. In the end, this is a romantic, satisfying read, and I'd hate to see some people miss out on it because they think the reported non-con is graphic in nature. As always, though, with issues of this nature, your mileage may vary. I just hope I've laid what happened out clearly enough for you to make a more informed decision on the book, either way.

I enjoy this one a lot. Both seme and uke are very likable characters. Ishikawa is the cool, aloof and straight guy with his strings of girlfiends. But that is about to change when he catches his co-worker, Takayama, making out with a man. It may be rape at first to vent his frustration but Ishikawa finds himself simply drawn to Takayama and not willing to let him go. Takayama is not the usual defenseless and innocent uke. He is an acknowledged gay and knows where he stands emotionally with a supposedly straight man. Their developing relationship is well thought out and it is refreshing to read of a seme not getting his ways. The last chapter on the 2 guys is especially sweet and romantic. A soft Yaoi but their love story is charming and the characters have depth, their feelings well expressed. Glad to have this in my collection.

Okay as you all know yaoi can sometimes have rape scenes and yaoi fans either love them or hate them. I am on the former team. The seme and uke both work for the same company and the uke has always had a little crush on the seme cause he was his "ideal man." The uke was out one night with one of his meaningless flings and was spotted by the seme. This is where the fun starts. Instead of just leaving the poor uke alone when they are paired up for a project the seme rapes the uke to let out all of his pent up frustrations. They continue to have sex with each other and after a couple of crazy misunderstandings fall in love. I think the story is really cute and the seme is a pretty likable guy once you can forgive him for the initial rape. I enjoyed it quite a bit.