Taki Reizen and Claus von Wolfstadt should be enemies since their countries are at war. But a bond forged at school abroad leads Taki, a nobleman, to make Claus his knight, fighting by his side while Taki takes the role of division commander, marshalling his humble subjects as they seek to defend against the enemy’s advances. Many view Claus with suspicion, despite his apparent … [Read more...] about Maiden Rose 1 by Fusanosuke Inariya: B
Boys' Love
Yokan 1: Premonition by Makoto Tateno: B-
Akira is the lead singer of a visual kei band and has somewhat of an attitude. He doesn’t care about the fans’ enjoyment, only his own, and refuses to sing anything he didn’t write himself. That is, until he overhears mainstream entertainer Hiroya Sunaga singing one of his own compositions. For the first time, Akira’s obsessed by someone else’s music and makes it his mission to … [Read more...] about Yokan 1: Premonition by Makoto Tateno: B-
How to Control a Sidecar by Makoto Tateno: B-
In this spin-off of How to Capture a Martini, stoic bartender Kiyohito Kousaka is pursued by a pair of guys looking to recruit him for a three-way relationship. He initially wants nothing to do with them, but when one of them goes missing, he cares enough to want to get to the bottom of the mystery. There are definitely some good things about How to Control a Sidecar. The … [Read more...] about How to Control a Sidecar by Makoto Tateno: B-
Cute Devil by Hiro Madarame: C
Girly-looking Fuuta Naruse has many male devotees at school, but the only guy he has eyes for is Tohru Akiyoshi, the aloof class president who has not joined his throng of admirers. Fuuta exerts all his wiles in a confession to Akiyoshi, but when that doesn’t work, he sheds the cute persona and declares, “I’ll just have to take you by force.” And so it goes. Akiyoshi is … [Read more...] about Cute Devil by Hiro Madarame: C
How to Capture a Martini by Makoto Tateno: B+
As a first year in high school, Naoyuki Hibino experienced his first love, first kiss, and first sexual experience with an upperclassman named Shinobu Okada. When Shinobu abruptly disappeared after his graduation, Naoyuki was crushed but did his best to forget him. Four years have passed since that time, but when Naoyuki happens to run into Okada, who’s working as a bartender, … [Read more...] about How to Capture a Martini by Makoto Tateno: B+