Takumi-kun 1: June Pride: Life is good, but sometimes complicated
Written: Jul 01 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Charming characters, romantic stories, well-told.
Cons: Not particularly riveting.
The Bottom Line: Yaoi manga worth reading, and probably suitable for those 15 and up.
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| rmthunter's Full Review: Kazumi Ohya and Shinobu Goto - June Pride |
June Pride is the first volume in a series titled Takumi-kun, with story by Shinobu Gotoh and art by Kazume Ohya. In the first story, "The Romantic Troubles of Young Gui-Kun," we meet Takumi Hayama, who attends an elite school, and is, of course, a complete misfit: he's somewhat withdrawn, doesn't make friends easily, is "cold, apathetic, misanthropic, and an anal-retentive neat freak" in the eyes of his classmates -- except for Giichi Saki ("Gui" for short), the most popular boy in school and class president -- and Takumi's roommate in their second year. It takes eight pages for Gui to confess that he loves Takumi, which turns a tricky situation even trickier: it's not bad to have your tall, popular, and very attractive roommate in love with you -- especially if you return the feeling -- but it's not good if you have what Gui calls a "human contact phobia." Takumi, because of a deep, dark secret in his past, is afraid to be touched, which drives Gui just the least little bit crazy.
The second story, "All the Beloved Days," shows Gui at the home of his friend Shozou for the New Year's holiday, reassuring Shozou's sister that her brother is not going gay, even though he's in an all-boys' school. It's a charming little vignette, as the two friends share gossip on a winter's night.
"June Pride" continues the narrative begun in the first story, as Takumi finally confronts his past and reveals it to Gui, who of course is sympathy and understanding personified. Takumi's conflicts are finally resolved with a visit to his brother's grave.
Shinobu Gotoh's story is pretty standard fare for yaoi: an all-boys' boarding school (and the various liaisons are the subject of rampant gossip), dark secrets, jealousy, intrigue, and a wager than never should have been made, but love triumphs in the end.
Visually, Kazumi Ohya delivers characters who are each individuals (and I have read manga in which it would have been impossible to tell one character from another if they hadn't had different hairstyles), although all fall into the standard willowy, androgynous mold. Takumi is the typical big-eyed manga character, Gui obviously more mature, though roughly the same age. It's notable that, with all the emphasis on eyes in manga, it's not the bigness or roundness that is the most arresting characteristic, but the amount of detail that the mangaka lavishes on rendering eyes. Ohya is rather lean in this respect, giving enough detail to denote heavy lashes and intimate a color to irises (no small feat in a black-and-white medium), but not going in for the fairly elaborate renderings of some artists. The sex scenes are rather mild -- quite demure compared to some, and they don't show anything you wouldn't want your mother to see.
June Pride is not the most riveting yaoi I've come across, but it's a well-done story that deals with a touchy subject, child sexual abuse, albeit tangentially. I think most people in their middle teens can handle it, even though it is rated for mature readers. I rate it as 3.5.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rmthunter
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Member: Robert Tilendis
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