Review: A FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR

It's time once more for me to dive into my boxes of BL and find a fresh new handful to talk about this Pride month.  We'll start off simple with an early work from a familiar name.

A FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR (Iroku Iroku Romantan), by Ayano Yamane.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

On a luxury cruise in the Mediterranean, the young yakuza heir Ranmaru Ohmi is supposed to be enjoying an Italian honeymoon with the daughter of a rival family.  Instead he's picking fights with everyone on the ship, from his new wife to random passengers.  It's up to cruise captain (and secret Japanophile) Alberto Valentiano to keep the peace.  He's instantly smitten with both Ranmaru's looks and insistence on wearing kimonos, and he swiftly seduces Ranmaru.  The two are reunited when Ranmaru goes missing, but that's just the beginning of their truly tumultuous love affair.

STORY:

A Foreign Love Affair is pure style over substance.  The exotic setting and the potential culture clash of the leads promises something new and unique, but in the end it's just another early 00s seme-uke romance.  Maybe I'm being a little overly judgmental (especially since this is apparently only the second story that Yamane ever published), but I know the mangaka was capable of much better.

You might be surprised by that considering Ranmaru isn't particularly delicate or femme-looking.  Sure, he's emotional but most of it is structureless aggression.  Make no mistake, though - he is an object of desire for nearly every man he meets.  Unfortunately, this does include a subplot where an Italian mafioso drugs, kidnaps, and has him gang-raped for the amusement of others, all so Alberto can sweep in and save him.  It would almost be touching if it didn't conclude with them going at it in that most romantic of locations: a ship's engine room.

In theory, I like the contrast of Ranmaru's pissy punchiness with Alberto's cool, calm charm.  In practice, it doesn't work because Alberto's affections feel very shallow.  He seems to be hornier for Ranmaru's traditional wardrobe and his own weird, weeaboo notions of Japanese manhood than he is for Ranmaru in particular.  Maybe Yamane could have these two or their relationship more in later chapters, but surprise! It's all over after a few chapters!  All you're left with is an odd flashback to Ranmaru's childhood in which it's implied that his family's chef molested him.  The end!

The rest of the volume is taken up by "The Love Guide," a story of a reserved researcher who inadvertently falls for an outgoing agent for an arranged marriage service.  Again, it's a perfectly fine story in concept and there's a quiet, downright understated tone that works with the material.  The problem is that Takaoka (the researcher) is so reserved that we never get a clear idea of why he finds Serizawa (the agent) so compelling.  Sure, he's outgoing and attentive but not in a way that feels out of the norm for a professional matchmaker.  It didn't help that when the two finally get together, Serizawa is drunk (thanks to an after-work mixer).  Their relationship escalates rather quickly - they go from love confession to considering marriage in the next, and that too is left unresolved because this is one of those BL manga where there has to be a sex scene every chapter.  Even moreso than the title story, this is one that would have benefitted from more time to expand upon the characters and deepen their relationship.

ART:

Even at this early point in her career, Yamane was proving herself to be a cut above the average BL artist.  The character designs here are certainly in line with what was in vogue at the time - kinda scrawny, sharp features, narrow eyes, heavy lips, with noticeable size differences between the semes and ukes.  That said, she had a good grasp on anatomy - no yaoi hands to be found here.  This is most obvious in the smutty sequences, which are laid out in such a way to emphasize all the entangled limbs and arching backs without falling into chaos.  They are mildly censored, and Yamane keeps them fairly brief.  Even outside of the romance, she shows a good grasp on paneling and even manages to seamlessly incorporate some humor.  It's easy to see why this lady went on to have a long career.

RATING:

A Foreign Love Affair shows off what Ayane Yamane is capable of as an artist, but also highlights her early struggles with character writing and conclusions.  It's a collection that will be of interest to Yamane fans, but doesn't quite rise to classic status.

This book was published by Digital Manga Publishing.  It is currently out of print.