Review: MIDNIGHT SECRETARY

Well, let's wrap things up with a bit of smutty josei.  Today's title was one of the first josei titles to sneak its way over here in some time and moderately successful.  Too bad that it's also just another variation on the same old romance novel crap, right down to the vampires.

MIDNIGHT SECRETARY (Middonaito Sekuretari), by Tomu Ohmi.  First published in 2006 and first published in 2013.

PLOT:

Kaya Satozuka is a brilliant secretary, and she's determined to prove just that to her new boss, the department store director Kyohei Tohma.  Sure, he's rude, dismissive, keeps odd hours, and keeps bringing women into the office late at night for sex, but Kaya works hard to overcome her distaste for her boss and perform at her best.  Then she discovers that Kyohei's late night trysts are in fact late night feedings.  Her boss is a vampire, and only Kaya and Kyohei's brother know the truth.  Now Kaya must not only keep her office running smoothly but also keep her boss's secret.  What will happen though when warmer feelings start to interfere with her duties?

Review: MAN'S BEST FRIEND

Of course, I can't let this month pass without covering some strange example of BL manga, and this year I found a doozy.  Tokyopop's BL imprint was actually fairly sedate compared to some of its competitors, but they still managed to slip some real oddballs out there like this little anthology.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND: INU MO ARUKEBA, by Kazusa Takashima.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Ukyo happens to find a stray dog on his way home from school one day.  He just presumes that the dog, whom he names Kuro, is just a friendly canine.  He could have never suspected that Kuro was in love with him, nor that when he gets excited that Kuro can turn into a man and start humping more than just his leg.  There's also the story of two childhood friends who reunite as young men who must come to terms with their shared past, as well as the story of a man who wins a goldfish at a festival only to find that it too can turn into a beautiful young man.

Review: CITRUS

As before, Bad Romance Month is not limited to straight romances alone.  That being said, normally yuri was a genre where one could be safe from such things.  As much as I might complain about it being nothing but shy schoolgirls in love, that at least is less stressful and uncomfortable than the excesses of BL and old-school shoujo.

Sadly, it seems that those same excesses are starting to bleed in, and on this side of the Pacific this was the work leading the charge.

CITRUS (Shitorasu), by Saburouta.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Yuzu Aihara is dealing with a lot of change lately.  Her mother recently remarried, forcing them to move and Yuzu to be transferred to a stuffy all-girls' high school.  Her outspokenness and gyaru style put her at odds with her new classmates, especially the cold and severe student council president Mei.  Then Yuzu discovers that Mei is her new stepsister and that Mei's life is far more tragic than Yuzu realized.  Yuzu wants to help Mei and make her smile, but is she doing so out of sisterly compassion or because she's in love with Mei?

Review: SAIKANO

With the return of February comes the return of Bad Romance Month, where we explore just a few of the many, many, MANY messed-up romances found within the pages of manga.  Today's review is a bit of an exception.  It's not so much of an example of a troubled, abusive romance as it an example of a troubled and tragic one.

SAIKANO: THE LAST LOVE SONG ON THIS LITTLE PLANET (Saishu Heiki Kanojo), by Shin Takahashi.  First published in 2000, and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

In a no-name town on Hokkaido, Shuji and Chise are trying to start a relationship.  It doesn't go very well at first, as Shuji is taciturn and cross while Chise is apologetic and shy.  Then Shuji discovers Chise's secret: she was chosen by the SDF to become The Ultimate Weapon.  Progressively, more and more of her body is transformed into a terrible alien machine, used to fight against an unknown enemy.  As this is happening, Shuji and Chise struggle to find a way to preserve their fledging love against forces far greater than their own.

The Manga Test Drive Patreon is live!

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Check it out here!

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