[MANGA REVIEW] まずは、ひとくち。[Mazu wa, Hitokuchi] by Haruko Moto

まずは、ひとくち。[Mazu wa, Hitokuchi] by Haruko Moto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Is this meant to be some sort of dark satire? Basically the story is all cute, fluffy and stuff but.... I can’t get over eating your own pet. Crazy things is, those pigs adored both of them when they are effectively their predators. That's pretty disturbing and twisted. I am weirded out.


* 12 August 2015

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[MANGA REVIEW] Cat & Master Dog Cat & Master Dog by Ayano Yamane

Cat & Master Dog by Ayano Yamane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Nope. Not what I was expecting and the ended was abrupt. I am never gonna get used to the seme being younger than the uke. Not my thing. The artwork was pretty of course. As expected from the works of the famous Ayano Yamane sensei.

* 12 August 2015

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[MANGA REVIEW] 青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] 青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] by Garasu Hino

青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] by Garasu Hino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Really heart-warming and poignant stories of young gay couples. Made me wish for a novelisation of it.

This is a true gem and a keeper. I highly recommend reading it. When I was finished, I wish there's more and that I could keep on reading it.


* 6th August 2015

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[REVIEW: CHINESE BL NOVEL] Děng nǐ yǎngwàng [等你仰望] by Yì Xiūluó [易修羅]

4.5 Stars for this well written BDSM Chinese BL Novel. Complex and compelling storyline with a touch of mystery. Sweet surrender, tender dominance. 

The image below got my attention while I was surfing Youtube.

It was a Chinese slash (Boy's Love) audiodrama called 等你仰望 by 易修羅 . I knew I had to read the novel by all means and I am glad I wasn't disappointed. 

The book carries a BDSM theme and has TPE 24/7. The dynamics between the dom and sub is well written and explored. I greatly enjoyed the chemistry between the two. The surrender is sweet and the dominance is tender yet satisfying. I believe this book would appeal to both dominants and submissives. The author seems to know what makes a dom and a sub tick. I would have happily given this book a full 5 stars if not for having a tad bit difficulty on accepting how the major conflict towards the end was resolved which nearly cost the life of the protagonist. I think it was unreal for his master to not know what would become of his pet should his pet heard news of that devastating incident. Therefore I am settling with a 4.5 stars. 

Other than that stumble towards the end, I commend the author for handling the romance and sexual desires of the MCs well. There's no fluff and the romance is slow burn with gradual acceptance and indulgence. You'll get to witness the whole progress of the bonding between a new master and his sub. Besides that, the character development was also praiseworthy. I like how Feng Hou slowly strips Ling Lang's protective shell which he had created over the years to hide his dark desires out of shame and confusion towards this own deviant sexual nature. I had much fun watching the dom's creative pet/sub training method. There's a lot of focus on animal-roleplaying which the MC devotes himself as a loyal adoring dog to his doting but firm master. 

As a side note, this is the first time I have read a Chinese BL novel with a BDSM theme. I hope to be able to find more of such books in the future. And I would love to know more of this author especially the gender since I really couldn't tell from the writing itself. Most of the times I am able to do so with other M/M books but not with this one. 

P/S: I know it's rather odd reviewing a Chinese novel in English. I think I must be the first one to ever do so. Odd really. 

* Reviewed on October 9th, 2015  

**Read via Cantonese TTS**

 

[REVIEW: CHINESE BL NOVEL] Hua Hua You Long [花花遊龍] by Xing Bao Ni [星寶兒]

Sadistic lover. A devil with the face of an angel. A twisted romance of brutal and dysfunctional relationship. Be ready for multiple stab wounds on your poor heart. 

This book left a bitter aftertaste. Yet I am appreciative of the author's skill at manipulating the fragile human heart. I am also grateful for the author's effort to keep the story real. So real, it left an indelible mark on my mind. To me this meant the author is successful in his/her work since their main aim should be to grasp the reader's mind and mold it to their own desired shape. A book that is able to control the psyche of its reader is a winner. That's how I see it. And this book had subjected me to various onslaught of intense emotions of amusement, joy, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, frustration, anticipation, surprise, expectation and last but not least love. Yes, love even-though this is a very brutal romance story which I had nearly lost hope of finding a flicker of romance within its pages. Some might reject the ideal of romance in this story due to Jing's (seme/antagonist) violent and selfish way of pursuing love and also Lu Cang's (uke/protagonist) seemingly masochist acceptance of abuse from his lover. To be fair, I too could not exactly shake off the possibility of Stockholm Syndrome in play as I did find it hard to see how Lu Cang as broken as a battered rag doll could ever find in his heart to forgive Jing's incessant cruelty upon this mind and body. Nevertheless how ever twisted their love is, love is still the catalyst of their tragedious joining. Sigh such highly dysfunctional relationship this pair has. I am still worried for Lu Cang's future even upon finishing the book. Afterall, to serve the king is like accompanying a tiger. (famous Chinese proverb). 

The version I read was in Chinese Text via TTS (text-to-speech). If you are interested, you could try the fan translations in English here: [Click Me]. I am not sure how the translation fairs but I do believe the real thing is surely better than a translated copy. For the record, I have read the manga adaptation up to volume no. 5 and am keen on reading its next installment. The artwork is not bad and so far the story sticks with the original novel. 

BOOK DETAILS: 

Title: Hua Hua You Long [花花遊龍] 

Author: Xing Bao Ni [星寶兒]

Type: Novel  

Genre: Chinese M/M dark erotic romance 

Description: In order to help their chief find a wife, the bandits kidnapped a woman from the bottom of the mountain in order to offer her up to him. The chief of the mountain stronghold, Lu Cang falls in love at first sight with the absolutely stunning beauty! However, on the night of the consummation... 

READ FAN TRANSLATIONS: ★|| Hua Hua You Long (English Translations) ||★ 

* Reviewed on October 3rd, 2015 

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**Read via TTS in Cantonese**