Sunday 27 July 2014

[ANIME REVIEW] Kono Danshi, Ningyo Hiroimashita. (This Boy Caught a Merman)

Kono Danshi, Ningyo Hiroimashita. 

(This Boy Caught a Merman)





I've just watched this new shounen-ai anime of a lonely sad boy saved by a merman when he fell into the sea. I think it was heartfelt and really sweet. The graphic was pleasing and also artfully done. Definitely worth watching.

                  Just look at the beautiful colours:
             


              Isaki-san is just too cute. I want a merman in my living room too!


Synopsis:
They say look before you leap and make sure you can swim before you go in the deep water, but when a picture of his late grandfather falls into the ocean, Shima jumps in after it without thinking. Nearly drowning as a result, he is instead saved by a very perfect stranger... one whose strangeness extends to only being human from the waist up! For Shima, who's always felt like a fish out of water himself, it's more than just a revelation, and the young man and merman quickly begin to bond in ways neither anticipated. And yet, it's going to be far from easy sailing. After all, Shima and Isaki aren't just from opposite sides of the tracks, they're from entirely divergent species, and swimming in separate gene pools may make maintaining a long term relationship a whole different kettle of fish!   
Source: Sentai

Plot Summary:
Spoiler:
Shima has always strove to be an excellent obedient child to his parents and to others, but in the process he could never be himself. Because of this he has always felt lonely, even with all the people who say they love him. When the picture of his recently deceased grandfather falls into the ocean, Shima nearly drowns jumping in after it. He is quickly saved by a mysterious man. In a daze Shima confesses his loneliness to the stranger, who then vows to stay by Shima's side for as long as he needs him. Shima quickly finds out that this stranger is a merman. Shima takes him home, and names him Isaki. Isaki and Shima quickly become friends, but find out that their feelings for each other might go past that of friendship. - Credit: Anime News Network

Saturday 26 July 2014

[REVIEW] Falling Angels by Cari Waites

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Kynthos-the-Archer by: ARC from author.
Recommended for: fans of dark fiction/tragedy
Read from July 04 to 17, 2014 — I own a copy, read count: 1 



Innocent angels, desecrated by greed of man. Wings stolen and defiled they became Earthbound lost souls.

Falling Angels is definitely another dark, soul shattering story just like the rest of Cari Waites' work. Her stories are always unconventional and unpredictable. A story with sex trafficking as a theme combine with violence and torture of the body and soul is indeed heart-wrenching to read.

Despite feeling drained of hope, mutilated and stripped of humanity, Arkady is never ready to return to his maker. His will to live is like a self-sentenced prolongation of his agonies. He would live and breath and fuck for his masters. Their cruelty were relentless yet Arkady could never hate them. His biggest fear was to be worthless to his masters for that would only lead him to certain death. Arkady is crippled without a master.

Be warned that this book is not about love or redemption, it is about lost hope and dreams, total erasure of identity, harsh reconditioning of young men into mere sex object, a tragedy of lost innocence and lives. Even with most of the too hardcore stuff off-page, there's ample other disturbing events and elements to drag readers to the darkest void. Truthfully, I am actually finding it hard to feel the eroticism within its pages although it has body-modification which is one of my favorite kink in erotica.

Photo credit: Fotophi @ Deviantart


BOOK DETAILS:
Author: Cari Waites
Publication Date: June 27th, 2014
Publisher: Self-pub
Genre: Gay erotica fiction
Type: Short-story, approximately 12,600 words
Major characters:
Spoiler:
Dima aka Arkady (18 yo boy from Arkhangelsk, Russia), Marcus (Slave dealer/human trafficker), Mr. Grace (wealthy slave owner), Troy (detective/police), DCI Harper (Troy's superior)
Keywords/Tags:
Spoiler:
drugging, sold into slavery, pornography filming, human trafficking, sex slave, slavery, prostitution, Stockholm syndrome, rape, extreme body modification, piercings, tattoo, sensory deprivation, blindfold, bodysuit, bondage, castration, objectification, dehumanization, noncon, torture, abuse, violence

Description:
Arkady is a legend.
Arkady is an angel.
Arkady is a slave.

Troy is a voyeur.
Troy is a rescuer.
Troy may be a monster.

This 12 600 word story includes explicit content, including: m/m, non consent, slavery, violence and torture. All characters are 18 years or over.



WHERE TO PURCHASE:
★|| SMASHWORDS ||★|| AMAZON ||★



* Reviewed on July 26th, 2014
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NOTE: This is an ARC (Review Copy) extended to me by the author.



Previous Comments on June 28th, 2014:

(view spoiler)


Friday 25 July 2014

[MANGA REVIEW] Ai No ShintairikuAi No Shintairiku by Nari Yamada

Ai No ShintairikuAi No Shintairiku by Nari Yamada
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A fun story of a vivacious high school girl who is actually a male following his true inner self to live as a female. Despite his family's objection and having to face a judgmental society, he wasn't fazed and his resolves remains strong. I admire that Nikomata kun does not let fear rule him as fear would only prevents life. Seeing him living each day so full of zest and determination is inspiring. Although the manga addresses a heavy subject but the comedic mixture (mostly of Nikomata's silliness) helps lighten the mood. Art wise this manga wasn't up to my personal expectation. The illustrations are simplistic and mediocre. Hence I could only give this a 3.5 stars.



* Reviewed on July 22nd, 2014

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[MANGA REVIEW] NG Life, Volume 1 (NG Life, #1)NG Life, Volume 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi

NG Life, Volume 1 (NG Life, #1)NG Life, Volume 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pretty fun and interesting to have the love of your life come back the same gender as you. And to have your male best buddy returning as a cute girl with a huge crush on you.

The best thing of all was that only you alone retained memories of your previous life. Ain't that frustrating like hell? Hehehehe




* Reviewed on July 23rd, 2014

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[RANDOM UPDATES] The Archers of Kynthos by KM Harty




NOTE: This is my first story prompt at Goodreads M/M Romance Group. Here's the link to that prompt (sorry, only members of that group could view this link)





Is that... my name? On a book? On an erotica novel? A mpreg tentacle sex erotica novel with my name plastered on it?



It's very flattering indeed. I am honored. Thanks, KM Harty.


* July 25th, 2014


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[ARTBOOK] Takato Yamamoto by Takato Yamamoto

Takato Yamamoto



MUST GET THIS BOOK! And every artbook by this talented artist. His art is just so breathtaking and full of possibilities.


      An intro/review found on the internet:
There’s much that’s superficially familiar in Takato Yamamoto’s art—“Boy’s Love” tableaux with fey young men in various states of undress mooning over each other, then the perennial Japanese obsession with naked women bound by ropes. But closer examination reveals a degree of finesse and imagination that elevates his work away from the porn ghetto into the rarified realm of Decadence (as if those favourite Symbolist themes of Saint Sebastian [above] and Salomé [below] weren’t enough of a clue). For a start the drawing style is a great amalgam of influences from Beardsley through to Harry Clarke by way of the finest Edwardian pornographer, Franz von Bayros. Then there’s the curious details of severed heads, claws, sundry bones and eyeballs which decorate the otherwise florid arrangements supporting the figures. So far there don’t appear to have been any books of Takato Yamamoto’s work produced in the west and it’s possible that the sexual content and grotesquery limits that possibility. But you can some galleries here, here and here. His official site is mostly Japanese and has to be navigated from an interior page since there seems to be a file missing from the index.
- Credit: John Coulthart



There's two others which I like very much but can't risk posting it here. Both has a male tied to a post with arrows all over his body and there's another one with a male and female entwined with egg shell covering them. Actually most of the artwork was just as mesmerizing and hypnotic to me despite it's somewhat grotesque nature.


Please go to these links for more amazing artworks by Takato Yamamoto. Do be warned that some might find these images offensive due to its disturbing nature, so be careful when viewing it:
>> John Coulthart - The Art of Yamamoto Takato
>> Sevasevol - Takato Yamamoto
>> Pseudoape - Takato Yamamoto, The Heisei Esthiticism style


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Tuesday 15 July 2014

[MANGA REVIEW] Akushitsu na Nakama ni Gochuui Kudasai (Devil Summoner Soul Hackers) by [HONEY QP (Inochi Wazuka)]

Akushitsu na Nakama ni Gochuui KudasaiAkushitsu na Nakama ni Gochuui Kudasai by Inochi Wazuka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommended for: Tentacle sex fans
Read on July 16, 2014, read count: 1


This is fucking hot! Didn't know inverted nipples play could be so damn hot!

And look at the list of perversity done to the poor guy:

- Anal penetration
- Ahegao (Japanese term for fucked silly)
- Urethra Insertion (the whole fucking penis in penis. Da fuck?)
- Bondage
- Inverted Nipples (seriously finds the nipple play here super erotic)
- Lactation (yum!)
- Mind break (more like fucked mindless)
- Blowjob (here, suck on the lolly like a good boy)
- Feminization (Ahemm :P)

Me now...



*If you are interested, you could READ IT ONLINE




* Reviewed on July 16th, 2014

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Wednesday 2 July 2014

[MANGA REVIEW] Kokou no Hito (The Climber) by Shinichi Sakamoto, Yoshiro Nabeda, Hiroshi Takano

Kokou no Hito, Volume 1-17 (Kokou no Hito, #1-17)Kokou no Hito, Volume 1-17 by Shinichi Sakamoto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read from June 20 to 28, 2014, read count: 1



Dark, dramatic and powerfully captivating. Absolutely not a typical sports manga.

Kokou no Hito is a unique manga experience with dark and complex storytelling combined with breathtaking artwork that captivates the mind and soul. Since this manga was a Seinen category, both the plot and the theme focused on heavy subjects which are intense as well as disturbing in nature. The story explores role of emotion, morality, rationality in human reason when pushed to to the edge of survival. The mountains is no place for the weak, the same goes for those below the mountains. Above or below, only the fittest will survive and prosper.

This riveting manga series was inspired by Kato Buntaro, he is one of Japan's famous solo mountaineer of the early 20th century. Buntaro began his winter solo moutaineering career in February 1928 in the Hyōnosen mountains and from then on he couldn't stop climbing until he drew his last breath on Mount Yari.




In Kokou no Hito we follow an extremely introverted protagonist, Mori Buntarou as he progress from high school climbing to professional high-altitude mountaineering and later as a challenger of the untrodden K2 East Face. K2 was known as the holy grail of mountaineering and also as 'The Savage Mountain' due to countless lives lost to it. Even though it was only the second highest mountain in the world, it was far more hazardous than Everest. Until now the eastern face of K2 was untrodden land because it has the hardest and deadliest routes.


As opposed to many other readers who finds it hard to relate to the protagonist, I am completely enamored by him for I truly admire his character and personality despite his shortcomings. I do believe he can't function well with people around him due to severe anthropophobia. This makes him a true loner and an outcast to society. And it is also one of the reason why is he drawn to the mountains all the time. I find him fascinating and quite a romantic person. Romantic not in the sense of being in relationships but the sentimentality of his being. His heartstrings quivers at the slightest provocation and sometimes this trait of his maddens me. I am torn between wanting to embrace and protect him from harm and wishing to knock some sense into him, hard.

Despite not being a sports fan myself, I was highly intrigued by the mountaineering technical details presented in this series. The mangaka did so well with it that a layman like me finds it easy to follow and appreciate the mountaineering aspect of the story. The realistic portrayal of mental and physical challenges faced by the mountaineers was insightful and eye-opening. Apart from that what makes this manga unputdownable was the thrilling conflicts sparked by feuds and controversies in Mori's life especially in the world of mountain climbing. When it comes to extreme sport like mountaineering, your life literally lies in the hands of your teammates and theirs in yours. Therefore mountaineering as a team could potentially turn into harsh trial of humanity where ethics and morality are stretched as thin as the air in high-altitude.





































I would highly recommend this manga to matured readers especially to those with broad-minds and appreciative of visual metaphors. I am glad to learn that Kokou no Hito won an award at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival in year 2010. This exceptional manga absolutely excels in terms of its fine artwork, amazing character arc, compelling storyline and its great sense of place. There's also good balance between the sport and slice of life aspect, both elements blended really well together. I wish I could watch a film adaptation of this manga in the near future. I already felt like I am missing out because I couldn't read the original novel of this story by Jiro Nitta sensei as it was in Japanese and there's no translation for it at the moment. But I do count my blessings for the existence of this manga in English scanlation. I vow to own the entire series in paperback should one day Kokou no Hito was ever licensed in English. It is totally worth collecting.




BOOK DETAILS:
Title: Kokou no Hito (The Climber)
Associated Names: 孤高の人 / 孤高之人 / 고고한 사람 / Ascension / Koko no Hito / The Climber
Mangaka: Shinichi Sakamoto
Author: Shinichi Sakamoto (art and story from volume 4 onwards), Yoshiro Nabeda, Hiroshi Takano
Publication Date: 2007
Type: Serialized Manga (17 Volumes) based on the novel by Jiro Nitta
Genre: Seinen, Sports, Drama, Slice of Life, Contemporary
Tags/Keywords: dead friend(s), death, accidents, suicide, deliberate loner, guilt, hiking, loneliness, loner protagonist, rock climbing, mountaineering, soul searching, social outcast, time skip, tragedy, mature


Description:
On his first day of transferring to a new high school, a loner named Mori Buntarou, is cajoled by a classmate into climbing the school building. Despite knowing that one misstep could send him spiraling to his death, he moves forward, and upon finally reaching the top, Mori experiences a sense of fulfillment. That feeling, which seems to be telling him, "You're alive!" gives birth to an adrenaline for rock-climbing.

*From volume 4 on, Sakamoto Shinichi has done both story and art.



* Reviewed on July 2nd, 2014

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