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Should I ever stop reading BL manga, I will nevertheless always keep a spot on my Special Stuff list for Takashima Kazusa's work. I love her fresh and original stories, attractive young men and wonderful sense of humor, all of which you can find in the shorts collected in Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love. First we have the headlining "Inu mo Arukeba" series, a goofy three-part affair about Ukyou and his unusual lover, Kuro. Then there are two slightly-more-serious stories about the developing relationship between Kentaro and Kasumi, two reunited childhood friends. The last is a stand alone about a young man named Keisuke and his own unique mate. The stories in this volume are generally light and humorous, making Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love a welcome break from more dramatic and emotional BL fare. Takashima's manga is always a good time, and this volume is no exception.
A bit more serious than the "Inu mo Arukeba" stories are two shorts about the lovers Kentaro and Kasumi. In "Mata, Natsu ga Kita (Summer is Here Again)", Kentaro learns that Kasumi, his childhood friend, is back in town for the summer. Kentaro has not seen Kasumi for ten years and is hoping that his cute little friend has grown into a hot chick. So imagine his surprise when he discovers that Kasumi is not a hot chick but a hot guy, and a jerk to boot. They don't get along at first, but after some reminiscing and a few beers their relationship takes an unexpected turn. A couple by the second story, "Pinpoint Lovers", Kentaro and Kasumi try to deal with the strain of a long distance relationship. The Kentaro and Kasumi shorts are more run-of-the-mill in terms of story and mood; the boys discover their love for one another in the first story, deal with jealously in the second, etc. At the same time, though, they aren't overloaded with melodrama, and the tension is diffused with humor. Both stories are good slice-of-life BL shorts, not being too over-the-top or too gag but somewhere in between (with sex). The final story, "Kingyo-hime (Princess Goldfish)", is Takashima's first non-doujinshi publication. Simple and sweet, a goldfish turns into a human for one night to thank Keisuke for saving him from being tossed out by some nasty little boys at a festival. This story has the same light-heartedness of the "Inu mo Arukeba" stories but without the gag humor. It is a nice, touching end to the volume as a whole.
Although not the most popular or forceful of Takashima's work, Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love is nonetheless a must have for readers who are already her fans, and is a good place to start for those new to her work. In fact, it isn't a bad place to start for curious parties who are new to BL in general. The stories are quick and easy to read, and full of good humor and touching emotion. They are also rather sexy, with plenty of hot guys and a side of light bonking. Takashima hasn't disappointed me yet, and I don't think she'll let you down either. "Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love" is available in English from BLU as "Man's Best Friend". { boys love reviews - reviews - main } |
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In "Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love" (the short story), Takamura Ukyou rescues a stray dog and
names him Kuro. What he discovers, though, is that he's gotten more than just a new dog. Kuro the dog has long been in love with Ukyou the human, and when he gets
excited he turns into Kuro the man. Kuro the tall, talking, hunky man, that is, but still with a dog brain inside his head. Naturally Ukyou freaks out (well, so does Kuro), but
Kuro's affection is so genuine that Ukyou can't resist man-Kuro's advances. Now lovers, the two have further adventures in "Inu mo Arukeba Burnin' Love", in which a late
night walk in the park gets them in trouble with the police and leads to some bonking in the scrubbery, and in "Inu mo Arukeba Gettin' Love", where a hot summer days doesn't
lead to playing in the pool. The "Inu mo Arukeba" series is pure fun and games but still emotionally sincere. Kuro is particularly adorable; his manliness combined with his
innocence, which gets him and Ukyou into plenty of trouble, is incredibly funny and cute. Ukyou and Kuro may not be terribly bright individuals, but their love story is touching in
a goofy and sweet sort of way that might just make you smile.
Even in such early short stories as these, Takashima has a strong, unique
style. When it comes to BL I tend to like my young men looking like young men, which you'll find plenty of in this book (with exception of femme little Kingyo-hime). She is
particularly talented at drawing facial expressions, which is part of what makes her characters emotionally convincing and funny when called to be. The panels are easy to
follow, there being more boys than background detail, and the page layouts are busy but not cluttered. More attention is devoted to the setting and detail in some of her other
series, such as Wild Rock and Harlem Beat wa Yoake Made, but in Inu mo Arukeba Fallin' Love the art is limited to telling good, quick romance
stories, and works very well.