Mujintou Lovers Deserted Island Lovers or, Lovers on a Desert Island By Sakurai, Shushushu Publisher Take Shobo Imprint Bamboo Comics Reijin Selection Magazine Reijin Vintage / Length 2005 / 1 volume

Mujintou Lovers is a collection of short stories by cult-favorite Sakurai Shushushu and ran in the much-lauded magazine "Reijin" (which is, so they say, fancied by gay men as well as straight women). There is a combination that screams "Read me!" if ever there was one, and I'm happy to report that Mujintou Lovers lives up to expectation. The stories in this volume are a combination of original, not to mention very well-written, comedies and melodramas that are all different in mood, tone, and theme. Sakurai doesn't stick to the conventions in these shorts. Instead, she takes what might be an overdone situation and puts a unique spin on it, so that the well-trod paths of office and teacher romances become fresh and original. Her naturalistic style, clean pages, expressive characters and attractive guys will be a treat for anyone who likes older-men BL. Whether you're looking for goofy or dramatic, sexy or sweet, with the mix in Mujintou Lovers you'll certainly find what you're looking for.

The first two stories are about Hiroshigu, a rich and superficial snob, and Miyakawa, his quiet, no-nonsense yet oddly housewife-y bodyguard. In the headliner, "Mujintou Lovers", Hiroshigu is out on a fishing operation to experience how the other half lives. Miyakawa is along as one of his bodyguards but Hiroshigu can’t stand his attitude, which he thinks is rude and subversive. During the trip the ship they are traveling on is capsized by a wave, and Hiroshigu and Miyakawa are washed up on a deserted tropical island (hardly a desert, there are trees everywhere). There, with no one but each other, Hiroshigu and Miyakawa fall madly in love. They run around butt-naked, catch ocean fish with their teeth, live in a tree house of their own design, and screw day and night. Hiroshigu has never been so happy in his life – and then his rescuers finally arrive. Imagine Hiroshigu’s shock when Miyakawa tells him that it’s over between them! In the second Hiroshigu and Miyakawa romp, "Heiwajima Lovers (Peaceful Island Lovers)", the pair are back together in civilization. However, Hiroshigu feels that something isn’t right between him and Miyakawa. He decides that he’s fallen out of love with Miyakawa and calls it quiets. Now what is Hiroshigu going to do when he realizes that he really does love Miyakawa, but that his partner has disappeared!?

The "Lovers" stories are pure gag comedy. In fact, you might not be stretching it too much by suggesting that they’re parodies. Sakurai takes the fundamental storytelling devices of the genre – the lovers’ solitude, their need to care for each, their gradual falling in love, their uncertainty about the other’s feelings – and warps or exaggerates them in such a way that the situations are more funny than sentimental. There’s something incredibly goofy about hunky, manly Miyakawa leaping, naked, to and fro in the ocean trying to catch fish for Hiroshigu and himself, to say nothing of all that great sex they have everywhere, anytime. The "Lovers" stories are fun comedies for all, but especially if you’re a seasoned BL fan who can predict how most run-of-the-mill will go.

"Elevator" is about high-strung Akasaka, a white collar guy trying his damnedest to make his way up in his company. Already running late for a meeting that could make or break his future, the elevator he is riding suddenly breaks down. Poor Akasaka’s only companion is Ozawa, a calm and quiet man who manages to calm down his fellow passenger. They wait and wait, and while waiting some more Akasaka gradually feel closer and closer to Ozawa. Akasaka senses that there is something strange about this mysterious man, but he won’t figure out what it is until he gets off the elevator. I was really impressed with the originality of this story. A bit of mystery and ghost story is mixed into this unusual office romance, if you still want to categorize it as such. It’s certainly a novel spin on a very formulaic sub-genre, and the ending will leave you surprised and pleasantly puzzled.

"Arashiyama, Koikakuru (Love at Arashiyama)" is about two lovers who live and work in the traditional area of Kyoto. Hayate is a rickshaw driver who fell in love with Kei, his beautiful passenger, at first sight. Even though Kei is a man and not the beautiful geisha he thought Kei he was, he still pines after him. After learning that Kei is actually a high class prostitute and about to be "adopted" by a rich patron, Hayate is determined to save the man he loves from a bleak, caged future. This story has a wonderful folktale feel that quite sets it apart from the other stories in this volume. Part of that feel comes from the lack of gratuitous sex, but also from the traditional and natural setting the story takes place in. This is my favorite story in the volume; the light, happily-ever-after ending made me smile.

The final story, "Karenu Hidomi wo Sosogeba (The Gaze That Never Wilts)", is a teacher romance. Itou-sensei has escaped to teach at an all girls’ school to avoid the "complications" of teaching at an all boys’ school. Who else should arrive but Tanaka-sensei, once one of Itou’s students and is now a teacher himself. In the past Tanaka had confessed his love to Itou, and now that they are at the same school he is trying to get back into Itou’s life. But because of a bad experience with a student in the past, Itou wants nothing to do with Tanaka. Or so he thinks. This is a fairly familiar scenario, and the story is somewhat melodramatic. Nevertheless, it has more depth of character and better storytelling than more run-of-the-mill ‘sensei’ love stories. Although the least forceful of the stories in Mujintou Lovers, it is still a few notches higher than most teacher romances.

I was very surprised and delighted with Mujintou Lovers. I do like BL, but it isn’t my first choice in romance stories and I usually need to take extended breaks to avoid getting burnt out. If this volume is any indication, then all I need to get back into man-sex swing is to read a little Sakurai Shushushu. The stories in this volume are different and original, and the collection itself a nice mix of comedy and drama. If you’re looking for something "off the beaten path", so to speak, Mujintou Lovers won't disappoint. BL of this caliber shouldn't be passed up.

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