Anime: Junjou Romantica

[thistlechaser]

If you don't like slash or same-sex relationships you should skip this post.

Usually it takes outstanding art and a great plot for me to fall in love with a series, but my new most favorite series ever has neither!

The art in Junjou Romantica bugs me. It has tons of way too pointy/long chinned men. Note to artists: if a chin can put an eye out, it's too pointy and too long. It also does way too much of... that thing that's like when the characters go chibi but not that exactly. When the drawing gets really simple and there are blue/black lines to show an emotion. I can take a little of that, but JR does it a tad too much for my tastes.

The plot is really simple. I never would have expected that I could so deeply love a series with such a simplistic plot.

Mighty good selling job I've done on this, no?

Well believe me, it's so amazingly good! I don't dare take it to work because I cannot watch it without eeeing, acking, and making other assorted fangirl noises outloud, let alone sit still! I wiggle in my chair, hug myself, lean in, lean out. The emotions draw me in that strongly!

Junjou Romantica follows three male/male couples. First off, I had no idea there was anime like this! Second, it's soooooo sweet and eek and angsty and eee and they love each other and eeek!

*cough*

So far most of the plots have been along the lines of 'Oh nos, I think I'm bothering him, I should go! I love him, but I'll go anyway forever! For him~!' and then the two realize the misunderstanding and have hot sex.

Wait, there I go not selling it well again. (And mind you, I'm only halfway through the first season, so it might get more complex. However, it's perfectly fine if it does not!)

This series is like all the best parts of slash fanfics boiled down. There's no graphic sex (yet?), but for me it's not the graphic sex that makes me go all eeee and grinning and gushing over something, it's the emotions and how the two connect and interact.

This series really is the sweetest, most wonderful, loving, eeeee hot sex OMG against the wall holding him down and eee they're fighting and now loving and eeeek yes kiss him ooooh my eeeee yay! thing I've ever watched. :D You can and should download it here.

Comments

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Could be! When I get done with this series I'm going to look for more for sure! You may never see me again. We'll see if I like it all in general or if it was just this series that worked for me.

I suspect this series might be better than yaoi average, since it's been licensed for sale in the US. I'm kind of boggling about that, by the way; how well is OMG GAY stuff going to sell in the land of Pro-Prop 8?

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

Easy. Yaoi is /not/ designed for the gay community, even though that tends to be what people think. It's designed to appeal to straight women the same way yuri (lesbians) appeals to straight men.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Remember the show NYPD Blue? A cop show from a while back? There was a scene in it where one of the cops was getting out of the shower and TV dared to show a 2 second glimpse of his naked butt. (10 PM time slot, too.) Do you know how many protests there were? People around the country were collecting signatures and saying they'd never watch whichever network that was ever again. A guy from the deli near my home wouldn't sell me a sandwich because I wouldn't sign.

It doesn't matter who the show is going to be marketed to, if certain groups catch wind of it, it'll be "OMG! Gay! Evil! MUST BE BANNED!". Not to mention, since it's a "cartoon" obviously it's meant for kids. Corrupting children with teh gay! It's just like they always said would happen! Gay people really are trying to corrupt children!

Too many people in this country are not exactly accepting of M/M, no matter what form it comes in or who it's meant for.

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

I think you're seriously overreacting, especially given all this stuff is dominant in the /coastal/ areas, which are more 'tolerant' than the inner states.

Besides, NYPD Blue was on public cable. Yaoi is sold privately, not pushed into the public light. People yell and scream about het porno and hentai, too. Hell, there's a shounen-ai anime playing on Adult Swim right now and you don't hear people screaming about it. *shrugs* But whatever, I'm not getting in that debate with you.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

So, on a non-debating subject, how'd you happen to find this post? And what struck you to read it with that warning on it? ;)

[naikitty.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the yaoi genre and I'm amused you didn't know about it. ;3 I still check on you now and then.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I still check on you now and then.

Ah, okay. You had said you were going to friend me back after the election, but it's fine you didn't feel like you had to stick with that. We have little to nothing in common anymore and seem not to be able to talk without arguing, so there's little point.