Ai no Kusabi
Reviewer: Haru [email]Overall Rating: A+
Media Reviewed: DVD Fansub
Creator: Yoshihara Rieko
U.S. Licensed: No
Released by: JUNE
Run time: 120 minutes, 2 episodes
BL Content: Hard (sexual situations, domination)
Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi/Romance
Other media: English-licensed novel (unreleased by Juné)
Ai no Kusabi is a tragic love story that could not have ended any less painful than the way it did, and yet somehow you wish it to end in a happy ending. If it had not been for the collapsing Dana Bahn, it would have ended in a way that was equally heart breaking. In a society with an impenetrable caste system, the love of an elite (Iason) and one of the lowest class (Riki) is always a doomed one. Like Raoul said as he crushed the chess knight that represented Iason, "it is inevitable."
The story revolves around a heavily-male-populated society ruled by a super computer, Jupiter. The capital city is Tanagura, surrounded by a pleasure center Midas and the slums of Ceres. The population is divided into ranks based on the color of the hair, with black being the lowest and gold (blond) the highest, also known as "Blondies". They are genetically engineered to be smarter, bigger and stronger than normal humans. They keep "pets" or sex toys to watch but do not engage in direct sexual activity.
After a chance meeting with Riki, a black-haired "zasshu" (mongrel) from Ceres, Iason Mink, a Blondie and the head of the Tanagura syndicate developed an obsession for Riki. He took Riki back to Tanagura to make him his pet, and eventually had sexual relationship with him. This is a forbidden act, and Iason was warned by Jupiter, and by his friend Raoul who did not want to see Iason destroyed because of a mongrel. But Iason persisted. Whether it was love or sexual obsession is not important, one cannot be present without the other. He forced Riki into becoming his pet, and here we see the ugly side of Iason who used torture, humiliation and threats to subjugate Riki. Granted it might be the accepted practice to "tame" a pet in Tanagura, it was a grave reminder of how power could be misused in an oppressive society.
Interestingly, although Iason made Riki captive, he ended up being the one who was totally captivated. At their first meeting, Iason refused to take his clothes off because "no idiot in Tanagura would take off his clothes to discipline a pet". But when he met Riki again after letting him go for a year, he couldn't wait to take them off. In fact, Iason was as much a victim of the system as Riki was, living in a society that did not allow sexual expressions other than voyeurism and where he, despite being Jupiter's number one son, and with all the power that he had, did not have the freedom to love. His closest friend and confidant Raoul could not understand the feelings he had for Riki; he himself did not understand love, believing it could be reciprocated only by force. The only one who seemed to understand was Katze, Iason's former "furniture" (caretaker of the pets) who ran the black market.
In time, however, as Iason began to show compassion to Riki and allowed him more freedom, Riki began to reciprocate Iason's affection. The tender conversation after the sex scene shows how much their relationship had evolved from that of master and pet to lovers of equal standing. Sadly, it was then that Riki's old partner Guy began to hatch a plan to separate the two. With the same obsession and possessiveness as Iason, he kidnapped Riki and lured Iason to Dana Bahn, an old war bunker that he planned to destroy with Iason in it.
Through the second half of the second OVA's we watch Iason desperately searching for Riki while having to deal with pressures from Jupiter and Raoul to give Riki up. He knew he was going into a trap when he answered Guy's call, but he went nonetheless to find Riki, leading to the dramatic climax that ended tragically for him and Riki. Yet as painful as it was, it was a deeply moving end: amidst the collapsing furnace, Iason's sole concern was for Riki's safety, even as he himself was unable to escape. But Riki left that safety, without a second thought and by his own free will, to be with Iason. And for the first time in this turbulent love story, the two were at peace; if ever there was any doubt left about their love for each other, this had finally been removed -- all that mattered was that they were together, sharing one last "deep kiss."
Few movies moved me as intensely as Ai no Kusabi did. As far as science fiction goes, the story is rather weak and leaves many questions unanswered. But it is a powerful human drama that deals with the most fervent of human emotions: love, passion, anger and desperation. It is dark and gritty, totally lacking in humor, but not without tender moments -- not only between Iason and Riki but also between Iason and Raoul, Iason and Katze, and Riki and Guy -- that bring out the humanity of these characters. Katze is the internal voice that understood love better than anyone in the story, who knew the link -- the kusabi -- between Iason and Riki was love, even when Iason still saw Riki as possession and Riki rebelled against Iason's attention.
Katze seemed to have unrequited love towards Iason himself, but he made Riki see how much Iason actually cared for him, allowing Riki to develop concerns for Iason as well. He did not stop Riki from going to Iason in the end; he knew that was how it was supposed to be, and gave Riki the Black Moon for "relief". The most touching moment in the movie was when Katze broke down and cried after Iason and Riki were gone (as we the audience feel like doing) perhaps not so much for the loss of the two lovers, but for the loss of the love that existed between them. A man of the market, he knew how precious this "commodity" was.
Ai no Kusabi is the one to watch for yaoi lovers and for any anime fan. It has all the elements of a great yaoi show with beautiful boys, a hopeless romance, and passionate sex. But it outshines the usual yaoi fare in the depth and complexity of the plot and in particular, the art of the animation. It is one of the most beautiful animations ever made, rich in texture and very stylish. I was lucky to obtain a high-quality DVD that has excellent video, and the picture is stunning. Each scene is meticulously done down to the smallest details of background and props (the DVD also comes with concept art that shows the detailed planning). Similarly, the male characters are done with great care to the details of their clothes, they are beautiful without being effeminate, with the correct body shape and proportion (and muscles). Iason is inarguably the most gorgeous anime character ever drawn, with Riki running in second (but that's just my opinion).
The sex scenes are graphic but not smutty, brimming with heat and passion but still manage to look artistic. Watching Iason throws back his mane gives me the shivers every time. The voices are perfect -- Shiozawa Kaneto is incomparable as Iason, cool and elegant, and very very sexy (especially the part where he whispered, "mada... mada...") Seki Toshihiko who played Riki is also the voice of Watari in Yami no Matsuei (great voice talent). Hayami Shou as Raoul is one of my favorites; he is Muraki in Yami no Matsuei and Nanjou Kouji in Bronze. There is a certain detachment in his deep, dispassionate voice that makes it perfect for characters who are very passionate but also very much in control. The background music is not too remarkable for the most part, but the closing piece (in both OVAs) is mesmerizing. Sweet and haunting, it sums up all the sadness and hopelessness of unrequited love.
In short, watch the movie and weep. Don't mull too much over the logic of the story (or whether it is "politically correct"). Listen to the dialogues and enjoy a feast of beautiful boys and great love making.