Fake Fur

A refreshing new story for Yaoi lovers anywhere.

What I adored the most about this was its originality and character-driven plot. It's very typical in the yaoi manga world that the plot drives the characters together (in some cases forces them into unwated circumstances) until romance blooms. This is an entirely different situation, where the characters have placed themselves into their respective situations. Especially at one point where the main character, highschool student Yamashita, realizes that it is the environment from which one grows that determines his personality, interests, and - consequently - his future. He observes this as his attraction to his best friend - classmate and aspiring chef Kubo - begins to mount. He himself begins to question his own motivations as a young adult. He wonders if his shocking exposure to the world of homosexuality at a young age had become the past's uncompromising mark on his persona. Being confused about his sexuality and unusual open-mind to homosexuality, Kubo and images from the past were certainly not helping him at all.

From this point on there is an odd turn of events that further isolates this manga from the general yaoi genre. It's an odd story of Yamashita's search for his identity without much betrayal of his character. It's an emotional and almost harrowing experience because despite the lightness of the plot there is a clear indication of depth and complexity. Until the very end of the book, Yamashita's confusion is recurrent. Not so much confusion in terms of sexuality, as he obviously realizes that he is gay, but more the confusion that that realization consequently presents. He discovers the nuances of gay culture without betraying himself.

One can't help but find Yamashita an affectionate and intrinsically delicate character. It's too easy to fall in love with him. And Yamagata does not abuse this naïve quality of him by subjecting him to the stereotypical side of romance and, more importantly, the stereotypes gay culture. If anything, the only gay stereotypes mentioned in the manga are qualities that can be paralleled with youth culture in general, and are, therefore, not exclusively for homosexuals alone. These stereotypes are the sense of being astray and promiscuity.

This is a stunning story with sub-standard art to support such an intricate and emotional plot. Despite the gorgeous cover which, I admit, was the reason I purchased the manga, the inside illustrations leave much to be desired. In some cases, the disproportioned features of the characters disturb the reader. (At parts, during some of the intimate scenes, I wondered if the artwork was supposed to echo the disturbing risks and the senselessness of their promiscuity.) And, although it seems insignificant, the character's hairstyles were quite unattractive. The strands were drawn so minimally that it definitely distracted from the story. Although the final scenes were, admittedly, some of the most stunning and romantic images in manga history. Despite the Yamagata's minimalist approach to character design, the substandard art did not detract from the romance that took place.

All in all I was very satisfied with this manga. I've lent it to a couple of friends who quote this to be Yamagata's best work. That remains to be debatable, I think her novel Manic Love is a slightly higher level of drama. Although I abhor and detest the artwork, the story is an amazing one and should not be passed on. I highly recommend this manga. Just a caution, however, this book is not to be read lightly. I find it even more inspiring when read with all the connotations of the character's driven personalities and when set in the reality of the world. Homosexuals are, in fact, barely tolerated in the Japanese world, this is a very important background to set the story on.