Lies & Kisses

Tatsuya is a successful businessman, the heir to his father's large company and fortune, yet what he wants most is to find the younger half-brother he remembers from his childhood. One night, he meets a cute young piano player named Haru, and the two begin a steamy, sexy but ultimately sweet relationship.

That takes care of the "Kisses" part of Lies & Kisses. The "Lies" are what Tatsuya and Haru don't tell each other -- that Haru is really Haruka, the half-brother Tatsuya has been searching for. However, it's only a matter of time before Tatsuya's investigation will close in on Haru, and what will the brothers do then?

Lies & Kisses has everything a yaoi manga should have. The sex scenes are frequent and very, very hot, with lots of detail. Tatsuya and Haru are well-developed characters with believable actions and reactions to their very unique situation. The storyline is strong enough to give the couple lots of ups and downs, but remains believable and easy to follow. Through it all, their relationship is sweet and real, encouraging the reader to root for them to wind up happy together, even if they are brothers.

The artwork by Masara Minase is nothing short of beautiful. Tatsuya and Haru are well-built men, which makes their sex scenes all the more hot. As seme, Tatsuya is gently forceful and firm, but not overwhelming, and never, ever makes Haru do anything that doesn't feel good. Haru is no girly uke, thankfully, and proves that he can seduce Tatsuya as well as be seduced! Minase-sensei's character artwork is the best part of the manga. The characters' facial expressions are so clear, you can read their emotions as if they were real people. So many of the poses and positions are nothing short of adorable, such as when Haru reaches out for Tatsuya to hold him, or when Tatsuya cuddles Haru quite naturally the morning after they make love. More than anything, it's the artwork and attention to face and body detail that make these characters seem like real people.

Drama Queen, the small but quality licensing company created by yaoi fans, has proven their excellence again by giving this lovely manga the treatment it deserves. Like all Drama Queen titles, Lies & Kisses comes with a glossy dust jacket with the cover art on the front, a blurb and more art on the back, and a miniature bio of the author on the inside flap. The first page is a very pretty full-color drawing of Tatsuya and Haru, and my copy even came with a Lies & Kisses postcard tucked between the pages. At the end of the manga is a cute Aftertalk written by Masara Minase, and a four-page preview of another Drama Queen title, Empty Heart. With Drama Queen, it's like getting the original Japanese manga with English text, which is really what many yaoi manga fans want, after all. Lies & Kisses is a wonderful manga to have in such an ideal presentation.