Rin!

I have recently discovered just how wonderful Juné Manga is, and I have developed a deep expectation for what it releases. And the manga, Rin!, does not disappoint.

Upon looking at the dust-covered binding of the first two volumes (there are three in all), I could already tell I was up for something I would appreciate. Unlike many shounen-ai/yaoi covers I have seen, the cover was just brilliant. The artwork used soft coloring to follow on its sheer beauty. Rin!'s first two covers had something that others never had going on for it: artwork that reflects the awesome work inside without any awkwardness or exploding flowers. Just look at volume 2, and I think my point will get across. It's absolutely amazing!

If it is not obvious enough, I had built up a rather... high view of the manga before opening it. Anyway, because we all know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I think a little more information I needed to be convincing, right?

When I began reading the manga, I cannot say that I felt up to my initial expectations. We meet the main characters, Katsura and Sou, in the first few pages. Katsura, a brunet boy who is adorable without the need of reducing him to a stereotype, bursts into a room, where light-haired Sou and several classmates are talking. Walking up to the upper classman, Katsura interrupts the conversation and asks Sou for... "the usual." Sou plays hard to get, making Katsura clearly more upset than he had been. Sou actually gets the younger teen to beg, until he tells Katsura all he needed was a "please." The fellow classmates are just as left out of it all as we are. As it turns out, what Katsura needed was a light and short hug, or a "squeeze" as they put it. We later learn that this squeeze is Katsura's secret weapon to ward off his anxiety before doing anything even slightly important.

I could have sworn I rolled my eyes at least five times in the beginning pages. I wondered if I honestly just set myself up for a mindlessly fluff-filled series that has nothing but, well, fluff. But as I willed myself forward, I realized that I was very wrong. Though it does revolve around the squeeze Sou gives his childhood buddy/ best friend's little brother, the manga is just so much more than that. The squeeze represents the dependance Katsura has for Sou, and it is the main obstacle that holds him back in his shared hobby with Sou and his older brother: archery. Thankfully for me, the squeeze thing is called into question very early in the first volume, when Sou gets rather annoyed and accidentally says it's merely charity service. Katsura is crushed, and this beings a series of changes in the two boy's friendship. They eventually get to the point that they both really see how dependant they are on one another, which had (as to be expected from the genre) developed into love.

The character development and artwork in this story are utterly fantastic. Their reactions are so natural and the author takes the time to make sure we understand changes in people's thoughts and emotions, while still maintaining archery as a main, underlying theme. The crisp artwork never fails in its appearance.

But what I love most in this series is how the relationships between all the characters are constantly recalled and brought forth. One example would be Katsura's brother, who is on my list on best siblings in graphic novels (even if I temporarily forgot his name). He obviously loves Katsura more than anything. When Katsura is lamenting to him about what he feels about Sou, Katsura asks his brother is he has anything against the possibility that his brother might be a "homo." (Though I cannot stand the word, in the context, it brings reality into the character.) The brother responds that, at the moment, he cares more about his brother crying than what his orientation may be. Another wonderful character is Kouichi, Katsura's best friend who is better than him at archery and just so happens to somewhat crush on him. Kouichi is such a strong character in relation to the plot, especially due to Sou's aggressive possessiveness over Katsura.

I really do love this series and plan to buy it, even for full-price. The characters are all strong and the main characters aren't the stereotypical seme/uke that dilutes the boy-love genre. (Actually, Katsura is really great in part because of the fact that he isn't a blubbering, overly effeminate uke.) I think that this series is just beautiful and well-written, and it deserves to be read by everyone.