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REVIEW: Yakuza Lover GN 1




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Neverwhere



Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 351
Location: socal
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:06 pm Reply with quote
I really appreciated this review! I was vaguely interested before but knowing the love interest isn't just the usual domineering alphahole has sold it to me Smile
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:50 pm Reply with quote
I agree wholeheartedly with Caitlin - this is definitely one of the better smutty josei titles to come out and it's a lot of fun.
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VampireNaomi



Joined: 30 Aug 2010
Posts: 146
PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:57 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It's just nice to see sex treated as two people enjoying each other, rather than one person acting on another.


This sums up really well what kind of smut I like, and it's the main reason why I picked up the first volume of this even though I don't really like yakuza stories. The preview pages of some of the later volumes promise a lot more of the same. Can't wait!
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skemono



Joined: 26 May 2019
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:50 pm Reply with quote
Is this josei? I thought the Cheese! magazine was shoujo.
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Tenbinzan



Joined: 18 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:57 pm Reply with quote
skemono wrote:
Is this josei? I thought the Cheese! magazine was shoujo.

Cheese! is similar to Melody, Monthly Flowers, etc., in that it's technically a shōjo manga magazine but it's aimed at a slightly older audience. For example, Shogakukan's AdPocket website states that Cheese! is aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds: https://adpocket.shogakukan.co.jp/detail.php?no=50
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skemono



Joined: 26 May 2019
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:05 pm Reply with quote
Tenbinzan wrote:
skemono wrote:
Is this josei? I thought the Cheese! magazine was shoujo.

Cheese! is similar to Melody, Monthly Flowers, etc., in that it's technically a shōjo manga magazine but it's aimed at a slightly older audience. For example, Shogakukan's AdPocket website states that Cheese! is aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds: https://adpocket.shogakukan.co.jp/detail.php?no=50

Ah! Thank you!
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 10:31 pm Reply with quote
Tenbinzan wrote:
skemono wrote:
Is this josei? I thought the Cheese! magazine was shoujo.

Cheese! is similar to Melody, Monthly Flowers, etc., in that it's technically a shōjo manga magazine but it's aimed at a slightly older audience. For example, Shogakukan's AdPocket website states that Cheese! is aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds: https://adpocket.shogakukan.co.jp/detail.php?no=50


Yep. I chose to go with calling it "josei" to make it absolutely, entirely, abundantly clear that this is for adults.

(Like, let's be real, a lot of teens are going to seek out sexual content and I'd rather they find this than a lot of other things but. You know.)
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:53 am Reply with quote
I like in the review how it's pointed out that the perspective of the sexual relationship is very two-sided. This in my view is a major factor in categorizing it as josei rather than mature shoujo or simply smut.

Authors tend to focus on one target audience when deciding from whom the relationship is perceived. A male reader, for example, who typically places himself in the role of the protagonist as wish fulfillment would not want the perspective to be too heavily centered on the one receiving, in this case the woman. It's perfectly fine for a male reader to connect with and enjoy Yakuza Lover, it just requires a bit more flexibility in associating gender roles than what is typical of sexually explicit manga.

With this greater range of duality; their bodies and their pleasure being a shared experience, it shows respect and consideration for the typical ideals and values that women have about relationships. This is good.
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manapear



Joined: 02 May 2014
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:37 am Reply with quote
I'm still a little surprised but also very pleased Shojobeat even picked it up. But since Western publishers are getting less wary about picking up ecchi and smut aimed at the ladies, I hope it picks up and we get even more. There's an array of stuff out there just in publications like Cheese, Sho-Comi and Flowers!. I hope one day, someone even bothers to localize titles that run in the actual, smutty/renai publications too.
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Alan45
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:53 am Reply with quote
If this were Shoujo you would be several volumes in before the first intentional kiss. So, yeah, not shoujo. This title goes a bit far in the other direction. They meet, they like each other, he gets shot at and they have sex. That is about the first quarter of the book. There doesn't seem to be anything left but wash, rinse and repeat. There is no plot to speak of and it is a bit too disjointed to be slice of life.

I didn't make it through the entire volume as it was a bit boring.
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Redbeard 101
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 12:48 pm Reply with quote
I like the idea of a more adult title that where the 2 MC's actually do adult things. As in have sex. I don't mind if the plot is a bit...weaker, but this sounds like it's pushing the boundaries of that. I'm glad it's seemingly more mutual with the sexual material which is a very nice change, but my initial thought is I just wish there was a bit more of a plot. That would probably take away some from what this is intended for I suppose, but it would still be nice. I still might check out the first volume though.
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:10 pm Reply with quote
Redbeard 101 wrote:
my initial thought is I just wish there was a bit more of a plot.


I mean, it has more plot than Fire in his Fingertips. Laughing I think Tomu Ohmi actually does a decent job of mixing plot and smut. Not perfect by any means, but more plot-centric than other similar titles.

EDIT: I forgot! Sweat and Soap does an excellent job of having adult characters in a mutual relationship and a plot-driven story. It's probably my favorite romance manga running.
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Redbeard 101
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:58 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:


I mean, it has more plot than Fire in his Fingertips. Laughing I think Tomu Ohmi actually does a decent job of mixing plot and smut. Not perfect by any means, but more plot-centric than other similar titles.

EDIT: I forgot! Sweat and Soap does an excellent job of having adult characters in a mutual relationship and a plot-driven story. It's probably my favorite romance manga running.


Haven't heard of Fire on his FIngertips, but I can guess his talents by that title name. Part of the other problem is I keep adding more newer manga titles to my ever growing list of stuff to get. My library only has some. So I gotta whittle down the list somewhat. Since my birthday is next month maybe I'll get lucky and get a few volumes of other series to keep those going and free up my own spending. I'll have to check out the Sweat and Soap series though.
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