Reviews in Brief: Passion, Vol. 1, by Shinobu Gotoh and Shoko Takaku

In the realm of yaoi, it's not, apparently, all that unusual for a boy to fall in love with his teacher. (Come to think of it, it's not all that rare in real life -- my freshman biology teacher was a total hottie.) In this case, Hikaru Umino, a tall, gangly, and perfectly adorable boy, falls in love with Mr. Shima, who is small and terminally cute. Unfortunately, Hikaru starts off on the wrong foot by raping Mr. Shima -- there were rumors that Mr. Shima was to be married, and poor Hikaru, terrified at losing the object of his affections, never thought of just confessing his love. Shima says that, as penance for his deed, Hikaru must study hard, and if he does, they can play at being lovers -- but only until Hikaru graduates. And, if his scores on his final exams are higher than previous exams, they can go on a date. Hikaru's in ecstasy.

In the meantime, Amamiya, a fellow teacher who was Shima's lover when they were in high school, has decided he wants his boyfriend back. Amamiya being the self-confident character he is, his methods tend to be somewhat high-handed, and Shima is justifiably pissed off.

It becomes very clear, though, that Shima is playing his own game, and there's legitimate doubt as to whether he's being terrifically upfront in his dealings with Hikaru: the inescapable conclusion is that he's up to something, but whether it's directed toward Hikaru or Amamiya is open.

And Hikaru is a prize: he's a big boy, very popular (although as he says early on, no matter how many girls cluster around him, and no matter how good their conversations, his heart belongs to Mr. Shima alone), and, as it turns out, fairly bright. He's also just a puppy where Shima is concerned -- you can practically see his tail wagging when Shima smiles at him.

The graphics are clear and lean, with a good sense of that comfort with abstract design that marks the best manga. Takaku has given us a fluent narrative flow, and even on those pages that break the rhythm, the visual organization is pretty clear.

This is the first volume of a four-volume series, and if it holds up, it looks to be a good one. From Digital Manga Publishing. I got mine at Borders, but it's also available online from Amazon and Best Manga Books.