Reviews in Brief: Hyouta Fujiyama's Freefall Romance

Freefall Romance is a spin-off from Fujiyama's series Ordinary Crush, which I've discussed in some detail at Epinions. One of the protagonists is Youichi Nanase, older brother of Koichi, featured in Ordinary Crush. The other is Renji Tsutsumi, who works for the ad agency retained by Nanase's company, a beer manufacturer. The two work together on projects, in this case a new advertising campaign, and have become friends and drinking buddies. One night Nanase overdoes it, and Tsutsumi suddenly finds the man sleeping on his sofa strangely attractive: as it turns out, he's fallen in love. Although Nanase tries to discourage him, he doesn't really reject Tsutsumi's advances, even though Tsutsumi tells him point-blank that if he doesn't reject him outright, he, Tsutsumi, will continue to press his suit. The matter is complicated by the appearance of Ikuta, a former schoolmate of Nanase from their days at Kinsei High. (Kinsei is the unifying factor in Fujiyama's tales begun in Ordinary Crush -- it's a private boys' high school where 90% of the student body is gay or bi.) Ikuta quite early on declares that he has the hots for Tsutsumi, while Tsutsumi unashamedly responds that he has the hots for Nanase.

This is a fairly serious example of Fujiyama's BL manga -- the humor that she generally builds into her stories is not as prevalent as in other works. One subtle bit of humor does occur hear the end, when Youichi is leaving to spend the night with Tsutsumi and informs his brother that he won't be home that evening, making up a spur-of-the-moment excuse that a "friend" has gotten a DVD box set and they are going to watch the whole thing. Koichi merely responds, with a wicked little smile, that Youichi can introduce "them" when he is ready.

Unlike many yaoi, this one moves gradually through the courtship between the two, marked by Tsutsumi's determination and Nanase's acquiescence. It's only right at the end, as Nanase is on his way to their "DVD evening," that we see that he has not only accepted the relationship, but is looking forward to spending time with his lover -- and, indeed, that he is starting to admit to himself that Tsutsumi is his lover.

As seems to be the case with Fujiyama's work in general, I'm impressed by the adroit and believable characters, which are the driving force of the story, as well as her clear and economical graphics. A note: this is an excellent example of Fujiyama's ability to use her graphic work in characterization: she literally provides pictures of Tsutsumi's determination and Nanse's ambivalence in the way she has designed the characters.

One point: Youichi appears in Ordinary Crush, vol. 2, where his resistance to Koichi's relationship with Heiji provokes a major crisis, as well as illuminating Youichi's reaction to Tsutsumi's confession in this book. It's this kind of resonance from story to story, including most of the side stories, that makes reading the whole group (Ordinary Crush, Sunflower, and Freefall Romance) a definite plus.

Another one from Juné.