Reviews in Brief: Modoru Motoni's Dog Style, Vol. 2

To refresh your memory, see my comments on Vol. 1 here.

The fourth time they "do it," Teru and Mki have sex good enough that they both want to melt. They are drawn to each other anyway, but that just seals the deal. And, as defenses come down, they become more comfortable together, which leads to new sets of complications: the brothers Kashiwa are uneasy at the idea (still largely subliminal) that they are losing their best friends, and being somewhat interpersonally inept, do exactly the wrong things to repair the situation: the older brother offers to have sex with Miki, who is way over that with him. The younger, caught between his friends and his girl (a pinch-faced bitch with big tits), sides with her, and loses Teru. There are other complications, especially Kijima, the leader of the punks from Nannogi High who have been pursuiing Teru, whom I suspect will have a larger role in the next volume (and there is sure to be one).

Of main import, however, is that it's become dark secrets time. Miki is being stalked by someone who is sending out pornographic S&M videos starring Miki, along with blackmail notes. The stalker, Miki's old tennis coach, makes the mistake of approaching Teru and showing him the last remaining clip. Teru beats him to a bloody pulp, and then goes to Miki, who tells him the whole story.

Interestingly enough, and a testamant to Motoni's abilities as an illustrator, even though the dialogue and Miki's thoughts/narration point up the fact that he's fallen in love with Teru, it's the visuals that really bring home the change in attitude by both boys. It's an excellent example of the graphics carrying a narrative subtext.

There are all sorts of potential conflicts and confrontations in store for these two, what with the Kashiwas, Kijima, and each other. I'm looking forward to them.

I have to confess, the one drawback in my eyes for this one is the cover art -- it doesn't have the edge that the interior graphics do, and the character renderings lack the elegance and definition of the black-and-whites.

The publisher is Kitty Media.