Reviews in Brief: Yuko Kuwabara's Alcohol, Shirt & Kiss

Alcohol, Shirt & Kiss by Yuko Kuwabara is a charming series of stories about the "courtship" between Naru and Kita, two police officers.

Naruse's girlfriend has dumped him. To assuage his broken heart, he goes drinking with his partner, Kita, only to wake up the next morning next to Kita in Kita's bed -- naked. Kita is lying there looking as though he's just swallowed a canary. Naru doesn't remember anything.

It turns out that Kita has an agenda, and it has nothing to do with love: he just wants Naru, that's all -- another conquest to add to his trophies. (It turns out they didn't actually do anything, but Kita's not going to tell Naru that.) Naru is horrified and doesn't know how to react. When it happens again however, both men start to have second thoughts. Kita begins to think that maybe he's missing something here, and Naru finds himself increasingly fascinated by his partner, hard and cold though he is. The series becomes an intricate and sometimes surprising dance as the two men move toward common ground.

This is, as I said, a charming set of stories -- not a lot of drama, and even the comedy is low-key. It's graced by very clean and open graphics -- characters are as appealing visually as in dialogue, and the flow is exceptionally clear. Kuwabara's use of tone and shading is exceptional, leading to rich, almost tactile images.

The side story, "Moon Kiss," is the story of a childhood romance that takes an unexpected turn: Haru met Murasaki when they were children, one night under the full moon. They confessed their love, but Murasaki could not stay: she promised to come back in ten years, and then they could be together forever. Ten years later, Haru is still single, remembering that promise, although it begins to seem more and more a dream. One day a young man appears -- the same blond hair, the same beautiful face, the same odd clothing, but definitely a man, and not the Murasaki that Haru remembers. Murasaki, as it turns out, is really Shimei, a prince of the Moon Kingdom, and he has to find a bride before his father picks one for him -- and the bride he's chosen is Haru.

Two delightful romantic comedies in this selection, from Juné.