Reviews in Brief: You Higashino's Sense and Sexuality

Sense and Sexuality is an interesting BL manga, although it has its failings. Set in the Taisho Era (1912-1926), a time of rapidly growing economic prosperity for Japan, it follows the adventures of two young aristocrats, both sons of marquises. Matsusuga Hanamura, the older by a year, and his childhood friend and present-day fellow in their hedonistic pursuits, Kuniomi Takakura, one day decide to make a bet: both are taken with the son of another nobleman, and they decide that whoever has him first will win. They work their way though the young artistocrat, a very popular singer, and finally, a male prostitute. The "victory" passes from one to the other, until Kuniomi can't stand it any more and confesses his love to Matsusuga. The rest, as they say, is history. (Except, of course, for figuring out who's to be the seme and who the uke.)

The story is a typical episodic picaresque adventure, although I can't say the characterizations are as strong or clear as I've gotten used to in BL manga. It may just be that our two heroes are shallow people, but I didn't put a lot of faith in Kuniomi's declaration of love.

Graphically, I also found it rather odd. The drawing is fluent enough, and the rendering is detailed without being congested. Faces are strangely variable -- a perfectly gorgeous man, when see full face, turns heavy-featured when seen from another angle. Profiles are almost geometric and have a rudimentary quality that detracts from the appeal, at least for me. They have the sensuality of, say, Satoru Ishihara's work without the finesse. Otherwise, character designs and depictions are quite engaging. Visual flow is pretty much shoujo-standard, and sex scenes are somewhat more revealing than in usual.

This one was problematic for me. I don't think the story is particularly substantial, although the drawing, if you can handle the profile and one-quarter views, is apt enough. The cover was graced with quotes from Jane Austen, which struck me as somewhat humorous: Austen's books, after all, were about England's middle classes and their relentless pursuit of money and status, while Higashino's tale centers on Japan's upper classes a hundred years later and their relentless pursuit of pleasure. Make of that what you will.

It's from Kitty Media.