Katsuomi Hanamori is a high-school kendo competitor; his brother Masaomi competes in the junior-high division. They find themselves facing off against a couple of new guys, Tsurugi Yaegashi and his younger brother, Saya, a "girly" boy, exceptionally timid, who is nevertheless a fierce competitor. The main story line centers on the courtship between Katsuomi and Tsurugi: on their first meeting, each sees the other as more likeable than he would have preferred -- they are rivals, after all -- and it's not long at all before Katsuomi, at least, begins thinking about what it would be like if Tsurugi and he were close friends -- or more than friends.
Kimi Shiruya operates on an entirely different dynamic than the typical formulaic school-boy romance. (Not that there is anything wrong with those: There are a number of them that are exceptionally well-done and very good reading.) Yes, these are school boys, both high school and middle school, but that is not the aspect of their characters that matters to this story. They are athletes, competitors in a sport with its own rich history and traditions (and we get a glimpse of that as Masaomi first dashes off to Saya's rescue when Saya is being bullied by a group of seniors: he recognizes that Saya understands the honor and integrity of the swordsman and deems that worthy of his respect), and this whole love story is, in a very real sense, a duel between two strong, proud, competitive young men. It's this kind of surround, I think, that makes Ishihara's stories so rich and full of potential meanings: in both of her works that I've read so far, her men are fierce and proud, and not at all confused about what they want.
This is another that has no sex scenes. There is, however, one kiss, which we only ever really see as a reflection in the water, that reverberates throughout the second half of the book: everything that happens hangs from that kiss, and Ishihara handles it so deftly that we don't even realize until the last two pages what's been going on. (I don’t think I'm spoiling anything for you here: there are a few widely-spaced clues, but you really can't tell where they're leading until the last two pages, when Ishihara really does a number on you and you find yourself sitting there saying "Of course!")
This is not to say that the story is not erotic -- in fact, it's far more truly erotic than most any other BL manga I can think of offhand (with the exception of Ishihara's own God of Dogs). It's an eroticism composed of innuendo, implication, and facial expressions that hold secrets (and don't ask me how she does that in a comic, but she does -- Tsurugi, especially, is one for enigmatic glances), all starting with the central metaphor of kendo: the emotional and erotic subtext all derives from the competition of the sport. The innuendo in the dialogue ranges from circumspect to blatant (when Tsurugi talks about crossing swords with Katsuomi, you know he's not entirely concerned with the next kendo tournament). Even the drawing is erotic, rough as it is.
And speaking of Ishihara's drawing, she notes in an afterword that Kimi Shiruya took three years to complete, and one can see the transformation in the graphics. The first chapter has a rough, harsh quality that, although perfectly in keeping with the story and characters, doesn't display quite the finesse that the last chapter does. Her line becomes more fluent and flexible, the character designs more finished, and the whole visual aspect takes on greater coherence (although I found the drawing in the first chapter perfectly acceptable, and even appealing).
Yeah, I like this one, a lot, in case you were wondering. I will tell you this, though: it snuck up on me. I found myself drawn back to it again and again, and discovering something new each time. My analysis at this point is that this is an exceptionally subtle and strong example of the genre.
And that's a good thing.
(Digital Manga Publishing, 2005)
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