Guinea Pig Grooms

AfterElton.com has a long, glowing review of Sarah Brannen’s picture book Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. It concludes with an author interview in which Brannen tells us about the inspiration for her story: seeing all the happy same-sex couples getting married in her home state of Massachusetts a few years ago.

She also answers the burning question that’s been on many of our minds: “Why guinea pigs?” Apparently she had originally planned to use birds because she wanted a species in which the coloring made it clear that both Uncle Bobby and his fiancé were male, but she decided that birds “look silly in clothes.” In the end she chose guinea pigs for the cuteness factor: “I wanted to create little fat furry people.”

So let’s revise the question: “Why critters?“ Would we as a community be more enthusiastic about this book if the characters were human? Will families who would never dream of reading Heather Has Two Mommies be more likely to pick up this book because of the cute critters on the cover? (I already know of one family whose love of guinea pigs has outweighed their discomfort with gay marriage.) How do you feel about gay guinea pig weddings?

Review: Yellow series

Yaoi, Shounen-ai, Boys’ Love (BL): a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right? These are the common terms for gay manga. Despite its reputation, not all BL titles are explicit in sexual nature; in fact, I’d say some are just as fluffy as many Shojo (girl oriented) titles. Here is a review of one of my favorite BLs.

 

 

Tateno, Makoto. Yellow, Books 1-4. Digital Manga Publishing.

Four volumes long, this spicy, badass yaoi is one of the best I’ve come across so far. A heady combination of romance, action, humor and drama, Tateno adds flair to this sometimes single-minded genre. If Trigun (a wonderful Shounen [boy oriented] manga) were a yaoi, it would be like this.

Goh and Taki are roommates, as well as job partners. Their employer pays them to confiscate illegal drugs by any means necessary. Taki’s straight and Goh’s gay, but, of course, it’s only a matter of time… Some of the most humorous moments arise from Goh trying to cop a feel.

The art style’s okay, but not my favorite. (I prefer the ideal combination where the males are pretty, but just masculine enough; no flat-chested little girls for me!) Long legs and faces are featured here, as well as wavy hair, and lean, yet muscled bodies.

One of the aspects that makes this series unique is the blurry line between uke and seme (see terms below). In most yaoi, the power relationship is definite, but in Yellow either Taki or Goh, with their similar body and personality types, could be in charge. While we often see Goh on top, I get the feeling they’re switchers.

Another thing I really love about this manga is the way the romance isn’t the complete focus of the story. There are plenty of secret agent-like action and fight scenes, as well as a good amount of humor. The comedy adds a refreshing feel to this genre, which, unfortunately, can be very cliché. A real treat, this yaoi is a welcome break from the monotonous plot lines of so many other BL mangas.

Warnings: Includes some profanity. Although not pornographic or explicit, there definitely are sex scenes. Oh, yeah, and I guess drugs… It’s got one of those little “Explicit Content” stickers of doom on the cover, and probably is shrink-wrapped at bookstores, but unless the cashier is your grandma or something, I’m sure you can deal with it.

Yaoi Terms

Here are some terms you should know if you want to be a yaoi reader.

Seme: Comes from the verb which means “to attack,” the “top” in a BL relationship. Often is manlier than the uke (i.e. taller, smaller eyes, more serious/masculine). This is not strictly true, however; we are starting to see changes in this type of relationship.

Uke: Comes from the verb that means “to receive,” the “bottom” in a BL relationship. More often than not the uke is the more effeminate persona in a yaoi couple. This stereotype is not always true however; the presence of manlier ukes is starting to come into play.

Doujinishi: Are fan-made comics. You can find doujin with characters from various anime and manga as well as books and movies like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Often features hetero and non-hetero slash (character pairings not present in the original story).

–Reviewed by Blue-Seme

Welcome Blue-Seme

I know manga is all the rage among teens these days; unfortunately, that is about the extent of my knowledge when it comes to manga. Enter Blue-Seme, a well-read and articulate high school student, who is a writer and an artist in her own right. She’s also a big fan of manga, especially of the yaoi and yuri variety (if you’re unfamiliar with those terms, stay tuned), and happily, she’s agreed to review for this blog.

Watch for Blue-Seme’s first review soon. In the meantime, you can read her bio to find out what she means when she calls herself a self-proclaimed otaku.

Watch for Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars, an online zine, is celebrating GLBT month all during April. They got an early start at the end of March with a review of Brian Sloan’s A Really Nice Prom Mess.