For the first yaoi feature of MaRants I've chosen a more recent read, Mirai no Kioku. While it's not that popular, I'll try to get you to read it nonetheless ^_~ And while I'm at it, I also included its sequel, Kaze no Yukue, for the sake of convenience.
This is a review of a yaoi title. If you're uncomfortable reading about the subject, would you like to read about the wacky adventure-comedy Franken Fran instead?
English titles: Memory of the Future / Where the Wind Goes
Author: KUNIEDA Saika
Genres: comedy, drama, romance, yaoi
Length // Status: 1 volume each // complete
Scanlated by: Loveless (Mirai no Kioku), DokiDoki (Kaze no Yukue)
Warnings: yaoi?
Synopsis
When his marriage proposal ends disastrously, Chemistry teacher Kento Kumagaya agrees to drown his sorrows with a guy at the bar. He then proceeds to wake up from his drunken sleep to find the same guy seducing him. Although Kento is straight, the two end up having sex. The next morning Kento wakes up alone in his hotel bed, with no way to contact the guy from the previous night. Imagine his surprise when he goes to work and discovers the new art teacher, Akira Kazuki, is none other than his one-night-stand partner!
Plot and character development
OK, so the plot isn't exactly new or original and I certainly didn't expect anything more than fluffy PWP*, so I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered I was wrong. This is a charming little series specifically because it sounds realistic, albeit with a few moments that require you suspend your disbelief. The pacing is kind of slow sometimes but the humor more than makes up for it. The sex scenes are also very well drawn and can get quite explicit at times; also, for a yaoi series, they're integrated with the plot and don't feel slapped there just to get the manga into the genre.
As for the characters, I love them because they're stupid - but not in the intellectual sense. If anything, it's fun to see Kento and Akira act all awkward around each other and get into silly arguments over trivial matters. Oh, and one thing you won't find here is the dominative seme/extremely submissive uke. As contradictory as that sounds, both Kento and Akira are stubborn as Hell and would rather sulk for days on end than say sorry or admit they're wrong. Some of their actions, while not what most would choose to do, are the perfect representation of the idiotic, impulsive and new couple that doesn't have a firm footing yet.
Kento, Akira, Kento's grandpa and grandma, Akira's mom
The secondary characters are Kento's grandparents (both over the age of 80) and Akira's mother, a very beautiful woman who's lost count of how many times she's been married. While Akira's mother is a fun and quirky character, she doesn't appear often, so the grandparents end up stealing the show - particularly the homophobic grandfather, who is very much against his grandson dating a man. The grandmother is happy to be the voice of reason and provide some insight into Kento and Akira's relationship, while also being the metaphorical bridge that links the two generations.
* PWP = porn without plot
Art style
It took me a bit of time to get used to the art style since it looks like the author didn't bother to add too much detail to her characters' faces. An exception to this is Akira, whose face is very detailed (especially his eyes), but most of the other characters are ordinary and "tall, dark and silent" types (or more like slow, loveable oafs).
Final verdict
All in all, this is a rare gem that I haven't heard anyone mention. I'm surprised it isn't more popular, but at the same time I can see why: it has a quaint and homely atmosphere and doesn't rely too much on action, like mainstream manga do; plus, it's short and the story can't be expanded anymore without damaging the original idea. All the beauty comes from the characters and their relationships and that's precisely what sets this apart from the rest of the yaoi. I'd recommend this if you're in the mood for something that will make you smile and feel all fluffy inside c:
Where to read them: Mirai no Kioku | Kaze no Yukue
Where to download them: Mirai no Kioku | Kaze no Yukue
