Product Description

Masatsugu Hanamura and Kuniomi Takakura are both Japanese nobility and heirs to two separate Marquis families. As childhood friends and rivals, they live hedonistic lifestyles. Their pastime is a friendly competition where they place bets to see who can win their target's affection first. Then one day, Kuniomi makes a passionate confession of love to Masatsugu and...!? What will become of their life altering bet between these two beautiful men...!? A Taisho era love story!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #318595 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781598833980
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Light yaoi (m/m), with quite a few explicit scenes
I really do not follow why would anyone compare yaoi (m/m) manga to Jane Austen's works (or expect a Japanese yaoi manga-ka to write a parody on her works; see previous review). The title might have been chosen by translators, and regardless of what they intended, the chosen title still suits the story pretty well on its own. Based on the title and product description, I didn't have any associations or particular expectations - except for a light sexy yaoi, and that's exactly what I got.

The book first appears to be a collection of short stories with the common theme of two very manly characters (rich and bored) preying on beautiful men and betting who would bed that beauty number "X" sooner. The stories include saving a young male prostitute from the brothel, "helping" a delicate actor, and giving "advice" to a novice (virgin) in matters of love (a male student). So, so far, both of our characters are calculating, full of logic and "sense". Then, (un)expectedly, a taller and cooler character falls for a bit shorter and more hot-tempered one (I'm sure you can guess who's a seme and who's a uke right away :)). That's where true exploration of their "sexuality" (and I guess, lack of "sense") starts...

The stories are light and relaxing, with quite a high number of scenes of frontal nudity. Those scenes are not censored and well drawn (though sometimes it seems that the heroes' bodies (and important body parts ..) defy laws of physics, but they still look hot :)). If you like explicit and light yaoi with manly-looking seme and uke, this may be a good buy. The story is not that memorable, and there's nothing particularly deep here (at least, not to me), but I found it still a fairly relaxing and overall enjoyable read.

Smutty but otherwise unexceptional
The original Japanese title of this book translates to something like "Advancement of the Infamous". There is no connection whatsoever with "Sense and Sensibility"; the English title and the Austin quote on the cover are just someone at Kitty being punny for no reason.

The story is set in the Taisho era of Japan (1912-1926), but doesn't really succeed in giving a historical feel; the author has a weak grasp on period costume (to the extent that ladies' fashion seems to be stuck in the 1890s), the environment is only lightly sketched, and the dialogue (or at least the translation) is full of anachronisms, so the setting mainly becomes an excuse to draw poorly-rendered carriages and period-inappropriate evening wear (protip: tuxedos were *strictly informal* dinner dress at this point in time). The sexual mores, of course, are quite unlike those of the day, with fulminating bisexual promiscuity causing not so much as a raised eyebrow and hot male prostitutes on call at all finer establishments.

The plot concerns two libertine seme-types, scions of minor Japanese nobility and fabulously wealthy; the dark-haired one is said to have a job in finance as well, but we never really see him do much of anything and he seems to plenty of time for lounging about with blond seme, his childhood friend and bosom companion. They are, of course, rivals, and the first half of the book concerns their various wagers as to who will be first to seduce assorted delectable young things (final count: one win to blonde seme, one win to brunette seme, one draw, much smut for the reader). Somewhere around page 100, brunette seme experiences a coup de foudre and realizes his one true love is *spoiler* (you will never guess who); this promptly goes south because *spoiler*, although totally on board with the hump-like-bunnies program, refuses to bottom. One bit of silly and overwrought melodrama later, *spoiler* realizes how much brunette seme truly means to him and gives it up in explicit detail, followed by a romantic but undermotivated elopement to Europe.

Overall, this was an acceptable but not exceptional bit of manporn. The art never rises much above competent; Higashino's men are reasonably attractive, but blond seme is never convincing as the heartrending beauty he is supposed to be. Likewise, the characterization and emotional content are mostly driven by tell-don't-show exposition. On the plus side, there is explicit sex in nearly every chapter, but it's not really as hot as it should be. If this was a non-yaoi manga I'd say "hit your local library and try before you buy", but that's unlikely to be an option here.

Sexy hard core yaoi in regency Japan. Hot aristocrats!
I like this one alot. Maybe it's because it has been a while since my last hard core Yaoi involving muscular guys. Or it maybe because I love regency gay romances. Whatever the reason Sense and Sexuality definitely works for me. Pure indulgence and hedonism, it is a delightful and sexy story as our 2 aristocrats, Masatsugu and Kuniomi play, flirt, seduce and compete against each other on who conquer his male victim first. Hence 3 sexy chapters as the competition is on for a nobleman's innocent son, a passionless but talented singer and finally an adorable male prostitute. But each so called victim has his own agenda and our 2 guys are the ones ending up the "losers". Love eventually calls and the story turns a trifle serious as Kuniomi reveals his long suffering love for Masatsugu. Kuniomi turns up to be a pretty level headed guy who plans for what he wants and he desires Masatsugu. On the other hand Masatsugu just wishes to stick to his hedonistic ways. The developing romance is sweet and of course the quesion is who is going to be the "bottom" ? Just love a seme who outgrows his uke (grin). As for the sex what could be hotter than 2 muscular guys at it! And why would anyone think this could have anything resembling Jane Austen's works??