[REC] IRO OTOKO

[kutsuwamushi]

Edit: Loveless's website is down, which makes me suspect they are gone and this is neither available through their IRC channel nor going to be updated. Get hooked at your own risk.

Mangaka: Toribito Hiromi
Genre: Yaoi, historical
Length: 3 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Loveless

Amidst the crowds in Asakusa district, Tokyo, a young man is assaulted by a group of bandits. When a red-haired stranger comes to his rescue, Suoh falls in love at first sight, but all is fair in love and war. (Loveless)

That makes Suoh sound like a total wuss--but what I like about this series is that he isn't. For sure, he's a gay man who designs flamboyant kimono, but he has a huge temper and isn't afraid to use it. The characterization is unusually multi-faceted for yaoi manga.

And so is the story. It's nothing sensationally complicated, but there are several things going on: Suoh's conflict with his younger brother over the direction of their kimono shop, the dangerous gangster trying to seduce both of them, Suoh's unrequited love for Shinobu (the stranger who saved him), and Shinobu's problems with being a Christian an obviously foreign in historical Japan.

Three chapters and no sex yet, just one hot hot hot masturbation scene. Unfortunately, there have been no updates recently, so it may be languishing.

Sample Pages
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