July 2009

A manga about making manga, is not quite a novel idea in the history of manga. However, Higashizato-sensei’s take on this idea succeeds on many levels. It is hilarious, insightful, entertaining and dare I say it, gratifies the needs of readers who craves some insider perspective of the manga industry, and yaoi in particular. As the blurb states, Ozawa is a new editor who realizes on the first day of work that he is employed by the BL arm of the publishing company. Despite being understandably freaked out, he continues working, and on the first day dispatched to take care of Kakyoin Sakurako, a mangaka with a rushing deadline, as a replacement for an ill co-worker and editor.

What follows is a thrill ride as readers learn the intricacies of the industry alongside the protagonist as he experiences them. Not surprisingly, one of the reasons he was employed is because he is the perfect moe fodder for the mangakas contracted by the publishing company. so potent is his moe-ness that even the considerably worldly Kakyoin-sensei is not immune to Ozawa’s charms.

while the art is not as refined nor as realistic as some other manga in the market, the characters are aesthetically pleasing and well-rendered, with the panels not too lacking in backgrounds. surprisingly, the manga is not as raunchy as the other works Higashizato-sensei has produced. In fact, it is rather tame in comparison. Despite that, this volume is by no means lacking in sex-scenes, albeit being somewhat non-explicit. Perhaps it is due to the fact that this manga is light and cheeky in nature, and thus operates on a different level than her darker works.

Ozawa is very appealing, both physically and in personality. The author has truly imbued his character with enough moe to make a horde of fangirls go “kyaaa!” numerous times (which happens quite a bit in the manga too) especially the floppy bunny ears he sports in chibi form. His internal monologues are hilarious as well. While possessing many of the stereotypical uke characteristics, Ozawa does not scream femininity, a fault that befalls too many in uke. In a stroke of genius, Higashizato molds Ozawa into the really cute category (at least in my opinion) that makes the story more interesting. Kakyoin Sakurako, on the other hand, has two modes, — one, typical scruffy, bearded and ink-stained crazy mangaka and two, gorgeous, out-of-the-world bishounen, with an impressive wardrobe to boot. The supporting characters are funny and pretty fleshed out, especially Kakyoin’s three assistants and Ozawa’s chief editor. That aside, what really drew me into the manga is how Higashizato delves a bit into what exactly constitutes moe and how the otakus fan the flames of their obsession through cosplay, conventions and of course doujinshis. For fun, those in the know might find it as entertaining as I did, trying to figure out which manga/anime she had depicted on the doujinshis, these little touches are the reason why I find this manga to be extremely entertaining.

This manga also has few shortcomings, some of it was even mentioned in the manga itself (how’s that for self-parody?), namely the cop-out reason of love at first sight. The relationship existing between Ozawa and Kakyoin feels a little rush, considering they jumped into bed early in the book, and the development of the relationship seems somewhat disjointed. On the other hand, since this seems like the first volume in this series, I have high expectations that this  minor setback will be dealt with in later installments. All in all, for a high-energy romp through the intricacies of editorial work with temperamental yaoi mangakas, this is one of the best offerings out there, at least that I know of. It’s a comical and light reading that will appeal to those who wishes to deepen their knowledge of the industry, even by a little bit.