A Gentleman’s Kiss vol. 2
Story and Art: Shinri Fuwa
Published by the Juné Imprint of Digital Manga, Inc.
ISBN-10: 1-56970-582-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-56970-582-7
Review by I-hsiu Lin
To recap my previous review, rival yakuza heirs and successful club owners, Homura Yasobe and Touji Karasuma are secretly lovers. However, a host, Kyoya finds out about their affair and decides to step up his plans to make Homura fall for him. That ended the first volume. In the second volume, Touji has plans of his own with a sudden marriage proposal to a daughter of one of the yakuza leaders in Homura’s group. What is really going on? Touji is still in love with Homura who can’t even face him. Instead, he turns to Kyoya. To kill time or to seek support?
Turning to Kyoya may be an overstatement. Rather he allows himself to move at the younger man’s pace. They meet, drink and end up in bed as lovers do. At the same time, The Yasobe group must move to action in response to Touji’s declaration of marriage. Homura must act as heir and investigate. But his indecision and inability to face family and lover wrought trouble upon both parties and himself.
I really enjoyed Shinri Fuwa’s character development in Homura and Touji. He acknowledges that he longs to be with Touji and that he doesn’t know what will become of their relationship due to their ties as yakuza. That point becomes the main motive in the plots that Touji develops since he wants them to step out from the shadows. Realizing this, Homura comes to terms with himself and announces firmly that he wants to be him as well. I’m happy to see this take place prior to the more tragic turn of the story. This shows Homura’s strength in character and not just a typical ‘I love him because he cannot be with me anymore’ scenario. Of course, he becomes more serious as an avenging lover after the ‘incident’. The revealing of Touji’s character is interesting as well. He takes on the role of heir and becomes a leader with a maturity and sternness that is needed…yet he still shows that he wants to be Homura. Those scenes when he reveals his softer side seem very smooth and realistic (if a yakuza in love with another can be realistic.)
This volume moved at a faster pace and the scenes in the bedroom are bit more ‘entertaining’ then in volume one…though it still left much to be desired. However, the story didn’t feel lacking in that respect. My favorite chapter will have to be the last one: a year after the main story ends. The humor of it all gives the story a nice closure.
As an added note, this story is actually a spinoff of another story starring Homura’s brother, Tamaki. Titled Zettai Unmei Houteishiki (Absolute Fated Equation,) Fuwa mentions this in the first volume of A Gentlemen’s Kiss. It hasn’t been licensed yet in English, but the two characters of that story do make an appearance in this series. Tamaki appears in volume one and again in volume two with Tomoyuki. Perhaps Juné will pick it up someday. If not, we can leave it to our imaginations of how Tamaki and Tomoyuki got together. I hear it was through a kiss….