Scandalous Seiryo University

This is a Yaoi novel. Yaoi is a Japanese art form, graphic novels featuring gay romances, written primarily by women and intended for women. They can range from sweet romances, to graphic depictions of sex between two men. If this is not your cup of tea, well, you have been warned.

As might be deduced from the title, Scandalous Seiryo University is a High School Romance, a very popular motif in Yaoi. The story focuses on Hajizume Yuichi, president of the Student Council. A bit of a scoundrel Yuichi rules the school with an iron fist, terrorizing student and teacher alike. But when straight-forward earnest Misonoi Tsuyoshi transfers in, Yuichi finds himself intrigued. He quickly seduces the boy, surprisingly taking the role of the Uke, (the receptive partner.) And Tsuyoshi gladly fills the role of the Seme.

Their romance is whole heartedly supported by the student body, who have discovered a satisfied Yuichi is much easier to live with.

The second story with the couple centers on Tsuyoshi's angsty self-examination of how he feels. Does the fact that he and Yuichi breed like bunnies every single day mean they are a couple? Does he love Yuichi? It is not until his guardian, Hayakawa Hirotaka, who has loved him for a very long time, puts the moves on him that he realizes that he does love Yuichi, and only Yuichi. Now the question is how will Hirotaka take the rejection.

The next two stories of the book focus on another couple, Tachibana Naoto and Manabe Atsushi. They are second cousins, and attend the same college. Naoto is rather short and sometimes mistaken for a girl. Atsushi is tall, athletic and popular.

This story is a typical Uke gets jealous for all the wrong reasons, and the Seme sets it right by seducing him story. It's a little angsty, but not overbearingly so, and Naoto is smaller and big eyed, but stops short of being the "substitute woman" yoai uke.

In the second story with the couple, the outside force that tests their love is Naoto's big brother Natsuki. He and Naoto are very close, and Atsushi feels a bit left out. So how do you object to your lover spending time with his brother?

The last story is about Taguchi, an art student, and Kuroda, a teacher's assistant. It's just a straight forward dance of romance, how we hooked up story, but well written.

All these stories follow time honored Yaoi traditions. Of everything, the Yuichi/Tsuyoshi stories are the most original; the others are all very familiar. What does step this up beyond most other yaoi is the sex. The art is very graphic, and titillating enough to satisfy occidental gay men, not just Japanese women. There is almost no masking, a tradition to make it past Japanese sensors. This stuff is very hot, and very graphic. If this is not your cup of tea, then consider this review a warning. However, if you like this sort of thing, this is a hearty recommendation.

The Yuichi/Tsuyoshi stories are a cut above, four stars. The rest are average, three stars. But the art in all is five star material, giving the entire book a four star rating.