What do you think?
Rate this book
Ai no Kusabi #1
Ai No Kusabi The Space Between Volume 1: Stranger
In the future, on a distant star lives a new society. Ruled by a computer system named Jupiter, men are divided into classes based on their hair color. The Blondies, genetically altered by Jupiter, are the highest class and occupy the capital city of Tanagura. Those with black hair, Mongrels, are forced to live in the slums, Ceres. Iason, the leader of the Blondies, encounters Riki, a mongrel, in the streets of Ceres one night and sets out to own him.
---
Taken from back cover:
The Man's upturned blue eyes were so unimaginably beautiful that they could make anybody tremble with awe. In this moment, however, they also glimmered with an icy fire--perhaps revealing the fury of his wounded pride, or rather, a manifestation of his uncontrollable obsession.
Ceres: a city without ethics or taboos, ruled by instincts and lusts. These are the slums--immutable, eternal, home to those poor, caged souls stricken with a perpetual melancholy.
After three years, Riki unexpectedly returns to Ceres, but all is not well. The "Charisma" of the slums is a changed man. Faced with growing suspicion that he's lost his spark, and haunted by the memory of what happened during those three years away from the slums, Riki finds himself pulled into the escalating gang warfare as rivals attempt to wipe out his pack before they can regroup under their newly-returned leader. And then there is the frighteningly cold, regrettably familiar man he meets by chance one day: the beautiful Iason Mink. What secrets lie behind the smile of that bewitching Blondy?
---
Taken from back cover:
The Man's upturned blue eyes were so unimaginably beautiful that they could make anybody tremble with awe. In this moment, however, they also glimmered with an icy fire--perhaps revealing the fury of his wounded pride, or rather, a manifestation of his uncontrollable obsession.
Ceres: a city without ethics or taboos, ruled by instincts and lusts. These are the slums--immutable, eternal, home to those poor, caged souls stricken with a perpetual melancholy.
After three years, Riki unexpectedly returns to Ceres, but all is not well. The "Charisma" of the slums is a changed man. Faced with growing suspicion that he's lost his spark, and haunted by the memory of what happened during those three years away from the slums, Riki finds himself pulled into the escalating gang warfare as rivals attempt to wipe out his pack before they can regroup under their newly-returned leader. And then there is the frighteningly cold, regrettably familiar man he meets by chance one day: the beautiful Iason Mink. What secrets lie behind the smile of that bewitching Blondy?
152 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
135 people are currently reading
2379 people want to read
About the author
Rieko Yoshihara
22 books109 followersJapanese author and a key creator of the homoerotic subgenre known in Japan as shōnen ai ["boys' love"]. Yoshihara spent the first three years of her career writing straightforward homoerotic romance, before stumbling into sf, seemingly by accident, with the success of her signature work Ai no Kusabi (December 1986-October 1987 Shōsetsu June; 1990; trans as The Space Between 2007-2008 [see Checklist for details]). Originally published in book form as a single hardback novel, it was later reissued as a six-part series, from which the English translation was made.
Yoshihara's work is strongly redolent of the sexually-charged mysteries of Ranpo Edogawa, and shares many overt themes with the controversial sf of Shōzō Numa. However, it reached an entirely different audience, one largely unaware of these precursors. The world of Ai no Kusabi is divided by decree into classes defined by Genetic Engineering as signalled by the hair colour of the blond rulers and their black-haired subjects. The Blondies are forbidden from sexual intercourse, but often keep members of the dark-haired underclass for use as "pets" and "furniture". In an attempt to curtail Overpopulation, no more than 10% of births may be female, effectively rendering the milieu as an all-male environment, as opposed to the female Keep of Yoshihara's contemporary Yumi Matsuo.
In a sense, Yoshihara's work is an extreme comment on Women in SF, by excluding them almost entirely from a narrative of intense homoerotic relationships and macho vendettas. In depicting abusive relationships between men, in a world from which women are removed or somehow distanced, she tapped into an unexpectedly large subsection of female fandom. Ai no Kusabi found a passionate readership in Japan, sufficient to secure a Seiun Award for its illustrator Katsumi Michihara, although not for its author. The series has twice been adapted into anime, as a two-part video in 1992 and on DVD in 2012; there have also been CD dramas in the style of Radio plays, as well as a Manga edition. Long before its licensed translation in the twenty-first century, it gained a similarly passionate fan following at the periphery of US anime fandom, often among viewers who were forced to guess at the Japanese plot. In its romanticizing of both abstinence and abuse, it can be seen as a forerunner of certain subsets of twenty-first century fantasy, particularly the depiction of Vampires typified by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.
Ai no Kusabi was the subject of a prolonged fan translation project, the results of which are often at odds with the output of the legal English-language publication. This is a feature of the sheer fanaticism of Fandom, but also of the many difficulties facing a translator of its complex, multi-layered situations. Even the title encompasses a multiplicity of meanings, with "The Space Between" in Japanese also a pun on "Bonds of Love", "Wedge of Interval" and numerous other possible readings. Moreover, some of Yoshihara's editions offer a decorative English-language subtitle on the Japanese cover, even though her English-language title is often an inexact or counter-intuitive rendering of the actual Japanese. Such fogging of meaning is commonplace in modern Japanese sf, but plays havoc with encyclopedia listings (> Hisashi Kuroma).
Although hardly one of the Mainstream Writers of SF, Yoshihara shares many of their concerns, being primarily an author in one genre (her mundane homosexual romances are largely unlisted here), who only occasionally dabbles in Fantastika. Several of her other books touch on otherworldly themes. Kage no Kan ["House of Shadows"] (1994) eroticizes the relationship between Lucifer and his sworn enemy, the archangel Michael. Although not listed as a sequel per se, the following year's Satan no Fūin ["Seal of Satan"] (1995), shares an illustrator, as well as an apparent continuation of the story as Lucifer lives out his exile on Earth (> Gods and Demons). [JonC]
Yoshihara's work is strongly redolent of the sexually-charged mysteries of Ranpo Edogawa, and shares many overt themes with the controversial sf of Shōzō Numa. However, it reached an entirely different audience, one largely unaware of these precursors. The world of Ai no Kusabi is divided by decree into classes defined by Genetic Engineering as signalled by the hair colour of the blond rulers and their black-haired subjects. The Blondies are forbidden from sexual intercourse, but often keep members of the dark-haired underclass for use as "pets" and "furniture". In an attempt to curtail Overpopulation, no more than 10% of births may be female, effectively rendering the milieu as an all-male environment, as opposed to the female Keep of Yoshihara's contemporary Yumi Matsuo.
In a sense, Yoshihara's work is an extreme comment on Women in SF, by excluding them almost entirely from a narrative of intense homoerotic relationships and macho vendettas. In depicting abusive relationships between men, in a world from which women are removed or somehow distanced, she tapped into an unexpectedly large subsection of female fandom. Ai no Kusabi found a passionate readership in Japan, sufficient to secure a Seiun Award for its illustrator Katsumi Michihara, although not for its author. The series has twice been adapted into anime, as a two-part video in 1992 and on DVD in 2012; there have also been CD dramas in the style of Radio plays, as well as a Manga edition. Long before its licensed translation in the twenty-first century, it gained a similarly passionate fan following at the periphery of US anime fandom, often among viewers who were forced to guess at the Japanese plot. In its romanticizing of both abstinence and abuse, it can be seen as a forerunner of certain subsets of twenty-first century fantasy, particularly the depiction of Vampires typified by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.
Ai no Kusabi was the subject of a prolonged fan translation project, the results of which are often at odds with the output of the legal English-language publication. This is a feature of the sheer fanaticism of Fandom, but also of the many difficulties facing a translator of its complex, multi-layered situations. Even the title encompasses a multiplicity of meanings, with "The Space Between" in Japanese also a pun on "Bonds of Love", "Wedge of Interval" and numerous other possible readings. Moreover, some of Yoshihara's editions offer a decorative English-language subtitle on the Japanese cover, even though her English-language title is often an inexact or counter-intuitive rendering of the actual Japanese. Such fogging of meaning is commonplace in modern Japanese sf, but plays havoc with encyclopedia listings (> Hisashi Kuroma).
Although hardly one of the Mainstream Writers of SF, Yoshihara shares many of their concerns, being primarily an author in one genre (her mundane homosexual romances are largely unlisted here), who only occasionally dabbles in Fantastika. Several of her other books touch on otherworldly themes. Kage no Kan ["House of Shadows"] (1994) eroticizes the relationship between Lucifer and his sworn enemy, the archangel Michael. Although not listed as a sequel per se, the following year's Satan no Fūin ["Seal of Satan"] (1995), shares an illustrator, as well as an apparent continuation of the story as Lucifer lives out his exile on Earth (> Gods and Demons). [JonC]
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
December 3, 2010
No words could ever express my feelings towards this book.
I'm more than just biased here as Ai No Kusabi was my first yaoi anime and so after watching this anime I plunged into the world of BL manga and anime.
Iason and Riki are still my all time favorite characters. They are charismatic, strong, beautiful and just drop dead gorgeous (especially Iason *sighs*). The development of their relationship makes you sit on the edge of your chair and keep your fingers crossed for them, because you just can't not fall for them and be distressed for them. The intensity of the anime (and I hope that that's the same with the book) is just overwhelming! Though in a good way.
And one more thing I wanted to say. It's not about the main characters, but it's about one character that is always present throughout all books in this series. It's a world.
The world of the planet Amoi, its cities, communities in those cities and life of those communities. The distopian world, created by Reiko Yoshihara, is a very interesting and very well worked through place. I was really glad, that this first volume contained much information on the structure of this world, because in the anime we had only a glimpse of what this world actually was - only the pictures of it with some bits of facts.
I liked it that this book is devoted more to the description of the setting, than to the relationship between Iason and Riki, because it's rather crucial to get an insight into the world where the story is taking place to understand the relationship better.
Now I'm looking forward to reading other volumes!
I'm more than just biased here as Ai No Kusabi was my first yaoi anime and so after watching this anime I plunged into the world of BL manga and anime.
Iason and Riki are still my all time favorite characters. They are charismatic, strong, beautiful and just drop dead gorgeous (especially Iason *sighs*). The development of their relationship makes you sit on the edge of your chair and keep your fingers crossed for them, because you just can't not fall for them and be distressed for them. The intensity of the anime (and I hope that that's the same with the book) is just overwhelming! Though in a good way.
And one more thing I wanted to say. It's not about the main characters, but it's about one character that is always present throughout all books in this series. It's a world.
The world of the planet Amoi, its cities, communities in those cities and life of those communities. The distopian world, created by Reiko Yoshihara, is a very interesting and very well worked through place. I was really glad, that this first volume contained much information on the structure of this world, because in the anime we had only a glimpse of what this world actually was - only the pictures of it with some bits of facts.
I liked it that this book is devoted more to the description of the setting, than to the relationship between Iason and Riki, because it's rather crucial to get an insight into the world where the story is taking place to understand the relationship better.
Now I'm looking forward to reading other volumes!
Read
July 6, 2023Ah shit idk how to rate this give me a minute
November 6, 2015
Ai no Kusabi Vol. 1: Stranger
"Do you know what ai no kusabi means? It's an ancient term; it means something that binds two things together. It's impossible to live without someone else. It might break your heart, but there's love that can only be expressed the way they lived it."
Normally I don't want to write reviews of books in a series until I've read all of them. But for this I had to at least get my initial thoughts down. I can always come back and change them later on. (I write a proper review at the very end.
I will have to say now, I've already seen the animes (both the original version; 1992/1994 as well as the 2012 remake) and reading the novels would definitely help understand the complexities of the story. The anime films only were able to scratch the bare surface. This first book goes into detail, within the context of the narrative, about the world of the story and knowing all this is vital in understanding these characters, why they do what they do and eventually show the gradual change of heart as love develops between Iason and Riki. It's also important to understand this world's cultural and social dynamic which plays a very integral role in how Riki initially perceives Iason and vice versa. I would be able to watch the animes again with at least a better understanding of where everyone is coming from. But this is the one that pretty much put the genre of yaoi on the map so to speak and will set the stage for all the other works to follow. Taking all 8 volumes as a whole, is this the novel that would set the standard for the genre? Not necessarily. Since there was no set yaoi genre during the time this novel was originally published in serialized form, no set conventions had been cast in proverbial stone- not as they would be later. So far, I'm loving this as I expected I would. I would love to see this made into a feature film. It so deserves the large screen treatment. :)
I certainly recommend this series to fans of yaoi, as well as fans of the animes (and M/M romance lit) and who wants to read an undisputed classic in the genre; fans of the animes who haven't read any of the novels-definitely should read them because it tells more of the story and will help place events that happen in the anime within proper context.
"Do you know what ai no kusabi means? It's an ancient term; it means something that binds two things together. It's impossible to live without someone else. It might break your heart, but there's love that can only be expressed the way they lived it."
Normally I don't want to write reviews of books in a series until I've read all of them. But for this I had to at least get my initial thoughts down. I can always come back and change them later on. (I write a proper review at the very end.
I will have to say now, I've already seen the animes (both the original version; 1992/1994 as well as the 2012 remake) and reading the novels would definitely help understand the complexities of the story. The anime films only were able to scratch the bare surface. This first book goes into detail, within the context of the narrative, about the world of the story and knowing all this is vital in understanding these characters, why they do what they do and eventually show the gradual change of heart as love develops between Iason and Riki. It's also important to understand this world's cultural and social dynamic which plays a very integral role in how Riki initially perceives Iason and vice versa. I would be able to watch the animes again with at least a better understanding of where everyone is coming from. But this is the one that pretty much put the genre of yaoi on the map so to speak and will set the stage for all the other works to follow. Taking all 8 volumes as a whole, is this the novel that would set the standard for the genre? Not necessarily. Since there was no set yaoi genre during the time this novel was originally published in serialized form, no set conventions had been cast in proverbial stone- not as they would be later. So far, I'm loving this as I expected I would. I would love to see this made into a feature film. It so deserves the large screen treatment. :)
I certainly recommend this series to fans of yaoi, as well as fans of the animes (and M/M romance lit) and who wants to read an undisputed classic in the genre; fans of the animes who haven't read any of the novels-definitely should read them because it tells more of the story and will help place events that happen in the anime within proper context.
January 13, 2008
I adore Ai no Kusabi and it will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first yaoi anime I ever saw. Set on a planet where, due to environmental conditions, the population is virtually all male, the two main characters are Iason Mink, a Blondy, and Riki, a boy from the slums. Theirs is a dark, twisted relationship in which neither will submit to the other and ultimately ends in tragedy.
I was very much looking forward to reading the novel version because it has been revised and I was hoping for more insight into what Iason and Riki think about the situations they find themselves in and, each other, but unfortunately, this book is the first of three parts and so only just starts to get going when it ends! I'm still hopeful for that insight nonetheless so I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume ;-)!
I was very much looking forward to reading the novel version because it has been revised and I was hoping for more insight into what Iason and Riki think about the situations they find themselves in and, each other, but unfortunately, this book is the first of three parts and so only just starts to get going when it ends! I'm still hopeful for that insight nonetheless so I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume ;-)!
September 16, 2014
This book seem to have a whole lot of words, yet not a whole lot of action. The only sexy bits you get are at the very beginning and that's it. The rest of the book is either textbook style history lesson of the world or a composition on how Riki used to be super awesome and how he's not and boring. No one really get's that much characterization, save for Kirie who is said to be like Riki was. However even he is only going "Let's go do something! You all wanna go do something?" and Riki going "Be quiet. No!" The rest of characters that speak are usually other gangs going "Man Bison was awesome, they aren't so awesome any more. Weren't they awesome... yeah not so awesome now."
There really isn't much to say more than this. I wish I had more words but, no the book didn't really allow for more.
There really isn't much to say more than this. I wish I had more words but, no the book didn't really allow for more.
August 23, 2014
Didn't expect a fucking dark futuristic setting with an emphasis on social injustice and dynamics from a BL novel. Well, it is from the 80s, stuff wasn't absolute shit back then I guess.
Liking it so far. Characters are realistic. So rare these days.
Liking it so far. Characters are realistic. So rare these days.
June 13, 2014
When I started reading the books, I could not help noticing how different, at least to some degree, the characters are from the OVAs. Iason seems harsher, Riki seems more withdrawn and even depressed, Katze ... well, in my opinion, he simply hates Iason ... that was unexpected.
I am still waiting for the last book. I am extremely curious about the moment when Guy will go psycho ... in the books, he does not seem so in love with Riki, as I got the impression from the OVAs.
Still, it is a great read, it sheds some light on certain parts left obscured in the OVAs, while making the others even more complicated. Rieko-sensei really did a great job with this one.
In my opinion, the best yaoi story ever written. It has drama, obsession, forbidden love and kinky sex ... absolute 5 star all around!
I am still waiting for the last book. I am extremely curious about the moment when Guy will go psycho ... in the books, he does not seem so in love with Riki, as I got the impression from the OVAs.
Still, it is a great read, it sheds some light on certain parts left obscured in the OVAs, while making the others even more complicated. Rieko-sensei really did a great job with this one.
In my opinion, the best yaoi story ever written. It has drama, obsession, forbidden love and kinky sex ... absolute 5 star all around!
October 8, 2015
This is a weird book--weird in a good but frustrating way.
Ai no Kusabi is frequently heralded as one of the best yaoi novels (male x male erotica) ever written. Published in the 1990 as a hardbound novel in Japan, it took nearly two decades for this to be brought over to the West in English. For some odd reason, June (an imprint of Digital Manga Publishing that only publishes yaoi) divided up the novel into 8 novellas (6 in Japan). The author puts a note at the end that even she found this surprising. Thus this volume is more a less a giant introduction and not really a complete story by any means. Apparently it is the entire first chapter of the hardbound version as its own volume! How odd!
In any case, Ai no Kusabi is unique compared to other yaoi. Despite its age, it is still vastly darker than most yaoi out there today. Its setting is in a distant and dystopian future where human-kind has since expanded its reaches to space. The setting is on a planet called Amoy where its inhabitants are ruled by a super computer A.I called Jupiter. Here the humans are stripped of many of their basic human rights and carnal pleasure abounds with little regards to morals. The protagonist, Riki, is a punk from the slums, Ceres. Once a famous gang leader, he is now a shadow of his former self. No one knows why but he disappeared for three years then suddenly comes back a changed man.
This entire volume is basically all setup. Yoshihara gives us a very textbook-ish description of Amoy's history and its society. It's very well thought out and has that classic dystopian setting so popular in science fiction novels. While this is all well and good for those interested, I can see how the long-winded blocks of info-dumping can be a real pain to some readers. We are teased with a sex scene right from the start and the book is heavily advertised by the cover alone as an erotic novel. Yet, that's as far as this volume goes. We see no more actual sex scenes and instead are given just a bunch of backdrop on the setting and Riki's past as this hero of the slums.
There is little in the way of character development. Though Riki is fleshed out rather well, the other characters fall short. Riki's gang mates are sort of just clumped together as a collective group except for Guy, Riki's ex-lover (or "Pairing Partner" as they are called in this novel). Even then, Guy has very little personality. Many times dialogue is exchanged without clearly indicating who is saying what, making it a bit confusing at times and pretty much pushing the other members into a uniformed clump rather than as individuals. Then there's Kirie, the new guy of the gang and the only one Riki has no memories with. He's haughty and brash, thus allowing him to stand out the most (next to Riki) as a character. He plays an important role in the story and shows an interesting dynamic of who Riki was in the past and who he is now. We also get snippets here and there hinting at the secondary main character of the series, Iason Mink, but he doesn't make much of an impact at this point aside from being a phantom that haunts Riki's waking conscious.
The actual style of the narrative is very dense. Plenty of long and pretentious words are used and, depending on your tastes, can come off as annoying purple prose. I'm not sure if this is the translator's or author's fault.
A lot of the illustrations in the volume seem pretty random or misplaced. They often depict a scene that occurrs two or more pages before, making them pretty out of context with the blocks of text beside them. Michihara's art is good though dated by today's standards. Some people may prefer the 1992 OVA's style over hers, and I would personally be in that crowd.
Nonetheless, this is a decent intro to the series. We get a nice buildup of the tension between Iason and Riki that helps set the stage for further installments.
Ai no Kusabi is frequently heralded as one of the best yaoi novels (male x male erotica) ever written. Published in the 1990 as a hardbound novel in Japan, it took nearly two decades for this to be brought over to the West in English. For some odd reason, June (an imprint of Digital Manga Publishing that only publishes yaoi) divided up the novel into 8 novellas (6 in Japan). The author puts a note at the end that even she found this surprising. Thus this volume is more a less a giant introduction and not really a complete story by any means. Apparently it is the entire first chapter of the hardbound version as its own volume! How odd!
In any case, Ai no Kusabi is unique compared to other yaoi. Despite its age, it is still vastly darker than most yaoi out there today. Its setting is in a distant and dystopian future where human-kind has since expanded its reaches to space. The setting is on a planet called Amoy where its inhabitants are ruled by a super computer A.I called Jupiter. Here the humans are stripped of many of their basic human rights and carnal pleasure abounds with little regards to morals. The protagonist, Riki, is a punk from the slums, Ceres. Once a famous gang leader, he is now a shadow of his former self. No one knows why but he disappeared for three years then suddenly comes back a changed man.
This entire volume is basically all setup. Yoshihara gives us a very textbook-ish description of Amoy's history and its society. It's very well thought out and has that classic dystopian setting so popular in science fiction novels. While this is all well and good for those interested, I can see how the long-winded blocks of info-dumping can be a real pain to some readers. We are teased with a sex scene right from the start and the book is heavily advertised by the cover alone as an erotic novel. Yet, that's as far as this volume goes. We see no more actual sex scenes and instead are given just a bunch of backdrop on the setting and Riki's past as this hero of the slums.
There is little in the way of character development. Though Riki is fleshed out rather well, the other characters fall short. Riki's gang mates are sort of just clumped together as a collective group except for Guy, Riki's ex-lover (or "Pairing Partner" as they are called in this novel). Even then, Guy has very little personality. Many times dialogue is exchanged without clearly indicating who is saying what, making it a bit confusing at times and pretty much pushing the other members into a uniformed clump rather than as individuals. Then there's Kirie, the new guy of the gang and the only one Riki has no memories with. He's haughty and brash, thus allowing him to stand out the most (next to Riki) as a character. He plays an important role in the story and shows an interesting dynamic of who Riki was in the past and who he is now. We also get snippets here and there hinting at the secondary main character of the series, Iason Mink, but he doesn't make much of an impact at this point aside from being a phantom that haunts Riki's waking conscious.
The actual style of the narrative is very dense. Plenty of long and pretentious words are used and, depending on your tastes, can come off as annoying purple prose. I'm not sure if this is the translator's or author's fault.
A lot of the illustrations in the volume seem pretty random or misplaced. They often depict a scene that occurrs two or more pages before, making them pretty out of context with the blocks of text beside them. Michihara's art is good though dated by today's standards. Some people may prefer the 1992 OVA's style over hers, and I would personally be in that crowd.
Nonetheless, this is a decent intro to the series. We get a nice buildup of the tension between Iason and Riki that helps set the stage for further installments.
April 19, 2019
A dystopian world where the Tanagura elite lord it over the citizens of Midas while the citizens of Midas look down their noses at the slums of Ceres plays out its suffocating class structure in a forbidden passion which threatens to undermind it, yet emboldens it. This relationship introduces itself as a mystery in dark, sweaty scenes of obsession and passion, a broken beauty’s return to the slums within he once shone as a charismatic, fiery gang leader and the man who adored him, all the while fighting the shadow of the Man who turned him into a toy and still hungers for him. To top it all off, there’s a fool kid who reminds him of his former self, hell-bent on making the same mistakes he once did.
I watched the Ai no Kusabi OVAs at every convention it played at and online every chance I got, hoping it would come out on DVD. (I have the compelling, yet frustratingly unfinished anime.) There’s something so wrong about this hierarchal, yet rebellious relationship between Iason Mink and Riki, yet something so profoundly raw, unapologetic, and blatantly seductive. It’s as if many a confused and conflicting feeling in the early days of yaoi, traditional relationships, and other sentiments were poured into this manga, creating a unique dystopian stew. This book fleshed out much of what the OVA did an excellent job of condensing and relating, yet it provides far more detail about the world itself, how Ceres became the slums, and the forces which Riki and Kirie find themselves caught between. Kirie becomes a much more sympathetic character than he was in the anime, even as he grates on the reader’s nerves along with Riki’s. There’s more about Bison, what they used to be, and the charismatic power Riki had over all its members, along with how special the relationship of ‘pairing partners’ between Riki and Guy was. Iason Mink, on the other hand remains an enigma, a beautiful, terryifying enigma with a grip of Riki’s heart and loins which is hinted at, yet still has to be explained. All of this entranced me, leaving me wanting the explanation, even though I know this story. For depicting all of this in arresting prose, punctuated by beautiful illustrations, I give this four stars.
I watched the Ai no Kusabi OVAs at every convention it played at and online every chance I got, hoping it would come out on DVD. (I have the compelling, yet frustratingly unfinished anime.) There’s something so wrong about this hierarchal, yet rebellious relationship between Iason Mink and Riki, yet something so profoundly raw, unapologetic, and blatantly seductive. It’s as if many a confused and conflicting feeling in the early days of yaoi, traditional relationships, and other sentiments were poured into this manga, creating a unique dystopian stew. This book fleshed out much of what the OVA did an excellent job of condensing and relating, yet it provides far more detail about the world itself, how Ceres became the slums, and the forces which Riki and Kirie find themselves caught between. Kirie becomes a much more sympathetic character than he was in the anime, even as he grates on the reader’s nerves along with Riki’s. There’s more about Bison, what they used to be, and the charismatic power Riki had over all its members, along with how special the relationship of ‘pairing partners’ between Riki and Guy was. Iason Mink, on the other hand remains an enigma, a beautiful, terryifying enigma with a grip of Riki’s heart and loins which is hinted at, yet still has to be explained. All of this entranced me, leaving me wanting the explanation, even though I know this story. For depicting all of this in arresting prose, punctuated by beautiful illustrations, I give this four stars.
October 19, 2013
This is a novel of stark obsessions, decadence, deadly boredom, sexual depravity, genetic manipulation and human degradation. A perfect, glittering world exists side by side with a festering slum. Each complements the other and both were deliberately manufactured to keep their respective citizens in line.
Rieko Yoshihara has created a brilliant novel, one that explores the depths to which people can sink until there is no hope left and no life beyond endless fighting, brawling and the constant struggle merely to eat and survive.
Characters stand out starkly in this barren (literally and figuratively) world. One of the most vibrant is the beautiful and enigmatic Riki and the emotionally barren Blondy who saves him from the police. It’s a strange pairing and while it holds the thrill of explosive sexual heat it carries a frisson of danger for them both.
The book could have used a little more editing. There are a few grammatical and structural errors. It also spends too much time telling what Riki is supposedly like rather than showing. Lengthy passages about his sullen moods and gnawing insecurities get a bit wearying. Hopefully, future volumes will show him growing as a person and not just a charismatic cipher.
Rieko Yoshihara has created a brilliant novel, one that explores the depths to which people can sink until there is no hope left and no life beyond endless fighting, brawling and the constant struggle merely to eat and survive.
Characters stand out starkly in this barren (literally and figuratively) world. One of the most vibrant is the beautiful and enigmatic Riki and the emotionally barren Blondy who saves him from the police. It’s a strange pairing and while it holds the thrill of explosive sexual heat it carries a frisson of danger for them both.
The book could have used a little more editing. There are a few grammatical and structural errors. It also spends too much time telling what Riki is supposedly like rather than showing. Lengthy passages about his sullen moods and gnawing insecurities get a bit wearying. Hopefully, future volumes will show him growing as a person and not just a charismatic cipher.
July 1, 2025
Most of this volume was an overly verbose and dry infodump about the worldbuilding and history of the slum gangs. Lots of lamenting about how Bison and Riki used to be great but aren’t any longer. The writing style verges on purple prose at times which is an unexpected departure from the more simple, direct style I’m used to with light novels. I’m really hoping future volumes improve now that this giant infodump is out of the way, I’m dying for some on-page character interaction
CWs: eugenics, classism, sexual assault, violence, slavery, drug use
CWs: eugenics, classism, sexual assault, violence, slavery, drug use
2025
June 19, 2025Amigos nunca es tarde para leer esta obra. La descubrí hace MILES DE AÑOS, pero nunca había sacado tiempo para leerla. También la estoy leyendo de una traducción bastante chustera así que estoy segura de que me estoy perdiendo muchas cosas / entendiendo algunas cosas regular.
Me gusta mucho la distopía y el mundo que crea esta obra, siempre me ha llamado la atención. 🙏
Me gusta mucho la distopía y el mundo que crea esta obra, siempre me ha llamado la atención. 🙏
January 26, 2024
ai no kusabi, libro 1: estraneo.
"[...] significa che non sei cambiato. che tu sia al guardian o alla baraccopoli, il signor carisma o il perdente, in realtà sei sempre stato un estraneo."
"[...] significa che non sei cambiato. che tu sia al guardian o alla baraccopoli, il signor carisma o il perdente, in realtà sei sempre stato un estraneo."
July 24, 2013
Let me preface this with the fact I know the anime and I’ve been told that the novels get better as they go. Good thing since this one is just a hot mess. There is so much wrong with volume one it’s hard to know where to begin. I came into this knowing it was dub con, BDSM and sexual slavery. I knew who Iason and Riki were and what they meant to each other because from book one, I would have no clue what was going on otherwise.
A bit of context. These novels were first serialized in Shousetsu June back in the 1980’s before being collected. That explains the terrible choppiness of the text. But think about that date, this is practically first gen Boys’ Love stuff coming out of Japan and how dark it is, is surprising for this time period.
But the first complaint is translators need to understand that you can’t just translate. Sometimes you need a little bit of poetic license because my god, the direct translation is either ridiculous in English or nonsensical and there is plenty of that. I could be wrong. Maybe it’s just as purple of prose in the native Japanese. Mostly it wasn’t erotic. It was just laughable. It reminds me of erotic fanfic by a young, unpracticed but enthusiastic fan. And outside of chapter one there isn’t really any sex and even that was mostly alluded to or fingering. And without seeing the anime first you might get a clue the young man being bound down and sexually tortured by some device is Riki but you’d have no way of know who his master is until the end of the book.
Basic plot, Riki, the fifteen year old head of Bison, the Ceres slum’s top gang, disappears and the book picks up three years later when he mysteriously returns and his lover, Guy, takes him back in. At this point, Bison is a shdow of its former self. The Jeeks gang is in power and within Bison, a young buck, Kirie is trying to be the head but he’s mostly an over eager brat (whom the members think was a lot like Riki used to be). For that matter, Riki is a shadow of his former self, no longer outgoing and bold. No one, not even Guy knows why. Frankly you’re not really going to find out in this volume.
Another huge complaint beyond the questionable translation and very choppy sentence structures and plot, is the info dumping. There is just so much of it. But basically Midas is where the rich live, Ceres is the slum. Hair color and genetic engineering is important. It tells everyone where you are in society and freaky colors like blue are in the mix. Riki is a dark haired slum mutt. Iason Mink is the top of the top, a Blondy, genetically engineered for perfection. Iason only makes a brief appearance beyond chapter one. Also there is a huge sexual imbalance. There are almost no women in the slums and women are elsewhere (but you get the idea that it’s for breeding purposes). This explains why literally everyone in these gangs are gay. It’s like you take a man or you take your hand. You’re not getting a woman in the slums. Also there is a sexual trade, the Pets, some are chimeras, human and something else. Others are the Academy Pets, perfect men and women who’ll be bought by the Blondies and whoever else can afford them. There are also androids renting people (Kirie starts making money pimping for them). I have no idea why androids are horny.
The two biggest things that happen, besides Riki’s return as a flat personality with no joy in him (showing some classic signs of PTSD) is Kirie making them go to the pet show and the gang battle which happens off screen. Oh and another member of Bison trying to get up a rape gang session for Riki that goes nowhere then it just trails off.
This could have been trimmed completely and put together with volume two and maybe it would be better. That said, this is a BL classic that hangs around. Maybe the others are right, it gets better with volume 2.
A bit of context. These novels were first serialized in Shousetsu June back in the 1980’s before being collected. That explains the terrible choppiness of the text. But think about that date, this is practically first gen Boys’ Love stuff coming out of Japan and how dark it is, is surprising for this time period.
But the first complaint is translators need to understand that you can’t just translate. Sometimes you need a little bit of poetic license because my god, the direct translation is either ridiculous in English or nonsensical and there is plenty of that. I could be wrong. Maybe it’s just as purple of prose in the native Japanese. Mostly it wasn’t erotic. It was just laughable. It reminds me of erotic fanfic by a young, unpracticed but enthusiastic fan. And outside of chapter one there isn’t really any sex and even that was mostly alluded to or fingering. And without seeing the anime first you might get a clue the young man being bound down and sexually tortured by some device is Riki but you’d have no way of know who his master is until the end of the book.
Basic plot, Riki, the fifteen year old head of Bison, the Ceres slum’s top gang, disappears and the book picks up three years later when he mysteriously returns and his lover, Guy, takes him back in. At this point, Bison is a shdow of its former self. The Jeeks gang is in power and within Bison, a young buck, Kirie is trying to be the head but he’s mostly an over eager brat (whom the members think was a lot like Riki used to be). For that matter, Riki is a shadow of his former self, no longer outgoing and bold. No one, not even Guy knows why. Frankly you’re not really going to find out in this volume.
Another huge complaint beyond the questionable translation and very choppy sentence structures and plot, is the info dumping. There is just so much of it. But basically Midas is where the rich live, Ceres is the slum. Hair color and genetic engineering is important. It tells everyone where you are in society and freaky colors like blue are in the mix. Riki is a dark haired slum mutt. Iason Mink is the top of the top, a Blondy, genetically engineered for perfection. Iason only makes a brief appearance beyond chapter one. Also there is a huge sexual imbalance. There are almost no women in the slums and women are elsewhere (but you get the idea that it’s for breeding purposes). This explains why literally everyone in these gangs are gay. It’s like you take a man or you take your hand. You’re not getting a woman in the slums. Also there is a sexual trade, the Pets, some are chimeras, human and something else. Others are the Academy Pets, perfect men and women who’ll be bought by the Blondies and whoever else can afford them. There are also androids renting people (Kirie starts making money pimping for them). I have no idea why androids are horny.
The two biggest things that happen, besides Riki’s return as a flat personality with no joy in him (showing some classic signs of PTSD) is Kirie making them go to the pet show and the gang battle which happens off screen. Oh and another member of Bison trying to get up a rape gang session for Riki that goes nowhere then it just trails off.
This could have been trimmed completely and put together with volume two and maybe it would be better. That said, this is a BL classic that hangs around. Maybe the others are right, it gets better with volume 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2022
Gripping from its steamy, masterfully written opening, this novel exemplifies everything I want in an erotica. Something more than just an erotica.
Its plot and characters are captivating, coupled with intriguing world-building and a gorgeous translation that elevates every sentence. I signed up for smut and was greeted with a skilfully crafted dark queer sci-fi novel - and this is only the beginning. As far as introductory novels go, this one was gripping. And by gripping I mean it grasped me by the throat with both hands and didn't let go. The division of this novel in relation to its original Japanese counterpart means it acts as purely expository, and I have never been so invested in mere exposition as I have with Ai no Kusabi. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the rest of this series.
One of the most beautiful things I felt with this novel was its lack of fear. It markets itself from the get-go as dark: it may be erotica, but it is no happy love story. It takes twisted and runs with it - creating probably the most compelling set-up for obsessive and unhealthy attraction I have ever seen. It is dark, but it is not afraid to be beautiful. Both the characters and writing are compelling in every way. The line is perfectly toed - it is so wrong, so twisted, and yet the actions and words of these characters carry such emotional weight that you drown in their feelings.
I cannot wait for Iason to get the full force of this treatment. Even based on his comparatively small appearance in this opening, he has become such a captivating character. I have been given no reason to see him as anything but morally deplorable, and yet he has been presented in such a way that I am completely drawn to him. He fascinates me, and I want to see what this story holds for him - and what the hell is going on in that brain of his...
Riki provides us with a strong, though not wholly stable protagonist. Though my only real criticism for this novel is its tendency to get caught up in exposition, and Riki is often the vessel for this, when he himself is able to shine through, he brings something to the table I adore. He gives us our dystopic protagonist, a defiant young man critical of the way of society, with a healthy dose of snark and a narrative distance that draws you in - this is our protagonist, and yet we know so little about him. Alongside the insight he gives us into the corrupt futuristic system he lives in, he is able to lay the foundations for what is almost certain to be one of the most engaging dramatic conflicts I have experienced. Riki lives within a corrupt, oppressive dystopic system - and he is caught up in a captivating and twisted conflict with a key proponent of that very system. It hits exactly the right itches of the trope, and I hope it will continue to maintain its truly dark atmosphere.
The excitement I have for the development of this series is beyond palpable.
[edited because i decided this deserved a better review]
Ok but I have reread that opening so many times it’s so well written wtf?
Its plot and characters are captivating, coupled with intriguing world-building and a gorgeous translation that elevates every sentence. I signed up for smut and was greeted with a skilfully crafted dark queer sci-fi novel - and this is only the beginning. As far as introductory novels go, this one was gripping. And by gripping I mean it grasped me by the throat with both hands and didn't let go. The division of this novel in relation to its original Japanese counterpart means it acts as purely expository, and I have never been so invested in mere exposition as I have with Ai no Kusabi. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the rest of this series.
One of the most beautiful things I felt with this novel was its lack of fear. It markets itself from the get-go as dark: it may be erotica, but it is no happy love story. It takes twisted and runs with it - creating probably the most compelling set-up for obsessive and unhealthy attraction I have ever seen. It is dark, but it is not afraid to be beautiful. Both the characters and writing are compelling in every way. The line is perfectly toed - it is so wrong, so twisted, and yet the actions and words of these characters carry such emotional weight that you drown in their feelings.
I cannot wait for Iason to get the full force of this treatment. Even based on his comparatively small appearance in this opening, he has become such a captivating character. I have been given no reason to see him as anything but morally deplorable, and yet he has been presented in such a way that I am completely drawn to him. He fascinates me, and I want to see what this story holds for him - and what the hell is going on in that brain of his...
Riki provides us with a strong, though not wholly stable protagonist. Though my only real criticism for this novel is its tendency to get caught up in exposition, and Riki is often the vessel for this, when he himself is able to shine through, he brings something to the table I adore. He gives us our dystopic protagonist, a defiant young man critical of the way of society, with a healthy dose of snark and a narrative distance that draws you in - this is our protagonist, and yet we know so little about him. Alongside the insight he gives us into the corrupt futuristic system he lives in, he is able to lay the foundations for what is almost certain to be one of the most engaging dramatic conflicts I have experienced. Riki lives within a corrupt, oppressive dystopic system - and he is caught up in a captivating and twisted conflict with a key proponent of that very system. It hits exactly the right itches of the trope, and I hope it will continue to maintain its truly dark atmosphere.
The excitement I have for the development of this series is beyond palpable.
[edited because i decided this deserved a better review]
Ok but I have reread that opening so many times it’s so well written wtf?
March 8, 2021
So this is my second time reading this book and I definitely appreciate it a lot more that I did the first time. My issues with it have more to do with the fact that it is a light novel, rather than it actually being bad writing. For example, there is a lot of "telling, not showing," also, the scenes tend to jump around a lot (like how I mentioned in my first review), and that the dialogue never has any indicators as to who is speaking. I consider these aspects fairly frustrating, but it fits the light novel format, so I can't fault the book for it. I also now really appreciate the author's descriptions unlike my previous reading. Based on the light novel format, there isn't really time to show the readers what the characters are feeling and leave it up to interpretation. That said, the author doesn't just say, "He was sad" or "he was angry," but takes the time to elaborate on the emotions so you don't feel like you are missing out on the character development. I do still find it quite difficult to determine time and setting within this novel. I'm not sure if this is because of the light novel format, but there were so many times that I had no idea where in time the scenes were happening. I addressed this issue in my last review, but it is really hard to keep this timeline straight. Overall though, I really liked this book and I actually do intend on reading the sequels this time.
******************************************************************************[Original review 2019] I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Based off the subject matter, I figured this book would be really poorly written, but you can tell that the author was actually trying to tell a story, not just write trash. That said, I wasn't always a fan of the writing style. It was a bit too descriptive for me. There would be two descriptions and three metaphors to describe one character's emotions and it just seemed like overkill. The descriptions were well done, I just thought they were a bit much at times, but this is more of a personal issue. There was also this problem where I didn't always know the setting of a scene. Every time there was a page break there would be a new scene, but it would never be made clear where the next scene was taking place. I wouldn't know if the scene was taking place an hour later, the next day, or if it was a flashback. I was always able to figure it out about halfway into the scene, but it was kinda annoying not knowing where in the timeline the scenes were taking place. I had a few issues with this book, but I really liked the story and will definitely be reading the next installment.
******************************************************************************[Original review 2019] I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Based off the subject matter, I figured this book would be really poorly written, but you can tell that the author was actually trying to tell a story, not just write trash. That said, I wasn't always a fan of the writing style. It was a bit too descriptive for me. There would be two descriptions and three metaphors to describe one character's emotions and it just seemed like overkill. The descriptions were well done, I just thought they were a bit much at times, but this is more of a personal issue. There was also this problem where I didn't always know the setting of a scene. Every time there was a page break there would be a new scene, but it would never be made clear where the next scene was taking place. I wouldn't know if the scene was taking place an hour later, the next day, or if it was a flashback. I was always able to figure it out about halfway into the scene, but it was kinda annoying not knowing where in the timeline the scenes were taking place. I had a few issues with this book, but I really liked the story and will definitely be reading the next installment.
February 22, 2018
I love the story, it's a classic. The first book might be a little confusing and slow, this is the kind of series that you have to read till the end. The characters' feelings are described amazingly.
However, one of the reasons why the story is so good is because of Yoshiwara's writing style, which is carefully thought, touching and flows in nice pace. The translator ruined this! I am really mad, because I had to PAY for this shit! Luckily I got Japanese ones also. So all my stars go for Yoshiwara-sensei. Translator should be shamed. Reading this was just painful and confusing, and I doubt any new reader was able to get into the series, which is shame.
For example, there is this scene where the members of Bison are talking about Riki and Guy and then there is this sentence about there not been any sign of "Yori returing". Actually, they were using a verb, "yori wo modosu" = "getting back together". So there is no Yori, they are just saying that there is no sign of Guy and Riki getting back together. The writing till that had been terrible but at this point I fully realized the level of the translator. I would be much more understanding if people were not expected to PAY for this. And in my country, this was 14 euro at the time. So, yeah, I might be harsh but this is not the level of professionalism that I expect when something is published and sold.
I hope that the series are translated and published again by someone who cares
However, one of the reasons why the story is so good is because of Yoshiwara's writing style, which is carefully thought, touching and flows in nice pace. The translator ruined this! I am really mad, because I had to PAY for this shit! Luckily I got Japanese ones also. So all my stars go for Yoshiwara-sensei. Translator should be shamed. Reading this was just painful and confusing, and I doubt any new reader was able to get into the series, which is shame.
For example, there is this scene where the members of Bison are talking about Riki and Guy and then there is this sentence about there not been any sign of "Yori returing". Actually, they were using a verb, "yori wo modosu" = "getting back together". So there is no Yori, they are just saying that there is no sign of Guy and Riki getting back together. The writing till that had been terrible but at this point I fully realized the level of the translator. I would be much more understanding if people were not expected to PAY for this. And in my country, this was 14 euro at the time. So, yeah, I might be harsh but this is not the level of professionalism that I expect when something is published and sold.
I hope that the series are translated and published again by someone who cares
January 26, 2011
I'm undecided about the written work (this particular edition). Many years ago I'd actually found the original novel and purchased it. But it never arrived. The book was lost somewhere between Australia and Canada. Having said that, I don't want anyone to think that I don't like Ai no Kusabi because believe me, I do. This yaoi is my all time favourite! The original OVA is absolutely gorgeous and the reason I became addicted to yaoi in the first place. The story is awesome and it has all the right elements a really good yaoi should have - a chance meeting between two men who instantly feel for one another, but because of status differences they can't show it. One is in denial and other is driven purely by desire. Basically a stormy relationship built on a foundation of angst, passion and epic love scenes. If you read the book(s) I recommend you watch the original OVA. I believe it was issued in 1992.
July 27, 2013
Ai No Kusabi is a classic in Japanese boys love. These light novels were first serialized in a magazine in the 80s. It's a dark tale of class differences, sexual slavery and BDSM which the dub-con submissive being of questionably young age.
My problem with this is the translations are stiff and at some points so badly worded in English I don't know why the translators didn't rework it into something maybe less directly translated but made more sense in the language. It's also chocked full of long boring exposition and it's very choppy. Frankly the opening prologue and the last fifty pages are about the only thing that move the story along. Many have said it gets better as it goes.
I would have been lost if I hadn't seen both versions of the anime. Go find those first (trust me, they're out there though I'm loathed to point anyone to stolen materials up on youtube. The newer version is for sale on Amazon)
My problem with this is the translations are stiff and at some points so badly worded in English I don't know why the translators didn't rework it into something maybe less directly translated but made more sense in the language. It's also chocked full of long boring exposition and it's very choppy. Frankly the opening prologue and the last fifty pages are about the only thing that move the story along. Many have said it gets better as it goes.
I would have been lost if I hadn't seen both versions of the anime. Go find those first (trust me, they're out there though I'm loathed to point anyone to stolen materials up on youtube. The newer version is for sale on Amazon)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2014
I loved this series of books as it had all a lot of my buttons: Raw, Dystopian future, Romance, Gay Relationships, intrigue, artificial intelligence, and it makes you think.
I love it even though this book and series even though its horribly written. I blame the writing on the fact that its a translation into English.
I love this book and series even though it rambles. I don't care, I loved this book and the series.
I love this book because its interesting. The characters are compelling. The setting is awesome.
Did I mention that I love this series? That I read the books quickly and was very disappointed that I was done so fast. I love this series even though the ending was not the ending I would have written. But the series ending was perfect for the story. Did I mention how much I loved this series?
I really loved this series. Read the books before you watch the movie. The movie is much more concise
I love it even though this book and series even though its horribly written. I blame the writing on the fact that its a translation into English.
I love this book and series even though it rambles. I don't care, I loved this book and the series.
I love this book because its interesting. The characters are compelling. The setting is awesome.
Did I mention that I love this series? That I read the books quickly and was very disappointed that I was done so fast. I love this series even though the ending was not the ending I would have written. But the series ending was perfect for the story. Did I mention how much I loved this series?
I really loved this series. Read the books before you watch the movie. The movie is much more concise
April 28, 2016
Well then....
Okay so, Ai No Kusabi is one of those popular yaois that we all knew about. In my case, I'd just watched the OVA years ago but I only remember the final scene (with the cigarettes). I knew there was a larger plot line involving power dynamics and... hair color, but man, that was something.
Volume one graciously opens the series with a super hot chapter, then spends the rest of the novel giving backstory and developing the world as-is. I don't generally care for gangfight type storylines and the translation (or the way the author writes) is odd, but I'm thrilled about reading a yaoi that cares enough to have such an elaborate backstory. I'm also super curious about the original. I'm curious about a lot of things. I'm going to go ahead and crack volume two, meanwhile hoping the third volume will find its way to me.
Okay so, Ai No Kusabi is one of those popular yaois that we all knew about. In my case, I'd just watched the OVA years ago but I only remember the final scene (with the cigarettes). I knew there was a larger plot line involving power dynamics and... hair color, but man, that was something.
Volume one graciously opens the series with a super hot chapter, then spends the rest of the novel giving backstory and developing the world as-is. I don't generally care for gangfight type storylines and the translation (or the way the author writes) is odd, but I'm thrilled about reading a yaoi that cares enough to have such an elaborate backstory. I'm also super curious about the original. I'm curious about a lot of things. I'm going to go ahead and crack volume two, meanwhile hoping the third volume will find its way to me.
September 17, 2013
the idealism of this story is a good with across the universe,it's brilliant!!!
but,in my opinion the weakness factor is sadomasochism issue(it's too hard),example:slavery sex,more abusement&harrasement.it's always happen in male romance&homoerotic.
i'm not wonder,b'cause maybe it just challenge or just for fun or bla...bla...bla...that's hillarious! pah!:|
but,in my opinion the weakness factor is sadomasochism issue(it's too hard),example:slavery sex,more abusement&harrasement.it's always happen in male romance&homoerotic.
i'm not wonder,b'cause maybe it just challenge or just for fun or bla...bla...bla...that's hillarious! pah!:|
December 7, 2017
I can't believe I found this and can't put it down until I finished, staring to Riki and Iason strange love hate relationship.
It's a futuristic, dark, and not my usual read...but surprisingly, liked it. A lot.
But this one is a freaking cliffhanger!
So, I'm heading to #2.
I wonder what would happen to Iason and Riki!
It's a futuristic, dark, and not my usual read...but surprisingly, liked it. A lot.
But this one is a freaking cliffhanger!
So, I'm heading to #2.
I wonder what would happen to Iason and Riki!
November 13, 2024
4.5
Appartieni a chi pensi
Appartieni a chi pensi
May 2, 2008
What fan of yaoi doesn't know of Rieko Yoshihara's Ai no Kusabi? The tragic love story of Riki and Iason, set in a futuristic world where relationships involving love never last, captured the interest of many fans. Ai no Kusabi presents a futuristic society with a complicated caste system and takes an in-depth look at look at the issue of class distinctions. Having learned all this by watching the anime adaptation, I was eager and excited to read this novel. When I received this first volume, I was disappointed at the length (only 140 pages). However, as I began reading, I was relieved the book was so short.
The book starts off with a man (Man) torturing another man (Captive) with an aphrodisiac for having an affair with a woman who is already chosen as a breeding mate to another. It's clear from the first few pages that the "Captive" and the woman, whose name is revealed as Mimea, are slaves. Although nothing is revealed of them other than that they are "colleagues," the fact that their lives and their partners are being determined by other people clues the reader in on their circumstances. We also learn that the Captive has charisma and is different from other colleagues of theirs. References are made to his being "raised among the dregs" and having an uncivilized tongue. At the end of the chapter, the Man confirms the readers' suspicions by calling the Captive his "pet." The first chapter is very powerful in that it manages to convey a lot of information without saying as much.
After that, there is a jump in time and the reader is introduced to present day Ceres. Ceres is a section of Midas, a city located next to the metropolis of Tanagura. Ceres makes up the slums of Midas. There are two rival gangs hoping to take control, Jeeks and Maddox. However, the citizens of Ceres aren't sure they want either of them in charge. They remember the days when Bison ruled the slums, but with the departure of Bison's leader Riki, the successful gang fell apart. Riki has now been missing for three years.
Just as suddenly as he left, Riki returns. However, everyone sees that he is different from the charismatic Riki of the past. His old gang members worry about him, but Kirie, a tagalong, doesn't see what's so special about Riki. Because of that, he grates on Riki's nerves with his constant jabs at everything Riki says. Kirie itches for action and is unsatisfied with how inactive the current Bison is. In contrast, Riki doesn't seem to want to move forward with anything. Instead, Riki is certain that Kirie is a version of himself when he was younger. I disagree with Riki here. Kirie seems to seek action to prove himself to others. The only reason he sticks with Bison is because of the name Bison made for itself at the height of its success. Riki couldn't care less about how others view him. When he was the gang leader years ago, he concerned himself with what other people wanted. He didn't take on the position to make a name for himself.
This first volume is mostly an introduction to the setting of the Ai no Kusabi series and Riki's history. The first half of the book describes the conditions of the slums in Ceres. It explains how the occupants of Ceres are a disgrace to Midas. They are even referred to as "mongrels." The second half of the book describes Midas and its neighboring metropolis Tanagura. Midas and Tanagura are ruled by a supercomputer called Jupiter. Jupiter escaped the control of its human creators and established its own society based on the idea that only those with knowledge and how to use it should be in power. It set up a hierarchy of bioengineered humans and natural humans, with ranks designated by hair color. The bioengineered perfect humans at the top of the hierarchy are called Blondies. Natural-born humans occupy a very low rung and even lower are "mongrels," those who live in the slums of Ceres. As a result of this system, a common entertainment among high-ranking officials is to take on "pets," human pleasure slaves. Pet auctions are a social event and no one, including natural-born humans who are being sold as pets, sees how this might be wrong. Slavery exists in this strange futuristic society; it's unnerving to see human morals undergo a regression. A theme of the novel is the degrading morals of those living in Midas and Tanagura and the Commonwealth that at first disapproved of what was happening in Tanagura, but eventually came to accept it because the pet business proved to be lucrative.
The narrative is third person omniscient and Yoshihara makes that work very well. Every character's thoughts are accessible, so it's easier to understand the motivations behind their feelings and actions. It doesn't mean the characters become likeable. Some of them are very irritating, but the description of the characters allow the readers to feel strongly about them, whether it's like or dislike.
The contents of Stranger are intense and thought-provoking. The thing I criticize is the delivery, which made reading Stranger a chore rather than an enjoyment. What's most annoying about it was that it was nauseatingly repetitive, especially the part about how Riki has changed since he left three years ago. That must've been mentioned about nine hundred times. Probably not, but it certainly feels like it. There are also repetitions regarding the descriptions of the slums and how the occupants feel. The rest of the book is different from the first chapter in that every bit of information is spoon fed to the reader (more than once). The readers are given no chance to come to their own conclusions. Instead, all the conclusions are already made and the author makes double, triple, quadruple sure that the readers understand what she's trying to say. Stranger can be condensed to less than half its size and still lose none of the meanings and the impact on the reader. The repetitions aside, the way the novel is set up is also very confusing. It starts off with an event that happened sometime in the past three years, then jumps to the present, then reminisces about sometime earlier than three years ago, then returns to the present, then a few hours ago, then back to the present, and so on. It's enough to make a reader woozy. The prose also becomes difficult after a while. The novel swims in metaphors and similes. At no point does it tone itself down. The metaphors and similes go past the point of lending richness to the story, and instead, it feels oversaturated. I admire Kelly Quine, the translator, for being able to deliver excellent translations for a difficult novel. Every sentence was clear—definitely gives the reader the chance to appreciate Yoshihara's skills with the use of diverse literary devices.
The adaptation was great, as expected of Juné. The book was a nice size, small and fits into a coat pocket. The translation was smooth and professional, very little typos. The only thing I found strange was the placement of the illustrations, which didn't correspond with the events on the page facing the illustrations. Although the novel has a few problems, its rich settings and the details make it worth buying. I didn't enjoy Stranger as much as I thought I would, but I won't pass judgment on the series as a whole yet because this book is only an introduction to a plot that I know is deep and complicated. Although there's not a lot of plot movement in Stranger, readers can still immerse themselves in the futuristic world Rieko Yoshihara has created for us.
Review first posted at Lincoln Heights Literary Society
PURCHASE LINK
The book starts off with a man (Man) torturing another man (Captive) with an aphrodisiac for having an affair with a woman who is already chosen as a breeding mate to another. It's clear from the first few pages that the "Captive" and the woman, whose name is revealed as Mimea, are slaves. Although nothing is revealed of them other than that they are "colleagues," the fact that their lives and their partners are being determined by other people clues the reader in on their circumstances. We also learn that the Captive has charisma and is different from other colleagues of theirs. References are made to his being "raised among the dregs" and having an uncivilized tongue. At the end of the chapter, the Man confirms the readers' suspicions by calling the Captive his "pet." The first chapter is very powerful in that it manages to convey a lot of information without saying as much.
After that, there is a jump in time and the reader is introduced to present day Ceres. Ceres is a section of Midas, a city located next to the metropolis of Tanagura. Ceres makes up the slums of Midas. There are two rival gangs hoping to take control, Jeeks and Maddox. However, the citizens of Ceres aren't sure they want either of them in charge. They remember the days when Bison ruled the slums, but with the departure of Bison's leader Riki, the successful gang fell apart. Riki has now been missing for three years.
Just as suddenly as he left, Riki returns. However, everyone sees that he is different from the charismatic Riki of the past. His old gang members worry about him, but Kirie, a tagalong, doesn't see what's so special about Riki. Because of that, he grates on Riki's nerves with his constant jabs at everything Riki says. Kirie itches for action and is unsatisfied with how inactive the current Bison is. In contrast, Riki doesn't seem to want to move forward with anything. Instead, Riki is certain that Kirie is a version of himself when he was younger. I disagree with Riki here. Kirie seems to seek action to prove himself to others. The only reason he sticks with Bison is because of the name Bison made for itself at the height of its success. Riki couldn't care less about how others view him. When he was the gang leader years ago, he concerned himself with what other people wanted. He didn't take on the position to make a name for himself.
This first volume is mostly an introduction to the setting of the Ai no Kusabi series and Riki's history. The first half of the book describes the conditions of the slums in Ceres. It explains how the occupants of Ceres are a disgrace to Midas. They are even referred to as "mongrels." The second half of the book describes Midas and its neighboring metropolis Tanagura. Midas and Tanagura are ruled by a supercomputer called Jupiter. Jupiter escaped the control of its human creators and established its own society based on the idea that only those with knowledge and how to use it should be in power. It set up a hierarchy of bioengineered humans and natural humans, with ranks designated by hair color. The bioengineered perfect humans at the top of the hierarchy are called Blondies. Natural-born humans occupy a very low rung and even lower are "mongrels," those who live in the slums of Ceres. As a result of this system, a common entertainment among high-ranking officials is to take on "pets," human pleasure slaves. Pet auctions are a social event and no one, including natural-born humans who are being sold as pets, sees how this might be wrong. Slavery exists in this strange futuristic society; it's unnerving to see human morals undergo a regression. A theme of the novel is the degrading morals of those living in Midas and Tanagura and the Commonwealth that at first disapproved of what was happening in Tanagura, but eventually came to accept it because the pet business proved to be lucrative.
The narrative is third person omniscient and Yoshihara makes that work very well. Every character's thoughts are accessible, so it's easier to understand the motivations behind their feelings and actions. It doesn't mean the characters become likeable. Some of them are very irritating, but the description of the characters allow the readers to feel strongly about them, whether it's like or dislike.
The contents of Stranger are intense and thought-provoking. The thing I criticize is the delivery, which made reading Stranger a chore rather than an enjoyment. What's most annoying about it was that it was nauseatingly repetitive, especially the part about how Riki has changed since he left three years ago. That must've been mentioned about nine hundred times. Probably not, but it certainly feels like it. There are also repetitions regarding the descriptions of the slums and how the occupants feel. The rest of the book is different from the first chapter in that every bit of information is spoon fed to the reader (more than once). The readers are given no chance to come to their own conclusions. Instead, all the conclusions are already made and the author makes double, triple, quadruple sure that the readers understand what she's trying to say. Stranger can be condensed to less than half its size and still lose none of the meanings and the impact on the reader. The repetitions aside, the way the novel is set up is also very confusing. It starts off with an event that happened sometime in the past three years, then jumps to the present, then reminisces about sometime earlier than three years ago, then returns to the present, then a few hours ago, then back to the present, and so on. It's enough to make a reader woozy. The prose also becomes difficult after a while. The novel swims in metaphors and similes. At no point does it tone itself down. The metaphors and similes go past the point of lending richness to the story, and instead, it feels oversaturated. I admire Kelly Quine, the translator, for being able to deliver excellent translations for a difficult novel. Every sentence was clear—definitely gives the reader the chance to appreciate Yoshihara's skills with the use of diverse literary devices.
The adaptation was great, as expected of Juné. The book was a nice size, small and fits into a coat pocket. The translation was smooth and professional, very little typos. The only thing I found strange was the placement of the illustrations, which didn't correspond with the events on the page facing the illustrations. Although the novel has a few problems, its rich settings and the details make it worth buying. I didn't enjoy Stranger as much as I thought I would, but I won't pass judgment on the series as a whole yet because this book is only an introduction to a plot that I know is deep and complicated. Although there's not a lot of plot movement in Stranger, readers can still immerse themselves in the futuristic world Rieko Yoshihara has created for us.
Review first posted at Lincoln Heights Literary Society
PURCHASE LINK
November 12, 2017
I’m not sure why this book is so heralded. I guess maybe because the anime supposedly got yaoi into the US? Anyway, the first chapter is extremely intriguing but not at all representative of the rest of the book. The world is interesting, but nothing happens. That can be OK with me if we at least get good character development, but that’s not the case either. Part of the problem is this isn’t really focused on one or two or even three or four characters, but constantly and inconsistently head hops. Most of the time you don’t even know who’s talking (saying what lines of dialogue). Supposedly the slums are a “dog eat dog” world, but very little actually happens despite this. It’s mostly guys sitting around talking. It’s never specified HOW the people in the slums get money or food, for instance.
It reminds me a lot of “Durarara!” In the sense that it’s about everyone in the underbelly and it’s pretty confusing. But it doesn’t have the “hook” that novel/anime does, because we already know what happened to Rika during his “lost” years, more or less.
The writing is also very awkward, but I suspect a lot of that falls on the translation. It uses British English slang, but it comes off as clunky, as if the translator didn’t really have any idea how these uneducated people actually would speak. But maybe the fault is in the source material. I don’t know. But that certainly didn’t help.
Honestly, I’m not motivated to keep reading the series. Maybe I’m being unfair bc this is only one volume out of eight, but there are a lot better things out there better worth my time. I’m just glad I didn’t pay for this (especially because a copy of the first volume goes for $100+).
Definitely not recommended, though I am intrigued to check out the anime.
It reminds me a lot of “Durarara!” In the sense that it’s about everyone in the underbelly and it’s pretty confusing. But it doesn’t have the “hook” that novel/anime does, because we already know what happened to Rika during his “lost” years, more or less.
The writing is also very awkward, but I suspect a lot of that falls on the translation. It uses British English slang, but it comes off as clunky, as if the translator didn’t really have any idea how these uneducated people actually would speak. But maybe the fault is in the source material. I don’t know. But that certainly didn’t help.
Honestly, I’m not motivated to keep reading the series. Maybe I’m being unfair bc this is only one volume out of eight, but there are a lot better things out there better worth my time. I’m just glad I didn’t pay for this (especially because a copy of the first volume goes for $100+).
Definitely not recommended, though I am intrigued to check out the anime.
May 2, 2020
Dunno how I would rate this or feel about it if I were not familiar with the entire work and the characters. And by familiar I mean so utterly bewitched by Iason and Raoul that even 20 years after discovering them... they remain solid pillars of my imaginary landscape. I've never forgotten how rocked my world was the first time I saw the genre classic animated version of AnK. I've never gotten over the fascination this world and the elites of it held over me from the very beginning. I have never forgotten the voices of Raoul (my all time favorite Japanese voice actor) and Jason. Every other year I come back to AnK and it's like coming home. So, to finally have the novel and be able to read it all is a special priviledge.
That said, damnation, but I loathe the slums and every character in them. I remember viscerally reacting against them from the very beginning and reading about the much darker, novel version of Ceres and its denizens only solidifies the dislike. I never resonated with Riki either, though I am intrigued by how book version of the little bastard seems to exude some kind of dark aura of fascination that seems almost magical.
It's also very interesting to get all the worldbuilding details that were merely implied in the animated version. Even though the prose (translation?) is often too flowery and pretenious, it still does the job of painting the Amoi picture and showing the disparity of the class system. Perhaps it would be just another bleak dystopian world in a whole slew of them in recent years, except that Ai no Kusabi precedes them all and it has Blondies. They're like Tolkien Elves, except artificially engineered... but just as perfect.
That said, damnation, but I loathe the slums and every character in them. I remember viscerally reacting against them from the very beginning and reading about the much darker, novel version of Ceres and its denizens only solidifies the dislike. I never resonated with Riki either, though I am intrigued by how book version of the little bastard seems to exude some kind of dark aura of fascination that seems almost magical.
It's also very interesting to get all the worldbuilding details that were merely implied in the animated version. Even though the prose (translation?) is often too flowery and pretenious, it still does the job of painting the Amoi picture and showing the disparity of the class system. Perhaps it would be just another bleak dystopian world in a whole slew of them in recent years, except that Ai no Kusabi precedes them all and it has Blondies. They're like Tolkien Elves, except artificially engineered... but just as perfect.
November 22, 2018
"Such were the unpalatable fruits of hopelessness, the painful spasms of self-contempt, and on top of that, the dark clouds of madness gathering in the lower depths of despair."
That about nails it! Look, unless you're not only comfortable with the (very) old-school conventions of the yaoi genre but actively enjoy them I can't recommend this to anyone. That said, it's absolutely arresting, and I couldn't put all 8 volumes down even when my eyes were burning with fatigue.
The thing is, it's brilliant science fiction with a yaoi foundation. It reminded me so much of Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, which I re-read earlier this year. There much that is problematic in Stranger but it remains utterly engaging science fiction. That, for me, is true of Ai no Kusabi. The author confronts race, gender, inequality, poverty, classism, a caste society, sexual abuse, survivorship, self-sacrifice, cyborgian evolution, and transhumanism. And is unremittingly brutal in doing so.
It's slathered in purple prose, which I suspect is from the original in Japanese. And I'm not joking about the classic yaoi whumping tropes. I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to get when I finally read the novels, but I was thoroughly enchanted. YMMV.
That about nails it! Look, unless you're not only comfortable with the (very) old-school conventions of the yaoi genre but actively enjoy them I can't recommend this to anyone. That said, it's absolutely arresting, and I couldn't put all 8 volumes down even when my eyes were burning with fatigue.
The thing is, it's brilliant science fiction with a yaoi foundation. It reminded me so much of Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, which I re-read earlier this year. There much that is problematic in Stranger but it remains utterly engaging science fiction. That, for me, is true of Ai no Kusabi. The author confronts race, gender, inequality, poverty, classism, a caste society, sexual abuse, survivorship, self-sacrifice, cyborgian evolution, and transhumanism. And is unremittingly brutal in doing so.
It's slathered in purple prose, which I suspect is from the original in Japanese. And I'm not joking about the classic yaoi whumping tropes. I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to get when I finally read the novels, but I was thoroughly enchanted. YMMV.
May 27, 2017
*I don't know where to reach the author so I"m using this website to write my reviews for this novel*
Dear Author, I really hate this book(CONTAINED SPOILERS!!!!!!). How could you do this to us, I really wish you could have given them a very longer life. Do you know of the feeling you get when you realized that everything finally make sense? Well, for Riki its like that except he can't make more memories, or be in people's heart because of ones' reckless move. What Im trying to say is that you could have made Iason super strong in that last moments and made it out ALIVE WITH NO CUT, I MEAN NO CUT FROM WAIST TO FEET!!!!!!! When I read that last part it take me TWO, TWO!!!!!! Years to finally say it's for the best. But the novel is a really good read and I really love all of your work, so I might be very biased in here(although most of your works are kind of, I mean very bittersweet). Thank you so much for all the work you put into these books, and I hope the next time you write a story that it would be unrealistic(unexplained strength) and realistic(people usually have a happy ending once in their lifetime) at the same time. Thank you very much :)
Dear Author, I really hate this book(CONTAINED SPOILERS!!!!!!). How could you do this to us, I really wish you could have given them a very longer life. Do you know of the feeling you get when you realized that everything finally make sense? Well, for Riki its like that except he can't make more memories, or be in people's heart because of ones' reckless move. What Im trying to say is that you could have made Iason super strong in that last moments and made it out ALIVE WITH NO CUT, I MEAN NO CUT FROM WAIST TO FEET!!!!!!! When I read that last part it take me TWO, TWO!!!!!! Years to finally say it's for the best. But the novel is a really good read and I really love all of your work, so I might be very biased in here(although most of your works are kind of, I mean very bittersweet). Thank you so much for all the work you put into these books, and I hope the next time you write a story that it would be unrealistic(unexplained strength) and realistic(people usually have a happy ending once in their lifetime) at the same time. Thank you very much :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2022
4,5 estrellas
Un mundo de ciencia ficción escrito hace más de 20 años. Un mundo sumamente descrito, una realidad cruda donde las castas predominan sobre la base de una inteligencia artificial y los humanos no son nada si el amo no les da nombre.
Ai no kusabi Volumen 1 es una buena introducción. La autora no sólo escribió sobre dos personajes diferentes en todos los sentidos, para su época esto es revolucionario, pero adentrarse en este mundo de Eos, Ceres, Midas... Es otro nivel.
La autora no sólo se preocupó por el morbo de un BL, sino que la trama está metida en una realidad que podría ser la nuestra. No se trata de buscar ir contra el sistema, esto es sobre cómo se sobrevive a un sistema que parece nunca flaquearse, pero la obsesión de ambos será su propia perdición.
Un seme perfecto y líder de todo ese mundo futurista, que no muestra emoción y que tiene todo bajo un escalofriante control. Luego está el uke que rompe con cualquier estándar de ser sumiso. Un chico que creía ser libre e invencible, sin embargo, no conocía la realidad en la que vivía.
¿Su encuentro fue casualidad o era el destino?
Un mundo de ciencia ficción escrito hace más de 20 años. Un mundo sumamente descrito, una realidad cruda donde las castas predominan sobre la base de una inteligencia artificial y los humanos no son nada si el amo no les da nombre.
Ai no kusabi Volumen 1 es una buena introducción. La autora no sólo escribió sobre dos personajes diferentes en todos los sentidos, para su época esto es revolucionario, pero adentrarse en este mundo de Eos, Ceres, Midas... Es otro nivel.
La autora no sólo se preocupó por el morbo de un BL, sino que la trama está metida en una realidad que podría ser la nuestra. No se trata de buscar ir contra el sistema, esto es sobre cómo se sobrevive a un sistema que parece nunca flaquearse, pero la obsesión de ambos será su propia perdición.
Un seme perfecto y líder de todo ese mundo futurista, que no muestra emoción y que tiene todo bajo un escalofriante control. Luego está el uke que rompe con cualquier estándar de ser sumiso. Un chico que creía ser libre e invencible, sin embargo, no conocía la realidad en la que vivía.
¿Su encuentro fue casualidad o era el destino?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews