Love Mode, Vol. 6

Love Mode #6

by SHIMIZU YUKI

Follows couples and characters who visit the Blue Boy, an exclusive male dating club.

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, M M Romance, Romance, Boys Love, Contemporary, LGBT

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Clouds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my GIFTS AND GUILTY list.

Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.

Please note, the low score given here does not indicate this is a bad book – the story is sweet and the artwork is great – it’s just that I’m so wide of the target audience that I don’t really know what to make of it, and didn’t particularly enjoy it.

(It’s not you, it’s me... )

Firstly, I don’t normally read manga, and Love Mode is panelled the original way, right to left. I started reading this one night, when I was already quite tired, and my brain just couldn’t get a handle on it. Pages right to left. Panels right to left. Words left to right. My eyes kept trying to read everything left to right, but I got there in the end.

Secondly, this is a mid-series volume (book 6) which I was reading as a stand-alone – so we come in midway through a story arc with no backstory and no idea who anyone is. Again, confusing, but fine, just roll with it.

Thirdly, this is ‘yaoi’ – something I’d never heard of before. To quote wiki, yaoi is: “female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male androphilic sexual relationships”. I’m a happily married guy with a baby boy: I have no problem with homoerotic manga, but nor do I have a secret passion for it.

So how did I end up reading this?
It was given to me as a gift.

As a bit of quick background – I limit my to- read shelf, here on goodreads, to books I actually have here on the shelf. I keep that pool of books at 18 – three rows of six on the goodreads cover view. Once I finish a book, I pick a new book from that pool of 18 and order in something new to replace it.

I’ve been making a concerted effort recently to clear some of the gifts out of my to-read shelf because otherwise they’d languish there indefinitely (and choke up my shelf).

My wife’s best friend is currently dating the store manager of a manga and retro-gaming shop called Super Tomato. Before they started dating, I only knew him as they guy I bought N64 games from (I still have a working N64 and regard it as the golden age of gaming from my childhood). Turns out he’s got a bit of a dry, cheeky sense of humour and for my birthday he gave me a couple of N64 games and this volume of yaoi. I don’t think he expected me to ever actually read it – let alone be publicly reading it in a coffee shop when we met up last week. That tickled him.

So now I’ve finished it. What can I say?

The story concerns the owner of an exclusive club (The Blue Boy) where clients hire male escorts. This could be sleazy, but is portrayed as classy and liberating. The first short story is about the owner’s brother and lover getting caught up and taken hostage during an armed robbery. The second is a flashback story about an innocent and terminally ill client. Then there’s a wrap-up. The End.

My wife got excited about the gay sex scenes. My overriding reaction was... meh.

After this I read: A Civil Campaign

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when it first was released in the US many years ago, and despite loving it, I was only ever able to get the first three volumes. Now I have them all, and I'm currently bed-ridden and I decided to read through them all - rather than do schoolwork.

Naoya and Reiji finally have their moment! There's a great scene of hilarity when Naoya and Kiichi are kidnapped, but there is a bit of tension when Kiichi is injured. Also, two mysterious characters show up.

The side story, though, is the real showcase of this volume. Between Seiichi and Tomoki, I cried. It really has a bittersweet love story and the last page absolutely broke my heart. This series does that, but this one story is just tragically sad.

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiichi takes Naoya shopping and insists on buying him lots of clothes, despite his protestations. He even insists that Naoya needs a ring, considering his newfound relationship with Reiji and takes him to a jewelry store. He was just kidding, though, and buys a watch instead. They are unaware that trouble lurks nearby. As they are leaving the store, two armed men force them back in and demand money and jewels! And they are going to take Naoya as a hostage. Kiichi refuses to let that happen, so that’s how he ends up in the back seat of the getaway car along with Naoya.

Haruomi, who was only gone for a moment, returns to discover what has happened and immediately phones Reiji, who is visibly upset at the news. He tells his subordinates to contact the phone company so they can trace Kiichi’s cell phone, no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, the robber realizes the story about them is on the news as they listen to the radio. But what do they care, as they intend to kill the hostages anyway. Kiichi tells Naoya to open the door so they can escape, but when he does, he pushes the younger man out, into the river, to keep him safe. The robbers hurt him for his trouble, while Naoya finds a pay phone (good luck doing that now lol) and phones Reiji. Now it’s time to rescue the doctor!

Seiichi works at B&B, Reiji’s male escort service. He’s been assigned to a new client. But, to his dismay, when he arrives at the client’s home, he finds what appears to be a little kid. However, looks can be deceiving. The client’s name is Tomoki, and Seiichi is his first. When Seiichi sees Tomoki taking pills, he gets upset and makes him throw them away. They have a lot of sex over the next couple of weeks. But when something happens, and Seiichi learns the truth about Tomoki, his world will never be the same again.

I love how Reiji is learning to care about someone other than himself, though I did miss seeing Izumi and Takamiya in this volume and hope they will be back soon. Kiichi and Haruomi have grown much closer too. The story of Seiichi and Tomoki made me cry. The biggest complain I have with some yaoi is the tendency to either make one of the guys looks like a kid or like a girl. I would rather see two men who look like men.

Good volume, looking forward to the next one.

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meine Meinung:
Die Komplexität der Reihe wird immer höher. Es kommen jetzt sehr oft Teaser auf Ereignisse, die wohl in späteren Bänden eine Rolle spielen werden. Auch der Actionanteil ist dieses Mal recht hoch und man merkt, dass die Mangaka mit jedem Band mehr in diese Richtung geht.
In diesem Band spielen sowohl Kiichi als auch Reiji und Naoya eine große Rolle. Bei letzteren beiden entwickelt sich die Beziehung entscheidend weiter.
Die erotischen Szenen sind dieses Mal etwas mehr im Vordergrund und das Rating ist wieder P18. Allerdings wurde dieses Mal geschickt zensiert, was mir gefällt. Hier wird nicht einfach etwas 'wegradiert' sondern genau aus dem richtigen Blickwinkel gezeichnet, dass man nichts verfängliches sieht. Sehr schön!
Die Zusatzstory lässt mich allerdings etwas ratlos zurück, da sie in keinem Zusammenhang mit der restlichen Story zu stehen scheint.

Meine Wertung:
5 von 5 Sternen

[Yuu Sasih · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit close ups on Kiichi, Reiji's older brother, with Hiroumi, his personal assistant and bodyguard. In this volume, Naoya and Kiichi was being kidnapped. But the real story in this volume is actually about Seichi, one of B&B's male escort and a teenage clients. Their story broke me into tears. I think theirs was the only bittersweet, not-too-happy-ending story in this series. I hope Seichi would be happy someday...

[Miguel Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reiji and Naoya finally get together, together. All that build up.

2017 update: It was okay, more of Reiji and Naoya drama so it was okay. The second half has a story I don't really care about all too much.

[Rosemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume made me cry. Even though I had known what the outcome was going to be, I still wasn't mentally prepared.

[Anna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Akhirnya, yg dinanti2kan dari Reiji/Naoya sedari vol 2... XDD
Anyway, sedih bgt dgn ending-nya Seiichi/Tomoki... T___T

[DeeNeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is very suspenseful and even has a few tear jerker parts. Naoya is kidnapped as well as Reiji brother.