Gravitation: Track 4

The chapter drawing for Track 4 for the first time in the series shows more than just Shuichi. It shows both Shuichi and Yuki. Now the relationship is going to start to take a stronger focus in the manga! I can just feel it! Track 4 starts out with Shuichi yelling at Yuki for not telling him that Mika was his older sister rather than his girlfriend. Yuki tells him he just misunderstood him. Shuichi then asks if Yuki has a bad relationship with his parents. Yuki doesn't really say one way or the other but he does mention that his father on the verge of death. I have this weird feeling that we've missed a conversation again. These chapters have a tendency to seemingly skip over important conversations making it hard to follow. Shuichi urges him to go see his father so I'm guessing Mika is using him to try and convince Yuki to go see his father for some as of yet unexplained reason. Yuki believes that Shuichi is just there to seduce him as bait but Shuichi says that what made him go confront Yuki was the possibility of losing him, not any amount of money that Mika offered (I think she may have also offered Seguchi, since she knows that Shuichi is interested in men but I'm not positive. It SEEMS like that though. This manga is both weird and confusing at times but it's still ridiculously entertaining). Yuki, however, does not believe this. He calls Shuichi a liar since he refuses to believe someone would do something for nothing. He goes so far as to call him "extremely disgusting".

Now, we all know by now that Yuki is a total dick but this attitude makes me ask why is he like this. The way he talks, it make me think that Yuki had some kind of bad experience in his past, maybe relating to his father, maybe relating to a past lover. There's something that Yuki isn't revealing. Still, it's no excuse for railing against a confused, love sick high school student. He's driving poor Shuichi to tears! It makes me a sad panda.

The next day at school, Shuichi gets yelled at by his teacher for Mika pulling him out of class. He's apparently started to tie his hair back too and I have to say it suits him quite nicely.

Cutie. Anyway! Hiro comes by after Shuichi is done talking to his teacher and tells him that he has another live show lined up for them. And this time, they would be the main act! But Shuichi turns him down because he says he's "seriously considering doing other things". Aww, that's so sad! I know that since this manga is over fifty chapters long and music is the main draw that Shuichi isn't going to give up music but just the idea that he's thinking of giving up the thing he's so very passionate about depresses me a little. All because of that damn Yuki! Hiro, like the great, wonderful, awesome friend he is, isn't angry that Shuichi wants to pursue other things. He just ask that Shuichi be ready when the time comes.

Later on (that night I assume) Maiko starts yelling at Shuichi for not taking his bath. It seems he's been working on the computer all this time. Is it music he's working on or something else? I have no idea as they don't say. I would assume (man, I have to do that a lot in this manga) that he was, but he did say he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep pursuing music so who knows? I don't. Maiko pushes him to take his bath so that he can read Yuki's latest book. She does, however, ask him if he's doing alright since he's been overworking himself and he tells her he's fine, he'll just sleep in class. While he's taking a bath he thinks about Yuki. Also, is it just me or does it seem like he has a really small bath?

I wonder if all Japanese baths are that small? Regardless, Shuichi regains his determination! He's going to play at least one live song and prove that he's not a liar! I'm not sure how that exactly will show he's not a liar but I like his spirit! He meets with Mika in that bar (and one again I'm going to assume it's later that night because they're not saying one way or the other) to report that he failed. He tells Mika that this situation has made him want something from Yuki. The scene shifts to Seguchi getting a phone call from Mika. Apparently Shuichi left a demo tape with her. Yuki is with Seguchi and we get another little tidbit about him. His real name (surname) is Uesugi. Yuki does NOT like being referred to by this name because it's his father's name. As Yuki is dropping Seguchi off at the airport, he tells him that he actually DOES like Shuichi but he doesn't feel like he can be in a relationship with him because he has nothing to give in return for Shuichi's love. Weird. Does he think that he's incapable of love or something? What the heck is holding him back?

After Yuki drops off Seguchi, the scene shifts back to Shuichi...who is drunk. And still holding the demo tape? Did he not give it to Mika? Have I missed something? Shuichi was so busy thinking about Yuki that he actually missed work. AND hasn't slept for three nights?! He's got it pretty bad. He does look pretty cute all drunk and blushing and smiling though. He falls into a fountain and says this is the time that Yuki should come and save him, like in a daytime drama. Unfortunately Yuki is nowhere in sight and now the demo tape is ruined. The dunk seems to sober Shuichi up a little and who should turn up but the editor that we saw back in Track 2.

Honestly? I wasn't expecting her to show up again. Shuichi, catching cold after falling into the fountain, is invited back to her apartment to warm up and we find out her name is Kanna Mizuki. We also find out that Shuichi is a junior. So he's got at least one more year of school left ahead of him. I wonder how that's going to play out? Maybe he'll drop out if his band career takes off? Conversation turns to Yuki and we find out that Mizuki was looking through the park for him because he's gone missing. Shuichi is, of course, concerned and thinks he might have gone to his parent's house. Mizuki said this is unlikely since Yuki hates the formality of his parent's house since they live in a temple. I did NOT see that coming and Shuichi is just as surprised as me.

The scene then shifts to Yuki talking with his father. He was faking sick in order to get Yuki to speak to him. Ah, so THIS is where Yuki gets his dick attitude from. It takes a special kind of person (and not in the good way) to fake dying just to guilt trip your son into visiting you and then calling him stubborn and shameful as soon as you see him. Through this conversation we learn that Yuki has a brother as well as a sister. Yuki says something that sticks out to me "When you die you'll leave your lust behind". That's paraphrased but it gets the main idea across. It makes me feel...dirty the way he says that and I don't know why. I have a feeling I'm not going to like finding out why Yuki hates his father so much. Later on, Yuki talks with Mika. Through this conversation we learn that Yuki is engaged to be married to a woman. Both Yuki's family and the girl's family is behind this and he's pressuring Yuki into marrying her.

The scene shifts back so Shuichi and Mizuki. Shuichi feels guilty because, even though he didn't know Yuki's name or anything about him, he still continued pursuing him. Mizuki says that it'll be okay but Shuichi collapses against her. She says that he's burning up and runs to call an ambulance. As he falls against the floor he thinks to himself  "I'm dying".

Yeesh! What a way to end Track 4! We've got ourselves our first real cliffhanger! It's pretty exciting even though it's obvious that Shuichi won't be dying sine it's way too early in the series. I like how Gravitation is slowly dropping hints to these mysteries regarding Yuki and his family and his relationships. It's like Shuichi, through destiny (suddenly the lyrics to his song in the first chapter seem far more relevant), is being swept up into this new world that he doesn't quite understand but refuses to stay out of because of his love. Shuichi and Yuki are really part of totally different worlds. This is going to be a relationship they will have to work at if it's going to be successful.

Since tomorrow starts the weekend Yaoi Zowee will be taking a break. I know, kind of rough to stop after a chapter like that huh? On Monday we'll be looking at Track 5 which also begins volume 2! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 3

Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! We last left off with Shuichi meeting with famous record executive Tohma Seguchi. Seguchi starts out the conversation by saying that he thought he had already told Shuichi that he a friend of Yuki's. Which is simply not true. Track 2 ended with Seguchi telling Shuichi that he wanted to talk to him. This is a confusing way to start the chapter. It would have been better if he had just said that he was a friend of Yuki's. It wouldn't change the coming pages in the slightest and it would be an overall better set up. Regardless, Shuichi is stunned that Seguchi knows Yuki. Unfortunately for Shuichi, Seguchi thought that Shuichi was friends with a guitar player when he wasn't. Losing interest, Seguchi starts leaving. Not wanting him to give up, Maiko encourages Shuichi to chase after him. Shuichi does so, tripping and falling flat on his face in front of Seguchi, though he does manage to give out his personal information in case Seguchi ever wants to contact him. At the least, he's got the word out about him and his band.

The next day, Hiro and Shuichi talk about what happened after the live show since Hiro wasn't around when Shuichi met Seguchi. It turns out that Seguchi is a part of a band called Nittle Grasper (At least...I think it's a band. I'm going to assume it's a band) doing vocals and synthesizer. Soon enough, talk turns towards the subject of Yuki again. Hiro comes right out and says that if Shuichi is spending this much time talking about Yuki he must really like him. Shuichi no longer denies it. Hiro tells Shuichi that Yuki must like him if he went to the live show for him but Shuichi tells him that Yuki already has a woman in his life. Shuichi, depressed by this, asks Hiro...if he'll kiss him?! Woah! Didn't see that coming! Hiro tells him he can for 10K yen (which would be about...128 dollars. Steep prices Hiro). Shuichi lets it go and then says something interesting.

...Have they done this before? Do they do this on a regular basis? That's what the dialogue seems to be implying. Now, in the real world, best friends don't make out with each other for money. As far as I know. But in a yaoi series you usually follow the Golden Rule: Everyone male is gay unless proven otherwise. At first glance I wouldn't say Hiro has feelings for Shuichi or any other man but I'm not discounting the possibility either. Either way, the scene shifts to show a woman with long hair on the roof of a building angry that Yuki cancelled a date with her because of urgent business. This is not the first time this has happened I would guess.

The next day, after school, Shuichi goes to Yuki's apartment again to thank him for coming to the live show and to ask him what's between him and Seguchi. Surprisingly, the woman not only answers the door but also knows exactly who Shuichi is! At first it seems like Yuki is being all buddy buddy with Shuichi because he's lightening up but nope, it's all an act and if Shuichi doesn't play along Yuki will beat the crap out of him. Oh Yuki. Still such a dick. And now to multiple people! He's only doing this to drive this woman away. This woman who is supposed to be his girlfriend. Will this be the last we see of this woman? I have a weird feeling it's not, but who can say for sure. Anyway, Yuki invites Shuichi in. Shuichi tells him he shouldn't be so mean to people and Yuki tells him in return that he should be happy he drove her away. Yuki calls Shuichi out on his feelings (specifically that Shuichi keeps coming back to Yuki because what he has to say is new to him and it's coming from a source of someone who is accomplished in a literary field). Not to mention that he knows Shuichi actually LIKES him! Poor Shuichi tries to explain himself, asking Yuki how his date went. Yuki tells him point blank that he doesn't get involved with guys and calls Shuichi a pervert for his troubles. I can't say I'm surprised but man...Total dick. Then Shuichi is awesome again.

That's right Shuichi! Yell at him! Don't let him walk all over you! Just because he's a successful novelist doesn't mean that he can say whatever he wants. Not surprisingly, Yuki gets pissed at Shuichi mouthing off to him. He tells Shuichi that he went to the live show because he wanted to. Nothing more or less. And then we get our first kiss of the manga!

Aw yeah. Unfortunately it's ruined because Yuki "gets his reason back" and kicks Shuichi out, hoping that their little make out session "satisfied him". What the hell? Who does this?! That's so manipulative! Despite the dickishness (Yuki's such a dick I have to make up new words to describe it!) of Yuki, Shuichi still has feelings for him though he's trying not to admit it to himself. The next day there's a history exam that Shuichi is NOT ready for and freaks out about. While he's taking the exam, he has his hair done up with rubber bands. This is not the first time I've seen guys in anime and manga tie their hair up when they study or take tests. I have no idea why that is. It always stands out to me but it does make me wonder. I mean, their hair isn't in their eyes or anything...whatever.

Right in the middle of the exam, Yuki's girlfriend from earlier bursts in to the classroom demanding to know where Shuichi is. She drags him out of the classroom and into her car and then...Oh wow I didn't see this coming.

...So that answers that then! Don't I feel like an idiot.

Moving right along! She wants to talk to Shuichi about his attempts to "entice" Yuki. She takes Shuichi to a bar and we find out her name is Mika. The bartender knows her familiarly so she's probably a regular here. Tellingly she introduces Shuichi as "Yuki's latest toy". Geez, so Shuichi is just the first in a long line of people that Yuki just plays around with? It's like every page brings a new act of dickery from Yuki! My God! Still, Shuichi tells her that he didn't do anything to entice Yuki and she shouldn't be mad at him. And just to make things stranger and more confusing, Seguchi is meeting Mika at the bar which is apparently closed today. What is going on here? Why are they meeting? Why are they allowed into this bar when it's closed? So Seguchi is Mika's husband and...

...

.......

..............

WHAT?! Wait..waitwaitwaitwait WAIT! What the hell is going on here?! How is she Yuki's girlfriend if she's already married to Seguchi? Is she a beard for Yuki? ...Are they actually going out? Neither Mika or Yuki have ever referred to them being in a relationship. Mika says that she's going to give Shuichi a chance to persuade him, asking him how much he'd give to be in a relationship with Yuki. Shuichi tells her he's up for it and Mika says that he's going to help him "persuade my brother". Aha! So she's NOT going out with Yuki at all!

That ends Track 3 and holy crap I am really starting to like this series! Mika's introduction to the series has really added a new dynamic to the story. Now Shuichi has someone on the inside to help him, someone that's not only connected to Yuki to help him pursue a relationship but also to Seguchi to help him further his band career. I already like Mika a lot since she's a very no nonsense woman who isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. I  have no proof of her intentions, but I have a feeling that Mika is a lot like Maiko. She just wants her brother to have a lover in his life. I have a feeling things are really going to start picking up now.

Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation: Track 4! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 2

Track 2 starts out where Track 1 left off, with Eiri Yuki and Shuichi Shindo standing in the street in the rain. Yuki, for some reason that isn't very clear, he decides to drive Shuichi back to his [Yuki's] home. Yuki gives Shuichi a towel to dry off with. I'm a bit surprised that he would do this for the guy who nearly made him crash his fancy car, especially since he was such a prick to him before. Shuichi is pleasant, thanking him while Yuki complains that there's a scratch on his Mercedes...Dude, you own a huge fancy house and drive a freaking Mercedes, I think you can afford a scratch. Poor Shuichi both goes to high school and works every night in order to support his habit, the habit that YOU put down without a second thought.

Speaking of which, Shuichi asks him about that. What do you have to say for yourself Yuki?

...Why are you so such a dick Yuki? Whyyyyy?

So Yuki, reasonably, wants to know why Shuichi threw himself in front of his [Yuki's] car. Yuki belittles him, is condescending and Shuichi, also reasonably, is annoyed by this. He gets all worked up and asks if Yuki wants to know what he does for a living. A person who was polite might say yes even if they weren't particularly interested. Yuki, however, doesn't care and isn't afraid of saying so. However, it turns out that Yuki DOES actually remember Shuichi! Because he remembers how much his lyrics sucked and not the actual circumstances of their meeting. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by how DICKISH Yuki is acting by now but still. Anyway, Shuichi blows up and demands an apology for his hurt feelings while Yuki claims that he was merely being honest. He goes on to say that he has zero talent, that he will never improve, and when Shuichi starts crying he calls him a punk and says that he makes him sick. The last thing he says to Shuichi before telling him to get out of his house, is that if he wants to kill himself he should step in front of a Saab Cabriole. Wow. Why? Why is Yuki such a complete dick? I know I sound like a broken record, but is it necessary to be this cruel to some kid you don't even know? Is mutual annoyance and dislike going to be the basis of their relationship? Time will tell.

Maiko and Hiroshi both make fun of Shuichi for his experiences, further cementing the fact that Shuichi is taking Yuki's words far too seriously. Maiko raises the good point of whether or not Shuichi got Yuki's name. He did not of course. So we're halfway through the second chapter and STILL haven't been properly introduced to the second half of what's to be the main relationship. I find this very strange. And apparently Maiko and Hiroshi think that Shuichi giving his name to another man means he's attracted to men. Wait...what? How...who thinks like that?! It does lead to Shuichi having a pretty awesome moment.

No it doesn't Shuichi. No it's doesn't. Of course, this is more played for laughs as he realizes what he said which confuses him so I'm thinking he hasn't quite gotten to the place where he realizes he likes guys. Later that night, Shuichi continues working on his song for the live performance that's coming up soon, though he's in kind of a slump. He refuses to give Yuki the satisfaction (even if he doesn't know it) of Shuichi's failure so he finishes the song, determined to make it the best he can make it. Looking over these panels, I've come to a rather sad conclusion. I really like this character design for Shuichi. I am going to be genuinely disappointed when he gets all short and has pink hair and stuff. Hopefully that doesn't happen until much, MUCH later in the series.

The next day, Hiro stops by Shuichi's house to see how the song is coming along. It's not quite complete yet and Shuichi is thinking they might have to ad lib the actual concert. Hiro is, reasonably, quite against this idea as this is their big chance as a professional band known as "ASK" will be there and they'll be opening for them. Hiro and Shuichi get into a fight which disturbs Maiko who had been staying up late to finish a novel. This is where things get really interesting as she says that she's happy with "Yuki-sama" (sama being a Japanese honorific given to those of a higher standing than the person speaking to show respect for those who don't know) who is the author of the novel. His full name? EIRI YUKI! Aha! So he's a novelist! Well, I guess that means he would know what good writing is then. Still doesn't give him the right to be a dick though. Even more interestingly, Eiri Yuki isn't even his real name! It's just a pen name.

We then move to a scene between Yuki and who I assume is his editor. Apparently he's turning in the final draft of his latest novel which has a happy ending. This is unusual for Yuki and I can't say I'm surprised. He seems like the kind of guy who would write super cynical books or tragedies or something like that. And then suddenly Shuichi is there! I guess this is the next day! I'm starting to think Shuichi is becoming a bit of a stalker. He invites Yuki to the live show but Yuki, in true dick fashion, tells him he has no time to waste listening to crappy lyrics. However, he does seem to agree to show up in the end. Shuichi, at least, seems to think he'll show up.


We then cut to another scene with two people we've never seen before, a younger guy and an older guy. The younger guy is referred to as Seguchi and the older guy wants to make him a producer for "ASK". However, Seguchi won't take on the job until he actually sees "ASK" in concert for himself. Seguchi refers to the older guy as "President" so I'm going to assume he's the president of a record company.

And the scene shifts again, this time to the night of the live show! Everything's moving so fast! @_@ Seguchi arrives in time to see Shuichi and Hiro perform. Their band finally has a name: Bad Luck. That...is actually really appropriate considering Shuichi's experiences. Just as Shuichi is about to sing he notices Yuki in the crowd. The lyrics run through his head and he knows that they won't be good enough for Yuki so he decides to ad lib to prove Yuki wrong. And he's successful! Yuki doesn't outright say it, but he does think that he "always knew he could do it". Yeaaaaaaah, of course you did Yuki. Seguchi is rather impressed with Shuichi and notices Yuki in the crowd, seemingly recognizing him. Oho, what's this then? The plot thickens more!

Yuki leaves before Shuichi can talk to him and as he's carrying equipment out to his car Seguchi asks to speak with him and we find out that he's affiliated with N-G records and wants to speak with Shuichi. I like where this is going!

That brings Track 2 to an end! After the slow pace of the first chapter this one moved much faster. Almost TOO fast if truth be told. We went from the live show being a month away to actually seeing it within a few pages. The pacing so far has been a bit whacky so hopefully that gets ironed out in later chapters. We didn't see much of Hiro or Maiko this chapter so my opinion of them hasn't changed at all. I still really like Shuichi's character. His obsession with getting Yuki's respect is just another form of his passion and determination. As for Yuki...I know he's a total dick but I'm actually starting to like him just a bit. Later on in the chapter he was less outright mean and more playfully snarky. It suited him a lot better as a character. I have a feeling I'm going to be seesawing between liking and disliking him as the series goes on. I have no opinion on Seguchi at this time since we didn't really get a feel for his personality the few times he showed up.

Come back tomorrow for Track 3! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 1

Alright! Before we dive into Gravitation chapter 1 (or track 1 as it's labeled in the manga) I have one more bit of technical business I need to address. For most of the series I'm going to be reading and discussing in this blog, I'm going to be going in with almost no foreknowledge of the series. So I'm implementing a spoiler policy! No spoilers of any description in the comments section! Only discuss characters, events, and things of that nature after I've talked about them. Simple, no?

Now, what do I actually know about Gravitation? I know it's a shonen-ai series (original characters, more plot driven than your average yaoi) that's subtle enough that some people don't even realize it's yaoi while reading/watching it, that's it's about a band (hence the chapters being referred to as tracks) and is known for its music, and...that's actually it. Huh. I thought I knew more about it. Anyway! Let's begin with the cover of the first two volumes.

...So, this is the cover to the series that is so subtle people sometimes don't realize it's a yaoi? Are you kidding me?  I mean, we have a feminine guy with pink hair and his shirt practically ripped open with a blonde gentleman hanging off him, their faces inches apart...oh for the love of...it says it's a shonen-ai right on the cover! This is about as subtle as a brick to the face! Maybe the anime was more subtle. I'll have to check that out after I cover the manga. Oh, and try and guess who the seme and the uke is based on that picture. Easy, yes?


The back of the manga gives us a synopsis: Shuichi Shindou is determined to be a rock star. Eiri Yuki is his most brutally honest critic. When their paths collide, the two find their futures inexorable intertwined...The force that brings them close together is like gravity--and there is nothing they can do to stop it!"

...Okay, I'm officially going to forget that people claim this thing is subtle because it clearly is not. Moving on!

And now I'm already confused. Who is this guy? Usually in the chapter cover of a manga they feature the main characters in some way. This guy looks nothing like either of the two on the cover. For now, I'm just going to assume that it's a quirk of the early artwork. Character art usually changes and evolves over time as an artist gets settled into their niche. The chapter starts out with what seems like over dramatic narration about destiny but it's revealed to actually be the lyrics to a song that our main character, Shuichi Shindo, is writing. So yeah, apparently that guy with the black hair is the same guy as the one with the pink hair. At this point I have to ask: What happened? That's a pretty drastic character design change! Already I'm intrigued to see this series through to the end just to see this change in action.

Shuichi is showing the lyrics to his friend Hiroshi, shortened to Hiro, who advises him to "skip to the dirty stuff" which is actually a pretty hilarious commentary on yaoi even if it wasn't meant to be. While the two boys banter a bit, another new character enters the stage, described as Shuichi's "secret crush" whom we see is a woman who has made him lunch. Oh, but this woman is actually his sister...Oh no, this isn't going to be one of THOSE kinds of stories is it? I mean, I don't mind a good old fashioned love triangle, but between siblings? Nooo thank you. Thankfully, this isn't the case as Hiro's comments are said in jest. Okay, so Hiro is the joker of the group. The light hearted comedy relief. At least for now.


It turns out that Shuichi and Hiro are trying to get their nameless band entered in the school talent show even though they haven't actually finished writing any of their songs. Shuichi's sister, Maiko, tells them they have two days to be ready or they're SOL. During class, Shuichi attempts to work on the song he's writing only to discover that something is wrong on his keyboard. We're not told what that something is, but it's bad enough that it causes him to scream so loudly it can be heard throughout the school. Later on, during lunch, Hiro informs Maiko (who is on the committee organizing the talent show) that Shuichi and he won't be participating because Shuichi lost all the data on his keyboard relating to the song he was writing. Wow, Shuichi is off to a pretty rough start. Strangely, there's also some kind of author's note that is spread out in a side column on page 20 discussing the troubles the author had writing the first chapter, namely in characterizing Shuichi and Hiroshi. I...don't know why that's there. It's almost like she was worried we wouldn't be able to see what kind of characters Shuichi and Hiroshi were so she put this in to make sure we got it. It's a bit distracting to be perfectly honest.

As it turns out, Shuichi is depressed about the whole thing and Maiko goes to try and cheer him up. Shuichi has a gig coming up in a month and the talent show was supposed to be a warm up. Then, out of nowhere, Maiko asks him why he doesn't have a girlfriend and I suddenly have traumatic flashbacks to high school. Maiko is one of those people who thinks you need to be in a relationship, that you need one to be complete. That's the impression I get anyway, especially because she herself has a boyfriend. My sister was the same way, always asking me when I was going to get a girlfriend (until I came out to her. Luckily I was already in a relationship so she didn't get a chance to start hassling me about finding a boyfriend). Shuichi is passionate about his music. It's what he wants to concentrate on and people should respect that. Maiko is trying to look out for him, as a good sister does, but she goes about it in the wrong way, saying spending his time in front of a computer screen is "wasting his time". I knew people like this when I was in high school. Just because you don't go after drooling after every girl you see doesn't mean your life is incomplete. But we're not here to talk about me!

We next see Shuichi as he finishes up his shift on his job where we once again see how dedicated he is to his music. He works hard there and he has a lot of support from his coworkers and his sister (in a kind of roundabout way as sisters can be) but he can't seem to find a girl who will agree with that. However, he also starts to think it would be nice to have someone who would support him and understand him, someone to read his lyrics and tell him how great they are. It's at this point Shuichi sneezes, causing his lyrics to go flying away and are picked up by an extremely pretty looking man. For two pages, no one says anything. We just...look.

We don't get this man's name but judging by his introduction I'm going to assume he's Eiri Yuki. He matches the cover fairly well (definitely better than Shuichi that's for sure) so I'm going to be assuming that unless proven otherwise via a coming chapter. Shuichi freaks out about this man seeing his lyrics, worrying that he's going to think they're lame...and he does. In no uncertain terms he tells him that his writing sucks and he should give up writing music and go find a new career. Ouch. I mean, geez. Music is Shuichi's passion, the thing he devotes all his time and money to, and this guy just tore him down in a handful of sentences. What a dick! Who just goes up to a random person and tells them they suck? Wait a second...Oh my God, he's an internet troll in real life! Well, since Shuichi is so dedicated he's obviously going to say screw that guy and...oh wait...no he starts thinking the guy might be right. Wow, you have support coming in from friends and family alike but this one guy you don't even know has the biggest impact on you? Not very smart Shuichi.

We move forward again to the day of the talent show which appears to be part of some kind of larger school festival. In order for Hiro and Shuichi to be able to watch it they need to wrap a few girls into watching the front desk for them. This is, hands down, my favorite scene in this chapter.

I mean, seriously. How often do we see guys doing something like this to get favors from women rather than the other way around? This is just awesome! Especially when on the next page Hiro starts getting even closer and Shuichi says Don't. Stop. I can just imagine him saying it in such a way that makes it seem like he's saying Don't stop. Anyway, it works like a charm and they manage to get to the talent show where the bands begin to play...poorly. While that's going on, Hiro and Shuichi talk about setting Shuichi up with a girl. Hiro convinces him that he's just in a funk right now and the only reason he wants to get with a girl is because he's in a bad mood right now. Before Shuichi can tell Hiro why he's in a bad mood, they decided to do something about the untalented bands on the stage. To Maiko's chagrin they get up and start playing the school song since they have nothing else to perform. The point of this sequence, beyond some nice comedy, is to show that even unprepared and with no original songs, Shuichi and Hiroshi have enough stage presence and talent to instantly bring the despondent crowd back around to having fun. It shows that they have natural talent.

After getting reprimanded by Maiko, Shuichi tells them both about what happened with the strange man who told him he sucked. Much like any normal person in this situation, they both think Shuichi is overreacting. Why should he care what some random guy thinks? They think he's nuts for caring so much and Shuichi even questions his coworkers about it. No one can tell him who he is and everyone is telling him to just give it up. Shuichi just can't though. Despite the fact that he was a jerk, he can't let it go because he was "kind of cool". So there's just something about this guy that gets to Shuichi. I understand where he's coming from. I've met people like that before, people who just get under your skin for some inexplicable reason.

The next day, Shuichi finds out Hiro set him up with a girl. Being blindsided by this, he tells her he'll call her and goes up to his room. Now that he's actually presented with the opportunity to be with a woman he knows this isn't something he wants. However, he still wants to try it. So he goes on a date with her and she claims that he's being more moody as opposed to his regular happy go lucky self that she sees at school. The girl sees his lyrics and she tells him she thinks they're amazing. Ah, so Shuichi has exactly what he wanted before he met Yuki: a girl who supports him and tells him how awesome his lyrics are. Now, it doesn't mean anything to him. As a writer myself I understand what he's feeling here. It's always nice to have support and have people telling you what you're writing is good, but it doesn't help you improve. Now that Shuichi thinks his lyrics may not be up to snuff (although he has no idea if Yuki actually knows what he's talking about or if he was just being an asshole) he can't accept the compliments.

As luck would have it, the girl he's with (who I'm just now noticing was never given a name...guess she was just here as a plot device) spots a car rushing by driven by, of course, Yuki. Shuichi runs outside and shows just how obsessed he is with meeting with this man again as he throws himself in front of the car, forcing Yuki to stop. Yeesh! Talk about desperate! The chapter ends with Yuki and Shuichi facing each other in the rainy street.

Okay, so this was a pretty standard start for a first chapter! We've been introduced to the main characters, gotten a feel for their personalities, and the world has been established. Right now the only conflict seems to be Shuichi getting Yuki to take back what he said about his lyrics, but I'm sure...something else will come up or else this is going to be a very boring manga. So far I like Shuichi, Hiroshi, and Maiko. They're varied, interesting, and fun to watch interacting with each other. Yuki...yeah he's a prick. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now though. He's not making a very good first impression though.

That's Track 1 of Gravitation! Tomorrow I'll be tackling Track 2! See you then.

In the Beginning

I recently had the honor and privilege of graduating from the University of Stevens Point Wisconsin. Finally, after 16 and a half years of schooling, I'm done. No more homework, essays, sitting in class, or learning anything inane that I'll never actually use in my everyday life. After enjoying a week or so of freedom, I finally sat down and asked myself a very good question.

What now?

The best course of action would be to find a job. After having sent in multiple applications and coming up dry on every front, I needed to find something that would take up my time and not make me want to blow my brains out while I continued my job search. So I decided to start this blog.

Welcome to Yaoi Zowee!

Now, I'm sure many of you out there are asking yourselves, "What the hell is yaoi?" while others might just be smiling and anticipating the coming posts, and still others are apprehensive. That's really the beauty of the situation isn't it? To answer the first question, yaoi is...well, pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll let this explain:

Oh yes. For those of you who are still not getting it, that woman on the right, kissing the guy on the left? Not a woman.

Yes, yaoi (pronounced ya-o-i but pronounced yow-ee for the sake of the pun of this blog) is media based on the romantic relationships between two men. I would like to stress, however, that these relationships are NOT realistic portrayals of homosexual relationships and homosexuals are not the primary audience. They are made by women for women's enjoyment.

As the style of the picture above indicates, along with the word itself, yaoi started out as doujinshi (fan made manga/comic books/graphic novels) in Japan created initially as shonen-ai (which translates to boy's love even though it has nothing to do with underage boys. That's a whole different category and is not something this blog will cover for obvious reasons). What does the word actually mean? It's actually an acronym of the Japanese phrase "YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nash" which translates to "no climax, no point, no meaning" (climax in the storytelling sense and not the...uh, other sense). It was called this because most early yaoi eschewed all plot and characterizations to focus on the "hot stuff". In other words, porn without plot. Thankfully, not all series are like that. Jokingly, the acronym is sometimes said to be derived from the phrase "Yamete, oshiri ga itai" which translates to "Stop it, my ass hurts!" (Don't listen to anyone who tells you that that's the official meaning of yaoi because they are pulling your leg...or just don't know better). The term is nebulous at best. The easiest way to think of it is like this: these manga portrayed original characters in homosexual relationships. Yaoi took the idea a step further, portraying already established characters from anime in homosexual relationships, whether or not the characters were gay to begin with.

So what's the point of this blog? I am a yaoi fan. In order to stave off boredom, I am going to go through different yaoi series, day by day and chapter by chapter, giving my impressions of them as I go. Why would you want to read this? Because yaoi, like most things from Japan, have  a wide range of stories from the good, to the bad, to the just plain bizarre.

I'm going to be using a few different terms in this blog that will make little to no sense to those unfamiliar with yaoi so if you want to have a hope of following this blog, make sure you know the following terms.

Seme-Translates to mean "attacker" or "pitcher". I prefer to use the second term as it has less creepy connotations and lends itself to baseball puns. Unfortunately, the creepy translation is oftentimes more accurate given the subject matter, something we'll cover down below in just a minute. You just need to know that the seme is the more dominant partner, the one who will be making all the moves basically.

Uke-Translates to "receiver" or "catcher". The other half of the relationship, the submissive one. He's often smaller and more feminine than the taller, manlier seme. Usually, within the first chapter, you can identify your seme and uke. Some series are not as cut and dry as this, but we'll cover those as they come.

Next, it's time to discuss the themes present in your average yaoi. This will give you an idea of what you can expect in the coming days.

Female characters- They are next to non existent in yaoi. They are minor characters at best and, distressingly enough, can be portrayed as downright evil, existing mostly as an obstacle for the two male characters to overcome, or are killed off in order to create drama, again, all in the name of pushing the two male characters together. This has always made little to no sense to me and is pretty misogynistic. Why women write their gender in this manner, I can't say, but it's actually kind of disturbing.

Gay Rights- Yeah, this is basically used as a plot device. It helps to show how, even though the world is against the, the two male lovers, against all odds, stay together because of how much they love each other. As before, I feel that I need to stress that yaoi does NOT portray homosexual relationships realistically. Every time I hear someone say "I support gay rights! I read yaoi!" I die a little inside. This is fantasy people!

Idealism- Basically, yaoi relationships are allowed to be "equal" since it's two men involved rather than a man and a woman. In Japan, there was a clear hierarchy in relationships, with men being first and women being second. For the female authors of yaoi, this allowed them to explore a relationship that was on equal footing. This is more common of earlier works and doesn't show up as often in the more recent series.

Rape- Yeeeeeeeeah, and now we get to the most uncomfortable aspect of yaoi. Rape. It happens a lot. It's usually how the relationships get started. Again, NOT REAL HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS! See now how "attacker" is an unfortunate, but accurate, translation of seme? We'll be getting to this more in depth as it becomes relevant (and it WILL become relevant unfortunately).

Tragedy-  And behind the misogyny and rape, tragedy was ridiculously popular for awhile. Apparently because it was entertaining to see men suffer. I don't know. Thankfully this was replaced with happy endings being more popular and nowadays it's usually a fifty fifty shot depending on the author and the story.


Wow, looking back on this post, it's kind of a dull start isn't it? Now that the technical stuff is out of the way we can get to the fun stuff. The first series is one that is rather well known though I myself have never actually read or watched it. Tomorrow, the blog will begin in full when I look at the opening chapter of Gravitation! See you then.