Gravitation: Track 22

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 22, which starts volume 6! I forgot to mention that track 21 was the last chapter of that volume. The chapter opens up with K helping Hiro escaping from (or to, it's not quite clear) somewhere, chased by a group of fans. Once again the pacing in this manga is all over the place. What happened with Shuichi and why was he crying? Apparently it's not important enough to talk about. How much time has passed? Impossible to tell. Either way, Hiro and K arrive at the recording studio. Sakano and Suguru are discussing Bad Luck's first album, "Gravity" (subtlety does not exist in this manga) is number 16 on the charts. Shuichi hasn't come into work this morning (and hasn't shown up all week in fact) and K decides to check up on him. Since K is planning on being a bit rough with Shuichi (as is his wont) Hiro goes in his place since he needs to talk to Shuichi about something anyway.

                                        Shuichi is less than pleased

So of course Shuichi is just playing sick. What I find odd is that he's playing sick at his mother's house. His mother completely overreacts and tells Shuichi to stop acting like a child, playing sick and suddenly I see where Shuichi gets his manic personality from. Hiro tells Shuichi it's time to come back and Shuichi points out a poster in his room that Hiro and Shuichi had skipped school to stand in line for because Shuichi needed it by any means necessary. Hiro asks why he's being so sulky and why he's crying when he basically just realized his dream of singing with his favorite band. It's because he's jealous of Ryuichi. Hiro gives him a bit of a pep talk and Shuichi regains his confidence.

The scene shifts to K talking to Yuki about Shuichi. Yuki is irritated because K is bothering him while he's trying to work (and I just realized that, much like how we never hear any music, we haven't read anything Yuki has ever produced either. Yet he's an award winning novelist and seems to know what he's talking about since he critiqued Shuichi back in chapter one. I would like to read SOMETHING he wrote. Anything at this point) and Shuichi isn't there. K is basically saying that he didn't think that Shuichi could ever reach Ryuichi but now he sees that Shuichi does have that talent. Yuki immediately catches on to what K was doing. He's hoping to get a huge effect from this. He doesn't think that aiming for Ryuichi won't be enough to make him truly great. Nor will money. Only one thing will. Yuki quickly catches on to what K is saying and thinks he's crazy. Later on, Shuichi comes back to Yuki's place with a new haircut.

                                     Boo new haircut! Although I'm now reminded about Tibet's plight.

Yeah, I do not like this hair cut. For those who can't tell, it's the style that was on the first image of Gravitation I showed on this blog. Thus the first step on his feminizing has occurred. I have to agree with Yuki who says he looks like a middle school girl. This is just not a good look for Shuichi. I understand the idea behind it and it's a great one. Since Shuichi is no longer trying to copy Ryuichi, he cut his hair so he won't look like him anymore. I still don't like it. Yuki compliments Shuichi on his haircut and every time he starts acting like his normal self, mysterious gun shots appear in the wall surrounding him, prompting him to act more lovey dovey with Shuichi. It's clear that K is somewhere, watching them. His plan? Yuki says that if Shuichi can sell a million copies (go Platinum) then he'll take Shuichi out on a date. Shuichi FLIPS OUT in excitement at the idea of going on an actual date with Yuki and K congratulates himself on a job well done.

The next day Shuichi is back to his normal exuberant self, nothing but sunshine and cheer. All according to K's plan, Shuichi burns through every single publicity opportunity to make sure Gravity sells as well as possible. Suguru and Hiro both eventually catch on to K's plan. K then brings up a good point. We all know that Shuichi's world revolved around Yuki...but what exactly does Shuichi mean to Yuki? Hiro informs Shuichi that they've sold 400K albums already though Shuichi is slightly discouraged by just how much further he has to go. Sakano and the group discuss the plans for Bad Luck going on tour and K tells them they have another television appearance to put in. Just as Hiro and Shuichi get all excited about the chance to be in the top spot on an actual music show...K tells them that it's a cooking show. This band just can't catch a break with its TV appearances.

Shuichi asks Yuki to help him cook and...I'm sorry, Shuichi just looks too much like a girl. It's ridiculous! Actually...he kind of looks like Demi Moore now that I look at it. Well now I'm just going to be thinking of Shuichi and Yuki making a clay pot together every time I see them. Awkward. The cooking show is apparently some kind of celebrity competition where teams compete against each other. Shuichi is determined to win and the chapter ends with K seeing that someone named Tetsuya Ukai is going to be on the show with Bad Luck. If I remember correctly, Noriko's last name is Ukai. So I'm guessing this is her brother then. K seems surprised by this but we'll have to wait until next chapter to see what the big deal is.

Again, there's precisely zero conflict in the story now and while there were some funny parts in the chapter, I found this to be kind of a slog to get through. Not to mention that Shuichi now has that God awful haircut. There had better be some kind of conflict soon or I'm going to entirely lose interest in this series.

Tomorrow we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 23! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 20

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 20. The chapter opens with Hiro and Shuichi reading a magazine article about the reformation of Nittle Grasper. Shuichi, despite the fact that Nittle Grasper is their rival, is impressed by how well they're doing despite having broken up three years ago with nary a release or appearance. Hiro tells him to focus and Suguru introduces the new music they're going to be using for their appearance on Hit Stage. Shuichi is a bit perturbed by this, since he's normally the one who runs the show in regards to the band and doesn't appreciate Suguru remixing his work. Suguru explains that because Nittle Grasper hasn't performed in three years, they're expected to be mediocre so Suguru wants them to do a song that will really make Bad Luck stand out. He's very quality over quantity. Sakano really likes Suguru because he's similar to Seguchi in demeanor (and he has a huge crush on Seguchi) and we also learn that Suguru is only 16. They begin to perform the song but Shuichi and Hiro do not care for Suguru's condescending attitude.

Later that night, Shuichi complains to Yuki who doesn't get why Shuichi is so annoyed by Suguru. Shuichi just says that there's something about him that he doesn't like and that he refuses to appear on Hit Stage with him. Yuki does not take any of Shuichi's self indulgent pity party.

                                                        Yuki doesn't have time for your bullshit.

Shuichi gets mad at Yuki for saying something so cruel, but I have to agree with Yuki here. Shuichi is being overly defensive about Suguru's involvement. He shouldn't be so concerned  over who is leading the group but what's best for the group as a whole. It doesn't help his case when we remember last chapter where Shuichi actually, physically DID run away from Ryuichi! Sorry Shuichi but you're in the wrong here. The scene shifts to the next day at the studio, everyone getting ready for a photo op or a radio show or...something. It's not very clear. In another example of the manga's odd pacing, Shuichi has a flashback...that continues the previous scene. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just keep the scene going and then switch to the new one? Anyway, Shuichi yells at Yuki that everything he told him about his past was a lie and that Shuichi thinks Yuki doesn't really love him at all. Yuki, naturally, shouts at him and tells him to get out if he actually believes that. Shuichi knows he screwed up and Suguru figures out that Shuichi is in a bad mood because of a fight. Suguru says that "gay boys" like Shuichi are bad for Yuki and they should just break up. Well...I suddenly don't like Suguru at all. Shuichi is of the same mind, vowing to find out what Suguru's deal is and to make sure he doesn't get too close to Yuki.

The scene shifts to Suguru telling Yuki that the problems with the letter that Taki got have been solved and Yuki wants to know if that was really the only reason he was there. Shuichi, who is also there, wonders the same thing. They get into a discussion about Yuki's past again but Suguru doesn't care about his past, doesn't care about Yuki seeing Shuichi, and doesn't care about Taki. All he cares about is making sure Shuichi is able to perform at the best of his abilities. Oh, and we also learn that Suguru is Seguchi's cousin. Which explains why they're similar in looks and personality actually. Suguru cheerfully bids Yuki good night and Shuichi apologizes to Yuki for eavesdropping and for saying such nasty things. Yuki tells him that he had left out a detail regarding his past and wants to know if Shuichi wants to hear it. Shuichi says he doesn't. Not yet. Yuki tells him to do his best to make peace with Ryuichi and sing with him. And if he can't then just move past it and don't worry about it. Yuki then gives Shuichi a gift: A locket that has his picture along with a picture of the man he killed.

The scene just ends there and we move on to Sakano being shocked that Suguru is Seguchi's cousin (and I just realized there are a lot of "S" named people in this series). Of course, since Sakano has such a crush on Seguchi, Suguru can do no wrong in his eyes.

                                                  "Bizarre" doesn't even BEGIN to describe it

Shuichi is in a fired up mood and ready to sing at Hit Stage, but internally he's torn up. He's not worried about Yuki's past but he IS worried about what happened in Yuki's past to make him change so much from the picture Yuki gave Shuichi.

                                     This is the picture by the way.

The rest of the group find out about Shuichi and Ryuichi and Shuichi is determined to make things right with Ryuichi, ending the chapter before the show is about to begin.

This chapter...Eh, this chapter didn't excite me. It's nice that we finally got to see the man Yuki killed (and I notice he appears to be older than Yuki which makes me wonder how they knew each other) but beyond that nothing really super big, exciting, or important happened.

Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation Track 21! See you then.

Gravitation Track 18

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 18. The chapter starts out with Taki (oh joy I'm so excited to see what happens already) ditching the recording studio to do something (evil) and his manager telling him he's being selfish for dumping recording because he just doesn't feel like it. He finds...something, some kind of piece of paper and frowns at it before the scene abruptly shifts to Shuichi. I have no idea what that was but we'll probably be finding out about it soon enough. Shuichi is depressed because he's convinced that Ryuichi hates him now and, with him being so popular and influential, he feels like this is the end of his career. And he's 25 minutes late to recording as K is helpful enough to remind him. Wait...what is he doing there?! He tells Shuichi that Sakano, Noriko, and Hiro are all already there and Shuichi asks what HE is doing there. He's there for Ryuichi and says that he's going to be Shuichi's manager from now on. Shuichi brushes him off but Sakano confirms this to be true as he's just heard about it this morning. Shuichi goes ballistic and demands to know what the heck is going on.

K says that he admires Shuichi's bravery and the luck he's had that brought him this far but the way he currently is he'll have no chance of rising in the ranks and reaching the top levels. He scoffs at the idea that Shuichi could actually reach Ryuichi's level. Before Shuichi can respond (and I'm positive he would have given this guy a verbal dressing down) Douche 1 walks in and says he wants to speak to Shuichi. The scene shifts and we see Taki visiting Yuki.

                                       I hate you so much. Just learn to quit.

So it turns out that the paper Taki found was a letter telling him about Yuki's secret. Which is he now gloating over. Taki says that Yuki doesn't know the first thing about who actually knows his secret. I'm sure he thought this was going to make Yuki break down into a nervous wreck over who does and doesn't know but Yuki just shrugs and basically says that Taki is right. He doesn't know. He didn't know until recently thanks to everyone helping him remember. He then questions why Taki should even care and calls him nosy. Bless you Yuki. he then says that Taki is being stupid, digging his own grave by coming here. Taki blows up and demands that Yuki admit that what the letter says is true. So yeah, Taki is still trying (and failing) to ruin Yuki's life. So then Shuichi breaks through the wall and kicks Taki right in the head.

                                                      More badass than words can convey.

Shuichi yells at Taki for daring to raise a hand against Yuki and Taki calls him an idiot. Taki then reveals his master plan: circulate the information about Yuki's crime which will mean the end of his career which in turn will weaken Shuichi since Shuichi is at his weakest when Yuki is in trouble. Do I even need to reiterate how much of a petty asshole this guy is? I love how Shuichi basically says "Well duh he's a killer! So what? Even killers deserve to live sometimes." This is a good point. We don't even know the nature of Yuki's crime. He could have easily killed someone in self defense. Then Shuichi says this.

                                                    Shuichi does not take your bullshit.

I love how Seguchi, Yuki, and now Shuichi just refuse to acknowledge Taki as any kind of real threat. He's just a pathetic excuse for a human being, trying to bring down others rather than try and raise and improve himself. Taki has the oh so wonderful come back of "Shut the fuck up!" and then runs away like a pansy. Douche 1 and 2 run into Taki on the street and Taki rails on them, calling them traitors for telling Shuichi what Taki was doing. Douche 1 just says that it's all over. Taki refuses to give up and Douche 1 just says he's gone too far. Shuichi has already won. Taki listens as well as you'd expect. Meaning that he doesn't listen at all and runs away again. He ends up in a phone booth to call a publisher to release the story of Yuki's past but while he's dialing...

                                                    Commence the pants crapping.

The scene shifts before we can see what Seguchi is planning on doing to Taki, back to Shuichi and Yuki. Shuichi asks him if anything is wrong and Yuki breaks down and CRIES. In front of Shuichi! This freaks Shuichi out who tries to comfort him and Yuki reveals his fears: He can't remember the exact details of the time he killed so what if it WAS all really his fault? He doesn't want to end up betraying Shuichi or going back to killing and he's deeply afraid this might happen. He cries into Shuichi's chest as the scene shifts back to Seguchi. Something he says disturbs me quite a bit: "I wouldn't care if you beat or killed Shindou-san but not for something as stupid as your wrongly directed resentment". So...he's saying he doesn't care if Shuichi gets killed if the person has a good reason for doing it? Bwuh? What kind of person talks like this?! Seguchi, my love for you has fallen with that statement. That's a cruel and dispassionate way of looking at the world. Seguchi says that if Taki is a good boy and behaves then he'll get the future he was promised. The only future I want for him is a shallow grave but it doesn't look like I'll be getting that. Seguchi tells Taki that Yuki and Shuichi wouldn't be the only ones who would be hurt if Taki got his revenge.

The scene shifts back to Yuki and Shuichi and they get into an argument that is completely adorable. Yuki is embarrassed that he's crying in front of Shuichi since he hasn't done it in years and tries to act tough while Shuichi tells him to just accept that Shuichi is trying to make him feel better. The scene shifts back and forth between Seguchi and Taki and Yuki and Shuichi. Seguchi tells Taki that he won't be the one to heal Yuki's wounds. Well, he says "he" so I'm assuming the "he" is Yuki. But does this mean they had a relationship or something in the past? To make matters MORE confusing it turns out SEGUCHI sent Taki the letter! My head hurts. Taki demands to know why Seguchi is going through all this trouble to protect Yuki when he's a killer and Seguchi...pushes him out in front of a car! And says that he loves Yuki the most of anyone in the world! Wait...I...wha...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! Holy shit Seguchi just straight up KILLED TAKI in cold blood! I know I said I wanted him dead but I wasn't serious! I was expecting a punishment for what he did but seeing it actually happen it's...surprisingly grisly. I'm retracting all my love of Seguchi for now. He seriously is freaking me right the hell out.

The chapter ends with Sakano telling Hiro and Shuichi that, thanks to Shuichi's singing during the live broadcast, Bad Luck's popularity is rising. Noriko uses this moment to tell them that she's officially leaving Bad Luck and rejoining Nittle Grasper.

I admit it, I got shivers reading this chapter. Seguchi is one cold customer. I really don't like that he admits that he loves Yuki. Although it does make his statement about not caring if Shuichi is killed make more sense. He needs him around to keep making him money for N-G records but he's also blocking Yuki from him. It makes me wonder though...what's he going to do to Shuichi? I feel very uneasy. Noriko leaving Bad Luck to rejoin Nittle Grasper also makes me wonder. Are they making a comeback? That would be an interesting development! It's unfortunate that the week is over meaning I'm going to have to wait a whole weekend to find out what happens! Oh well. Perseverance!

On Monday we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 19! Have a great weekend and I'll see you then.

Gravitation: Track 17

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 17. The chapter opens up with Shuichi trying to wake Yuki up but Yuki is not having it. After annoying Yuki sufficiently Yuki smacks him as he wakes up. Shuichi tells Yuki that today is the day Bad Luck's CD gets released and that Yuki shouldn't eat dinner before he gets back. There's some playful banter between the two (which is refreshing to see) before Shuichi bites Yuki on the ear and runs off. This affects Yuki more than you'd expect, causing him to blush with wide eyed shock. Seguchi suddenly appears and says that he didn't know that was a weak spot on Yuki. Yuki jumps and asks him what he's doing there and Seguchi gives him a bottle of...something as a housewarming gift. Yuki admits to Seguchi that he told Shuichi about his past, expecting Shuichi to want nothing more to do with him. But there's something wrong. Yuki apparently doesn't actually remember the events at all and it causes him to break down. Seguchi comforts him and says (or thinks? Could be either one) that he can't expect Taki to keep his promise (no shock there).

The scene then shifts over to Shuichi happily running to the recording studio. He's thinking to himself and reiterates that he doesn't care that Yuki killed anyone and now that Ayaka is out of the way there's no obstacle that he can't overcome! He rides the elevator up to the recording studio and someone calls out Ryuichi's name causing him to get all worked up before some random guy hugs him, thinking that Shuichi is Ryuichi (easy mistake to make).

                                       This is what happens when you look like a celebrity

Shuichi is barely able to call out to Noriko as he is whisked away by this mysterious man. He's deposited into a car and before he can demand to know what is going on, the man shoves a stuffed rabbit in his face and tells him that he shouldn't have come to Japan and demands an apology. Shuichi tries to explain to him that he's not Ryuichi but the man very scarily tells him to apologize while holding a GUN. Okay, so this guy is probably Ryuichi's bodyguard and Ryuichi has gotten away from him. That would make sense. Otherwise this is a very frightening development. Shuichi apologizes and we find out that the man is actually Ryuichi's manager (eh, close enough) and is finally able to tell him that he's not, in fact, Ryuichi. The man then demands to know where Ryuichi is and Shuichi tells him to keep his eyes on the road. They nearly crash into an oncoming truck, nearly giving Shuichi a heart attack in the process, though the man just laughs it off. I like this guy. The manager tells Shuichi that he was a good double for a prettier Ryuichi. Shuichi doesn't think so, since Ryuichi is too cool (so he's the only one who DOESN'T think he looks like Ryuichi). The manager is in a bit of a pinch. Ryuichi is scheduled for a live broadcast in an hour and he can't find him.

                                        Sure, THIS is the most logical solution...

Then the scene shifts and we see a rather bizarre scene of Tatsuha hanging out at a zoo with Ryuichi and a bunch of kids...only Tatsuha is dressed up like a bear and Ryuichi is dressed up as a bunny. This...it's very, VERY strange. But it's also kind of sweet since Tatsuha's taking time away from his monk duties to take Ryuichi out for a day of fun (though he has his own reasons for doing so, because of his crush on Ryuichi). Tatsuha gets a call from Seguchi asking how they're doing and Tatsuha reveals the reason for the costumes: they're disguises so that Ryuichi can walk around without being mobbed by fans. Okay, that's good enough for me! Seguchi warns Tatsuha to make sure that Ryuichi makes it to the live broadcast on time since things are getting a little frantic around the studio. The manager keeps on with his plan to put Shuichi on in Ryuichi's place even though they found Ryuichi. There's just no time. We also find out, via Noriko, that Ryuichi's manager is American and everyone is calling him K. Which I'm thankful for since saying "the manager" over and over again was getting awkward. Seguchi is confident that since Ryuichi is now so close that Shuichi won't have to go on.

Famous last words of course as K throws Shuichi out in front of the camera to stand in for Ryuichi to the horror of everyone gathered. Shuichi realizes that they're closing the curtain on him and, panicking, he tells them that he's just there to fill time until Ryuichi arrives. He plays some kind of word games with the people on the show who are a bit afraid of how crazy he is. Hiro tells Noriko that this is just what Shuichi does in these situations. While Shuichi keeps trying to fill time, Tastuha arrives at the studio with Ryuichi. Just as they do, Ryuichi hears Shuichi singing his song. This is another one of those moments in the manga where we really need sound to get the full effect of this act. Shuichi is now being heard around the country which is going to give him a lot more exposure. Ryuichi is a bit miffed at Shuichi's taking his spot and he rushes towards the camera, demanding a mike.

                                              Okay, so maybe "pissed" would be a better word.

I feel bad for Shuichi. The poor boy was kidnapped, forced onto camera, and tried to make the most of it only to get brushed aside by Ryuichi. Hey, Ryuichi? You want someone to be mad at, be mad at your manager. Or hey, be mad at yourself! You were messing around dressed like a rabbit when you had a schedule to keep! This isn't the first time we've been told that Ryuichi is a bit of a flake when it comes to his schedule. He really should be mad at himself. Noriko said that it was good Ryuichi made it but Seguchi said he would have been happy even if he hadn't. The chapter ends with Taki pissed off that Shuichi was able to sing even under circumstances like that. He's slowly being forced to realize that Shuichi is not just some upstart but the real deal. Yeah, that's right Taki! You're going to be beaten down and forgotten!

I'd like to think that Shuichi will help inspire Ryuichi to be more passionate about is music again. He just seems so ambivalent to everything while Shuichi is still giving it his all to climb the ladder. It's a nice contrast but I felt annoyed at Ryuichi's reaction to seeing Shuichi singing in his place. I wouldn't like it if someone usurped my spot on a TV show either but it really was entirely his own fault. He shouldn't be taking it out on Shuichi, especially since Shuichi is such a big fan of his!

Tune in tomorrow for Track 18 of Gravitation! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 16

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 16. The chapter starts out with Shuichi reacting to the news that Ayaka and Yuki are going to get married. Naturally, he's shocked. Ayaka is a bit haughty in her response that Yuki won't be returning to his home address anymore. I'm assuming they're going to either be moving to Kyoto or into the temple where Yuki's parents live. I think she genuinely is disappointed in losing Shuichi as a romantic rival. I have to  half wonder if she was pulling for Yuki and Shuichi to be in a relationship...Well, that doesn't make a lot of sense but who knows? I'll have to see as I read on. Hiro says that he knew Shuichi was still into Yuki and warns Ayaka that her words have only spiked his determination. She says that she knows. Oh, so I was right! She did plan on that. We also get her reason: Everyone else is looking out for Yuki. Awww, so she's looking out for Shuichi even though they're rivals. She's such a sweet girl.

The scene shifts to Shuichi running to Yuki's house (okay, so they ran into Ayaka not at Yuki's house like I thought but somewhere else. Not a big deal, my mistake) and hurries to find the key to open the door, expecting to see Yuki there as he always is.

                                                       He's....not.

That is probably the most depressing panel in this manga so far. There's so much white space and Shuichi looks so small up in the corner there. You can tell that he half expected to see this but didn't want to even think the possibility out loud. The next panel is just as bad! This is so depressing! Shuichi freaks out and kicks over a box, screaming curses as Yuki for leaving him like this. He yells at him (or rather shouts to himself since he's alone in the house) about Yuki just used him for his body and how Shuichi protected him even when being GANG RAPED. Shuichi has a right to be pissed especially if Yuki really is just leaving without a word. Shuichi dissolves into tears and hugs someone who just appeared and Shuichi says he doesn't want to give up. Of course, we're led to believe that Yuki is the one he's crying into.

                                               It's...not.

Shuichi tells Tatsuha that he needs to see Yuki again whether Ayaka likes it or not. Tatsuha tosses Shuichi a motorcycle helmet and says that Ayaka told him to go find Shuichi. Shuich wants to know just what the heck is going on and what her reasoning is and Tatsuha tells him to just get on unless he wants Ayaka to marry Yuki. The scene shifts again to the temple where Yuki is talking with his father. He's telling Yuki that the marriage is very important to Ayaka's parents since she is their only daughter. Yuki is as airy and dismissive as ever, to his father's dismay, but Mika tries to keep the peace between the two. Tatsuha shows up at this time saying he brought Ayaka. Of course he actually brought Shuichi who...is in drag again pretending to be Ayaka. I'm starting to think Shuichi is looking for excuses to be put in drag now. Everyone just stares blankly at him except for Mika who is shocked as can be. Since Yuki's father hasn't seen Ayaka since she was a little girl he actually believes it's her and Shuichi says that he wants to call off the engagement while Yuki and Mika look on in total horror. Yuki's father tries to convince "Ayaka" to reconsider but Shuichi keeps to his guns. When Yuki's father insinuates that Shuichi is the cause of all the problems Shuichi loses it and announces that he's Yuki's lover. By showing off his privates to Yuki's father. Yuki has the best reaction of everyone.

                                              I'd probably try to leave at this point too.

This whole scene is pure silly craziness and after the angst of the last few chapters (and the earlier scenes of the empty apartment and the crying) it's completely welcome. Yuki's father blows up and yells but the scene shifts to Shuichi (dressed normally) sitting outside the temple with Yuki. He still has things he wants to say. He tells Yuki that it doesn't matter what kind of person he was in the past. He also asks Yuki to tell him everything. Yuki did, in fact, kill someone when he was 16 and living in a different town. Now I had already had an idea that Yuki probably did kill someone since multiple people had heard the story and something like that would be easy enough to find out with a little research. However, I was surprised to hear that Yuki had killed multiple people. He doesn't give specifics but he says that he killed "them". After saying this, Yuki says that Shuichi now knows everything that he didn't know before. Well...you know except who they were and why you did it. You're not very good at telling stories Mr. Award Winning Writer. Anyway, Shuichi says that it doesn't matter what Yuki did and it doesn't matter what Yuki says. Nothing will keep him away. Yuki then tells him that he didn't need to say anything about the marriage and we have a Gravitation first! Yuki calls Shuichi by his first name (no brat or kid or anything like that) to his face. Shuichi is as happy as you'd expect him to be!

The scene shifts over to Mika talking to Ayaka. Mika asks her if she's really alright with cancelling the engagement and she says she is. Ayaka says that Yuki wouldn't have been happy with her anyway since she believes he truly likes Shuichi. She says that she only ever saw him smile once (if I remember correctly it was during the live show when Shuichi shouted Yuki was his but I may be wrong). The scene shifts one last time to the airport (people sure do seem to fly in a lot in this series) where Seguchi is waiting for Ryuichi to arrive. Ryuichi excitedly greets Seguchi who says that its been three years since they've seen each other. Wow, really? Three years? Has it been THAT long since the live show? Or did Seguchi just not see him that time? If there's one major problem this manga has it's the time frame. It's almost never clear exactly how much time is passing.

That brings Track 16 and volume 4 to a close! This also brings the Ayaka Marriage Arc (as I call it) to an end. It was altogether satisfying and we learned a bit more about Yuki's past! Still, there are a lot of blank spots but we've got 8 volumes left to go through so there's got to me SOME mystery left. I'm eager to see where the series goes from here!

Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation Track 17! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 15

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 15. I hope everyone had a good weekend and is ready to jump right back into things! Things start off heavy with Yuki telling Shuichi that he's leaving him with a very heart breaking look on his face. Shuichi, just as sadly, doesn't freak out or demand to know why or anything like that. He just kneels there on Yuki's bed and says that he understands. I would like to point out that it's a bit difficult to take this super dramatic turn of events very seriously since Shuichi is STILL dressed like a school girl and it's a bit distracting since I keep giggling. Shuichi ruins the drama of the moment anyway by yelling like he normally does (but that's part of Shuichi's character and it makes more sense all things considered) and we find out that it was Maiko who told Shuichi to dress like this (please, please, PLEASE let one of them explain just what the mindset was behind this because my theory last post makes no sense now that we know Maiko dressed him. Maybe it was just plain fanservice on the part of the author).

                                                     Little by little we learn more about Yuki

Of course after saying this Yuki and Shuichi begin to make out...Okay, Yuki? If you really want to leave you're going to have to stop making out with Shuichi. The way that Yuki constantly says he needs to leave and doesn't deserve Shuichi and all that yet never actually does leave shows that he really doesn't want to leave. He feels like he SHOULD but he doesn't WANT to. What needs to happen is Shuichi smacking some sense into the man. Or Yuki needs to let Shuichi know exactly what he's all about. It's not fair or right to break off a relationship without giving some kind of reason for ending it beyond some nebulous "I don't deserve anyone" baloney.

The scene shifts to the recording studio again where Shuichi and Hiro are celebrating the completion of their CD. Noriko breaks up the self congratulation to say that it took them way longer than it should have thanks to Shuichi's issues and how he's saying that he was going to quit Bad Luck twice. Shuichi promises that he's fine now and that won't happen again.

                                               Suuuuure you did. Let's see how long this lasts.

Everyone is understandably shocked and Shuichi explains that because he won't be fighting with Yuki anymore he won't be unable to sing and therefore won't cause any trouble. Shuichi, however, feels bad because of how sad Yuki looked. He doesn't feel comfortable ending things without knowing more. We flashback to when he was in the bar talking with Mika about how he wants to hear about Yuki from Yuki and Mika tells him one thing: the Yuki Eiri he knows is a fake. Now that is interesting. Yuki, it seems, remade himself. Different name, different personality perhaps, and who knows what else? This knocks Shuichi off kilter a bit but he reminds himself that, despite knowing nothing about Yuki, he still fell in love with him. Not the best defense of your relationship Shuichi. Most people would call that infatuation and not love. You'd best be learning more about him before you make any long term decisions. I'm thinking way too hard about this now. Moving on!

Yuki has, once again, returned to his parent's home. His father knows that Yuki can only find peace here and Yuki, while not denying or confirming this fact, acts as nonchalant as he usually does (which I'm not thinking is probably just an act. Who can say anymore? Mika threw the whole thing into question). His father wants him to properly join the temple, shaving his head, stopping smoking, drinking, and dating and of course Yuki refuses to do any of these things. And apparently he dies his hair blond. So he lied about that too. You are a very suspicious person Yuki. He says that he didn't return to succeed his father and that the temple does not bring  him peace but rather gives him the chills. Oh, and he also mentions that he hates Japan. Just what the heck happened to him?

The scene shifts to a hospital where Douche 1 is being visited by Taki. I swear to God author you will NOT make me like these people no matter how many times you show them and try to make them comedy relief. You can not have a character set up the GANG RAPE of another character purely because he's a jealous jackass and then think you can redeem him. I won't stand for it!

                                        You're apologizing to HIM?! You miserable piece of SHIT!

Oh, you're sorry Taki? Sorry that because you orchestrated a GANG RAPE of an innocent teenager, potentially scarring him for LIFE, your douchebag best friend got his ass kicked? Go to Hell Taki Aizawa. I hate you, I always will hate you, and nothing you do will change it. Okay, I've got to move on or else I'm going to just keep ranting and raving all day. Douche 1 tells him to leave Shuichi alone (THIS IS GOOD ADVICE TAKE IT YOU JACKASS) and Taki still wants to go after Yuki in revenge. See? Irredeemable asshole. The woman who gave Taki dirt on Yuki in the first place also told him that Yuki has a hatred of everything associated with Japan. They say he's a murderer and that they remember some kind of story relating to how Yuki killed someone and Douche 1 insists that Taki should stay away from Yuki. As Taki leave, Douche 1 gets a call (from I'm assuming Douche 2) saying that he thinks everything is going to be alright. Then we get this page.

                                                FNASDLKFJDSLKAFJLKDSJFSDLAKFJSDKLF!!!

I hate Taki more than most other villains in media. He's just so completely loathsome! He's petty, he's vindictive, he's just plain evil in the things he does, and probably worst of all, he thinks he's justified in doing these things to these people. If he was a real person I would not hesitate to slam my fist into his face.

Then suddenly there is justice! SWEET, SWEET JUSTICE! It turns out Douche 1 is talking to Seguchi and Seguchi pretty much says that he's dropping their douchey asses because Taki's disgusting and unnecessary need for vengeance is going to cause too much trouble for him. Seguchi point blank says that if Taki goes anywhere near Yuki he...oh, let's just let the picture do the talking.

                                                   So badass! And such pretty eyes!

I'm giving you all the love Seguchi. Destroy Taki's life like he's trying to destroy Yuki and Shuichi's. After that delicious bit of wonderful the scene shifts to Shuichi and Hiro as they celebrate the completion of their CD by drinking. Well, Shuichi had three drinks (three barely alcoholic drinks I might add) and is already smashed. The humor of the situation is smashed unfortunately by Shuichi asking Hiro if he should really give up on Yuki. Hiro says he should and Shuichi flips out at him. Hiro says that he should stop asking him that question since he doesn't act or look like the kind of person who is over Yuki. This discussion is interrupted by none other than Ayaka! I'm a bit surprised to see her to be honest. Hiro tells her that she's lucky since Shuichi is giving up on Yuki. She looks surprised and asks if it's true and Shuichi says he guesses it is. She keeps pressing him and he finally yells at her and says that he doesn't care about Yuki. Ayaka smacks him right across the face. She's disgusted that he would give up so easily after she had been so understanding about his feelings. She says that he won't have to worry about seeing Yuki ever again if that's what he really wants since she accepted Yuki's proposal.

That brings Track 15 to a close! Wow...a lot of stuff happened here! Seguchi was very clear about what will happen to Taki if he interferes but if he's the villain I think he is he won't give up so easily. Shuichi...well he's going to have to talk Yuki out of the marriage. The question is, how? I really have no idea where this is going to end up. And what exactly happened in Yuki's past?! I need to know!

Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation Track 16! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 14

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Track 14. Luckily I have had time to cool down after the heinous, reprehensible, completely evil and irredeemable acts that Taki inflicted on poor Shuichi physically and mentally and am ready to move on with a cool head. The chapter opens with Shuichi waking up in Hiro's house, his memory of the night previous fuzzy (after the GANG RAPE) and Shuichi is...surprisingly over it. Ugh. I had hoped this wouldn't happen. The author has used rape as a means of drama but refuses to actually acknowledge any of the long term effects that would be associated with such an act. Shuichi shouldn't be looking back on it so nonchalantly. Frankly I find it disturbing when authors so carelessly use rape for purely dramatic purposes. Rape, in my opinion, should never be used unless you are willing to take it seriously and portray it in a realistic light. To be quite honest unless you have a DAMN good reason for including it you probably shouldn't. Now, to be fair, Shuichi might just still be in shock and there might be ramifications later on stemming from this. We'll just have to wait and see.

While Shuichi ponders his situation (mostly concerned that his relationship with Yuki is now surely over rather than worrying about the GANG RAPE) Hiro travels on his motorcycle to Yuki's house in order to talk to him. Hiro tells Yuki what happened and Yuki, true to his character, shows no reaction outwardly. Hiro asks him if he even cares since he cut all ties with Shuici. He says that Shuichi being talented isn't his fault and he shouldn't be punished for it. I love how they're really just ramming it home how much of a jealous arrogant prick Taki is. I'm really hoping that he gets his just desserts in the end! Hopefully sooner rather than later. Hiro continues berating Yuki, saying that if he didn't want to be in a relationship with him he should have broken it off before Shuichi became so seriously in love with him. Then this happens.

                            Somewhere, Taki is crapping his pants in fear and he has no idea why.

The scene shifts to Shuichi going into work, both Noriko and Sakano looking surprised to see him. He tells them he's feeling better (they were told he had a cold) and asks where Hiro is. Noriko tells him that Hiro has been missing for two hours. She then asks if Shuichi recovered his vocals or if he made up with Yuki. Shuichi answers by offering them farewell gifts. Since he doesn't want Yuki or N-G records to be slandered he's deciding to give up working in Bad Luck. He doesn't tell Noriko and Sakano why exactly but tells them they'll know soon enough (when the photos are published I assume). At that moment Hiro comes in and says that he's refusing to let Shuichi go. After all, he did say he wasn't bad and that's enough for Hiro. True friendship! It's so beautiful. Hiro tells Shuichi that Yuki is actually in the building, in Lounge A and he's ready to kick the piss out of Taki. This gives Shuichi new strength to go on!

The scene then shifts to Yuki being a total badass, beating down Douche 1 until he realizes who Taki is. Rather than let himself get beat up, Taki surrenders the negatives to Yuki. Taki asks him why he went easy on him when he beat Douche 1 so ruthlessly. He remarks that just by looking at Yuki's eyes he knows he's more than just a novelist.

                                                    What demons lie in Yuki's past?

Yuki brushes off the accusation as Shuichi begins to pound on the door, demanding to be let in. Yuki calmly strolls out of the room before yelling at Shuichi to shut up already. Shuichi is...uh...well Shuichi is...I'll just let the picture do all the talking.

                                                     Why Shuichi? Just...why?

Now I'm not stranger to dressing in women's clothing myself but I have to wonder what Shuichi's mindset is. I don't think this is the appropriate time for something like this. Yuki just stares blankly at Shuichi for awhile before turning and walking away leaving a dejected Shuichi behind. Shuichi gives chase and shouts after Yuki, asking him why he's running away. Is it because he's a bad guy? Or just because he's a guy in general? Suddenly, I understand his mindset just a bit. He's dressing like a girl because he loves Yuki and he thinks Yuki hates him because he's a guy so he's dressed up like a girl in order to appeal to him. It's a warped way of thinking but in character for Shuichi. I would also like to mention that Yuki thinks Shuichi has really nice legs. Just because Yuki almost never compliments Shuichi. All of this excitement is too much for Shuichi who promptly pukes and passes out. He expects Yuki to be furious with him but instead he has a gentle look on his face which surprises Shuichi. Yuki tells him he passed out due to lack of rest and orders him to take it easy. Shuichi jumps up and says that since he's a guy he'll be alright and will just leave. Then Yuki shouts at him that he's had enough. Shuichi braces for impact and Yuki tells him that he doesn't care that Shuichi is a guy. That's not why he broke up with him. He's doing it because he's leaving.

That's where the chapter ends. Damn cliffhangers! And on a weekend too! Frustration! Well, at least we got a straight answer out of Yuki for once. He's leaving somewhere. There is no elaboration on what he means (we'll probably find out next chapter) but I'm guessing he's leaving the country and, as such, he didn't want to hurt Shuichi by getting involved with him and then leaving so he broke up with him. This was a STUPID move and he probably ended up hurting Shuichi worse over all but I'm willing to cut him a break if he explains himself well enough. I have to admit I loved seeing Yuki kick ass for Shuichi's sake and while Shuichi dressing in a schoolgirl outfit was bizarre it was completely hilarious and Shuichi does look good in it. I'm also intrigued by the hint to Yuki's past. Has he actually killed someone before? If so what's the story behind that? What were the circumstances? So many questions! Hopefully we'll get some answers.

That's all for this week of Yaoi Zowee! I hope everyone has a great weekend! On Monday we'll be looking at Gravitation: Track 15! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 11

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we're going to be looking at Gravitation: Track 11. The chapter starts off with Shuichi returning to Yuki's home at night (like he said he would in the last chapter) with a bag of groceries in hand, determined to make Yuki dinner. Yuki is skeptical of this and his skepticism is well founded since Shuichi only manages to cut himself while trying to make dinner. Yuki helps him out and the two sit down for a nice meal.

                                           Well, as nice as Yuki gets anyway.

Shuichi notes that it's easy to get good at cooking when you're the only one doing it for yourself and Yuki asks to see the cut on Shuichi's hand. Shuichi wants him to kiss it better but Yuki refuses, being more practical and bandaging it up. He cuts Shuichi's romantic thoughts short by ordering him to do the dishes to earn his keep. Shuichi wants to play the PSX with Yuki while all Yuki wants to do is get some work done. Yuki's patience is slowly being worn thin here and Shuichi is really overstepping his boundaries for only just having come to live with Yuki. All of this is interrupted by Tatsuha storming into the room, demanding to see Shuichi. He's angry that Shuichi got to have a duet with Ryuichi without being invited. While those two argue Mika storms in, angry at Tatsuha for...something. You know, this is the first time all three of these siblings have been in the same room together since the manga started. It's all short lived as Yuki loses his temper and throws all of them out.

Shuichi, Tatsuha, and Mika all meet up with Noriko and they all go to meet Ryuichi at the bar. Seguchi is there as well as Ryuichi and Tatsuha finally gets to meet him. We learn that Ryuichi only came back to Japan from Los Angeles because Noriko asked him too. Tatsuha pretends to be ill so that Ryuichi will help him and they'll get to spend some time together. Seguchi finds the whole thing pretty amusing, unlike Mika, who is just annoyed. For some reason, Seguchi gets really worked up when he discovers that Shuichi and Yuki are now living together.

                                              Woah...Settle down there Seguchi.

Mika takes responsibility for really being the one, along with Tatsuha, to get Shuichi kicked out. However, she also says point blank that Shuichi really doesn't know anything about Yuki which is very true. The scene shifts to Yuki and Mizuki. He was asked to read a manuscript (for editing purposes I would assume) and he's handing it back to her while she thanks him. She asks how things are going with Shuichi and Yuki denies having got into a fight with him. She's not buying it and tells him that if there's a misunderstanding they should work it out. After all, it takes two people to be in a good relationship. She leaves and Yuki thinks to himself about the situation. He's simply not used to living like this. Before he can have any more time to himself, Shuichi returns. Yuki apologizes for throwing him out and Shuichi tells him he didn't want to be an annoyance. Even though he doesn't know anything about Yuki he wants to hear about him from Yuki himself. Yuki reiterates that Shuichi can stay with him for one week, staring tomorrow. So I guess today was just going to be considered a practice day. Before Yuki can give Shuichi a kiss, he falls asleep, exhausted from the work he had to do.

The next day, Shuichi meets with Hiro, Noriko, and Sakano again, telling Hiro about his plans with Yuki. Noriko tells them to stop fooling around since they're going to be going on the game show soon. Sakano, obviously still nervous over what happened during the live show, asks them to please just stick to what they did in rehearsal. We also learn that Seguchi is going to be at the studio since ASK is also performing on a different program and since Seguchi is their producer, he's going to watch. A stage hand then tells them to get ready to be announced and they make their way to the studio. On the way there, they run into two guys from ASK.

                                            And they're total douchebags. Lovely.

 Hiro tries to get Shuichi to stay calm, but Shuichi doesn't even know who these two are and says as much. This causes one of them (they don't have names right now so let's just call them...Douche 1 and Douche 2. It'll be like Dr. Suess, only less whimsical) to get angry and man handle Shuichi. Shuichi is not having any of this nonsense and belts him one, right across the face. So much love Shuichi. So much love. Douche 2 jumps in to help his friend, grabbing Shuichi in a headlock but the whole thing is stopped by Noriko. The third member of the band comes in to further break the matter up, telling Shuichi he better watch himself. Shuichi takes offense at being treated like a kid and the third member responds that if he doesn't like it he can just get out. Shuichi is understandably angry at these jerks. He hates to be underestimated and that's exactly what these three are doing. I really, REALLY hope they get theirs in the end. I guess Bad Luck has made their first rival band!


As the game show gets under way, Sakano is freaking out. He had a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong, given Shuichi's track record and the fact that the broadcast is live. Noriko tells him to settle down, saying she's looking forward to the live music broadcast they'll be giving after the game show. Shuichi and Hiro whisper about what just happened and Shuichi is too annoyed to just let it go like Hiro suggests. As soon as the first question is asked, Shuichi buzzes in and says that they don't need the 1 million yen prize. If they win, he wants to sing a song.


So ends Track 11! I love this development. Shuichi has never been one to just do as he's told and take hits. He knows what he wants and he's working towards getting it in any way he can. I'm not sure if this is going to be allowed (though I don't see why anyone would object necessarily either) but if it is, then Bad Luck is taking a major step in their development. Maybe if they get more viewership than ASK they'll establish themselves as an actual threat.


Tune in next time for Gravitation Track 12! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 10

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! I trust you all had a fantastic weekend and are ready to jump back into Gravitation! Track 10 starts off with Shuichi freaking out about being inches away from his idol Ryuichi Sakuma. Shuichi has idolized Ryuichci since he was in elementary school when he borrowed a Nittle Grasper CD from Hiroshi. Now that he's finally meeting him, Shuichi asks for his autograph right there on stage. In the middle of his concert. Ryuichi, being similar to Shuichi as we all know, happily signs one for him. Luckily Noriko is able to keep her head and draws their attention back to the task at hand. The audience is excited to see Ryuichi but are confused about what Shuichi said. Ryuichi thinks fast and explains that this is all part of a dare that Shuichi had to participate in. He explains that Yuki is a little rabbit puppet and audience buys it, thinking the whole thing is adorable. Yuki himself...is not amused. But really, it all too hilarious to feel sorry for him. This is the first time Yuki's been in a position like this and I can't stop laughing. And yet, even though Yuki seems angry about what happened, he gives himself away in a single panel.

                                             A genuine smile from Yuki. It's a rare thing.

Ryuichi gets Noriko to play a new song and everyone wings it, making up an impromptu song on the spot. Shuichi can't quite believe his luck, getting to perform with Ryuichi. It's a dream come true for him. Not everyone is happy however as Sakano's carefully planned concert, the live show meant to debut Bad Luck, has been shattered beyond repair. Sakano is worried about being fired and, even worse for him, Seguchi has come back from vacation to see the concert. Sakano apologizes for his shortcomings and Seguchi is quick to comfort him, telling him that this turn of events wasn't his fault. Ryuichi, who was meant to only take the stage during the encore, has always done things his own way and Shuichi and Hiro have gained valuable experience in how to handle unexpected events. Sakano thanks Seguchi for his kindness and I find that I really like Seguchi. He always seems to have a nice thing to say and is always encouraging everyone. He's a really amazing guy!
 
Ryuichi gets some applause and decides to leave the rest of the concert up to Bad Luck, where they will be singing their new single. However, before he leaves he decides to sing a song for them as a token of good luck. What comes next is two pages of Ryuichi singing but since we can't actually hear him singing all we see is him in various poses while everyone looks on in awe.

                                                   He's...awesome? I guess?
Yeah, I'm sure this would be a heck of a lot more effective in the anime. Either way, Shuichi is made painfully aware of the gap between Ryuichi and himself. With the concert over, Noriko rails Shuichi and Ryuichi for their idiocy while they both desperately try to apologize. Shuichi feels especially bad about it. A stage hand comes back stage to tell Shuichi that a girl is here to see him and, of course, it's Ayaka. Shuichi asks what she wants and she apologizes for being so rude to him last time. I knew it! I knew Ayaka wasn't a bad person! Hooray validation! She says that she doesn't want Shuichi to hold a grudge against her because they are the same. No matter if Yuki is a boy or a girl or if Ayaka is his fiance or Shuichi is his lover. They both love Yuki as a person and that's what matters. Of course, that being said, Ayaka is not going to just take the back seat and let Shuichi take Yuki away from her! And just like that, this situation was turned into awkward and uncomfortable to romantic comedy hilarity. I am completely on board with this. If nothing else, it's going to keep Shuichi actively pursuing Yuki.

The next day Shuichi goes to see Yuki, with all his luggage strangely enough, and almost immediately clings to him and says he doesn't want to go home. He desperately begs Yuki to allow him to stay at his house. Yuki is, obviously, resistant to this sudden and violent request demanding to know why Shuichi wants to stay with him and Shuichi tells him he doesn't want anyone else to be near him besides Shuichi. Yuki finally tells Shuichi what makes him so special to him, namely that he's not looking for sex, money, or fame. This makes Shuichi happy and Yuki comes to a decision.

                                            What have you gotten yourself into Yuki?

 
Shuichi runs off, saying he'll be back later that night and goes to meet with Hiro. He's in a super good mood and Hiro asks if something happened with Yuki and Shuichi isn't telling. Sakano then comes in with some good news. Their single is doing well AND they have a TV appearance coming up. Shuichi and Hiro are extremely excited about this news but there's a catch. They're not going on TV to sing, they're going on a game show. Apparently the producer of the show saw their live show and thought they were interesting and invited them to be on the show. Shuichi and Hiro are still up for it, since, even if it is just for a game show, it will still be Bad Luck's first TV appearance.

And that brings Track 10 to a close! Three important things happened in this chapter after the culmination of the concert. One, Ayaka officially acknowledges Shuichi as her rival in love and is looking forward to seeing how hard he fights for Yuki. Two, Shuichi is moving in with Yuki for a trial period of a week. Three, Bad Luck is going to appear on a TV game show. We also got the hint of something that I think will come up again later, namely Shuichi realizing how big of a gap there is between him and Ryuichi. At least I hope that becomes a point. It'll probably show up after we deal some more with Shuichi's personal life. It seems to alternate between Shuichi's personal life issues and his professional issues.

That's it for Yaoi Zowee this weeks! Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation: Track 11! See you then.

Gravitation: Track 9

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation: Track 9. The chapter opens with Tatsuha calling Ayaka's mother in Kyoto to let her know that her daughter is okay. Maiko appears with Ayaka who is wearing one of Maiko's shirts, since Ayaka came down from Kyoto with only the clothes on her back. Shuichi had to tell Maiko that Ayaka was looking for her long lost brother since if he had mentioned Yuki's name both her and their mother would have wanted to tag along to meet him. In payment for giving Ayaka one of her shirts, Shuichi gives Maiko a clipping of Yuki's hair and one of his cigarette butts. That...is creepy and gross but Maiko's happy reaction is pretty hilarious so I'm not all that bothered by it. Shuichi mentions that there are a lot of girls like Maiko out there who dream of Yuki, including himself but Ayaka is the only one who is in a position to have everything he has to offer.

Shuichi goes to confront Yuki about it but, like most things, he's completely dismissive of her and the situation in general. This annoys Shuichi who tells him it's rude to not see her after she came all this way to see him. Yuki asks a very obvious question: Why is Shuichi, Yuki's lover, helping out Ayaka, Yuki's fiance? Shuichi deflects the question by demanding to know where he ranks in Yuki's affection since his beeper is going off constantly and he always smells like perfume. Yuki says that Shuichi ranks number one which, as expected, makes him practically melt with happiness. They argue some more about the amount of lovers Yuki may or may not have (I believe that Yuki has no other relationships but it is possible he has a lot of one night stands. It's hard to say and Yuki is usually frustratingly coy about these things) until Tatsuha ushers Ayaka in to reunite with Yuki. Ayaka is incredibly nervous and embarrassed meeting with Yuki and I can't say I blame her. He is rather intimidating. Ayaka, however, already has an idea of what Yuki is going to be like and has her rose tinted glasses firmly in place.

                                                           You poor, sweet fool

Yuki acts like a perfect gentleman, greeting her with a smile before putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her away deeper into the house as Shuichi watches on. He admits to himself that he had hoped Yuki would have acted a bit more cold with her. This is Shuichi's downfall. He's a really nice guy and he wants to do what's right. It's just unfortunate that, in this instance, doing what was right is in direct contrast to what he himself wants for himself. Shuichi is going to have to learn that, in regards to Yuki, he has to act in the best interest of the relationship in order to make it work. Tatsuha tells him to stop being so depressed. He knows Yuki and it was clear to him that he was just trying to torment Shuichi. Tatsuha asks Shuichi why he thinks Yuki would do that. Shuichi knows that Yuki likes to act this way and that he knows even as a number one lover he can't really compete with a fiance. Tatsuha is quick to let Shuichi know that he's not the only one who loves Yuki for Yuki and not because of his fame, money, or plain sex. Ayaka is the same way. That makes her even MORE of an interesting obstacle to the relationship! We're going to find out exactly where Yuki's love interests truly lie.

The next day Noriko is one more pressing hard for Shuichi and Hiro to practice. They are going to make their live debut in a week (which means their CD has already been released...and we haven't heard a single word about how successful or not it was) and she wants to make sure they're ready. Shuichi and Hiro are kind of slow to get going but all Noriko has to say is that Ryuichi might be there to kick Shuichi's ass into high gear. She already knows exactly how to motivate Shuichi. It's a wonderful thing. Before they can get back to practicing, Ayaka shows up again to see Shuichi. Yuki told her everything about Shuichi. She says that two men doing what they're doing is "low classed" and she told Shuichi not to see Yuki ever again. I'm inclined to let loose an emotional tirade and defame her but lets look at this from her point of view. How would you feel if your fiance was seeing some random person behind your back? You'd want to make sure he was scarce too. This is also exactly the kind of catalyst that Shuichi needs. If he truly does love Yuki he won't let this stand in his way.

Immediately after Shuichi gets done talking with Ayaka, he races to talk to Yuki. He demands to know if tormenting him is really this fun and Yuki responds that, yes, of course it is. Oh Yuki. It's amazing how you have the same attitude and yet I love you so much more than I did when this thing started out. Yuki, ever the voice of reason, tells Shuichi that the only reason Ayaka is here is because he brought her here. Shuichi tries to resist Yuki's charms but is ultimately unable to. And then BAM! Sex. Poor Shuichi just can't stay mad at Yuki. It's too cute for words. Shuichi asks Yuki if he really likes Ayaka and he responds that he's not sure. In this situation, it doesn't matter if Yuki likes her or not. He's annoyed that the marriage was arranged by his father for the sake of the temple without consulting Yuki's opinion on the matter. He is expected to just do it because it's his duty. Yuki wants to know why he has to answer this questions which annoys Shuichi.

                                     Now if you could actually SAY that to him, you'd be golden

The scene shifts to the day of the live show and Shuichi addresses the gathered crowd, telling them about their new CD which is going to be released including their debut song "No Style". As Bad Luck performs, Shuichi notices Ayaka in the crowd with Yuki and gets nervous, forgetting the lyrics. He manages to get a hold of himself deciding that it doesn't matter if Ayaka is Yuki's fiance. They're both the same in that they love him. Halfway through the song, as Ryuichi is approaching the stage to help Shuichi out since Sakano thinks he looks nervous, Shuichi suddenly stops and asks the audience if he can say something. The single greatest thing to happen yet in this manga then happens.

                                                                Hell. Yeah.

There is so much to like about this scene. Yuki's expression is priceless. You just know that he never in his wildest dreams expected something like this. I love that Shuichi is actually standing up for himself and what he loves and he's willing to fight for Yuki even if he gets annoyed with him and fights a lot. Lastly, and this is a more subtle detail, I like Ayaka's expression. It's not outrage or anger or mortification at what Shuichi's saying. It's more bemused, like she's realizing that Yuki will never be hers and she should step down. This is probably not the optimal situation for her either.  She's in the same position as Yuki after all, part of an arranged marriage that she has no control over with a man she hardly knows. I have this feeling that people are quick to demonize her character simply because she's the "woman in the way" and that makes me sad because Ayaka seems like such a kind and gentle person. It's disheartening to know that there are probably "fans" out there who label her as a bitch and a whore (which is especially ironic considering that Yuki himself is a bit of a manwhore but that's okay apparently because he's a cute guy. Ugly, ugly double standards). Rant/. Anyway Ryuichi gets up onstage in order to help salvage the show so Sakano doesn't go ballistic over what Shuichi did and the chapter ends there.

Track 9 wasn't as exciting as Track 8 but it still nicely progressed Shuichi and Yuki's relationship. I feel that Shuichi, as he gets used to Yuki, is more willing to call him out for his cold and rough behavior while Yuki is helping Shuichi to grow a pair. No matter what happens between Yuki and Ayaka there is going to be some major fallout. Shuichi better watch himself.

This brings the second week of Yaoi Zowee to a close! I hope everyone is enjoying reading the blog and has a nice weekend. Monday we'll be picking up again with Gravitation: Track 10! See you then. 

Gravitation: Track 7

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation: Track 7. We left off with Shuichi and Hiro meeting with Sakano after the they performed at the graduation ceremony. Shuichi is wondering where exactly this guy came from with such an offer and Sakano explains that when he arrived at the airport, Mika was there holding his luggage hostage until he saw "something interesting", forcing him to watch Shuichi and Hiro perform. I knew there was a reason I liked Mika! She is all kinds of awesome! Apparently, since the live show, Sakano was promoted from manager of Seguchi's band Nittle Grasper (subtitled N-G...what does Nittle Grasper even mean? I can't take something seriously when it's name is that ridiculous) to head manager. If I'm reading this right, Nittle Grasper broke up awhile ago (this is according to Shuichi who is a N-G fanboy) and now Seguchi has his own record label called N-G records. Okay, I understand their place in the story much better now. Shuichi is ridiculously excited about this opportunity but Sakano is quick to let them know that, even though they have promise, N-G records has millions of hits. Nothing in the professional world is a guarantee. The biggest issue that Sakano and Seguchi has with Bad Luck is Shuichi's skills relating to the synthesizer. He's not very good. So now they have a new mission! Get a keyboard player!

Hiro and Shuichi drive away (on Hiro's motorcycle no less!) with Shuichi angry about his keyboard skills being called into question. Shuichi is insistent that his synthesizer skills are good enough and Hiro half agrees with him. Shuichi still doesn't want to get a new keyboardist and the conversation turns to Shuichi's singing. Hiro encourages him to sing more during their songs (as this is a manga, I have no idea what any of their songs sound like. Another reason to see the anime!) and Shuichi agrees.

The scene shifts and Shuichi is telling Yuki about what happened. Yuki is less than impressed, calling N-G's judgment into question while Shuichi yells at Yuki for being a bully.

                                                      The voice of reason

Shuichi suddenly notices a Nittle Grasper (seriously, I keep wanting to type "little" since that would at least make SOME sense) video tape. It's apparently of an ultra rare live show that isn't sold anywhere and it's something that Shuichi has been trying to find for ages. Yuki carelessly mentions that it belongs to his brother Tatsuha (any bets we'll be seeing him this chapter? Anyone? Anyone?) who left it there. Shuichi thinks that Tatsuha is really lucky to have it and Yuki says that he can watch it if he likes. Shuichi wastes no time in popping it in. Shuichi is an extremely big fan of Ryuichi Sakuma who played the keyboards in Nittle Grasper before they broke up. Yuki, forced to watch with Shuichi, says he thought Shuichi was a big fan of Seguchi. Shuichi says that he wanted to become more than just a fan of Seguchi. He wanted to become a man like Seguchi. Yuki warns him that though he's nice on the outside, he's brutal on the inside. Yuki still thinks that Shuichi is too naive (and I have to agree with him. I'm a little worried about Shuichi stepping into a world like this) and Shuichi says that he'll settle down. Yuki rewards him for this.

                                                         Squeeeeeeeeeee

Yuki starts getting more intimate with Shuichi who initially starts freaking out. Why is he freaking out? Because he doesn't want to get involved with Yuki until he's sure that Yuki actually, truly, wants to be involved with him. He asks if Yuki will take responsibility and he pretty much answers "Duh. Of course! You're my lover". Hooray! Yuki admits it! We have an official couple at last! So Yuki lays him down on the floor and Shuichi suddenly sees Seguchi singing on the tape. He tells Yuki that even though he's not at Seguchi's level now he intends to surpass him one day. Yuki, a bit too sexed up to really listen, starts having his way with Shuichi though, in the tradition of most yaoi manga, it's all more implied rather than actually shown. Shuichi finishes way too early for Yuki, due to his inexperience, and strips off his shirt, moving in for round two. Shuichi says this isn't what he wants, confusing Yuki. Here is the fundamental difference between Shuichi and Yuki. Shuichi is young and wants something from Yuki. Yuki immediately assumes it's sexual gratification. But Shuichi wants something more than that.  The manga doesn't explicitly say what it is, but sex doesn't make a deep relationship and I think that's more of what Shuichi wants. This makes me think, even more now, that something happened in Yuki's past that somehow screwed with his perception of relationships, like he some kind of bad experience.

The next day, Seguchi is waiting around in an airport for the arrival of Sakano and a woman that we haven't yet seen named Noriko. She is impressed at how far Seguchi has come since his days in Nittle Grasper. Apparently he's had the most success out of his former band mates. Talk turns to Ryuichi and we learn that Ryuichi was the first one to call Seguchi "Genius Tohma" (The word genius in Japanese doesn't always mean "incredibly intelligent" but is used in a more general sense, relating to someone who is incredibly skilled at their profession or pursuits) which is apparently some kind of nickname that people use since Shuichi called him that too.

                                         Maybe I should call myself a Genius Blogger? ...Nah

The scene shifts back to Yuki and Shuichi post coitus and Shuichi is acting like a kicked dog since he said he didn't want to have sex but Yuki still had sex with him at least three times. Now normally this would be creepy and rapey and no one wants that. But Yuki says that he actually DID stop and Shuichi had cried. So Shuichi keeps saying he doesn't want it...but he totally does. You're killing me here Shuichi. Yuki tells Shuichi that he hates seeing him cry and asks him what he can do to make Shuichi happy. This, of course, is what makes Shuichi happy. Yuki showing that he cares, admitting that Shuichi is his love, and asking how he can make him happy. Awww. They're turning out to be such a cute couple.

The next day, Hiro and Shuichi meet with Seguchi and he tells them that while he admits Shuichi is good with vocals, Bad Luck needs a new keyboardist. Someone he calls "unique". Feeling apprehensive, Hiro asks what he means by that and Seguchi responds that he had to persuade her to drop her work in northern Japan to work where they are so they should treat her nicely. And of course it doesn't take a genius (of any kind) to figure out who this new keyboardist is. Noriko happily introduces herself to the shock of Hiro and Shuichi and the chapter comes to a close.

This chapter introduced what I think is a fundamental aspect of Shuichi and Yuki's relationship. Shuichi is energetic, boisterous, and a dreamer while Yuki is more calm, collected, and down to earth. They balance each other, Yuki keeping Shuichi in check and Shuichi, likewise, warming Yuki's coldness. In these later chapters Yuki seems like less of a dick and more just plain snarky, poking fun at Shuichi so that he doesn't get a big head or do something reckless. It's amazing how the same nasty things he says no longer seem nasty in the context of their relationship. It helps that we have had 7 chapters to get to know Yuki as he is. Noriko is obviously going to remain as a major character and I'm interested to see how she interacts with Hiro and Shuichi and how the band dynamic is going to be affected. I have no opinion on her personality right now since I haven't really seen much of her. And Tatsuha didn't show up. So much for my prediction.

Tomorrow we'll be looking at Gravitation: Track 8! See you then.