Gravitation: Track 19

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Track 19. The chapter opens with Seguchi talking to Sakano about his plans to reform Nittle Grasper (Oh God, I know I said I wasn't going to say anything about the band name but now that they're reforming it's going to come up a lot more often now and I CAN'T STAND THE NAME IT'S SO DUMB) while ASK is on hiatus (because of Seguchi committing MURDER) and Sakano thinks it's a smart move. This whole thing was apparently Ryuichi's idea. He proposed it to Seguchi after the whole live television appearance thing that happened a few chapters ago. Seguchi reminds Sakano that he's not Sakano's boss anymore. They are both producers and Seguchi promises that he'll be working his hardest to make Nittle Grasper number one in Japan again. He advises Sakano to do the same with Bad Luck. Oh geez. So not only is Nittle Grasper reforming but now they're going to be direct rivals to Bad Luck. This could get very messy. I'm extremely wary of Seguchi now after what happened last chapter. Everything he does, says, and proposes makes me wonder what his true motives are.

The scene shifts then to K waking Shuichi up.

                                          And I thought getting woken up by my parents was bad.

Shuichi and K get into a fight/argument until Yuki gets completely fed up and runs inside Shuichi's room to yell at them. Of course this is the first time Yuki has actually met K who promptly introduces himself. Yuki asks him where he came from and K tells him not to worry about it. Before K can drag Shuichi off, Yuki asks him when he's going to be back and that he'll wait to eat if Shuichi wants him to. Shuichi is touched by this gesture and before things can get sweet and cute and wonderful, K drags Shuichi away. They talk for a bit and it eventually comes out that Shuichi and Yuki are lovers. The news shocks him so much he rear ends a truck and Shuichi claims that, as an American, he should be more understanding. You don't know a lot about America do you Shuichi? Anyway, Shuichi asks him why he decided to be his manager and K bribes him with an appearance on a TV show called "Hit Stage".

Shuichi immediately introduces K as their new manager as soon as he gets to the recording studio. Hiro is skeptical and Shuichi goes about trying to convince him with his usual theatrics. They're looking at 30 minutes of air time here which is nothing to sneeze at. While Shuichi shouts and jumps around Hiro quietly introduces himself to K before Noriko comes in and drops a bit of a bomb on them: They're opening for Nittle Grasper on Hit Stage. K explodes, telling Noriko that the deal was that Bad Luck would be the big guest. K suspects that Seguchi had something to do with this, but Ryuichi arrives at this point to say that it was his idea.

                                       ...What's with the bunny?

Shuichi thinks this is a malicious attack on Ryuichi's part because of what happened during the live show. Shuichi runs off in tears and Hiro asks if Ryuichi hates Shuichi. Ryuichi assure them that he does not. He just wanted to be able to sing with Shuichi. Miserable and upset, Shuichi runs through the halls of the record studio, lamenting that this is the end before it even began and ends up crashing into a young boy in the hall, knocking him clean over.  Shuichi apologizes and it turns out the boy is older than he looks (though how much older is not specified but he is still in school) and when he recognizes Shuichi he introduces himself as Suguru Fujisaki. Shuichi is confused and only gets more confused when Suguru asks to be introduced to the other members of the team. Shuichi finally asks him what he's doing here and Suguru tells him that he's the new keyboardist for Bad Luck.

                              Suguru Fujisaki: Continuing the tradition of incredibly cute men in this manga.

Shuichi talks about his problems with Yuki and they have a little playful banter before Yuki moves in for the kiss. Yuki tells him to have faith in the people who he's working with now and they make out a little before Shuichi asks Yuki if anything is wrong. Yuki tell shim he was comforting him because he asked to be comforted and is insulted that Shuichi would imply he's in a bad mood. They have a minor argument before making up with a round of sex that lasts about three panels and is very coy with its imagery. The chapter ends at a hospital with us finding out that Taki actually survived getting hit by a car (and with nary a bruise on his pretty face, shock shock) and that, of all people, Suguru is visiting him, telling him to leave well enough alone.

Okay, so, my biggest question is how do Suguru and Taki know each other? I'm glad Taki didn't die since I didn't think it was necessary for that kind of turn. It's bad enough that we have GANG RAPE to worry about, we didn't need cold blooded murder. I'm still wary of Seguchi. I also have this feeling that Taki could be redeemed in the manga and I really hope the author doesn't go that route. There are certain lines that characters cannot cross and be redeemed. Orchestrating GANG RAPE is one of those lines. The best I can hope for is Taki to give up and quietly leave the scene, wiser, never to be seen again. He can't even be a good villain anymore. Shuichi stood up to him, Yuki kicked his ass, and Seguchi nearly killed him. He's not a credible threat after all that. I guess I'll just have to keep on reading to find out!

Tune in tomorrow for Gravitation: Track 20! 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 13

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation: Track 13. This will be the first chapter of the fourth volume of Gravitation. Track 13 opens with Yuki telling Shuichi that it's all over, calling them pretend lovers. Shuichi wants to know what the problem is and Yuki tells him it's everything about him. That he hates him. Yeesh! Harsh Yuki! Oh, and they both talk about how not gay they are despite the fact that they sleep with men. This is an annoying habit that earlier yaoi stories tend to have. Namely that the men are not really gay, their love just "transcends gender boundaries" which sounds lofty and everything but is a cop out to me. It's like assuring your audience (namely heterosexual women for the most part) that the hot guys they're seeing aren't really gay because that would imply they couldn't themselves have a relationship with them. It's incredibly superficial, like guys enjoying watching two women make out. I just find it incredibly annoying. You're writing a story about two guys in a relationship. Just make them gay! Rant/.

Anyway, Shuichi talks to Hiro about it and wonders what he could possibly have done to warrant this hate. At band practice Noriko yells at Shuichi for his poor vocals but understands what he's going through. Apparently this is just how Yuki treats people who are in relationships with him. Guys got issues. Hiro admits that because this whole thing is making Shuichi cry he won't forgive Yuki. Awww, now see THAT'S what true friends are made of! Sakano mentions that this is the worst possible time for a problem like this to arise and decides to postpone the release date of the CD until Shuichi can work the problem out. Shuichi decides to visit Yuki again to apologize and at the train station runs into a little problem.

                                                       Shuichi's first taste of fame.

Of course it doesn't help that he looks like Ryuichi as well. Soon enough he's being chased by a whole group of women (as well as what appears to be a man. Looks like Shuichi's reputation for sleeping with men proceeds him). Shuichi runs away and barely manages to escape when who should he run into but Taki. He advises Shuichi to be more careful in public now that his popularity has risen higher than ASK's and Shuichi...doesn't recognize him at all. Which makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. Taki screams at Shuichi, telling him who he is which of course alerts the crowd and now they're both being chased.

The scene shifts to Yuki entering the bar with plans to meet someone. He thinks it's a woman but it's actually Sakano who apologizes for tricking him, saying he's doing this as a favor to Seguchi. Yuki takes this about as well as you'd expect him to, prompting Sakano to apologize even harder. He explains to Yuki about Shuichi, telling him that he's depressed and can't record and that Seguchi wants Yuki to patch things up with him. Yuki point blank asks Sakano if that's really alright, considering that Shuichi being gay would hurt record sales. Um...yeah, I doubt that personally but who knows. Sakano, in turn, asks Yuki if he's really okay with not seeing Shuichi anymore. Yuki abrasively dodges the question.

                                                       You are fooling NO ONE.

Then we switch focus back to Shuichi and Taki who have managed to escape from the crowd and are now chilling out in what I assume is Taki's apartment. And they're drinking. And judging by the blush marks on Shuichi's face he's drunk. This is going to end very badly I can already tell. Taki asks Shuichi how he likes it and he says it's fine but doesn't like how you have to be sneaky about everything. Shuichi says it's too hard to be in a relationship under these conditions and doesn't want to be with anyone. Taki asks him if Yuki and Shuichi broke up and Shuichi asks him how he knew about Yuki. This is all Taki needs for confirmation and tells Shuichi that he intends to get pictures for black mail purposes.

                                                          Oh shit.
  
This has major bad news squick written all over it. Taki is of course relishing every moment. He's just loving it and it makes him even more despicable in my eyes. I seriously hate this guy. If he was real I would give him such a good punch in the face! Shuichi now has a choice. He can agree to quit the recording industry altogether or Taki will take pictures that will force him out anyway. Shuichi refuses to leave the recording industry of his own free will, he doesn't care what happens to Yuki when word of his sexuality gets out, and tells them to just get it over with.

The scene then shifts to Shuichi sitting outside Hiro's house, calling him and telling him to help him into the house since he can't walk anymore. When Hiro helps him he totally breaks down, asking why it's such a horrible thing to love someone. Just because Yuki is a guy and famous he can't love him? Is Shuichi really that bad? Shuichi tearfully asks these questions of Hiro who embraces him and tells him that, no, he's not bad. This is terribly heartbreaking. Shuichi was just gang raped. GANG. RAPED. And all just because of one stupid, selfish, jealous, asshole! Taki is irredeemable in my eyes. The man is a monster.

                                            Burn in Hell Taki Aizawa. 

I mean, even Douche 1 and 2 think it's bad what he did. I've gotta talk about something else or I'm just going to LOSE it. Hiro goes into practice the next day and overhears Taki talking. He pretty much says that he's going to release Yuki's name in concordance with Shuichi's with the hope that Yuki's connections will lead to Shuichi BEING KILLED. WHO DOES THIS?! Douche 1 says that Taki needs to stop this madness. Taki says that because he's the vocalist he will never stop.

Thank God that ends Track 13 because I couldn't take much more. I am so angry right now I can't...You know what? I can't even think straight.

Tune in tomorrow when we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 14. See you then. 

Gravitation: Track 12

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Yaoi Zowee! Today we'll be looking at Gravitation Track 12. The chapter opens with the game show considering Shuichi's proposal while Sakano, predictably, freaks out. Even Noriko doesn't think it's a good idea but the people running the game show decide to allow it. And why wouldn't they? I mean, Bad Luck wins and they exchange 100 million yen with just singing a song. The game show proceeds and the scene shifts to ASK. Douche 1 rushes in to tell a man called Taki (the third member and group leader of ASK as far as I can tell) to turn on the game show and watch Bad Luck without saying explicitly why he should.

                                                                         Taki Aizawa

 Hiro begins to answer the questions one by one without even trying, a testament to the guitarist's intelligence. Taki immediately understands what's going on. Shuichi has found a way to perform on a show that's not a music program. Then he basically whines that Shuichi is more popular than him and acts like an aging prima dona peeved about a rising ingenue. It's like he's Carlotta and Shuichi is Christine (I wonder if anyone has ever done a Phantom of the Opera/Gravitation crossover? Huh...). We switch back to the game show and Shuichi has to do a physical challenge while answering questions. The problem is Shuichi is...well to be quite blunt he's dumb as a sack of rocks. It's a good thing he's good at music otherwise I have no idea what the heck this kid would do for a living.


The scene shifts to the producer of the game show in the booth and we discover that Shuichi being chosen to answer these questions is no coincidence. The producer is aiming to make sure Bad Luck loses since he doesn't want them to sing on the show. Luckily Seguchi arrives to save the day! He knows that the producer is only concerned about the number of viewers watching. So Seguchi proposes something simpler than a come from behind victory for the other team. One that will draw a more exciting conclusion. Of course, in order to keep suspense, we the readers don't find out immediately what Seguchi has in mind. Instead we turn back to Shuichi and Hiro who are now trailing in points. Noriko and Sakano have already written the show off as a failure since Shuichi obviously doesn't know the answers to any of these questions. However, we finally discover Seguchi's plan with the last question worth double points.

                                                         Oh, I WONDER who that could be?

Shuichi runs like a bat out of Hell to answer the question that anyone reading this series would also know: Yuki Eiri. So of course Bad Luck wins the game show and it's a big celebration. Taki is confident that Bad Luck won't be able to sing because they don't have the proper equipment on the game show and since it's a live broadcast they don't have time to set everything up. Seguchi is one step ahead of everyone though and hands a guitar and microphone to Shuichi and Hiro much to the shock of Sakano. They've got three minutes of live broadcast to work with so they move fast. Shuichi and Hiro immediately begin and Sakano faints from the stress of it all (I feel for this guy. It can't be easy being a manager for such an unruly group).

Taki is a stink about this especially since Shuichi is getting a lot of attention. He's immediately suspicious (of course he is, characters like this are always suspicious) since Shuichi managed to know the answer to that one question and none of the others. Douche 1 points out a magazine article to him reporting Bad Luck's first live show when Shuichi shouted out that Yuki was his. Uh oh. Taki is getting some unsavory ideas about what to do with this information. I'm thinking...black mail. It's so slimy and diabolical and I wouldn't put it past a guy who hangs out with douches.  

                            And then Taki got an idea. An awful idea. Taki got a terrible, awful idea.

Noriko thanks Seguchi for his help giving Bad Luck a chance to perform and Seguchi is extremely modest about it. Noriko isn't buying it and starts going over the events of Bad Luck's inception. Noriko joins, Ryuichi throws in during the live performance, the game show, it all points to Seguchi showing more attention to the group than he's letting on. I guess he can't be too overt with it since he's also working with ASK and as an executive at N-G records he can't show favoritism. A clearer picture is being made when Seguchi tells Noriko that Sakano had felt a certain gravity from Shuichi and Seguchi, trusting Sakano who he's been working with for 3 years (more or less), is supporting Bad Luck. He admits to Noriko that, the way the business world works, only ASK or Bad Luck will be able to survive. Whoever is the most popular will continue to make music. The other will be dropped.

The scene shifts to Taki, enraged by Bad Luck's success, getting a phone call from a friend of his. He's at a bar with a rather seedy looking woman who tells Taki that if he wants dirt on Yuki, she's willing to talk. She tells him that lately Yuki has been going out with guys, specifically that she heard the name Shindo in regards to who Yuki is seeing. So now Taki knows their secret and he has the look of the predator on his face. The scene shifts to the early morning where Yuki is reading a magazine about Bad Luck while Shuichi sleeps. He talks to himself about how, come tomorrow, one week will have passed and that their time together will officially be over.

And that brings Track 12 and volume 3 to an end. Hey! We're officially a quarter of the way through Gravitation! Awesome! I don't like this development of Yuki being done with Shuichi after a week. It's especially aggravating since a great plot point has been introduced with the jealous Taki having information to black mail Yuki and Shuichi. It would be such a great test of their relationship! And now it looks like the whole thing is being tossed aside because Yuki is being a DICK! Welcome back dick Yuki! NO ONE MISSED YOU!

Ahem. But I digress. We'll just have to see what happens.

Tomorrow we'll be looking at Gravitation:  Track 13! 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 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.