MJ Review: Spell

[Jason]

Title: Spell
Mangaka: Hyouta Fujiyama
Originally Serialized In: Daria Comics (Movic)
Genre: Yaoi, Drama, Romance
Licensed by: DMP (June imprint)
Price: $12.95

Spell is the story of Natori and Kisugi, two college students who meet at a mixer planned by a mutual friend. The men quickly become friends despite Kisugi being a "guys are okay too" kind of guy- a detail that only momentarily affects Natori. As time goes by, Natori realizes that his feelings toward Kisugi are not those of a friend only, which is further complicated by information that Kisugi has been dating an older man for several months. Natori and Kisugi enter into a complex - but not yet exclusive - relationship.

In the opening pages of Spell, Natori reveals that he comes from a small village, and was therefore completely new to the social life of Tokyo. Even as time passed and the thrill of new things wore off for Natori, he still came across as a somewhat innocent soul. When he learned of Kisugi's sexual preference at the beginning of the friendship, he spared only a moment of hesitation towards him. This hesitation is quickly overridden by Natori's knowledge that he is being unfair to Kisugi.

Kisugi has a lighthearted personality; he has absolutely no qualms about openly comparing sex with other men and women to Natori, who is shocked by the discussion. As revealed by their mutual friend, Kisugi is not someone who has monogamous or long lasting relationships. Even when he begins to see Natori, Kisugi is still dating his other boyfriend. The only courtesy Kisugi ever shows towards Natori while doing this is turning his phone off when they are together. Since the story is told mainly from Natori's perspective, the reader is not given any insight into Kisugi's thoughts until the end, where it is learned that until then, Kisugi didn't realize how his actions were hurting those who cared about him.

The story itself has a quiet, even pace. Nothing feels as though it was rushed and everything seems to come at the moment it should. By focusing almost solely on Natori, the story remains consistent with its concentration on the growth of Natori's feelings for Kisugi. This adds greatly to the pacing of the story, as it isn't continuously interrupted by other subplots. The fact that this title doesn't have a lot of action plays to its advantage. The story unfolds as it should: a sweet, steady portrayal of the relationship between Kisugi and Natori.

Hyouta Fujiyama's artwork, once again, seems to be the perfect compliment to yet another great story. It is easy to distinguish between the characters and yet none of the designs seem overly detailed. In this selection, Fujiyama proves that open white spaces can work to the advantage of a story. Panels comprised solely of Natori's thoughts or feelings add a slight dramatic touch and work great with the way this piece is paced. There are also comedic moments that would not necessarily be as funny if they were not accompanied by the artwork. Fujiyama is able to throw in these comedic moments without distracting the reader from the main storyline at all.

DMP has once again done a great job. The production quality is high and there were not any noticeable spelling errors. Overall, Spell is a title to recommend.

Reviewer: Serenity
Proofer: mjules
Editor: Firedog