MJ Review: Passion Volume Four

[Eric]

Title: Passion (volume 4)
Author: Shinobu Gotoh
Artist: Shoko Takaku
Serialized In: ? (Tokuma Shoten)
Genre: Yaoi, Drama, Romance
Rating: 18+
Licensed by: DMP
Price: $12.95 (US)

Three years after the release of Digital Manga’s first yaoi publication -- Passion, volume one -- comes the fourth volume of Passion. It’s the conclusion to the story of Hikaru and Shima’s student-teacher relationship and its progression since Hikaru’s graduation.

With Hikaru no longer Shima’s student, they had vague hopes that their relationship would be easier, but of course this is not the case. In this volume their fears and worries continue to litter the pages, as numerous secondary characters bring about feelings of envy and concern. An underclassman of Hikaru's wants to finally confess her love to him while Hikaru’s old lover Nagisa acts as her rival, neither sure who truly owns their target’s heart. These two make up for a surprisingly large part of the book but it’s for the best. Four volumes of the two main characters dealing with the same problems is beginning to feel more than a little old.

The art looks nearly identical to how it appeared in volume one. The lines are thin, though clean and solid for the most part, and they have a sketch-like feeling to them that combines well with the screen toning. Paneling is done in a way that helps keep the story well paced and characters are easily distinguishable from one another. The water coloured image on the cover is attractive and eye-catching though gives a much different sense of the story’s tone than the brown pastels of the first volume.

DMP’s work on this series has been consistent and well executed throughout, especially with the many panels that require replacing text overtop of artwork. The translation is smooth and the font easy to read.

From start to finish, Passion was a light, emotionally driven story that balanced a fine line between believable and absurd. While the two suffered numerous bouts of self-doubt, which suited their particular trials, it often felt like four volumes of angst, as opposed to any realistic view of the trials of love. While in the beginning it worked as a fluffy tale of romance, by volume four readers have tired of Shima and Hikaru’s passive attitudes and will find more entertainment with the secondary characters in this final installment.

Reviewer: Kurishojo
Proofer: Highlord
Editor: Jiji