Manga Review: Author’s Pet

[Jason]

Title: Author’s Pet
Mangaka: Deathco Cotorino
Originally Serialized In: (Ookura Shuppan)
Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing - June
Genre: Yaoi
Rating: Mature (18+)
Price: $12.95/US

The two-paragraph blurb on the back of the book would lead you to believe the main story, and inspiration for the title, would have been a much longer story. Sadly, it wasn’t. While the back does make it clear this is a collection of short stories, I’m more of a long-arc type of reader, so I was a little disappointed that the lead story was so underdeveloped.

The main story is actually two stories, the ‘I’ll have you…’s where young Yuuta accidentally knocks a famous author, Tsubaki, down the train station stairs, damaging both the man’s hands. To make it up to him, Yuuta more-or-less becomes Tsubaki’s slave. Unfortunately for Yuuta, not only is Tsubaki gorgeous, he’s an erotica writer.

While I would’ve liked some build up of the relationship, a little time taken to see if they will or they won’t, I’m doomed to disappointment. They don’t last through the first of the two stories before becoming lovers. It really doesn’t take much trying for Tsubaki to make Yuuta his. The second story worked a little better since they’re already lovers, so I didn’t quite have the same disappointment. Also, it’s a little kinkier role-playing for Tsubaki’s novel and I do enjoy men in handcuffs.

The lead story only takes up about a third of the manga at best. The rest are much shorter stories, six in fact, ranging from a vet student who picks up a young man who was beaten by his last boyfriend and cares for him, to falling for the boss’ son, to extremely exuberant college roommates warming up to could-be threesomes. While I was slightly let down, that was more due to my expecting one thing and getting another. The stories themselves are mostly just light-hearted and cute stories that quickly cut to the good stuff.

The art is actually pretty good. The genitalia are invisible but most yaoi readers are pretty used to that. The sound effects are left in place and translated. As far as the storylines go, they’re pretty vanilla. The could-be threesome and the handcuffs are about as kinky as it gets. There’s nothing squicky here. If you’re looking for some popcorn yaoi to kill a little bit of your evening with, this will do nicely.

Reviewer: D.M. Evans
Proofed and Edited By Lissa Pattillo

[mjules]

"Popcorn yaoi." That's awesome. I'm gonna start using that. :-D