Despite its short length, Ai no Kusabi is a high-quality production with plenty of intelligent things to say. Don’t be too put off by the animation and artwork – while a little clunky at times given it’s age, there’s nothing here that should detract from the title as an overall piece. I feel like with this title, the less you know about it before watching the better, but I will say that it’s considered a classic and the “magnum opus” of the yaoi genre for a reason. Iason’s a sadistic arsehole, and Riki spends most of his time chained up, but since Riki is just as proud a man as Iason, and since Iason is obsessed with Riki to the point where he’s willing to bend the rules of his own social system, it’s far from your conventional yaoi relationship. You won’t see the traditional seme/uke pattern here either. There are no big sparkly eyes or overly dramatic facial expressions, and the sex scenes most certainly don’t come with perfectly tousled hair or declarations of undying love.
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The setting is alternate-universe science-fiction, and quite an intricate one at that. This anime would absolutely not make a good entry point into the genre, but it’s easily one of the best yaoi anime out there.Īi no Kusabi is one of those titles that manage to stand out from most other yaoi anime in nearly every way possible. Both the animation and artwork quality are safely above average, and I personally felt the character designs were very good. As far as the technical details in Maiden Rose go, I also have no complaints.
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Essentially, the audience is shown this extremely complex connection between Klaus and Taki and is then left to decide what to make of it on their own.
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It’s not a pornographic work and there’s nothing here that will shock anyone even remotely familiar with the yaoi genre, but at the same time, the fact that Taki is being raped is no secret. The fact that said relationship isn’t a particularly healthy one (to say the least) adds to the drama – and because the anime makes no attempt at either justifying it or presenting it in a positive light, I don’t feel that sexual abuse is being glorified or romanticised as it is in so many other yaoi titles. Instead, what we’re left with is a snapshot of the lives of two men and their relationship with each other, as well as how they deal with that relationship in the midst of their chaotic surroundings. While the anime never tries to explain exactly why there’s a war going on or how these characters ended up on their side of it, this is in my opinion a very wise move at only two episodes, the production would no doubt have felt extremely rushed and slap-dash had they tried to cram that all in.
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The first thing you should know about Maiden Rose is that it’s not your typical drama/comedy/romance yaoi fare – it’s actually quite a serious title set in an alternative universe against a backdrop of war. Regardless of how popular they may be, anime such as Antique Bakery, Cardcaptor Sakura, Kuroshitsuji, and Ouran High School Host Club have therefore not been considered here. Every now and then though, a yaoi title comes along that manages to break the mold and present a genuinely thoughtful, creative, or (somebody pinch me) realistic love story.Īs with last week’s article on yuri anime, I’ve chosen not to include titles in this list that are not explicitly canon, as well as those that don’t include at least one male/male pairing as a main couple of the show. There are also copious amounts of anime titles that don’t specifically fit into the yaoi genre, but which nonetheless either imply or leave the possibility open for male/male pairings – often as a kind of female-orientated fanservice. While still considered a niche genre in comparison to more mainstream anime, yaoi has gained a significantly larger following than yuri and has an extremely passionate fanbase. The creepy I-love-you, rape-as-romance themes.