Faraway Places

Juji Fusa – Digital Manga Guild – 2011 – 1 volume

Another DMG release from eManga.com! This is an older title that I read a couple months back, but I wanted to clear out a little bit of my backlog. The next time I update, I promise to tackle a new release.

I wanted to write this one up while I was thinking about it because… well, I completely forgot about it after I finished it. To the point where I could have sworn I talked about it here already. That it left no impression is not a good sign, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it.

It’s definitely got a unique plot. Toru and Takeshi are pen pals. When the two finally meet face to face, Toru is shocked to find out that Takeshi is a rather intimidating yakuza. But Toru has another problem. After moving to Tokyo, his sole support has been his letters from Takeshi, and he’s slowly fallen in love with him. Meeting him doesn’t help matters. Turns out, Takeshi is in love with him, too, and after a rough start, the two become devoted lovers, first long-distance, then closer to home.

It’s a really, really cute story. I thought it would be a touch darker when the summary mentioned yakuza, but… uh. The fact that Takeshi is a yakuza member is more… of his job. It doesn’t really enter the story at all, save for the fact that he has underlings. Hilariously, these yakuza live on some sort of farm out in the sticks. I’m not sure where they squeeze protection money from. I’d love to read a story solely about country yakuza.

Anyway, the story is mostly sweet and romantic. Usually, when I say “sweet,” I’m using that as a code word for hand-holding, but Toru and Takeshi do have a physical relationship here. They’re just both super-cute about it. Their relationship doesn’t really develop much in the volume, since they’ve already grown fond of each other as pen pals, so most of the book is about coping with the feelings and how to do things long-distance. There’s stories about Takeshi sneaking back to Tokyo to see Toru, and stories about Toru going to visit Takeshi in the country and meeting his affectionate gang members.

It’s a cute, light read, and I’d say go for it if you’re looking for a quick and drama-free read. But like I said… the story is fairly low-impact, and neither the plot or the characters left much of an impression. It’s probably not one that’s going to make for a good re-read, unless you’re a huge fan of light stories.