Skyscrapers of Oz

Yoshino Somei / Row Takakura – Kitty Media – 2004 – 1 volume

This is an older BL title from Kitty Media, a publisher I haven’t read anything from yet.  I didn’t like the presentation that much… the only included extras were a sfx guide that was in the back that stopped after explaining to page 50, and the cover design was rather unattractive.  Also, the translation or adaptation seemed a little off, but that could’ve just been the story itself.

I picked this up after it was recommended to me a few years ago as a good BL title when I was expressing frustration with the genre.  I got it after having read several BL titles to my liking, and was rather disappointed with it.  It’s an adaptation of a novel, which may account for the extremely condensed plot.  It seems to move way too fast and jumps around quite a bit.  Plus, the stuff at the end where everything’s explained didn’t really make much sense to me.  I could probably re-read it to make more sense of it, and I think I mostly understand, but… I felt like it copped out.

It’s definitely 18+ though, as it does feature a lot of sex.  Unfortunately, the relationship is a younger boy/older man one that’s rather explicit (if definitely agreed upon by both sides), and it kind of creeped me out despite the fact that both seemed to enjoy it.  Again and again and again.  Plus there was a bonus story at the end for those waiting for payoff with the other relationship.  The corny sex was probably the only part of this story that I even vaguely liked, which was unfortunate because it didn’t fit into the plot at all.  Plus, the main pair’s relationship developed really awkwardly, which I also didn’t like.  Not one of the better BL stories out there, unfortunately.