Warning: This is in-your-face Boy Love, bordering on yaoi in terms of steaminess. If you are homophobic and/or violently allergic to male-male romance, I advise you not to watch the anime.

Yes, I’m blogging this very controversial anime. At least for an episode or two. I can say that I’m doing it because I want to annoy Impz (which would be partially true); I might even be doing it because Crusader implied that I would, and I didn’t want to disappoint my fellow blogger (which is completely untrue). But the truth is, Junjou Romantica isn’t as bad as it has been led to be. It’s not the animation wonder that Soul Eater is; it isn’t the cool action gallery Nabari no Ou is. It such doesn’t have the sheer poetic beauty Vampire Knight possess.

What it has, though, is more than pure male-male fan service.

Summary

Misaki comes home to find a stranger perilously close to kissing his brother Takahiro. The shocked Misaki is then introduced to Usami, who is Takahiro’s good friend. Usami is 28 years old and is a famous writer, who won what I assume to be the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in Japan.

Because Misaki does not have good results, and he want to get into a good university, it was decided that he would get Usami as a tutor, in exchange for Usami’s pork broth. On arrival to Usami’s apartment, Misaki found both Usami’s literary new book, as well a novel under another pen name. Upon reading that novel, he found out to his shock that it is a very explicit erotic homosexual novel, where one of the main characters is named “Takahiro”, the exact name of his brother.

Once out of his stupor, he rushes to Usami’s bedroom (filled with toys and teddy bears) and confronts him. Usami wakes up in a very bad mood, and after listening to Misaki rail about Usami’s use of his brother’s name in his BL novel, and accusing him of “any man would do”, Usami throws Misaki onto his bed and… ahem… molest him.

In the living room, Usami introduces his teddy bear to Misaki, who thinks that Usami is seriously not normal. After some banter, Misaki announces his intention to get into that famous university (I didn’t quite catch its name), while Usami is dismissive of his ability to enter, saying that he doesn’t do well because he doesn’t understand the questions being asked. He then asks Misaki why he wanted to enter that university.

Misaki says that it is for Takahiro, who took care of him after their parents died and hence lost the chance to enter that university. On hearing that, Usami is touched and immediately agrees to tutor Misaki.

As time passes, Misaki’s results improve, and he is familiar enough with Usami to now call him “Usagi-san” (Mr Rabbit). He isn’t really happy it, though.

One time, Misaki asks Usami if he really likes his brother. Usami tells him not to worry, because his love is completely one-sided and unrequited. Misaki says that Takahiro already has a girlfriend, and Usami replies that he knows. However, if he loves someone, he would only want to remain by that someone’s side. That is friendship’s privilege.

Misaki thinks to himself that he understands somewhat; Usami would never do anything that would hurt Takahiro. Unfortunately, Takahiro treats Usami as nothing more than a good friend. He then calls Usami’s action foolish, and thinks that situation is really tragic.

Misaki soon gets another result slip, where he had another tremendous increase in result. He then thinks excitedly to himself that he must go to Usami to tell him the good news. On the way, though, he suddenly stops running and wonders why he wants to tell Usami so eagerly. He then yells that he does not like men.

Unfortunately, Usami is standing right behind him. The mortified Misaki starts talking in mangled former Japanese. Usami then informs him that today is Takahiro’s birthday. Misaki then shows Usami his result slip, and Usami is proud and tousled his hair. Misaki blushes and his heart start pounding.

At their house, Takahiro has just returned home, and both Usami and Misaki welcome him back with a “happy birthday”. However, Takahiro has also brought his girlfriend home, and he says that he is glad that Usami is here too, because he wanted Usami to know as well that they have decided to get married.

Usami is stunned, but he immediately covers it up with sincere-sounding congratulations. Misaki, however, cannot control himself and punches the wall. He then announces that he would go out and buy wine, but because he is underage, he drags Usami along.

Outside in the cold winter night, Misaki could not control his tears, and he apologizes to Usami. He says that it’s cruel that Usami loves his brother so much, but his brother wanted to tell Usami that he is getting married. Usami tells him to stop crying, but Misaki says he couldn’t.

On hearing that, Usami grabs Misaki and kisses him. After a long, gentle kiss, Usami stops and says that Misaki has stopped crying. Then he hugs Misaki, apologizing softly and saying that he would hug him just for a little while. Misaki, after a small hesitation, hugs him back and says, “If you want to cry, just cry.”

Usami replies that he has never cried in front of anyone other than when he was born. He says that he would only cry in front of Misaki. Then both of them are quiet as the snow falls all around them. Misaki looks up to the sky as he thinks that all he wants is to be together with this person, always.

Not long after, Misaki styles his hair in front of a mirror, but Usami suddenly appears and musses it up again. He then reminds Misaki that he has gotten into the university he wanted, but he is only there as a student on the reserved list. It is then said that Takahiro and his fiancée have gone to Osaka for work purpose, and somehow Misaki has become the tenant of Usami. That is, they are now living together. Before the scene ends, Usami has grabbed Misaki into the bedroom, and the episode ends with Misaki’s not-very-sincere cries for help ringing in the audience’s ears.

So, exactly how steamy is it?

The manga is extremely explicit. Yes, I dug it up and read it, and it’s definitely rated. The translation to anime itself is fairly faithful. Some details, like Usami’s room is clearly more messy in the manga than in the anime, and the faces less angular/squarish and more bishie in the anime, but in spirit they are the same.

And in terms of steaminess… It has definitely been toned down. None of the obvious graphic details were shown, let’s just say that the spirit is the same as well. The molestation scene mentioned in the summary above, for example, has no explicit details shown, but from the positions and the suggestive dialogue, we all know what is going on there.

If you want to know, go watch the anime.

Just a word of warning to the people watching, though. While the scenes aren’t hentai, you may not want to watch it with a younger sibling or your parents nearby.

Thoughts

The thing I’ve always enjoyed the most in the manga is the faces the characters make. Their chibi forms are so expressive, I think they are superior to Special A. For many animes, sometimes the chibi forms and the faces the characters make as so abrupt, they seemed added on. Junjou Romantica, though, does it very naturally. I especially like how Misaki reacts. All these make the anime extremely entertaining and funny to watch.

On the other hand, there is a serious side to the story. If you ignore the excessive steaminess, and if you are homophobic you ignore the fact that the couple involves two males, you actually get quite a good portrayal of relationships. The characters go through a lot of the same heartache heterosexual couples go through.

In this episode, if Usami and Takahiro are of opposite sexes, perhaps an audience might even be touched by the unrequited love Usami harbors for the guy. And then we have the young Misaki, the third side of the triangle, who has the empathy and, though he doesn’t know it yet, the love, to feel for Usami.

The scene under the snow, where Usami hugs Misaki and cries into his shoulder. And when Misaki hesitantly hugs him back as he comforts him. Wow. That scene is powerful. That, together with the snow falling, mingling with the tears still falling from Misaki’s eyes, and the beautiful dialogue, makes the entire scene extremely touching.

Well, for me, anyway.

I think the anime is sweet. I do wonder though, why is it acceptable in anime culture for a guy to molest another guy like that, but totally horrendous (for a normal, mainstream anime anyway) for a guy to so molest a female? There’s something rather double standard-ish about this.

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