Reviewer Bios
Some of our reviewers have sent me some more about themselves to post here. Meet our reviewers!
Broken Quills Inc.
E-mail
Website: Broken Quills Inc.
First foray into the world of yaoism was in late 1998 where the pursue of anime lead unknowningly to the yaoi kingdom. Since then, there was no turning back.
Amongst the works that could be found online, my all time favourites of this genre are by Kazuma Kodaka, whose works are filled with humour, sweet and poignant moments (though cliche at times) that made you read the text over and over again.
Reviews:
Lan Yu -- Film
Brushfire0
Just your average everyday Flaming Moron. I eat soup by the keg, watch muppets like they're going out of style, and know that banzai is not just a word it's a way of life. Douglas Adams is my god, and CLAMP are my goddesses. I draw cause the little chibi angels in my brain tell me to, and I know that toes are the stupidest things in the world. I love yaoi and yuri, I hate most het, and anyone who can draw Fai well is an absolute kami.
Reviews:
Nine Dead Gay Guys -- Film
Charlatan
E-mail
Website: Stained Glass Network
Charlatan wasn't always your yaoi-obsessed fangirl. She found herself interested in anime for a long time before she discovered the boyxboy seduction. Tired with all the cliché male/female pairings in anime and manga she turned to more unconventional couples, and it wasn't untill Digimon and the suggestion of 'Taito' hit her screen, that she thought the boy/boy ideas was a cute. Why pair up an annoying lead girl with a perfectly adorable lead boy when you could have two adorable boys who are perfect magnets for each other? Enter the Gundam Wing fandom and Charlatan was hooked. What started as strictly Shounen-ai, quickly developed into all types of boyxboy, even the hardcore type that turns her into a giggling puddle of goo. She has an iron stomach and isn't squicked easily, so if you have a series she hasn't seen yet, bring it on! Currently she enjoys slashing boys together that she knows are impossible or controversial.
Reviews:
Boku no Sexual Harassment -- Yaoi Anime
Don't Tell Anyone -- Film
Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness) -- Slashable Anime
Chikyuu
I have been a yaoi fan for three years. I love "old school" yaoi series and pairings. I used to be an anti-yaoi supporter, but my mind quickly opened when I saw Hikaru no Go and Gravitation for the first time. Since then, I've seen almost every yaoi and BL series available. I love pairings with rivals and even a bit of shota.
Reviews:
Haru wo Daiteita -- Yaoi Anime
Hikaru no Go -- Slashable Anime
ComicMuse
I guess I got into yaoi via the slash scene; the Yaoi of the West. A friend of mine put me on to Harry/Draco (ah yes, the wonders of HP slash), and somehow through my explorings of Slashdom I stumbled across yaoi. It immediately grabbed me because it combined some of my favourite things - hot men, hot men getting it on, and good storylines - along with gorgeous artwork. I'm a bit of a culture whore, and own hundreds of films, books, graphic novels, CDs, manga and so on. If my reviews frequently abound with bizarre references to other media, that's why. In my spare time I play guitar, start but never finish short stories, listen to music, and try to turn my boyfriend into the perfect uke (and yes, I do mean uke).
Reviews:
Constellations in My Palm - Manga
Dear Myself - Manga
Delivery Cupid - Manga
Duetto - Manga
Gakuen Heaven - Manga
Hate to Love You - Manga
Ka*Shin*Fu* - Manga
Kimi Shiruya - Dost Thou Know? - Manga
Little Butterfly - Manga
Othello - Manga
Pet on Duty - Manga
Skyscrapers of Oz - Manga
Dawn
I'm an author who writes erotic romance. A couple of years ago I discovered the male/male genre and flipped over it. It was my love of m/m romance that brought me to yaoi. I had no idea it existed until a fellow author wrote a yaoi inspired romance. That was the first time I'd even heard the word so I googled it. Wow, did I learn a thing or two. I started with Fake and haven't looked back. In the past six months I've acquired over 300 yaoi manga and dvd's. In my persuit of new manga, I've been averaging one or two UPS deliveries a week from Amazon and other book outlets. I'm just hoping the UPS guy doesn't think I'm ordering so much stuff 'cause I have a crush on him.
Reviews:
Junjo Romantica - Manga
Just My Luck - Manga
Kissing - Manga
Little Cry Baby - Manga
Picnic - Manga
Fin Meifant
I've been writing m/m since my very early teens, but only discovered a couple of years ago that there was anyone else like that out there. Making up for wasted time, I've been working my way through many a yaoi manga/anime since. My favourite shounen-ai of all time is Tokyo Babylon and its successor, X. I spend far too much time writing fanfiction for them, and my level of obsession is exampled by the fact that I went so far as to pay over 25 pounds for a Seishirou soft toy. He lives on my shelf and watches me as I write smut with him in; it's very disconcerting.
Reviews:
Tokyo Babylon -- Manga
Holli
E-mail
Website: Holli's DeviantArt
I've been an anime fan since before it was really mainstream, because of an anime called Unico and because I have interest in Japanese culture (my grandmother's Japanese). I'm actually new to the shounen-ai/yaoi scene (since only Fall 2002), since I didn't stumble across it until I got into college and because of some friends. My favorite anime (and manga) is Yami no Matsuei, then FLCL, plus others like Fullmetal Alchemist, Cat Soup, Fruits Basket, Love Mode, Bleach, and Now and Then Here and There. When not busy with my college classes or jobs, I like to draw, website build, rant, writing reviews and fanfiction for anime/manga, dj-ing, hanging out with my friends, and doing my duties as the current (2004-2005) president of my college's anime club (and as vice president the past year).
Reviews:
Ai no Kusabi -- Yaoi Anime
Challengers -- Manga
Fake -- Yaoi Anime
Gravitation -- Yaoi Anime
Mirage of Blaze -- Yaoi Anime
Tokyo Babylon -- Slashable Anime
Yami no Matsuei -- Slashable Anime
Jukebox
Email
Website
I started reading and writing slash fiction several years ago when I found myself growing bored with the same old fiction where the woman is the focus, mainly because it was hard to relate to the "almost perfect in every way" female characters. It was also around that time that I watched several animes for the first time since my youth and discovered that, not only had the drawings in anime matured, they had also become quite appealing with beautiful male figures. I began a search on some of the characters/shows that interested me, which lead to yaoi fanfiction in the Weiss Kreuz and Saiyuki fandoms as well as manga scanslations. It opened my eyes to a whole new world that rapidly became an obsession, until I now avidly collect as much as my finances will allow in order to support the growth of the yaoi industry in the west. I find myself preferring the more explicit books over the lighter ones, though there are some lighter BL mangas that have a certain appeal as well.
Reviews:
Ai no Kusabi Volume 1 -- Novel
Clan of the Nakagamis -- Manga
The Crimson Spell -- Manga
Crimson Wind -- Manga
Crushing Love -- Manga
Don't Say Anymore Darling -- Manga
I Want to Be Naughty -- Manga
J-Boy -- Manga
The Judged -- Manga
Kiss All the Boys -- Manga
The Last Portrait -- Manga
Love Recipe -- Manga
One Thousand and One Nights -- Manga
Prince Charming -- Manga
Rising Storm -- Manga
Seduce Me After the Show -- Manga
Thunderbolt Boys Excite -- Manga
Virtuoso di Amore -- Manga
Yebisu Celebrities -- Manga
Kae
Kae has an introverted albeit iniquitous and impious persona, and has been indicted of employing perverse mammoth lexis to appear sharp. And who really understands what people are referring to? Kae is a true yaoi fan from the North who enjoys both manga and anime but especially takes pleasure in those from the shounen-ai genre. The conclusion from watching anime is: Yuki Eiri is the essence of passion. But not really. Second Conclusion: Yuki is full of contradictions so he should be loved. Add Soubi to that. And Iason. As can be seen, Kae has a certain favourite type of anime man. And Toshihiko Seki is the only non-anime man that has ever been loved. What began this yaoi and shounen-ai journey you might ask? Well, first came the watching of Dragonball Z when younger, then the slashing of random boys in videos, and youtube led the path to yaoi heaven. Kae thanks all youtube uploaders, and gets back to manga-reading. Twenty-seven bought so far in 4 months since interest bloomed. Not bad, eh?
Reviews:
Beyond My Touch -- Manga
Katze
Anime has been integral part of Katze's background since early kidhood. However, interest from the mainstream shifted after the discovery of Kazuma Kodaka, Rieko Yoshihara (AnK), and Benjamin Wick's 'Ai no Kusou' shrine in the late '90s. The rest, since then, is history. When not online, or on Slashdot, K is most likely on the job, or else on hiatus.
Reviews:
Brokeback Mountain -- Film
Last Exile -- Slashable Anime
Samurai Champloo -- Slashable Anime
Yami no Matsuei -- Slashable Anime
kolibri
A self proclaimed fan-girl of many things, kolibri believes in putting fun in fanatic. She appreciates same things in BL as in other fiction: good plot (preferably with angst) and great characters, and hot man sex on the side doesn't hurt. Her favourite BL anime is Ai no Kusabi and her favourite mangas include Loveless and Yellow, and anything by Fumi Yoshinaga. She likes her men manly and her boys cute and smart, and was very surprised to find out that she generally prefers ukes over semes.
Reviews:
Alcohol, Shirt and Kiss -- Manga
Dash! -- Manga
Empty Heart -- Manga
Fake Fur -- Manga
Gerard & Jacques -- Manga
Gravitation -- Manga
The Judged -- Manga
Love Bus Stop -- Manga
Love Mode -- Manga
Lovely Sick -- Manga
Midaresomenishi: A Tale of Samurai Love -- Manga
The Moon and the Sandals -- Manga
The President's Time -- Manga
Rin! -- Manga
Solfege -- Manga
The Sound of My Voice -- Manga
Spell -- Manga
Sweet Revolution -- Manga
Weekend Lovers -- Manga
Your Honest Deceit -- Manga
Kurishojo
Kurishojo has been deep into the anime and manga culture for a decade now and expects her love and passion for it to continue with her through life. Yaoi is just one of the many genres she reads and enjoys. With her manga collection circling the thousand-mark, and threatening to collapse and attack her in her sleep, she began writing manga reviews as a way to make her books useful to other people and inspire readers to pick up and try new titles. Nearly all her time is spent writing reviews for various sources, updating her personal website with news & content and drawing. Kuri plans to get involved in the animation and comic industry through her art and writing and is currently a Digital Animation student.
Reviews:
From Up Above -- Manga
Gakuen Heaven -- Manga
My Only King -- Manga
Lovers in the Night -- Manga
labingi
E-mail
Website: labingi's LiveJournal
I am a long-time science fiction fan and writer (original fic, fan fic, and meta) with an interest in gender and sexual orientation issues. I've written two sci fi novels (one, Perdita, has been self-published) but am currently moving more toward visual media. I am interested in alternative publishing and independent/web-based film. I enjoy yaoi mainly because it's a good avenue into intense stories starring characters who are treated by the author as equally important vs. the traditional hero/love-interest subordination. By day, I work as a college English instructor.
Reviews:
Ai no Kusabi -- Novel
Please Save My Earth -- Slashable Series
Lauren
I've always been interested in boyxboy relationships since I got my first taste of them through Anne Rice. I had no idea though that there was a huge subculture for slash and yaoi fiction until I stumbled upon it a couple of years ago. I've actually become so fascinated with the subculture, that I've started doing research on it so I can write an essay, dissertation, etc. on the topic that explores the social, psychological, and gender issues behind women's interest in male/male relationships. In the mean time, I'm just having fun and reading and watching as much of it as I can.
Reviews:
The Art of Loving -- Manga
Beyond My Touch -- Manga
Gorgeous Carat -- Manga
Jazz -- Manga
Kimi Shiruya - Dost Thou Know -- Manga
Let Dai -- Manga
Loveless -- Manga
Lishy-Po
E-mail
Webiste: Unlived Histories
Lishy's little jaunt through yaoi fandom started only a year ago (December 2001) shortly before she finished Final Fantasy 7. Starting in videogame fandoms (namely Squaresoft titles) and collecting a wide variety of FF7 doujinshi, she moved on to anime and has not looked back. She loves bishounen in any shape, color, and form, and delights in a variety of anime genres from horror to yaoi, shoujo, and camp. Her weaknesses are smut, fluff, chocolate, and pretty boys. Give them to her all at once and she may explode, so be careful! She's recently started dabbling in J-rock worship (Gackt and Glay being the most notable of which), and spends most of her time on the computer. When she's not on the computer she can be found listening to music to get fic inspiration, playing a Square game, or watching anime. Her favorite mangaka are Kaori Yuki and You Higuri. Her most favorite anime is Fruits Basket, her favorite seiyuu is Okiayu Ryoutarou, and her most beloved bishie is Souma Shigure, the adorable horndog.
Reviews:
Ai no Kusabi -- Yaoi Anime
Fruits Basket -- Slashable Series
Gensomaden Saiyuki -- Slashable Series
Lorena
E-mail
Website: Furor Scribendi
Lapsed Catholic and diehard yaoi fangirl who'll do anything short of getting thrown in San Quentin in her avaricious pursuit of old, largely obscure shounen ai titles. She started out writing AU fics for Gundam Wing (a 3x4 purist, to be exact) and has since shifted all perverted attention to Keiko Takemiya's classic "Kaze to Ki no Uta," for which she's been suffering from "non-fandom syndrome." To make matters worse, she's also set her sights on yet another Takemiya shounen ai title--one that's ten times more obscure--called "Hensoukyoku," and hopes to start dabbling in one torturous fic after another for Edouard and Wolfgang. She stalks Japanese auctions, bribes her proxy with brownies, and swoons over femme boys, with Reiko Shimizu and Yuu Higuri being her two other fave mangakas.
Reviews:
Edge of Seventeen -- Film
Kaze to Ki no Uta (Song of Wind and Trees) -- Yaoi Anime
Maurice -- Film
Niko
A yaoi fan since 1998, Niko, known sometimes as NikoShinigami, is an artist and award winning fanfiction writer. She became aware of the existence of yaoi through Ronin Warrior fanfiction and has since become the author of almost thirty yaoi and shonen ai stories of different shows and movies and co-creator of an original yaoi series. She has a distaste for girly ukes and bastard semes but lives with the rampant stereotypes found in the yaoi genre. A creative writing major, Niko hopes to publish her own homosexual romance novels for the adult, American audience.
Reviews:
Alone in My King's Harem -- Manga
FAKE -- Manga
Only the Ring Finger Knows: The Lonely Ring Finger -- Novel
Stormcloude
Stormcloude is a 30-something anime fan who likes the pretty boys. When it's two pretty boys together, she becomes obsessed. Throw in a heaping helping of angst and she's in heaven. She's can often be found haunting ebay, live journal, and the occasional Yahoo mailing list-- wherever pretty boys can be found. ~_^
Reviews:
Generator Gawl -- Slashable Anime
Summer Queen
E-mail
Website: Titania's Bower
A long time ago in a galaxy far away (okay, a few years back, before she returned to the east coast), Titania didn't like anime in any size, shape manner or form. At all. Persistent friends gently corrected this deficiency of hers and she took the bit and ran with it ... all the way to utter fangirlishness. Somewhere along the line she stumbled across the Fake OVA and ZechsxTreize fanfic/doujinshi and a whole new obsession was born. These days she parlays the energy born of fannish passion into multi-tasking for Yaoi-Con, spending too much of her hard-earned cash on anime cels and sketches, and slavering over her favourite seiyuu (Okiayu Ryoutarou and Seki Toshihiko own her, body and soul). She shares her life with two fluffy Balinese bois by the names of Yohji and Sanzou (Bakazaru) and far too many piles of anime-related stuff.
Review:
Don't Worry Mama -- Novel
Embracing Love -- Manga
From Eroica With Love -- Manga
Golden Cain -- Manga
Kizuna OVA 1 - Yaoi Anime
Kizuna: Much Ado About Nothing -- Yaoi Anime
Loveless -- Anime
White Guardian -- Manga
Vitani
E-mail
Website: Nocturnal Butterfly
An obsessive seiyuu fan, Vitani didn't always find yaoi appealing. But with a love for bishounen and anime that has predominantly male casts, it was bound to happen! She enjoys dark and moody stories, misunderstood villains, and has a 'thing' for brother characters, spawning from her adoration for Olba and Shagia Frost from After War Gundam X. Vitani can be a harsh critic, seeking titles with either sturdy plots or emotional character pairings. But that doesn't stop her from hording explicit BL drama CDs and shounen-ai manga. Her only regret as a fangirl? That her favorite seiyuu Sasaki Nozomu didn't voice more yaoi titles...
Reviews:
Earthian -- Yaoi Anime
Maze -- Slashable Anime
Saint Beast -- Slashable Anime
Sotsugyou M -- Slashable Anime
Gundam X -- Slashable Anime
Whizzy
The very quick, somewhat infallible method of determining Whizzy's favorite character in any
show (even those she hasn't seen!):
Simply look for the badass character. More than one? The badass villain. Long hair, cold
eyes, tortured past? Yum! Throw in a healthy dose of sadism and she'll not only build him a
shrine, she'll torment him in RPGs!
Reviews:
Mirage of Blaze -- Yaoi Anime
Wiggle
Wiggle is a one-time fan fiction writer and long-time roleplayer, and has found her fandom niche running Boys on Boys on Film! Her goal is to provide all yaoi fans with top yaoi news and good information so all yaoi fans can enjoy their favorites to the fullest! Her own yaoi favorites include Mirage of Blaze for anime and Kizuna for manga, but Weiss Kreuz's Aya will always be her number one bishounen.
Reviews:
Affair -- Manga
After School in the Teacher's Lounge -- Yaoi Anime
Allure -- Manga
Angel Sanctuary -- Slashable Anime
Angel's Feather -- Yaoi Anime
BeBoy Kidnapp'n Idol -- Yaoi Anime
Because I'm a Boy -- Manga
Bond(z) -- Manga
Brother -- Manga
But I'm Your Teacher -- Manga
Casino Lily -- Manga
The Crimson Spell -- Manga
Delivery Cupid -- Manga
The Devil's Secret -- Manga
Earthian -- Manga
A Foreign Love Affair -- Manga
Fujimi Orchestra -- Yaoi Anime
Here Is Greenwood -- Slashable Anime
I Can't Stop Loving You -- Manga
I Shall Never Return -- Manga
I Want to Be Naughty -- Manga
I'll Be Your Slave -- Manga
I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone -- Manga
Ichigenme... The First Class is Civil Law -- Manga
Kaikan Phrase -- Slashable Anime
Kashou no Tsuki -- Yaoi Anime
A King's Lesson -- Manga
Kiss All the Boys -- Manga
Kizuna -- Yaoi Anime
Kizuna: Bonds of Love -- Manga
Kusatta Kyoushi no Houteishiki -- Yaoi Anime
Kyou Kara Maou -- Slashable Anime
Legend of the Four Horsemen (Legend of the Blue Wolves) -- Yaoi Anime
Lesson XX -- Yaoi Anime
Level C -- Yaoi Anime
Lies and Kisses -- Manga
Love Circumstances -- Manga
Love is Like a Hurricane -- Manga
Love Pistols -- Manga
Midaresomenishi: A Legend of Samurai Love -- Manga
Mirage of Blaze -- Yaoi Anime
No Money! -- Yaoi Anime
Our Road of No Return -- Yaoi Anime
Pet on Duty -- Manga
Play Boy Blues -- Manga
Pleasure Dome -- Manga
Poison Cherry Drive -- Manga
Pretear -- Slashable Anime
The Prime Minister's Secret Diplomacy -- Manga
Revolutionary Girl Utena -- Slashable Anime
RG Veda -- Slashable Anime
Rose of the Rhine -- Manga
Ryokohunohara Labyrinth -- Yaoi Anime
Say Please -- Manga
Seikimatsu Darling -- Yaoi Anime
Sensitive Pornograph -- Manga
Shout Out Loud -- Manga
The Sky Over My Spectacles -- Manga
Spring Fever -- Manga
Tea for Two -- Manga
Thunderbolt Boy: Excite -- Manga
Tomcats -- Manga
Tough Love Baby -- Manga
Weiss Kreuz -- Slashable Anime
Wolf's Rain -- Slashable Anime
Yakuza in Love -- Manga
X - The Series -- Slashable Anime
Zetsuai 1989 and Bronze -- Yaoi Anime
Yellow
Yellow is quite a late starter. She came across manga because of the convenient format after being a comic-reader for years. She discovered shonen ai and yaoi by accident (Kizuna did the trick) and is now completely hooked. Yellow likes strong and mysterious seme characters, the occasional passionate scene and a surprising turn of events. Too much violence and pain is causing her trouble and she can't stand a story based on problems of puberty and angst. Yellow doesn't mind if the story could be true or not -- she thinks the purpose of a manga is to entertain preferably by being interesting. That's all.
Reviews:
From Up Above -- Manga
The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Clothes -- Novel
Poison Cherry Drive -- Manga
The Summit -- Manga
Wagamama Kitchen -- Manga
Zandra
Zandra is a yaoi fangirl who loves any and all anime, especially Gravitation which is her favorite show ever. She absolutley ADORES Shuichi cause who can't love a cute pink-haired boy with Seki-sama's voice? The PlayStation 2 is her love-machine providing her hours of goodness in the forms of Kingdom Hearts, Dance Dance Revolution, Devil May Cry and all the Final Fantasies. Her favorite seiyuu is Tomokazu Seki. Some of her favorite J-bands are Siam Shade, /\ucifer, and of course Weiss. Kotani Kinya is her favorite singer. She LOVES hearing from others with the same interests, so don't be afraid of dropping her a line!
Reviews:
Fake -- Yaoi Anime
GetBackers -- Slashable Anime
Gravitation -- Yaoi Anime
Prince of Tennis -- Slashable Anime