The Crimson Spell

Webmaster note: The first printing of The Crimson Spell did translate the main character's name as "Bald," since the character's full name is "Baldrigr." It was changed to "Vald" for later print runs since English-speaking audiences expect "bald" to mean "without hair." Thanks to UnseeliePhaerie for this information.

First of all, let me just start off by saying that I have no clue what the other three reviewers are talking about when they say that the main character's name is "Bald." My edition clearly says "Vald." I don't know, maybe I'm just lucky and got a proper volume, or maybe they retranslated it. But I digress.

Honestly, The Crimson Spell is just about the greatest thing ever. The artwork is absolutely GORGEOUS and the sex scenes are explicit, uncensored, and drool-worthy. The plot is well thought out as well - there is actually a point where the shagging comes to an end and the story continues to develop. Surprising, I know. While I agree with a couple of the other reviewers who claimed that the story started off a little too quickly, events actually do slow down after a bit and the development begins to kick in.

So we have Havi and Vald, a magician and a prince, respectively. Poor Prince Vald (short for Valdrigr) has been cursed by an ancient sword that turns him into a demon at night/during battle/in-the-heat-of-the-moment. Since Vald loses all sense of self when he allows the demon to take over, he has to find someone to remove the curse before he ends up hurting innocent people. Enter Halvir, or Havi, for short.

Havi is mysteriously sexy and is the dominant partner in the relationship. He's cool, suave, and always calm, as opposed to Vald's impetuous, sometimes hot-headed behaviour. Havi's deal is that he will help Vald to break the curse if Vald in turn helps him find something (he doesn't specify what). However, Havi is curious about the true nature of the curse and accidentally unleashes Vald's demon form. Apparently the only way to appease the demon is to have sex, so that's basically what they do every night. In explicit detail, I might add.

The best part of these nightly encounters is that the real Prince Vald, the human counterpart, is clueless about them. Havi believes that because of the prince's proper upbringing he will blitz out when he finds out that he's being shagged on a nightly basis. This doesn't stop Havi at all, though, and the nightly encounters continue.

I can't say too much more without giving everything away, but I'll end with this: Ayano Yamane is my very first explicit yaoi manga that I've picked up, and I have to say that I couldn't be happier with my choice. The artwork is beautifully rendered, sexy, and just all-around awesome; the characters are fascinating, funny, and mysterious; the story is engaging, intelligent, and holds much promise. This yaoi is definitely worth adding to your collection. I can't wait for the next volume.