Kizuna: Bonds of Love

When launching their yaoi manga imprint, Be Beautiful, Central Park Media chose one of the best boy's love romances of all time as its flagship title: Kizuna, by Kazuma Kodaka. The central story is about a pair of lovers, Samejima Ranmaru and Enjoji Kei, who are college students that live together and are already a couple when the series begins. Ranmaru ("Ran" in the translation) was once the top high school kendoist in all of Japan, and Enjoji ("Kei" in the translation) we learn is the illegitimate son of a Yakuza boss. Through stories of their past together and glimpses at how their relationship grew, we learn about the deep bonds that hold the lovers together, no matter what may happen to them.

Kizuna is not a coming-out story, nor a coming-of-age story, not a story of struggling to be with the one you love, nor a story of opposition that turns to love. Rather, it takes all of these elements so often found in yaoi manga, blends them, and develops a story which is mainly focused on a strong, established relationship between two soulmates who just happen to both be men. This pre-established relationship is unusual in popular yaoi manga, especially those being licensed in English right now, and it's the deep and loving relationship between Ran and Kei that makes Kizuna special. Kodaka-sensei brings their love out in a desparate, needing, yet deeply passionate way whenever the two of them touch, kiss, or cling to each other as they often do. Kei and Ran are not wispy shounen-ai boys; they are broad-shouldered men with defined bodies (Ran practiced kendo and Kei is an accomplished fighter in his own right) and sexy, sexy, sexy.

Because Kei and Ran have a lot of sex. A lot of sex. This is a yaoi manga, after all! From their first sweet kiss in a flashback, to their first competitive sexual encounter, to drunken Kei molesting a sleeping Ran, every touch is fueled with an undeniable but tender passion. Kei may be constantly trying to drag Ran to bed, but Ran is the only man he wants. Ran may be popular with a fanclub of college men -- including Kei's younger brother -- but he can't let himself be with anyone but Kei. Luckily for the reader, this passion is expressed and explored in chapter after chapter in long, detailed, delightful sex scenes that are very maturely sexy.

Adding to Kizuna's appeal is the parallel plot of Kei's younger brother, Kai, and the father-like figure (though not related) who practically raised him, Masanori. Kai is a spoiled teenager who takes advantage of his station as a Yakuza don's heir, needing to be rescued and chased constantly by Masa, an employee of the don. Watching their relationship evolve from a father/son type relationship to a real love, watching Kai soften Masa's gruff exterior and Masa help Kai out of tough situations, is a beautiful secondary plot that complements the main story.

Controversy has arisen among fans of the Japanese version of the manga, however, because Be Beautiful does make some edits to their volumes. A page from the first volume which shows five-year-old Kai kissing adult Masanori on the lips was removed completely. Be Beautiful is extremely wary of any kind of possibly objectionable content, and will remove any references to anyone underage behaving in a sexual way. After the first volume, there have been no further edits to Kizuna. While I am happy just to have this wonderful manga in English translation, the edits have been a source of contention for some fans.

For me, there is no better yaoi manga than Kizuna. It gives me both the steamy sex scenes I love, and the committed loving relationship that I always want to see. Kizuna is something like the story of what happens after the happily ever after -- after the heroes fall in love, what comes next? That's Kizuna.