Picnic

This is one of those books that I had to read twice to understand what was going on. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I've found, more times than I care to admit, that it's during the second reading when everything falls into place and I'm sitting there going "oh yeah, now I get it, this is really good!"

Such is the case with Yugi Yamada's Picnic. This volume contains seven stories, although several of them contain the same characters. The thing I found unusual about this manga is that, to varying degrees, I actually enjoyed every story. That's a somewhat rare occurrence for me when it comes to anthologies.

I have to admit, my favorite was the first and title story, "Picnic." Toda and Koreeda are six months into their relationship. Both of them know what they want, each other, they've just never communicated their feelings clearly. This of course leads to angst, insecurity and misunderstandings. Before his relationship began with Toda, Koreeda had a girlfriend. When she turns up pregnant, even though the child isn't his, he offers to marry her. Fortunately for him, she, in a not very gracious manner, turns him down. I say fortunately because this woman is just not nice.

Toda takes the opportunity their breakup presents, to step in and offer himself to Koreeda. He tries telling himself that he just wants Koreeda to enjoy his body but in his heart, he knows that's a lie. He loves Koreeda. When Koreeda's former girlfriend re-appears, Toda prepares to step aside. What he doesn't know is that Koreeda has no intention of dumping him for his ex. Koreeda has come to the realization that his feelings for Toda go far beyond sex and friendship. This is a sweet, amusing and downright sexy story of two people winding their way through a maze of feelings to discover their love for each other.

All of these stories have something to recommend them. They can be funny, tender, sad and ultimately bring us to the realization that everyone finds love in their own unique way. "I'll Forget Him In Five Seconds" is a coming of age story that proves we never really know who might be loving us in some round about manner. "I Have An Excuse Too" Parts 1 & 2 and "The Reason I Sleep Beside You" deal with the volatile feelings of two young men learning to communicate with each other and finding that just because you love someone, it doesn't mean things will go smoothly. "But Sometimes You're Kind" pulls at the heartstrings. A street hustler and a young boy, both alone, join forces in a sometimes uneasy relationship in which they both discover how wonderful it is to find someone who cares. "What Will Happen To Us?" and "Whatever Happens" shows how it takes being separated for two men to finally admit to their feelings for each other.

Picnic is rated 18+ and with good reason. There's lots of sex and it's in every story. You're not going to see any pokey boy parts but you'll get more than the impression that they are there and are being used.

Yugi Yamada's story telling ability shines in this volume as does her art. I must say though, the illustrations run the gamut of being attractive and well executed to downright scary. There's no mistaking the fact that a character is angry when his teeth resemble those of an alligator and steam is blowing out of his nose. These kinds of drawing are contained mostly in "I Have An Excuse Too" Parts 1 & 2 and "The Reason I Sleep Beside You." Hashimoto and Oikawa, nineteen and eighteen respectively are, as previously stated, rather volatile young men. A good bit of their communication consists of yelling at each other but for them, it seems to work. I will admit that Yugi Yamada is not one of my favorite artists but there's no denying that she is a skilled and more than competent, artist. The illustrations definitely enhance the writing.

Once again Juné Manga has done an excellent job in their presentation of this book. We have another oversized volume with a glossy color dust jacket. These large books look quite impressive marching across my bookshelves. Appearances not withstanding, Picnic is a wonderful collection of stories and one that I would happily recommend.