Inu x Boku SS, 2012 - anime

Title: Inu x Boku SS
Genre: shounen, fantasy, romance
Length: 12 episodes
Format: anime

I recently found this while avoiding a day of studying for a test. I know, I'm so responsible. But! My irresponsibility has shown me something new. I have never seen an anime like this before, so I wasn't too sure how I would like it. I tend to stray away from art where the female character looks like she belongs in junior high or lower. 

After watching the whole thing, I'm not disappointed in the outcome. A bit weirded out, and feeling peculiar, but let me explain why... 

First, let's start with the premise. Inu x Boku takes place in modern day and centers around a young girl who is fifteen years old. She is moving into an apartment complex with a reputation for employing bodyguards for the residents and being of supernatural taint. This is Ririchiyo. She has a round, pretty face, but her attitude is cold and her eyes even colder when you try to talk to her. But on the inside, she's awkward and clumsy at handling social situations, so that often leads to her lashing out when she doesn't mean to. 

That's where her bodyguard, who is a polar opposite of her, comes in. Upon arriving at the apartment, otherwise known as Ayakashi Mansion, she meets the man who is meant to be her bodyguard: Soushi. Soushi is devoted to a fault and perfectly selfless when it comes to meeting Ririchiyo's needs. He has no problem expressing his opinion, no matter how embarrassing it may be, least of all when it comes to the subject of Ririchiyo. 

Together, they make an awkward pair, and the comedic way they interact certainly deserves some laughs. Ririchiyo simply doesn't know what to do with Soushi most of the time, though she learns to accept his obsessions with time. 

A lot of this series is about meeting the people that Ririchiyo comes to live with, and her developing relationship with her bodyguard. It's cute to see her stumble and try to open up to certain situations that the rest of us as an audience would find so normal and easy to do. Especially in terms of love, we get to see how naive she is on the subject, and how she goes about dealing with it in the most evasive of manners. 

But let's not forget that this is a shounen series. Despite the cuteness, despite the lovey-dovey romance, despite having a girl as the main protagonist, we can't forget there are certain elements that make this series fit under the masculine title of "shounen." 

There is a level of perverseness in certain key side characters that make me wonder about their sanity. There's a woman who's borderline fetish/lesbian, a S&M fanatic, and a crossdresser/transvestite. The first two especially may give the audience reason to pause upon first seeing them because of their baud opinions about sexual subjects. The crossdresser is the least conspicuous of the three, which can be considered a nice contrast to the other extreme of abnormality. 

Then again, nothing of this show is normal. Each character in the story has their faults that are used to bring out a level of comedy in the show. One that should certainly be noted is Soushi's obsession with being Ririchiyo's bodyguard. Loyal though he is, he's overly emotional and often gets weepy whenever Ririchiyo has to leave his side to attend school or otherwise.

I don't think I've ever seen a male character in a shounen series cry so much. I don't think I've ever seen one have that many sparkles float around his head so often either. Part of me wonders if this really is a shounen series, but that's the label I've found it as, so I'm willing to extend my belief that it belongs there.

Now, aside from Soushi making me want to erase all those dang sparkles that sprout around his head, let me talk a bit about the plot. Yes, there is one, underneath all that nonsense. Aside from the subtle ways in which Ririchiyo develops friendship with some of the other residents at the complex, she also develops a relationship with Soushi. This relationship is a particularly sticky and complicated one, when you manage to ignore all the sparkly, comedic parts.

Soushi plays an important role in Ririchiyo's life, not simply as a bodyguard, but as a figure of influence. Soushi is a bit complex underneath that happy, selfless personality. He has his own dark thorns, which are part of the reason why his dedication to Ririchiyo is so significant. The truth about him is a bit surprising, especially when taking into consideration his nature. The things that are hinted that he's done are rather extreme. To think he was exposed so young to the darker parts of the world helps the audience understand why he is the way he is today.

I think the creators of the story could have gone a little more in-depth about the past, and maybe tossed around the sequence of events in the series to make it a bit more coherent. I enjoyed the comedy, but while I was watching, I felt like I was missing a few key elements that would have really pulled me into the story and connected with the characters.

If I had to say, without spending a few more episodes getting a little serious, this series lacks something that could have made it more 3-dimensional. It doesn't cover all the bases that would make for an excellent show, so I can't really say I'm overly impressed or fascinated by it. Nevermind that the premise wasn't especially original, I think it could have used a little extra something to help fill in some cracks that could have made up for the lack of episodes.

Would I watch this again? Possibly, but not solely out of adoration for it. It's a fun, simple series to watch from time to time, but I don't find myself especially obsessed about it. Anyone can watch it, if they're looking for a quick laugh and want to crack at other people's faults and perversions. Oh yes, I did mention the perversions, right?

Another reason why this series can probably be considered shounen is the constant molestation of girl characters - Ririchiyo especially - throughout the series. Seeing a girl with that frame, that age, being molested like that was a bit of a turn-off for me. I don't mind perversity in general, don't get me wrong, but when paired with that certain type of art, I prefer to avoid it.

In any case, this series is just something fun to watch and pass the time as I had. I'm sure there are people who will better enjoy it than me, but as someone who likes a little less crying and less sparkling in my men, and more frame to my girls, I'll just say this isn't for everyone.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom

Title: Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend
Author: Linda Wisdom
Format: book


I have to be honest. I abandoned this book without properly finishing it. I found it difficult to do so, despite my great dislike for doing that to a book. I like to finish reading things, even if they are disappointing. Unfortunately, I couldn't get myself to do that here.

While the premise of the book was interesting enough to begin with, I found the execution rather lacking. The idea of Maggie being an magical officer, working with other magic users or supernatural creatures was interesting. It was like looking at Men In Black, only without the aliens. However, that's about as far as the interest goes.

Dialogue between characters seemed very stunted and forced. I imagine that seeing the characters talk visually on a movie screen would have made up for the lack of description, but since this is a book, and I have only my imagination to work with, I could not work off so few cues that were given. I couldn't tell by dialogue alone if a character was particularly mad or happy or being sarcastic or sad.

While this can be excusable among minor characters, this should not be the case for the main characters. Unfortunately, the problem encompassed everyone. It became especially apparent when Maggie conversed with Declan.

Generally speaking, it is possible to see why a character is attracted to another. Though as a reader we might not agree with the attractiveness of said character, we can understand why they are liked. I could not see this in Declan. Declan seemed to lack proper depth and personality to make me believe Maggie was attracted to him. As a romance novel (or a book that has romance in it, anyway), it should be clear why someone likes someone else. Personality, looks, complexity. Declan lacked that. I couldn't tell where he stood, if he was supposed to be the mysterious type, the playful time, the bad boy, or the mistaken gentleman. Whatever Maggie saw in him, whatever any other female in the book saw in Declan, I did not see.

On another note, there are parts in the book that are a little peculiar. I applaud Wisdom for stretching out her hand in the creativity jar, but once again I find the execution to be somewhat lacking. I'm talking about the dream stalking, when Maggie enters Declan's dreams and they go do stuff and talk. The drop into those scenes were often very sudden, and I'm not sure of their importance.

Maybe I needed to continue reading to the end, to understand why she was able to do that, or why he called on her, but I could not see the significance of the matter. Why was it so important these scenes took place? Why couldn't their interaction be different, on a more normal plane? I don't know, but the whole idea threw me off.

It's unfortunate, but there were just too many issues I found with the story and characters that I could not get myself to continue with it. I did not feel overly compelled to pick the book back up and slug through more of its pages. I hope that Wisdom's other books aren't all like this. For now, I'll look elsewhere for more stimulating witch romance.

Overall: 2 out of 5

Feral by Joely Skye

Title: Feral
Author: Joely Skye
Format: book

Shifters. As in shapeshifters. Or, more commonly, weres. In any case, this book is a homoerotic relationship between two shifters of different species. Meet Ethan, a cougar shifter, and Bram, a wolf shifter. As the synopsis goes, Ethan finds himself captured by Bram's pack and confined in a room. Bram becomes his babysitter, delivering his food and making sure nothing happens. And other duties. 

It's pretty commonplace that when two individuals are stuck in each other's company for an extended period of time, their initial relationship changes. For Ethan and Bram, they grow closer - even though it is forbidden for them to do so. 

Bram is the pack's omega (i.e. bottom of the totem pole), so he is obligated to follow the alpha's (Doug) orders to the T. The relationship Bram has with Doug is a complicated one thanks to certain events in the past. However, this complication doesn't seem to be portrayed as smoothly as a reader might hope. I had a problem with connecting with the characters. The fluidity of their conversation and their interactions with each other seemed forced and awkward. 

The wolves' feelings for each other didn't seem genuine, and I had a hard time connecting with either man. Bram especially was hard to sympathize with. I didn't feel like I could reach into his head and empathize with his actions.

As for Ethan, I could partially sympathize with him, but he too lacked enough depth for me to get really involved with his side of the story. The characters as a whole seemed too two-dimensional and shallowly developed. While the plot itself is interesting and had kicked off to a thrilling start, I didn't feel overly compelled to finish the book in one sitting like I might others.

I might have enjoyed the story better if I had a better understanding of the dynamics of either shifter species, and why it was so important to break through these psychological defenses. Or how.

And when it came to the sex... it seemed dry. It wasn't personal enough for my liking, or erotic enough to make me wonder if I should be sitting with a box of tissues at my side. It wasn't so much the description as the method it was told that turned me off. In combination with flat characters, I struggled to find it emotionally drawing. I was overly tempted to just skip it entirely.

I wouldn't recommend this as an 'introductory' book into the genre of gay erotica. But it might still appeal to someone who wants to pass the time with a bit of guy love when there's nothing else to read.

Overall: 2.5 out of 5

Green by Jay Lake

Title: Green
Author: Jay Lake
Format: book


I must admit, the first thing that drew my attention was the cover. I instantly thought "Hey, a ninja girl!" In a sense, I'm not completely wrong. Though the character is not a ninja, she does possess a great deal of athletic ability that is very similar in practice to the Japanese ninjas of old. Her name is Green, just like the title, and she's an unfortunate girl who finds herself a consort of sorts to a man she's never met.

She is groomed to be this unfamiliar (and rich) man's partner, but Green - like any normal girl - doesn't want to comply. She prefers to do things her way. Of course, none of her teachers enjoy that. They are hard on her. This creates for a very sympathetic feeling in the reader. It isn't hard to connect with Green and wish she could have more freedom in her life instead of being confined as she is.

When she does get her freedom, it's just as easy to feel glad for her. Happy for her. But now begs the question: what next? The journey that Green takes from being a consort to pursuing her more adventurous life - the one that is depicted vividly on the book cover - is a peculiar one. She searches for herself and her next purpose, and where she ends up is not to be expected.

I found Green's journey from one turning point in her life to the next to be interesting. I was quite curious to see where she would go. However, there were a few elements about the book that took away from my experience reading it. For one, the pacing. There is a lot of detail and emphasis that goes into the time period when Green is being groomed and confined. While the dedication to this part is fantastic, too much time was taken just building this part up.

By the time we get to the actual "journeying" part of Green's story, it seems to be lacking in content and depth. As if that part wasn't quite as thought out. Also, Green's actions after she finds her freedom gradually seem to fall into chaos. I became unsure about the real purpose of her actions, and where this story was supposed to end.

The problem that stories like this one have, where a character stuck in such a restricted world suddenly finds themselves free of restriction, is the uncertainty once free. It's okay for a character to feel lost, but the reader shouldn't feel that way too. Upon reaching the destination of Green's journey, and the actions she takes to get there, I still feel like there's so much missing and she didn't accomplish anything at all.

The side trips she takes along the way distract me from the purpose of her journey (or what I assume to be her purpose - I'm  not too sure if there actually is one anymore).

I wish there was more coherence with the plot, and a clearer portrayal of Green's mission. For this book, the mystery shouldn't have been the destination, but how to get there. There was much to be desired when I finished this book. There is a sequel (Endurance), but I'm not too sure if I'll give it a look. Maybe somewhere down the road, but I'm not in a rush.

Overall: 3 out of 5

Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Title: Fate's Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Format: book


Another win for the Andrews couple! After peeking at a few teasers before the book came out, I had been tickled with anticipation to see how the shifty Kaldar would be put into the limelight. 


Let's just say, I'm not disappointed. In the first book of The Edge series, we see Rose as the unfortunate one, and Declan as the knight in shining armor who sweeps her off her feet complete with red carpet, jewels, and a flowers. In the second book, we see the unfortunate Will with a dark past and Cerise with a crazy family with anger issues find some sort of peculiar harmony in the madness. So how do we spice things up a little? By have two of the very best criminals go head-to-head and try to get around the barbed fences of their hearts whilst doing a bit of good-doing. 


Ironic? Why yes. And quite humoring too. This whole book is one big laugh. We find ourselves stuck with two unlikely heroes who are better off on the "bad guy" side than the "good guy," yet the viciousness of their enemies make them look like a pair of saints. 


The fast, witty, and suggestive dialogue between Kaldar and Audrey absolutely tickles me. Kaldar constantly tries to get under her skin -- or into her pants -- while Audrey fends him off with sword and shield. They dance around each other like expert fighters, teasing and throwing insults and flattering words left and right without pause. They play the game without losing footing, and it's quite entertaining to see how they occasionally get a rise out of each other. 


I enjoyed the addition of George and Jack into the plot. Since the first book, they didn't really make an appearance in Will/Cerise's story except for their small cameo. Having them return, older, and with a lot more attitude, was fun. Andrews played out their adolescent attitudes and ways of thinking with charming ease. Seeing George show us more of his maturity was interesting too. We see the way his childhood and the changes in his life from Edge to Weird has changed him. We also see how Jack has been coping as well. 


There's a lot of potential for the two boys, and that becomes especially true as they take part in various roles throughout the story. I have an inkling that this won't be the last time we see them step foot in the spotlight, and I hope I'm not wrong. The boys display a strong bond and fierceness that cannot be mistaken. It's no question they are loyal to each other and those close to them, and would tear the world in pieces if necessary. 


The show of compassion between family and loved ones was just overflowing in this story, especially during critical moments. I snickered through the last part of the story as all the pieces and characters came together for the final bang. 


The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the lack of visual when I reached the very very end. To avoid spoilers, let's just say I would have preferred a bit more from Audrey's POV before it switched to Kaldar's. I'm a bit of an action whore and like to see how certain plans take place, so I was hoping for a bit more on that part. 


Apart from all that, the epilogue really stirs my mind and makes me stroke my imaginary beard in excited wonder. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book. I can't wait to see who takes the wheel and drives us through another crazy adventure in the Edge. 


Overall: 4.5