By way of introduction, boys love manga, known variously as "yaoi," "shounen-ai," or simply "BL," is a subgenre of shoujo manga, "manga for girls," in which the emphasis is on character and relationships. BL is, quite simply put, about romances between boys and/or men. Yaya Sakuragi's Tea for Two is typical for the genre. A series that was one of my first experiences with BL, it was undoubtedly one of the reasons for my early enthusiasm. It's a broadly comic high-school romance between two boys who are one of the unlikeliest couples you can imagine. Happily, from my point of view, it's a finite series, complete in four volumes (unlike some series that have hit 30-odd volumes and show no signs of winding down).

This is your basic high-school romance, boy-on-boy variety, driven by the characters of the boys involved. Madoka Tokumaru is something of a wild man, a jock, not academically inclined, who tends to live for the moment and act -- well, "impulse" is his middle name. Kazuma Hasune comes from a distinguished family known as practitioners and teachers of the tea ceremony; he's poised, graceful, well mannered, and quiet. They first come together at the insistence of Tokumaru's sister, Nagomi, who's completely fed up with the destruction left by her brother practicing martial arts in her room. She browbeats Tokumaru into joining the tea ceremony club to learn some poise and manners. Hasune is the president.

The first volume concerns itself with the establishment of the relationship. As clueless as Tokumaru is about affairs of the heart (a trait apparently shared by the overwhelming majority of boys his age, at least in manga), he finally figures out that Hasune is in love with him, but has no idea how he feels about it. He realizes that he likes Hasune, and didn't mind when Hasune kissed him, but being Tokumaru he has to put the evidence together before he figures out that he loves Hasune, too.

The succeeding three volumes cover the development of the relationship, and Sakuragi has found a clever, if relatively low-key way to show growth in both Tokumaru and Hasune: the boys are soon to graduate from high school and need to make some decisions about the future (something that one can rest assured has never occurred to Tokumaru in his life). It's a series of small incidents, nothing that amounts to a great deal of Sturm und Drang (although BL manga in general certainly has its share of that) -- the high drama comes in volume two, when Tokumaru, when asked by Nagomi whether Hasune is "going out" with anyone, blurts out that it's him. (The affair has, until now, been a well kept secret.) One other confrontation, between Tokumaru and Hasune over Hasune's commitment to his family and its traditions (Tokumaru, surprisingly, is on the tradition side), marks a period of introspection for Tokumaru that takes his character into a whole new dimension -- and provides some hope that he will, somehow, grow up.

It's this growing up that is, in my eyes, the biggest plus in the series. It's funny, it's sometimes touching and sometimes outrageous, but Sakuragi has developed Tokumaru quite subtly and effectively, both through dialogue and through the drawing -- by volume four, Tokumaru looks more mature. Hasune, by contrast, has softened, loosened up a bit.

Sakuragi's drawing style is marked by strong-featured faces combined with a bishounen ("pretty boy") body type -- tall, slender, with very long legs, and quite often somewhat androgynous features, although the last is not so much in evidence here. Layouts are well within the shoujo canon -- loose, intuitive, and an integral part of the narrative.

There are some wider considerations here, as well. Since contact with the West in the mid-nineteenth century, Japan has become somewhat less forgiving of same-sex relationships than at earlier times in its history. Given the popularity of BL manga in Japan, however, I have to wonder how deeply entrenched this attitude is. One thing that marks Tea for Two, as well as most other BL manga, is the degree of acceptance these relationships find within the story, at least among peers. Nagomi's problem is not that her brother is seeing another man so much as the fact that that man is a romantic icon for the girls in the school, and now he's out of circulation. Tokumaru's friend Goh Funato, although he doesn't approve, confesses that he's in no position to point fingers: during a year abroad, he married a foreigner. And even Goh moves into acceptance and even support once he's determined that Hasune is serious. And of particular interest, neither of the boys identifies himself as "gay." (There is a gay character -- a fairly important one -- who, while portrayed sympathetically, is somewhat of a caricature.) Tokumaru points out that if he weren't in love with Hasune, he wouldn't be seeing a man at all. I find this interesting in the context of non-Western attitudes toward either/or ideas of sexuality: they just don't seem to apply. (One caveat: While one can derive a good sense of cultural attitudes from fiction, one must keep in mind that it is fiction, with its own demands, and may be as much social commentary as an accurate reflection of prevailing mores.)

Tea for Two is, without doubt, formulaic, although I don't consider that a minus: it's not that it's a formula, it's what the creator does with the formula that makes it worth the experience. Sakuragi has created a romance that is by turns broadly comic and heartwarming, and done an exceptionally good job of it. It's a very good introduction to a genre that contains some stellar examples of graphic literature, and a delightful way to spend a few evenings.

Tea For Two, Yaya Sakuragi
BLU Manga
English edition:
Vol. 1, 2008 (ISBN 978-1-4278-0957-5, 184 pp., US$12.99)
Vol. 2, 2008 (ISBN 978-1-4278-0958-2, 192 pp., US$12.99)
Vol. 3, 2009 (ISBN 978-1-4278-0959-9, 192 pp., US$12.99)
Vol. 4, 2010 (ISBN 978-1-4278-0960-5, 194 pp., US$14.99)

 

Robert M. Tilendis is an artist and writer living in Chicago and traveling the world by means of the Internet. He is a reviewer of just about anything that can be reviewed, but focuses mainly on books, music, and art. He is grossly overeducated, and somehow manages to find more to learn. He spends entirely too much time thinking. He is very happy at this point to have found a job that stays put when he leaves for the day.

His online presence is multivalent. His photographs and bibliographies (alas, sadly in need of an update) are at a/k/a Hunter, his political and social commentary at Hunter at Random, and his online journal at Booklag. His reviews of books, music, and the occasional frying pan can be found at Green Man Review, Epinions, and Rambles. He can be reached via e-mail.

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