Earthian

Earthian by Yun Kouga

Official Rating: Older teen

My Rating: 13+, no sex, language or nudity. Homosexual themes nothing graphic.

First published in Japan in the 1980’s this is definitely an ‘old’ manga. However unlike many older manga and anime the art style is timeless fitting in seamlessly with more modern series. The anime is dated and I have to admit it did put me off watching it, it lacked a certain quality that modern anime has. Although this also may have to do with the fact that like so many film and programs, the book was just way better.

I admit I only read Earthian because it was by Yun Kouga who is, despite me only have read this and Loveless, one of my favourite Manga-ka. I figured out long ago one yaoi story is much like another and while I love the sappy romance I refuse to read manga with poor artwork. Yun Kouga’s art is simply stunning, I enjoy looking at her work more than I do reading it. The Earthian manga volumes are beautiful books in themselves without even opening the cover, and when you do it only becomes better.

Artwork aside, Yun has an interesting and often confusing plot line, I found myself relying on comments by other readers online to figure it out sometimes. The story is set in what amounts to heaven, the angels that live there are a race living about Earth, and it’s inhabitants the Earthian. The story focus’s on Kagetsuya and Chihaya, the plot revolves around the idea that it is judgement day for Earth and in order to decide whether or not it is destroyed angels are sent in pairs to look for positive and negative points. Chihaya and Kagetsuya one such pair.

This is considered a shonen-ai manga, however it is pointed out from the beginning that homosexuality is a crime in Eden punishable by death. The relationship between Kagetsuya and Chihaya is slow and wandering, almost seeming incidental at time, it’s a frustrating and slightly irritating to read. The plot meanders all over the place and digresses seemingly at random to side plots, although eventually coming together at the end they still seem pointless. It almost feels like Yun has started to develop a plot but hasn’t really followed through.

I did thoroughly enjoy reading the series, and having to wait to buy each new volume was a long wait. The three volumes are more expensive than usual at about £10.00 each as opposed to the usual £6 or £7. But then you have to consider that since they were reprinted each volume now is actually two of the original volumes. There is also a fourth ‘accompaniment’ volume focussing on the life and relationship of Chihaya’s father and his lover, as well as a lot of the unexplained past from the first three volumes.

I would consider this a must to any shonen-ai/yaoi collection, the typically beautiful style of Yun Kouga’s art coupled with an overall satisfying story, despite the meandering, comes together to provide something I will never regret spending my allowance on.

Enjoyment: 8/10
Recommend to someone else: 8/10
Story Potential: 5/10
Actual Story: 6/10
Character’s: 8/10

Final Score: 7/10

Edge of Seventeen

Edge of Seventeen

Offical Rating: USA: R, UK: 15. Lowest: Germany: 12, Highest : Banned in Singapore

My Rating: Sexual content: 4/10, Nudity, 7/10, Language, 5/10. Overall, Semi Mature 7/10


File for download: coming
IMDB Synopsis


I watched this film without having any idea what it was about, I was also on a three hour flight from Bucharest at the time. Maybe that biased me slightly after all it is hard to enjoy anything while trapped in a tiny seat on an overly hot airplane…
However having watched the entire Bourne trilogy on a PSP in the back of a four by four on the way to the Grand Canyon…I think my viewing pleasure was more effected by the content than the comfort of my behind.

I suspect I was immediately put off by the fact this IS a fairly old movie made in ‘98, set in a small American town in the eighties. I’ll be the first to admit I hate both old movies and movies set in small American towns…However what really lets this down is the portrayal of the main character and his friends around him. Old movies are bearable because you make allowances for the fact the views and acting in them are from a different time period, and yes I suppose the eighties aren’t exactly ancient still the allowances were made and I adapted my thinking for the views about homosexuality people held back then.

The film is a coming-of-age tale focussing on teenage high-schooler, Eric who gets a summer job at what I assume is a theme park serving food in the restaurant, with his best friend, Maggie. It’s clear from the start Maggie is pretty much just waiting around for Eric to notice her, declare his love and take her off somewhere to be ravished. From the start I felt the acting was a bit awkward, especially from Maggie… Her voice was quiet and non committal, the conversations they had were boring and flat. Then again maybe that was just her character, after all it’s a gay movie, you’re not supposed to hope the girl gets the guy are you. Throughout the entire movie I just wished she’d bugger off somewhere, again maybe that was the point.

While at this summer job Eric meets Rod, who you can label as gay immediately and to which he freely admits. Eric’s reaction is of course to run away. Now by this point maybe you expect some glances, casual flirting by Rod, and Eric being cute and awkward and then maybe an accidental kiss or something to ‘break the ice’. Instead Maggie declares that she over heard Rod was gay and then proceeds to kiss Eric and giggle…I ask again why won’t she just piss off?

Then suddenly, as if I had got up to go to the loo and forgotten to pause my media player, Rod is openly and a little crudely flirting with Eric who responds in like, and then they trap themselves in the walk in larder and spray each other with whipped cream…maybe this is supposed to be erotic? I was just confused, one moment he’s scared by Rod’s open gayness the next he’s standing two inches from his face having just sprayed whipped cream on his crotch?

As the film progressed I found my self getting more and more annoyed at the stereotypical portrayal of gay men, Rod and Eric sneak off to a hotel room to sleep together and it really is one of the best moments in the film, I was shocked to learn I still had an hour to go, because surely this was the end? The culmination of everything that had gone before into the sweet loving ending where the two main characters fall in love? Wrong again, They sleep together, although don’t go as far as full sex, Rod proclaims he will miss him a lot then goes home and never calls or gets in touch. Eric is left confused and slightly pathetic, which I suppose is a fair reaction after being casually tossed by someone you thought cared. However his next action, which was to find the local gay bar and start picking up guys and sleeping with them in cars, just bemused me.

Again I know it’s an old film set and made in an era where people thought that was what gay was all about, but I was under the impression that films weren’t meant to reflect the harsh reality of the time, why is it that romance films are always the same crappy sap until you introduce homosexuality, then it’s all about the sex.

Eric slowly starts changing everything about him self from his hair to his dress sense to ‘reflect’ his new gay personality, like somehow his jacket represents him. He tells Maggie who promises she will still be his friends and love him, the promptly abandons him after she sees him kissing another guy. I mean what did she expect?

Of course I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her when Eric sleeps with her to somehow hetro out the homo in him? He realises his mistake and apologises to her when they wake up….although I dislike her, I can’t help but sympathise.

The movies end was yet another disappointment, Eric ends up back at the gay bar picking up guys to have sex with. Maybe I missed the point, maybe it was supposed to be a ‘harsh reality’ movie. To highlight the prejudice and stereotypes of homosexuality in the eighties. But I felt all it did was reinforce people’s belief that gay’s don’t fall in love, they hurt their friends and family, and it’s all about the sex.

While I didn’t finish the movie feeling like I had been robbed of my hour and a half and I suppose I would recommend it to watch if only to pass the time and to say you have, I did leave feeling faintly offended. I know that the world has had and still does have some unpleasant views on homosexuality and many other things, but I watch movies to get away from that. I always feel a movie should be about achieving the impossible or going against the standards society has set and proving them wrong. All this movie does is hammer in the already pretty solid beliefs people have, and it doesn’t even do it in an appealing manner.

Enjoyment: 4/10
Recommend to someone else: 2/10
Story potential: 7/10
Actual Story: 3/10
Characters: 3/10
Acting: 5/10

Final score: 4/10