Shonen Bride by Okano Maria and illustrated by Honami Yukine

Shonen Bride written by Okano Maria and illustrated by Honami Yukine is the first book in a series of the same name consisting of (at this point) eight volumes. I initially picked it up because it was set in a Shinto-based fantasy world similar to those often depicted in anime and manga (with a BL twist) and Honami Yukine's art. The story and characters are engaging enough that I'm still reading the series eight books in, though there certainly are problems.

The main character, Matsuura Shinobu, is a pretty high school student almost always mistaken for a girl. Turns out it's because there's a curse on him that causes him to be perceived as a girl. He's informed of the curse by the Mitsurugi family, who are the preeminent family of onmyouji in Japan (it's a bit more complicated in that they practice Kohdoh, which is the art of burning incense, for the Mitsurugi the Kohdoh also forms the basis of their onmyoujutsu--more info on Kohdoh in this article). They offer to get rid of the curse (by applying a cleansing ritual every morning and night for 100 days) in exchange for his cooperation. Turns out that the heir to the Mitsurugi family, Kohji, needs to be engaged when he turns 18. Something about assuring everyone of the continuation of the line, as they are vital to keep the balance between ayakashi and human. In any case, his fiancee has run off and his birthday is approaching, and the family is pretty damn desperate. Shinobu is asked to pretend to be Kohji's fiancee until they can find a replacement. He has strong spiritual power, suitable for the fiancee of the heir to the Mitsurugi. This starts his adventures in a world he had previously never existed.

Shinobu has a not unpleasant personality. Belying his delicate appearance, he is very much of a boy (except when he slips a bit too much into mushy uke-ness). He is, to me, a cross between a fantasy shoujo heroine (one of those typical school student types that is sucked into another world) and a shonen hero. A bit strong-headed, fairly brave (at times unadvisedly so), and pretty damn clueless about the supernatural world.

Kohji is a very stereotypical protector type, who doesn't initially show his affection and is kind of mean to Shinobu. Befitting the heir of a powerful and wealthy family, he's a bit arrogant and very confident. Doesn't mean he doesn't have his vulnerable side, though.

The side characters are also stereotypical, but for the most part not offensive. There's another very important character I really like, whose appearances I always look forward to. The only problem I have is with the person who turns out to be the main villain of the series. He is oh so irritating, and it is very mysterious as to how he manages to get away EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME.

The world building is for the most part great. The world is populated with a variety of supernatural beings, some with intimate connections to humans and others that have very little interaction with humans. We get to see tengu, kappa, dragon river gods (I always think of Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), etc. Our heroes get involved with some new story in each book, sometimes directly because of the villain, at times through other means (though the villain always gets into the act at some point, to my eternal annoyance). There are always four basic plot elements in each volume: the conflict that they must overcome for the volume, their ongoing struggle with the villain, Shinobu's curse, and the development of Shinobu and Kohji's relationship.

Sadly, though, the art is probably the best part of the whole thing (Yes, I'm shallow). The prose isn't that great, with some really annoying qualities (though still readable, obviously). Honami-sensei manages to really make the two young seme types in the story look very good a lot. I do enjoy seeing Shinobu dressed a girl. I've always loved Honami-sensei's sex scenes, and she doesn't disappoint. XD


( kind of skipping the detailed summary and mostly sharing the pretty pics for this one )