insaneneko

I should've known better than to bother reading Hizamazuite, eien no ai wo chikau. by Hana Yakou and illustrated by Nara Chiharu. I am not really into the "you are my dog" type stories, and the cover and title made it abundantly clear that was the case. The blurb explains that uke is the scion of a powerful and rich family who spends his days partying, taking drugs and being an asshole. And not working at the job he supposedly has with his father's company. Until the day he's involved in a murder and turns to his cousin for help. His cousin is cold and distant and his father's secretary. And gay. His cousin takes care of things in return for uke's complete submission, which obviously includes lots of humiliating sex. I didn't read any of that part. I've had the misfortune to read enough of these types of stories to get the basic idea, so I started reading from the middle. See, the only reason why I even bothered to read this was because the cousin, after suitably cowing the uke, makes the uke work at a hotel under a false name. I...am a sucker for stories with spoiled brats who've never done anything in their lives learn the value of work and discipline. I rather enjoyed the change in the uke as he initially starts out hating the job as he's made to do things he's never done before (like make beds). But he comes to realize that he won't get scolded (and hit) when he does things right, and that it feels good to do a good job. And he treasures his first paycheck--an amount less than what he used to easily spend in one outing. He is able to for the first time have acquaintances that don't suck up to him or treat him like glass--yeah, he's classic "poor little rich boy." Growing up his father is busy with work, his mother is busy with shopping and jewels and all that, his cousin treats him coldly, everyone else sucks up to him; you can see why uke turned out to be a useless asshole. The only problem is that his cousin still treats him like dirt, except when the uke is as obedient and silent as a dog. Then the cousin is kind to him, though in the way a person is kind to a pet. In any case, the story ends up with the uke first realizing he's in love with cousin (which was why he treated the cousin even worse when he found out the cousin was gay), then that the cousin is in love with him (and had become uke's father's secretary in order to serve as uke's right hand man when uke took over). Happily ever after, right?

HA. This really left a bad taste in my mouth because of the cousin's attitude. He flatly states that his having fallen in love with the uke was the big stain in his life. He goes on to say that he doesn't like the uke's personality, his attitude, EVERYTHING. Except his face (uke is gorgeous). The cousin declares that he loved it when the uke was like a dog, silent and compliant. It's just...that isn't love. I know, I know, semes are bastards and show their "love" in horrible (criminal) ways. But still, the way the cousin just comes out and says it in such a composed manner just creeped me out. Even though the book ends with a "several years later" scene where the uke and his cousin rendezvous for some loving in which they are shown to be more equal and normal, I was just repelled.

The author writes in the afterward that because the uke undergoes one bad thing after another, she had made him an unpleasant fellow to make him less pitiable. But she made a character who is an unpleasant fellow because he had absolutely no emotional fulfillment in his life, only material. I think that's enough grounds to make the guy somewhat sympathetic. Plus, she continues to have the cousin treat the uke like shit even after the uke starts reforming and showing that he can be a decent guy. Even worse, it turns out that the uke hadn't killed anyone! The cousin that let the uke think he had killed someone to get him to obey. The uke is actually consumed with guilt about the murder throughout the book!

I guess for people who really like the servant overthrows the master, bondage and S&M, people turned into pets (collars and nakedness and absolute obedience) kinks this book works. I did see some very enthusiastic reviews for it online. But...yuck. No thanks for me. Not even for Nara Chiharu's art.