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Gravitation Volume 1 all reviews by jen |
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By now you've probably heard something about shonen-ai, the manga genre that translates as "boys' love" (Robin gives an excellent introduction to the subject in news and gossip). Shonen-ai is usually written by women, for women; it involves beautiful boys experiencing some kind of love for a member of their own gender, from the platonic to the sexual. Shonen-ai is just now starting to appear in the U.S., and American readers may not know what to make of it. Is this a positive portrayal of homosexuality? Are these characters actually gay? If not, what does it all mean?
Gravitation has a host of loyal fans who love its attractive guys, recording industry machinations, and silly humor. I enjoyed the affectionate relationship between Shuichi and his best friend Hiro, and the comic relief of Shuichi's little sister. What brought me up short was the inequality of the relationship between Shuichi and Eiri. The object of our hero's affections never shows his human side, making Shuichi's continued devotion puzzling. Fans of the series report that later volumes reveal what happened in Eiri's past to make him the way he is, but the first two volumes give us no reason to like him. Then there's Shuichi and Eiri's first sexual encounter, which is disturbingly close to rape. While Japanese culture may not view consent the way I do (and to be fair, American culture isn't always so sensitive either), I found the sexual dynamics of Gravitation problematic. Shuichi's resistance may just be a token protest, but he doesn't seem to get any pleasure out of the relationship. Readers should be aware that shonen-ai comics don't claim to represent real gay relationships in Japan or the U.S. This doesn't mean we shouldn't scrutenize their portrayals. Tokyopop's FAKE, the only other manga available right now that depicts an overtly romantic relationship between men, is aimed at adults. While FAKE's Dee sometimes comes on strong, it's clear that he cares enough about Ryo to respect his limits. Perhaps future shonen-ai translations will offer something better for teen collections. While I wouldn't necessarily discourage librarians from considering Gravitation, they should think about who its audience will be and what that audience may take away from it. |
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Volume 2 of Maki Murakami's soap opera/comedy Gravitation ended on an appropriately soap operatic note with the arrival of Eiri Yuki's fiancee from an arranged marriage. How much of a rival will innocent country girl Ayaka be? How will she react to the knowledge that her long-lost Yuki has a male lover? These questions, and Yuki's continued coldness, threaten to distract our hero from his rock 'n roll career. Shuichi's obsession with Yuki makes it hard for him to concentrate on his band, Bad Luck; nevertheless, opportunities are coming his way. Shuichi's showmanship and best friend/lead guitarist Hiro's brains turn their appearance on a second-rate game show into a smash; it doesn't hurt that the CEO of N-G Productions, their record company, pulls a few strings for mysterious reasons of his own. Bad Luck also gets a lift from Shuichi's idol Ryuichi Sakuma, the former lead singer of the bizarrely-named Nittle Grasper. Bad Luck's sudden rise to fame earns Shuichi a dangerous enemy; the lead singer of his arch-rivals ASK may be on to his secret relationship with Yuki. Meanwhile, Shuichi's dogged pursuit may be starting to crack Yuki's shell. Yuki's sister hints that traumatic events in his past have made him the way he is, but Shuichi resists the temptation to dig up his lover's secrets. The lovers have their first real moment of emotional connection when Shuichi proves he's willing to wait until Yuki's ready to open up about his past. Murakami's skills as an artist and storyteller have clearly developed since the first two volumes of Gravitation; the art in Volume 3 is exuberant, exploding across the page with the manic energy of Shuichi himself. There's non-stop action, although so many characters parade in and out of the story that it's hard to follow or care about all their subplots. Gravitation's strengths are its zany humor and its pop sensibility; the game show sequence is particularly fun. While Volume 3 is free of the disturbing sexual dynamics of the previous volume, it does contain a fair amount of profanity. Gravitation's mature content is roughly on par with popular teen entertainments like Gossip Girl and The O.C.. The book also contains a short story about a hapless college student tutoring an 11-year-old Lolita who'd rather beat guys up than date them. |
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Volume four of this slapstick-meets-soap-opera series features events so dramatic even the author expresses surprise in one of her breezy side-notes. The major development? Taki, lead singer of our hero's arch-rivals ASK, corners Shuichi in a subway station and (with the help of some hired goons) gang-rapes him. More specifically, he threatens to reveal Shuichi's illicit relationship with Yuki if our hero resists. Determined to protect his beloved, Shuichi invites Taki to bring it on (the actual rape is suggested, not shown). Apparently, rape is just part of the price of love. Maki doesn't entirely gloss over the trauma of the experience; the aftermath, in which Hiro takes Shuichi home to care for him, is quite touching. Shuichi bounces back from the rape with remarkable speed, but Yuki is not quite so unaffected. When Hiro confronts him to tell him what happened to his lover, we see Yuki's mask start to slip. Enraged and guilty, Yuki exacts violent revenge on Taki and his bandmates (whose reaction to the rape was to call it "tacky"). He then vows to "protect" Shuichi by disappearing from his life and marrying Ayaka. Shuichi, in turn, resolves to put Yuki out of his mind--a resolution that lasts about two hours. It might seem like all is lost, but don't worry. With a little cross-dressing, a little slapstick, a few role-reversals, and a startling confession, Shuichi and Yuki's relationship is back on track. It's disturbingly easy to get sucked into this series, with its unique mix of passionate drama and snappy humor--disturbing because one quickly becomes accustomed to the manga's twisted emotional world. Like the heroines of 1970's romance novels, Shuichi will suffer anything for a tiny crumb of affection or respect from his beloved alpha male. It's not that Yuki is unsympathetic--his character does gain some depth--but Shuichi's low standards for respectful treatment are disturbing. Yes, Gravitation is a comedy. In many ways it's a clever parody of traditional shoujo and shonen-ai romances. It's certainly funny; how can you resist lines like "You sounded like an elephant with his nuts stuck in a circular fan"? Still, with its careless disregard for reality, Gravitation is a very guilty pleasure. |
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After the trauma of the previous volume, Gravitation's fifth installment offers its characters a welcome respite. Shuichi, who has moved in with Yuki (whether Yuki likes it or not), is delighted and confused by his lover's attentive behavior. Yuki has thawed considerably now that Shuichi knows his Dark Secret (revealed in Volume 4). Meanwhile, the drama has moved over to the record label. Ryuichi Sakuma, Shuichi's idol, has returned from America with his larger-than-life bodyguard (known only as "K"). K, who resembles an escapee from a Quentin Tarantino film, mistakes Shuichi for his charge when Ryuichi slips his leash for an incognito visit to the zoo (because dressing up as a bear is great way to blend into a crowd!). By the time K realizes his error, it's too late to find the real Ryuichi--Shuichi must go on stage in his place. His success ruffles Ryuichi's feathers, and Shuichi finds himself in the uncomfortable position of competing against his idol. Things heat up even more when Tohma Seguchi, the record company president, announces that Nittle Grasper is getting back together. For Bad Luck, this means losing bassist Noriko (a former member of NG). In her place, the record label sends mysterious, talented young Suguru Fujisaki. Suguru may look like a child, but his musical chops and his arrogance put Shuichi on the defensive; there's definitely more to Suguru than meets the eye. Volume 5 may be the most enjoyable yet, as Maki Murakami turns her attention from relationship drama to rock 'n roll. The scenes with gun-toting K are hilarious, and the story hurtles along at breakneck speed. My one quibble is that as one of Murakami's bishonen (Japanese "pretty boys"), Shuichi appears to have grown female body parts--boys do not have the kind of midriff we see on our hero in the manga's various pin-up illustrations. This style of drawing is a shonen-ai convention, but it's still jarring. Is this meant to downplay the story's homoeroticism? Does it make it easier for the manga's female audience to identify with the protagonist? No doubt art critics (and psychologists) would have a field day. |
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This latest installment continues to deliver the outrageous humor and angst we've come to expect from Gravitation. The boys from Bad Luck are sent to compete on an "Iron Chef"-style cooking show, despite Shuichi's total lack of cooking skills. To spur him on to victory, Hiro bribes Yuki's brother Tatusha to dress up as Shuichi's lover and cheer him on (the real Eiri Yuki being out of town). Unfortunately, Tatusha gets carried away in the role and kisses Shuichi on national television. What Hiro rightly termed the "worst-kept secret ever" is out. Soon the news of Yuki's gay romance is all over the tabloids, and Shuichi is trapped inside his house while news crews camp on the lawn. Meanwhile, Yuki and Tohma (whose interest in Yuki that goes far beyond what you might expect from a childhood friend and brother-in-law) visit their old haunts. The visit raises interesting questions about Yuki's past which are left unresolved to tantalize us until the next volume. Unaware of the situation at home, Yuki returns only to run straight into a horde of reporters. Instead of denying his relationship with Shuichi, Yuki shocks everyone by boldly admitting the truth. Will the lovers' careers survive the scandal, or is there such a thing as bad publicity after all? Gravitation continues to pile on the elements that make the series so appealing: pop culture references, plot twists, scheming, wise-cracking, and plenty of pretty men with their shirts unbuttoned. It's still full of sexual innuendo and a healthy dose of swearing. Just as some American comics seem designed to titillate boys (busty women in spandex, anyone?), Gravitation serves the same purpose for girls. At least the manga industry recognizes that girls enjoy ogling as much as boys do. |
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COMING SOON! |
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COMING SOON! |
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COMING SOON! |
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Gravitation Volume 10 COMING SOON! |
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Gravitation Volume 11 COMING SOON! |
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Gravitation Volume 12 COMING SOON! |
Gravitation
Volume 1
As readers looking
at the literature of a different culture, we're bound to find some
aspects of manga puzzling or even disturbing. This has rarely
affected my enjoyment of manga in the past, but it did with
Gravitation. On one level, it's a rock and roll soap opera
about a young wannabe star named Shuichi and his struggle to make
it in the music business. On another level, it's a teen comedy with
a lot of appealing characters. You could also look at it as a traditional
romance: 18 year old Shuichi falls hard for the older, more experienced
Eiri. Eiri is mysterious, forbidding, even cold. Can Shuichi crack
his shell?
Gravitation
Volume 3
Gravitation Volume 4
Gravitation
Volume 5
Gravitation Volume 6
Gravitation
Volume 7
Gravitation Volume 8
Gravitation
Volume 9
copyright Robin Brenner 2002-2004