Haruhi Tono is BL (Boy's Love) author of Japan. Birthday: February 5, Zodiac signs: Aquarius, Blood type: O. Born in Fukuoka, live in Tokyo Japan. First published book:「夏のカノン」 ※But, English pages may contain illegal books.
To be honest, I get why people might dismiss this as "boring". However, as it is, they're really missing out.
It's about the life of Kayashima, the single son of a rich and very upper class family. His parents died in a car crash when he was still at university, and ever since he finished university, he's been living a life of leisure and tedious boredom. At the same time, he's in love with his gardener, and the two of them have a very passionate relationship.
As you can tell by the rating, I kinda loved this a lot. I read the manga first, and so I knew roughly what to expect - I remember that I wasn't exactly awed by the first volume of the manga, and it took me a while to get into the story here. But that's on purpose - like the people surrounding Kayashima, it's difficult for the reader to get close to him. And since the author by and large doesn't let us see his POV - which is really rare for BL - it takes a while to warm up to him. But I loved that! I mean, the atmosphere of this book is unlike any other I've read before (apart from maybe the manga). And at first - and, to be honest, a lot of the time - Kayashima is quite exasperating. But then he'll say or do something completely unexpected and you can't help being in awe. At least that's how it was for me.
From what I gathered from the afterword, this series started out as doujinshi and was then released as a novel (which I ordered five minutes ago..). This bunko release features 6 shorter stories, and quite a few of them have content the manga doesn't.
The most surprising thing about this series continues to be the sensual and occasionally downright filthy sex. The gap between the usually calm and reserved Kayashima and the way he is in bed.. well, let's just say it's easy to tell why the gardener (whose name we never learn) loves him as much as he does.
I'm already looking forward to the next volume (which is lying on my nightstand as I'm writing this). A series with a very unusual feel to it and a for me irresistible charm.
It's always a relief when you reread a favourite and you can still love it whole-heartedly. Kayashima is such a great character, I literally wouldn't mind him popping up in every other book I read. (And he could, too, probably.)
The German blurb is totally misleading, that is why I wrote a German review, but first a few sentences in English. This manga has a calm atmosphere and a slow pace, the story is a heartwarming lovestory. I cannot recommend this for people who get easily bored when the pace is too slow. And the first chapter is confusing, but once you understand the timeline and the plot it gets better! So please don't stop after the first chapters if you feel annoyed or confused. This is a great manga :)
German review: Bitte beachtet den Klappentext nicht, der gibt einem ein ganz falsches Bild! So eine lächerliche Beschreibung für eine so schöne Liebesgeschichte habe ich schon lange nicht mehr gesehen. Deswegen musste ich auch unbedingt einen kurzen Kommentar schreiben.
Dieser Manga erzählt die Liebesgeschichte des jungen Adeligen Sumito, der etwas exzentrisch und weltfremd ist, und seinem bodenständigen Gärtner (nicht dem Sekretär!). Sumito überrascht ihn mit einem Liebesgeständnis und die beiden fangen eine zu Anfang rein körperliche Beziehung an. Nach und nach entwickelt auch der Gärtner tiefe Gefühle für Sumito.
Der Anfang ist etwas verwirrend, allgemein ist das Tempo recht langsam und gemütlich. Die Geschichte ist eine sanfte und sehr schöne Liebesgeschichte. [Ich habe gerade sehr viel Zeit damit verbracht den Manga zu durchkämmen um den Namen von dem Gärtner herauszufinden, schließlich ist er einer der Hauptcharaktere. Anscheinend wird sein Name jedoch nie erwähnt! >.< ]
This manga is different from the other manga that I have ever read. i love it so much I'm craving for more. the plot, the uke and his role is just superb!