Hard Rock

by Akane Abe

Vocalist Shori and guitarist Nozomu are engulfed in a passionate love affair when they should be studying for their college entrance exams. And arrogant bassist Ai is going to America alone? Even worse, drummer Yumeji seems to be involved in a mysterious incident!

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Romance, Boys Love, Comics Manga, Comics

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Name (in native language) : 阿部あかね

Zodiac : Capricorn

Blood type : O

Reviews

[Mosley]

This had the potential of being good, it could have been a dramatic story of a boy band split up because of inside drama but it was super mundane.

[Jody Mena]

A very cute and sweet slice-of-life boy-love story about 4 high school boys who used to be in a band together, and how some of them drift apart and others sort of fall in together. There was something very bittersweet about the way this story was put together. There wasn't all that much actual romance, there was a touch too much realism to it for my own taste, and it was more angst and drama, so it was a bit different than I expected, but I still got a lot out of it. It begins just as the band is breaking up, near the end of their high school days, each boy talking about a prospective future away from his band mates, so from the very beginning the reader feels like this more of an ending than a beginning. However, as the story progresses and each character works through his own personal demons with the aid of his lover, there's a sense of renewal, proving that every ending is just a new beginning in disguise. Then finally, at the end, we see the four former band mates, all grown up and the two couples meeting up again for the first time in years - and it turns out that everyone is much the same as they always were, proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I really did enjoy the story, though the artwork was a little strange (some of the characters' facial expressions came off a bit wrong, and the manga-ka just doesn't know how to draw tears properly, they look far too solid to be water) and the motion and pacing were not quite in step - there were numerous scenes where I felt like a frame or two must be missing, because the pictures jumped somewhat disjointedly between actions. Basically, the story saved the book, because the artwork, while still quite good, did not quite seem professional. I'd read it again though. The story is worth it!

[Sarah]

This is more yaoi light than yaoi. Aside from a few pages, this could have easily been rated for ages 16+ rather than 18+.

[Vanessa]

No sense situations.