Light of My Life Review

He’s more important to me than anything. but… we probably can’t even be friends now… Minagi

Minagi Kuze, a good-looking host at a nearby club, calls in at the hair salon where his old schoolfriend Akimaru is working with his grandfather. And yet there’s palpable tension in the air as Aki is reluctant to style Minagi’s hair. Later, after the death of his grandfather, he inherits the rather faded salon and while he’s still sorting things out, Minagi appears, asking with something of a sheepish grin, if he can stay at Aki’s place for a while. Aki agrees – against his better judgement – and one thing inevitably leads to another because they have unresolved feelings for each other. They’ve found various excuses over the years to initiate sex but although the sex is good, somehow, neither manages to convey how they really feel.

Things used to be so different ten years ago in high school, when Aki was tipped to become a professional footballer and Minagi was going to study medicine and become a ‘world class medical expert’. And then an accident on the stairs at school – in which Aki saved Minagi but was injured himself – brought both their dreams of the future to an end. Minagi, consumed with guilt, turns away from his dreams of working in medicine and only the third of the trio of friends, Sarara, finds success. Minagi, having been scouted to become a host, discovers that he really enjoys working at the club. And because Minagi and Sarara’s actor friends are seen attending Aki’s hair salon, other customers soon begin to arrive. Yet there’s still a rift between Aki and Minagi; they have feelings for each other but will they ever be able to find a way to acknowledge them?

The story for Light of My Life has been specially written by Fuuko Minami with art by Boys’ Love mangaka Takiba – and, as is often the case with such partnerships, the result is a work that is satisfyingly multi-layered in terms of plotting, characterization and pace. The author relates in a full-page afterword how she was invited to collaborate with the mangaka – and that this was a first for her, having had her fiction adapted to manga in the past but never having had the chance to create a new work with an artist. The understanding between both creators shines through in a story that has the depth that’s sometimes lacking from single-creator manga. It’s fascinating to see the author describing Takiba’s ‘usual characters’ as ‘very tough, cool-looking’ but then saying to the editor, on seeing the draft for the first chapter, “This is a hundred times better than what I’d imagined!” because all the characters turned out to be “so charming.”

Takiba’s art is striking and accomplished; her characters’ faces and body language are very expressive and she’s skilled at portraying the main protagonists in childhood, adolescence and then as grown men. There are some genuinely moving sequences here, especially when Aki and Minagi at last manage to confront their true feelings and put aside all the pretences and hang-ups that have prevented them being honest with each other. They’re not presented as faultless; both are depicted as flawed, relatable individuals which really helps to make this an engrossing read. Minagi’s carefree smile that effortlessly conceals the regrets he’s buried deep inside is well contrasted with Aki’s self-analytical brooding. That honesty carries across to the sex scenes which are uncensored (hence the 18+ rating) but very well drawn and sensual, unlike so many far less polished BLs which are often no more than yawn-inducing ‘sex by numbers’ clichés.

The translation for Kodansha’s handsome trade paperback edition (which really does justice to the artwork) is by Leo McDonagh and reads well, helped by Nicole Roderick’s expert use of lettering. There’s a colour page at the beginning and bonus comics at the end.

An extra bonus is the side story ‘Happiness is a Six-Tatami Room’ (translated by Jacqueline Fung) which didn’t appear in the original publication and revolves around Ogawa, a female contemporary from Class 4, and now a client at Aki’s salon, mentioning a school ‘mini class reunion’. This brings up some difficult memories for both Aki and Minagi so they end up hanging out instead with Sarara over beer and pizza (could it be that Minagi’s a little jealous of Ogawa…?)

If you prefer your Boys’ Love manga to have the emotional depth and breadth of a novel, then Light of My Life is definitely one to add to your reading list. It’s Takiba’s first manga to be published in English and, if you enjoy it, look out for You’re All Mine Tonight, due out in December (also from Kodansha).

Read a free preview at the publisher’s website here.

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.