Genre: BL/Yaoi
Age Rating: M/Mature/18+
Price: $12.95
"Of course you wouldn't disobey him. No... couldn't."
It's always refreshing to read a BL manga that has a plot beyond "boy meets boy, there is a complication that threatens to keep them apart, then the complication is resolved". The plot of Endless Rain features family secrets, a lengthy revenge plot, murderous gangs, dubiously legal corporate shenanigans, a blind boy with a gift for music, a girl engaged to be married to a stranger against her will, a lecherous politician, and a mentally ill heir to a great fortune -- and that's without even getting into the romance.
The manga opens with the death of Akira Kasuga's mother, which leaves him in a difficult situation; Akira and his younger brother Nao are the illegitimate sons of the head of the Kasuga corporation. Their father has never acknowledged them or played any part in their lives, and Akira is willing to keep it that way; but the mysterious and domineering Kyouya Hyougami shows up at the funeral, tenders a payment for the expenses on behalf of Akira's father, and informs Akira that he and Nao will henceforth be living on the Kasuga estate. Akira intends to leave the estate as soon as he's earned some money from his new job; but as Kyouya tells him, that offer's been rescinded and he's now expected to work for a division of the Kasuga corporation. It becomes clear that Akira's not going to have a choice; Kasuga senior is rich and powerful enough to close off all his avenues of escape, and since Nao is going blind, Akira can't risk losing Kasuga's support for his schooling and medical expenses. And while Kyouya seems at first to be merely the obedient servant of Akira's father, Akira soon realises that he has a secret agenda -- an agenda which includes claiming Akira for his own.
Endless Rain is compellingly readable throughout, with clean, attractive art married to a story that draws you in. Akira has spirit and independence enough that the initial disparity in power between him and Kyouya isn't as disturbing as it might otherwise be; the slide of the relationship from effectively-prostitution to something more equal and less businesslike is gradual and well-handled, with several pleasantly intense erotic interludes. There are twists galore,and the ending is satisfying and unpredictable at the same time -- a rare feat.
The back-up story "Rhapsody of Youth", a love story between teenagers, has a distinctly different tone but works just as well as the main "Endless Rain" story. Overall, Endless Rain is a delight to read.
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