Love Quest is a yaoi manga one-shot that is the first of three boys love stories by Lily Hoshino that Yen Press will be rolling out between now and summer 2009. The word "yaoi" in yaoi manga comes from the phrase "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi," which means "no climax, no point, no meaning" -- or "just the good stuff." In other words, the plot can be ridiculous, the story can go absolutely nowhere and it doesn't have any deep meaning -- it just has to have some guy-on-guy sizzle.
So faced with these low literary standards, Love Quest by Lily Hoshino is a boys love manga that has the most basic ingredients for the genre: two boys, both cute. One must be passive / reluctant, the other more aggressive / lustful. Sprinkle with some plot and stir. But what makes this story kind of endearing is that it's so matter of fact about giving BL fans exactly what they want, and it does it with a wink and a smile.
The plot, if it can be called that, revolves around two classmates, Akabane and Moriya who are transported from their everyday high school lives to a fantasy world. Once they arrive, a scantily-clad female warrior tells the pair that they must 'exchange bodily fluids' to fortify her magic powers. Akabane's not into it, but a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do to avoid being eaten by dragons. Moriya on the other hand, is a bit more pleased by the situation, because he's had a crush on Akabane for a while. It's a pretty silly setup, but Hoshino knows it, and just runs with it, giggling all the way.
Check out my review of Love Quest by Lily Hoshino and see if this BL one-shot is worth a shot, or if it's just a manga quest to nowhere.
Image credit: © 2006 Lily Hoshino
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