The Bottom Line
In these six short stories, twenty-somethings meet, struggle with their feelings for each other, and end up doing more than just kissing. With its pleasant but unremarkable art and generic storylines, Love for Dessert isn't going to win any awards nor move readers to tears. With only 30 or so pages to set up the scenario, meet the characters and have them get it on, Aoi settles for delivering variations on a single, generic recipe.
There are moments of light-hearted humor and some sweet couplings, but for the most part, this is a pleasant, but unremarkable josei manga offering.
Pros
- Simple grown-up romances that get straight to the (ahem) heart of the matter
- Appealing, if not amazing artwork
- Has moments of sweetness and light-hearted humor
Cons
- The characters are not very well-developed, and seem generic after a while
- The seduction scenes occur abruptly and end quickly
- Disposable entertainment that doesn't offer anything especially memorable
Description
- Original Title: Nousatsu Cream (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Hana Aoi
- Publishers:
Luv Luv Press / Aurora Publishing (US)
Ohzora Publishing Co. Ltd. (Japan) - ISBN: 978-1934496190
- Cover Price: $10.95 US
- Age Rating:
M – Mature, Age 18+
for adult language, sexual situations
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Josei (Ladies) Manga
- Adult Romance
- Hentai (Erotic) Manga
- US Publication Date: May 2008
Japan Publication Date: 2007 - Book Description: 192 pages, black and white illustrations
Guide Review - Love For Dessert
Racier than teen-centric shojo manga romances and more mushy than seinen manga stories for men, josei manga is geared toward female readers who are looking for something a little more "adult." Love for Dessert, the latest collection of josei short stories from Luv Luv Press tries to fulfill that need with six short stories about twenty-somethings in love. But like a 100-calorie pack of cookies, Love for Dessert's six tales are short and sweet, but ultimately offer only fleeting pleasure that never completely satisfies.
The stories are pretty simple, and frankly, they need to be with only 30 or so pages to introduce the characters, stir up some conflict between the would-be couple, have them get to "the good stuff," and tie things up with a giggly "love conquers all" ending. It's pretty clear that Aoi is has found a recipe she likes, and delivers only slight variations on this formula for all six stories.
But Aoi's formulaic approach means that girls in these six stories end up being fairly generic, with similar personalities and only slight variations in their hairstyles. They're all essentially ditzy airheads who passively accept advances from their male counterparts, who are either bad boys or sweet princes. Even the sex scenes are pretty much the same from story to story.
There are some moments of light-hearted humor, and some genuinely sweet, romantic moments here. The art is pleasant and pretty, albeit unremarkable. Love for Dessert is not going to win any awards, nor move anyone to tears either. But for what it is, it's not great, but it's not bad either.
If no-frills coupling is what you want, Love For Dessert delivers. But without meaningful character development, these love stories end up feeling more rushed than romantic; more slapped together than truly sensual.
