I Shall Never Return 3
Posted: January 21, 2009 Filed under: I Shall Never Return | Tags: BL 1 Comment »Things got weird here. The main couple is still really into each other, but there were plot complications that I would not have ever imagined in my wildest dreams. I’m not sure if I like them because they’re good or I like them because they’re so far outside the realm of possibility that I’m entertained by it. Either way, it’s quite compelling.
Ken goes with his mother to Singapore, and there’s a brief and intense fight when his mother realizes that Ken and Ritsuro are romantically involved. Ken wrecks a car in anger, and is saved by his new stepfather. The stepfather is quite a bit younger than his mother. The stepfather is also quite gay, apparently, so I’m not sure what he’s doing with Ken’s mother. I’m not sure the two are even shown affectionately addressing each other.
Ken starts to hero-worship his stepfather, who is a rather glamorous photographer who hops from country to country. Ken decides that this is exactly the direction he needs in his life, and makes a decision to learn the trade from his stepfather. Now, Ken doesn’t seem to have any romance in mind when it comes to the very young stepfather, but the stepfather is kind of forward with Ken. Forward enough that Ritsuro notices and is jealous. Very jealous. And angry.
Don’t worry though, because Ritsuro is now totally obsessed with Ken’s friend, to the point that he’s all he can think about, even in the middle of sex with Ken. I’m worried about where this will go, because I actually like Ritsuro and Ken as a couple a lot, and it would break my heart to see them split, especially since the guy in question is kind of a jerk.
So yeah, I really, really like it, even if all the volumes so far have pulled off some really out-of-place weirdness. I’m hooked. It’s so rare for a BL series to be a long story like this, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this drama is resolved in two volumes.
[...] has been busy at Slightly Biased Manga, with recent reviews of vol. 9 of +Anima, vols. 1, 2 and 3 of I Shall Never Return, vol. 5 of Human Club, vol. 1 of Oishinbo: Japanese Cuisine, Wanted, vol. 6 [...]