Kindan No Koi... by Tomu Oomi

In commemoration of having 1000 pages views, I decided to read one of my very favorite manga. I believe I have mentioned it before, as it is written by one of my favorite romance magnaka, Tomu Oomi, and I've been saving it for a good occasion. This seemed like the time. Truthfully, I'm a little amazed I have kept up so well on this blog, as I am more than a little bit lazy. I'd just like to say that I appreciate everyone who stops by my blog and looks at my reviews. Thank you so much!

Now, I'm going to add a little extra paragraph here before I get started. For one, even though this story is technically three different sets of manga, to me they are all under the blanket of 'Kindan' so I will review it as such instead of typing up three different reviews; just to make it easier because this is a monster post as it is. Also, and you will hear this several times after this I'm sure, but this is one of my most favorite and cherished manga so I will ramble more than usual and I will be fawning and fan-girling over it. I've also included way more pictures than I should have, but I guess I'm making up for Midnight Secretary that only had, like, two(well, before I just had to change it). Last note, the last few sentences of the first and last paragraph are quick summaries, too, to try and accommodate anyone who doesn't want to read the whole thing. So, on with the review...

Kindan no Koi wo Shiyou, Zoku Kindan No Koi Wo Shiyou, and Kindan no Koi de Ikou by Tomu Oomi

Art and story (c) Tomu Oomi (Boy, those three names together sure are a mouthful *phew*)

Genre: Josei, Smut
Length: 12 Volumes – 48 Chapters and a few extras
Kindan no Koi wo Shiyou (Let's Make Forbidden Love) One Volume – 4 Chapters and one Extra one-shot
Zoku Kindan No Koi Wo Shiyou (Let's Make Forbidden Love, Continued) One Volume – 4 Chapters 
Kindan no Koi de Ikou (Let's go with Forbidden Love) 10 Volumes – 40 Chapters



           Oomi's art has captivated me from the first time I've read any of her works, Kindan is actually the first one I did read, and I find this mangaka to not only have a strong, unique look to her art, but

Just lookit that face! I love it!

her male characters are, visually, my type. Yato, the male lead of Kindan, in fact, is exactly my type in so many ways I could gush all day. Seriously, he's tall and dark with droopy eyes! I don't know what it is about droopy eyes, but I love 'em! *Ahem* Moving on to actual reviewing... Right from the beginning, you get the full degree of the art, expressive eyes, paired with equally expressive eyebrows and faces, lips drawn and shaded in a very attractive way, structured and yet flowing, fluffy hair, as well as natural yet exaggerated body shapes. There are several ways the eyes are drawn according to the level of detail, but even the most cartoonish style shows the feelings so well it doesn’t matter which you are getting. Added to that is all the different face details to make each character his or her own person, I already mentioned the eyebrows and they are a big part of that but they are very natural in shape with out being too outlandish. Then there is the mouths and the shape and form given to them also. Sometimes, yes, the mouths are open a little too much, but the way the upper lip gets that little bit of shade is so very attractive. Oomi also draws the best hair, its always changing and flowing this way and that. I believe I mentioned in my review of Midnight Secretary how much I loved the hair, and Kindan is no different. Yato has a wonderful mane of dark hair that is always shadowing his face in the most handsome of ways, of course, but all the other characters also have hair that match them to a T.

Hisako, the main character, she has cute, wavy, hair that she wears in tons of different styles but it always comes loose to make a wonderful spray across the page whenever things grow heated. Besides the face and hair, the bodies are given equal detail. The clothes always hang just perfect on the lean body shapes, which also look quite good with out any clothes at all. At the beginning there is a little awkwardness here and there, nothing obvious, but things like arms being a little too long and the like but I think you really have to go looking for it. The clothes actually have a timeless look, typically, and don't date the manga, despite the fact that there are quite a few anime sweaters thrown around and it came out fifteen years ago. The clothes match the characters as well, and are layered and detailed enough to warrant a look or two. Patterned and toned, they make up for the next part of the art I will discuss. I do know that it is a manga that is far from perfect, of course, and one of the downfalls is the backgrounds. There just are a little too many blank panels and spaces not to be noticeable. I hate to say it but its a very obvious thing as you go, though the details in other places do distract from it. This is the one thing I really will concede to on Oomi's art and I only really notice it because I've made a point to during reviews. This is also a long manga, so the art improves as it goes, too, even though there isn't much to complain about from the start. Mostly the way the wolf is drawn is what changes, but all the animal drawings are fun and accurate. Wow, that was longer than necessary just to say, it's really pretty and unique and only lacking in backgrounds.

           Hisako is one of those types of girls that men just can't leave alone, much to her dismay. No

matter where she goes or how she dresses, she gets hit on and harassed. One night on the way home from work, a drunkard corners her and won't leave her alone. Just as things look desperate, a huge dog comes to her rescue, chasing the man away. To repay the dog's kindness, Hisako shelters the dog from the police. Once at home, though, another troublesome man shows up, this one a customer from work who seems determined to woo Hisako even though she isn't interested. Suddenly, where there was only a large dog before, a man appears to shoo away Hisako's unwanted male interest. This large man has the same golden eyes as the dog, as impossible as it seems, they happen to be one in the same!?
           Okay, laying it out here, Kindan is basically a romance novel, it happens to not just have my favorite male lead, be my favorite Oomi manga, but it also happens to be the most graphic of all the ones I have read. Midnight Secretary is steamy, but Kindan has a lot of sex in it. Reader beware, its not porn but it's as close as you can get with out being so for a couple of panels. Very high smut content. All the same, even though I don't like romance novels typically any other romance manga of this caliber, Kindan is still my go-to for mushy love scenes. The art, the humor and the heartfelt love between the two main characters is just a perfect cocktail for my maiden's heart. What else can I say? A whole lot more, actually, so prepare yourself. For starters, there is Hisako, the beautiful lead with the dynamite body. Hisako, individually, isn't my favorite female lead type. She's cute and clumsy, but she's also a worry wart and can't say no. In fact most of the chapters revolve around the last two character traits, and it can be a little annoying some times, to the point that you wonder why she worries about the same things over and over again. Then again, Yato is the perfect match to her personality and it wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't any drama and making up for said drama. Still, even though the weak girl trope typically annoys me I don't hate Hisako, she has her strong moments and her funny ones, too. Yato on the other hand (and

have I mentioned this yet?) is my favorite Oomi male, his hoodlum looks not withstanding, he's also sarcastic and lazy but clearly cherishes the ones he loves. He comes to Hisako's aid whenever she needs him, and I know I've mentioned how much I like the prince type, but he also allows Hisako to be her own self instead of constantly being the maiden in distress. They make a wonderful pair to read about, so long as you don't mind them having sex every other page. I thought I would have a problem with that, I usually do, but they are so sweet that I find it hard to complain. Besides the intercourse overload, though, I find it hard to really pick at the plot of the manga. It's like watching this couple's life in real time, they fight and they learn more about one another. The main points are usually about the two of them coming to terms with the fact that Yato's not technically human and therefore spends most of his time as a wolf playing pet dog. Still, its not all fluttering eyes and kisses, either, there is humor through out and a set of secondary characters who are always intruding and getting the main couple into trouble that they have to work hard to escape from. A few chapters could be a little redundant, like I said before, one or the other getting jealous or, just as often, the two of them reaffirming their love despite their differences. But the repeated themes are variations and there are other plot lines through out, in fact, learning bit by bit about the life Yato has lived up until he met Hisako is one of the joys of the manga, and the supernatual parts are handled in an interesting way. The ending isn't abrubt, either, instead you get, luckily, three or so years of this couple through many ups and downs and though the conclusion may make you cry the first time

around (at least it did for me) it has a very hopeful feeling. I know I haven't nitpicked nearly as much as I should have, so I guess I better find some complaints to add here at the end. It does seem like some things were sacrificed to show the two of them in bed (or other places) together. There simply wasn't enough of the two of them sitting around at home, though I know that wouldn't be all that interesting to read about, it would have grounded their relationship a little more. They do talk as though they do so, and since Yato would be in his beastly form it is understandable that it isn't shown that often but I always found it fun when they were just relaxing together like a real couple, too. Also, the action wasn't always very clear, either, but I find it hard to really expect a manga artist to be good at everything romance and an expert at fight scenes. Does this really count as complaining since I’m justifying every thing I point out? Well, I better just put a summary here at the end because I do not blame anyone if they just skimmed this long, gushing, fan girl review. Hisako and Yato are a perfect pair, though their differences do tend to lean a little over dramatic at times, the story following the pair is funny, cute, overflowingly loving, and filled with supernatural and typical human struggles. Finding a manga like this and wanting to tell as many people as I can about it is why I keep reading manga and why I decided to blog about what I do read, actually. When I heard that Midnight Secretary was being published in English the biggest reason I got excited was because I was optimistic that I would one day be able to put this manga on my shelf. Its not possible yet but I haven't given up hope!

Extra color page cuz, pretty.

5/5 I admit it's just my type of everything, but this manga is well done from most angles anyway. 

My response: ...I'm... YOURS!