Gorgeous Carat 1: Virtue of Darkness (Yaoi) (v. 1) by You Higuri
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Book Reviews of Gorgeous Carat 1: Virtue of Darkness (Yaoi) (v. 1)
Book Review: Below expectation!
Summary: 3 Stars
Certainly not Yaoi, maybe some hints of shounen-ai. Wish these publishing companies will be more responsible in their title classification. For one to 3 hours entertainment, depending on whether we drool over the explicit scenes and artwork, Japanese manga do not come cheap and I wish to be really buying a yaoi manga, which is not so in this case. As a Yaoi/shounen-ai fan I do not like manga with just mild hints of boy love. They may hint but without tension (like the intensity in Yellow), there is nothing to keep me interested in this series. Maybe it will improve down the road but until it does, it is not on my buying list. A pity because this mangaka's artwork is really quite lovely and the plot is not bad.Book Review: Exceptional
Summary: 5 Stars
While I love a good shounen-ai (Or full blown yaoi) manga, it's not mandatory in order for me enjoy a story. Especially when that story is as intriguing and beautifully presented as it is in "Gorgeous Carat". I'm not sure what lull in the story the previous reader was referring to-I was too immersed in the winding mysteries, charismatic characters, and smooth-running plot to notice that much. Or perhaps what distracted me from the supposed unoriginality of the plot was the very original protagonist, who resisted the conventional "subservient uke" manga cliche and showed some personality. Although paired with the dynamic Ray, who has a duplicitous nature(naturally), it's true that there isn't much sexual content... But for those who are appreciative good literature as much as boy love, there is a lot of chemistry character-interaction wise.
For one thing, the setting of the story is very effective-the waning beauty of the French noble class sets elegant, but somewhat dark, stage for Florian and Ray's meeting. Meanwhile, characters are not simply used up in a scene and thrown away- any character that is introduced will have an impact, and the author is sucessful in making sure that NONE of even her minor cast acts one-dimesional (i.e Florian's family).Throughout the story, however, while the two "heros" dabble in thier attraction for each other, the tone is serious and they focus on the complexities of each other minds instead a sudden, explicit romance. (Probably will come later.) Very rarely does a manga specifically marketed as yaoi turn out to have a meaningful story behind the good looking boys going at each other, but it's definitely here.
And...it would be a crime not to mention the art. The costumes are beautiful, typical to the time period the story is from. The overall illustration is exceptional in the manga world...It's easily in the top 10% of the best art I've seen in manga. The boys look gorgeous, but it's easy to differentiate them from the lovely women. There's lots of detail in both the figures and the backgroud, and the characters do not suffer from being all mirror images of each other with different hairstyles (that can be a problem sometimes.) Mostly everyone's attractive, but things like race and age are considered.
All in all, Gorgeous Carat is better classified as a brilliant, beautiful mystery instead of a "yaoi" along the same lines of say, "Jazz". In terms of addressing things other than guy sex, think of smomething like "Gravitation." (But far more serious)There are some suggestive moments-but Gorgeous Carat is exceptional for what it really is. While I'm fine with yaoi books with lukewarm plots and lots of action,I'm thrilled with one that doesn't need an "M" label to be exciting.
Book Review: If You're Looking for Hard Yaoi, Look Elsewhere
Summary: 4 Stars
If you bought this manga or are thinking of buying this manga for possible hardcore yaoi scenes, then you will have to look elsewhere. Within You Higuri-sensei's work Gorgeous Carat, you will not find explicit sex scenes but rather, beautiful art and an exciting storyline. Book Review: Can we say "disappointment"?
Summary: 2 Stars
So. With the two bishonen on the cover, the exciting set up and the word "gay" repeated more than once (although unfortunately in reference to "gay Paris") on the back cover, I am sorry to say that my hopes were too high for this manga. For a yaoi enthusiast like myself, this story is at best, a tease. At worst, it's downright dull. I'm leaning toward the latter, unfortunately.
Although the art is great (hence the second star), the story is pretty boring, that is, not enough to keep me interested without at least even a hint at yaoi. Which there pretty much isn't. So maybe if I was new to yaoi or manga in general I might have enjoyed this, but the plot line is sketchy, the characters nonexistant except for the antagonist, and no boylove to speak of!! *sigh*
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