 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | MAKI KANAMARU / YUKINE HONAMI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / BW | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 186 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | M | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 09/01/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/26/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Combining a cornerstone of romantic story telling and the lovely artwork of Yukine Honami (Rin!, Desire, Constellations in My Palm), Stolen Heart is a quintessential romance set in an earlier time where nobility ruled all, and a thief could steal love with the right touch.
By quintessential, I am referring to the age old formula of an outlaw winning the heart of someone normally far beyond their reach. This has been used time and again in many romantic adventures such as Robin Hood, The Scarlet Pimpernel, even Ocean’s Eleven. Walk into any bookstore and glance at the romance novels and you’ll see row upon row of books about rogues winning the hearts of tempestuous maidens. In Stolen Heart, Maki Kanamaru provides yaoi fans with that winning formula, naturally with a man-on-man take. A rich and spoiled son of nobility wastes his time and wealth on orgies and parties without a care for anyone or anything. Things would have continued that way until a late night visit by a famous masked thief changes everything. This dashing and handsome rogue has come to steal something of value, and not just some trinket. After a night of passion, the noble doesn’t understand what has happened. He’s led such a selfish life he cannot comprehend why his is agitated over this fellow who now haunts his ever waking and dreaming thought. Has the callous heart of a spoiled bourgeois met its match and been taken by a handsome thief? Find out in Stolen Heat! The romance is spiced with political intrigue; a noble family exiled, a revolution brewing, a telling birthmark and a contention to the throne. It all swirls together for romantic yaoi set in a lush backdrop of politics and royalty. All of it is beautifully accented by Yukine Honami’s continuingly inspiring art style. This manga holds a couple of bonus stories. Both are lightly dramatic romances sugared with comedy. The first one involves a hapless Naruse who stupidly forgot to take his make up test – twice! As punishment he is sentenced to help out the student council once a week. This becomes torture for the hot headed Naruse when the president seeks every opportunity to taunt, tease, and seduce his ‘charge’. The second story is a bit more dramatic when a politician and his secretary strive to keep their homosexual relationship a secret. The press has prying eyes though, and it may be only a matter of time before the truth gets found out. If that happens, what will the closeted couple do? It’s romance, ethical challenges and romance all rolled into one. IN SUMMARY:
Stolen Heart is a classic romance with a yaoi twist, well told and beautifully drawn.
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