One Is Enough

GR 10 Up—When Matsumoto stumbles upon upperclassman Mizushima, he suddenly finds himself in love. Undeterred by the realization that he is gay, he pursues him. Not only must Matsumoto overcome his own doubts, but he must face encounters with other students and finally win over the troubled Mizushima, too. While the pacing is solid, little time is given to develop this relationship, and like most yaoi (hardcore boys love), the focus is on the physical relationship. However, as the art leans toward the shounen-ai (light boys love) genre, it is suitable for the teen audience. While this title is wildly inconsistent visually, parts do improve halfway through, especially the screentones. One Is Enough is a doujinshi (indie) title, which may account for some of the quality issues. It feels like this inexperienced author is just ticking off a checklist of yaoi aspects. Matsumoto feels all the usual worries, yet they lack that genuine quality that readers can connect to. Mizushima on the other hand, is more well-developed. There are plenty of quality doujinshi and yaoi titles out there, but sadly, between its generic characters, story, and poor execution, this is not one of them.—Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada