My Beautiful Man is unlike any romance I've ever encountered before. Most stories, especially BL stories, end up falling into one of the more popular genre adaptations. The main characters can turn from enemies to lovers, they can grow up as childhood friends, or the quiet, austere types can fall in love with loud, talkative people. On the other hand, My Beautiful Man to a certain extent challenged the boundaries of tropes and came across as something quite unique in the process. Author Yuu Nagira and illustrator Megumi Kitano have come together to create the kind of story you're unlikely to see anywhere else.
Our main duo begins with Kazunari Hira, a tall, quiet guy who struggles with dyslexia. Karen (stutter). ) throughout his life. Other kids thought the way he talked was “gross” because of it, which led to him growing up without friends and sticking to himself. Worse than that, because he was considered strange and odd, he existed on the absolute lowest rung of his high school social ladder, leading to more popular and extroverted boys in class bullies him to do chores for them and more or less treat him like their servant.
On the first day of Hira's 2nd year of high school, he laid eyes on and immediately fell in love with Sou Kiyoi. Kiyoi isn't exactly the opposite of Hira (he doesn't have a bubbly, talkative personality in contrast to Hira's stutter) but he is very different. While Hira was pitied by those around him for being ranked lowest, Kiyoi's handsome appearance made him instantly loved by those around him. His attitude was extremely selfish and self-centered, and that coupled with his appearance caused an immediate obsession with Hira. That obsession, no matter how strong, was not something Kiyoi had when looking at Hira. I should note, this series is intended for ages 16 and up.
The king and his servant
One thing I immediately noticed about this manga, especially compared to the light Novel version of this story, is that it greatly enhances the variety of dialogue and thoughts from the characters, especially Hira. Like any romance story, yaoi or otherwise, a lot of what the characters express comes from their emotions, facial expressions, movements, and most importantly, thoughts. In novel form, this can lead to a lot of information being told rather than shown, as there is no choice to illustrate every little thing. The manga takes the opportunity to realistically show the detailed faces of the characters. Hira's fear about his stutter becomes clearer as we follow his childhood and understand why he is the way he is. Kiyoi's cold, selfish expression was clearly shown and Hira reacted appropriately. In panels, background art will be minimal if present at all, creating a strong bias towards the characters and forcing readers to direct their attention to what is depicted and not what is around. It. In terms of writing, this is often conveyed by having the narrator or character only talk about what is being focused on. In My Beautiful Man episode 1, told from Hira's perspective, the focus on the characters seems quite appropriate along with Hira's sole focus on Kiyoi and his beauty.
Plot-wise, things are still early at the end of the manga's first volume. Without revealing the finer details, Hira just begins to interact more with Kiyoi and gradually understands what it is about him that attracts his attention so strongly. Besides physical attraction, what attracts Kiyoi to Hira is his unique charisma, which contrasts with the actions of other male students in the class. Kiyoi is completely unkind to Hira; he treated him like an errand boy like the popular boys in his group of friends. However, while the other boys jeered and acted vilely, Kiyoi appeared emotionless. He does what's right for him and doesn't care about things that don't. In a sense, obeying his will gives Hira a sense of control. Instead of being pushed by multiple currents that are themselves following social norms and expectations, he can rush headlong into a river that flows in a single direction, with no end in sight.
Their dynamic is strange, sometimes even shocking, but it makes you grow in the strangest of ways. Although there are explanations as to why Hira could love such a difficult person, they never feel satisfied. The above is just a small part of the surface. In fact, you'll find yourself extremely curious about how far Hira's obsession will go and whether he'll get the chance to know Kiyoi more seriously, something the plot eagerly draws on. you as more and more information about him is revealed to Hira..
Unique story in My Beautiful Man
Ultimately, you'll love this manga if you're looking for BL but want to be surprised (and maybe a little confused at times) in the form it takes. The art style is solid, but the premise and story are what will guide the story for you. For other story formats, you can check out the light novel series, published in Japanese by Tokuma Shoten and in English by Tokyopop. A long-running action television series that aired for two seasons and a theatrical film from 2021 to 2023. A manga adaptation is serialized in the bimonthly yaoi manga magazine Chara and will be published in English by Tokyopop from July 16.
Anime Corner was provided a copy of My Beautiful Man for review
UTSUKUSHII KARE © 2022 by YUU NAGIRA and MEGUMI KITANO/Tokuma Shoten Publishing, Co., Ltd.