Junjou

Junjou
By Fujiyama Hyouta

Overall: Intéressante
Smex Factor: Red Lantern
Art: Different
Status: 3 Volumes; Complete

Review: I like Junjou. It’s not exactly anything special, but it leaves a good taste in my mouth; a calm mind. It’s satisfying.

Its plot is common enough: First Love walks back into Tozaki’s life, they end up sex buddies, and eventually they work out what they want from their relationship and become lovers. Like any good story, though, the details are what give it a good place in my heart.

For one, I like the impetuous Kurata (the afore-mentioned First Love). His character is more interesting than the run-of-the-mill “hey, I remember you from high school! Let’s have sexy sex sex for sexy reasons that I won’t explain because sex.” I like his motivations. Essentially, he’s both sexually frustrated and sexually confused. And while Tozaki’s presence is causing Kurata’s internal conflict, he doesn’t express his turmoil violently against Tozaki. Instead he seduces him. He knows they both want it, so why not? Sure, there’s a little (okay, a lot) of insistence on his side, but only because Tozaki is confused and wary about Kurata’s intentions. Namely, “did you become gay in the last five minutes or what? ‘Cause I feel like I missed something there.”

What he missed is the inner POV given to the readers. I like this because we can interpret Kurata’s thoughts and memories in a way that even Kurata can’t. (Because he’s not putting two and two together mostly.) He doesn’t recognize his attraction to Tozaki as anything more than frustration. He wants Tozaki to like him, really like him, but he doesn’t know why.

So he comes off as a bit of a spoiled child, attempting to take something (Tozaki’s confession) merely because he briefly glanced it once, and becoming obsessed with possessing it (it being Tozaki’s love). It’s actually kind of cute.

Tozaki himself has a pretty cool head—he’s confused by Kurata’s actions, obviously, and a little apprehensive on how to handle Kurata, but he rolls with the (figurative!!) punches. He’s attracted to the man, but he decides that he shouldn’t expect anything from him. He’s a down-to-earth kinda guy who gets just as surprised as the reader when characters act irrationally Meanwhile, Kurata is getting all kinds of emotional over Tozaki. His conscious thoughts deny any attachments, but his actions tell another story.

They’re nice foils to each other.

I won’t say their relationship is realistic (that’s stupid to expect from something that’s basically a fantasy), but I like that the motivations behind each character’s actions. Kurata’s emotional because he feels fragile and unfamiliar in their new relationship. Tozaki’s level-headed because he’s trying to understand and sympathize with Kurata’s motivations.

There is one particular violent scene that could quickly have devolved into rape, but—and this is annoyingly scarce in manga—Tozaki firmly rejects Kurata and ejects him from his house. And not as a “I never want to see you again” dig, but as a “I love you, and I don’t want our relationship to be this way because this is not who you are” argument. Kurata backs off, and while they’ve clearly got an issue to resolve, neither party has done something he will permanently regret. (Unlike last time. As growing characters, Tozaki and Kurata learn from previous encounters! What a concept.)

For an originally reluctant character, Tozaki grows more assertive about their relationship as he grows more secure in it. I love that.

I also love that there are moments in their relationship that actually do feel real. I want to call special attention to two moments: one, when Kurata is extremely upset and goes to Tozaki for comfort. No, not hollow sexual comfort. He stays the night at Tozaki’s apartment because it’s become a place in which Kurata feels safe, secure, and loved. He talks about his problem with the person he trusts, and they continue with the evening feeling better on both ends. Mostly though, there is a general atmosphere given off from those few pages in which you can tell, “holy crap. These guys love each other.” And HOLY CRAP, THEY DID IT WITHOUT DICKING EACH OTHER ain’t that a concept.

And secondly. These two characters. Talk out a misunderstanding.
This shouldn’t be a miraculous thing, but CHRIST. IT IS A MIRACULOUS WORK OF SCRIPT-WRITING. Fuck BL manga—major Hollywood MOVIES can’t even seem to get over this dumbass plot device. Somebody tells person A an untruth in order to split him from person B. Usually person A will get irrationally angry (or something similar), and confuse person B until HE’S upset too, and then they won’t be able to stand each other.
This plot device is SO stupid, and SO overused, and SO EASILY SOLVED, I just want to punch the whole idea in its metaphorical FACE and CONTINUE TO DO SO until it STOPS EXISTING AS AN ACCEPTABLE DEVICE
FOREVER
AND EVER

Junjou  fixes this easily when Kurata hurries over to Tozaki’s apartment and asks him about it. Tozaki tells him exactly what happened, and the two talk it out and continue being in glorious love.

It’s funny, because that’s what real people do too.
OR AT LEAST THEY WOULD IF COMMON SENSE EXISTED IN THE WORLD

So basically this manga is a treasure trove of character development and traits. In case you haven’t noticed, I really like character-driven romances.
This is a good example of one.