Kizuna

Rating:
Summary: An Amusing Oddity
Review: The best part of this OAV is its pretty cover, which unfortunately doesn't reflect any incident in the anime. I guess that's okay because, equally unfortunately, nothing much in the anime reflects any incident in the (currently) seven volumes of KIZUNA manga.

KIZUNA, in case you don't know, is a very popular (considered classic by many) Japanese manga (or comic) in the yaoi genre. Yaoi stories are stories about "boy love" which are actually written for, and by, Japanese women. Yaoi is slowly building a (relatively) large western audience who buy the OAVs and manga--and write their own fan fictions based on them--without speaking or reading Japanese themselves.

The KIZUNA OAVs are English-subtitled but they are still rather hard to follow, partly because the stories veer wildly from the manga canon, and partly because they are just not very well done. They are also quite short (both flicks running something less than 30 minutes).

Video Volume II, as far as I can make out, lifts the event from manga Volume I, of Kai's unwelcome visit to Ranmaru and Enjoji's, expanding on Kai and Masa's feelings. Additionally there is a goofy subplot about Kai and Enjoji's jealousy over Ranmaru's mysterious assignation with an unknown girl. (Tiresome and un-KIZUNA like.)

Besides the confusing break in canon which does nothing to improve the story, there is no character development, and the artwork, though colorful, lacks the sophistication of the manga. One oddity: Ranmaru's hair color is red in the anime and blonde in the manga.

Due at least partly to increased western interest a new OAV is being developed, and hopefully this will be truer to the plot and characters of Kodaka's KIZUNA.

Rating:
Summary: Kizuna
Review: The First Japanese Animated Gay Love Story: Leave it to the Japanese . Not only did they develop the transistor radio, but now they're first out of the gate with an animanted gay love story! And it's a beaut, all about two high shcool lovers whose relationship is threatened by a sinister Mafioso who tries to come between them. Frank, in the extreme!

Rating:
Summary: Unique animated film
Review: This is somewhat of a groundbreaking animated feature and you certainly will not see anything like it in the U.S. However, the plot is very confusing and extremely hard to follow. It feels as though you are thrown into the middle of the story and there is no proper introduction of the characters or the situations they are in. The animation is wonderful, however, and it is certainly worth a look. The dvd consists of two 30 minute episodes and there is no accompanying material. So you are not getting much for the price!

Rating:
Summary: The best! Yaoi romance
Review: This is the second chapter of Kizuna and is just as good, although it may not have as much sexy scenes, it's very sweet and funny. If you like yaoi BUY THIS! it's so sweet and romantic.
BUY BUY BUY