BLCD: Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume wo Miru (Yusa Kouji x Nakamura Yuuichi)

Title: Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume wo Miru 窮鼠はチーズの夢を見る (27/02/2008 ) (Manga)

The two part sequel:
Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru (Manga)
俎上の鯉は二度跳ねる (yay~)
25 Nov 2009 and 25 Dec 2009

Pairing:
Yusa Kouji x Nakamura Yuuichi
遊佐浩二 x 中村悠一

Cast:
Ootomo Kyouichi 大伴恭一: Nakamura Yuuichi 中村悠一
Imagase Wataru 今ヶ瀬 渉: Yusa Kouji 遊佐浩二
Natsuki 夏生: 五十嵐麗 Igarashi Rei
Ootomo Chikako 大伴知佳子: 生天目仁美 Nabatame Hitomi

Rating: Recommended

Quick Summary:
Ootomo (Nakamura Yuuichi) is a nice man but has a very indecisive personality. He is in his late 20s and married but is involved in many extramarital affairs. One day, he finds himself confronted by a private investigator employed by his wife. It turns out that the private investigator is his junior from college, Imagase (Yusa Kouji) whom he has not met for 7 years. Imagase has harboured a hopeless, secret love for Ootomo since their college days which he has not been able to get over with even after all these years. In return for keeping the information from his wife, he wants Ootomo, who has a very negative view of gays, to repay him with sexual favours.

Comments:
This drama is based on the manga by Mizushiro Setona (水城せとな). In the BL universe, being coerced into a relationship or raped, then live happily-ever-after is so commonplace, I’ve learnt to switch on my selective mental-filter and just enjoy the smut (and alternate universe LOL~).

However, this story came as such as a lovely surprise. Although the story started off as a very typical BL premise of the uke being blackmailed by the seme, the story sets itself apart from the rest because it deals with real issues about homosexuality that most BL stories gloss over or just ignore entirely.

I find the mangaka’s treatment of the characters very real. They are not the typical one-dimensional characters that we see so often in BL stories. I love how she conveys the many layers of thoughts and feelings of the characters and the quiet desperation and despair of unrequited love. They are people with real emotions that I can definitely identify with. The seiyuus did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and I absolutely loved their performance. There are quite a number of realistic and nose-bleed inducing H scenes in the drama but they are non-gratuitous and necessary to the development of the story. Absolutely lovely.

A gem! Highly recommended. Do read the manga too!

Catalog: LACA-5749