VOICES OF LOVE

Author: Kanae Hazuki ISBN: 9781934496084 1/2008 ANIME/ANTHOLOGY Publisher: LUV LUV PRESS

The first release from Luv Luv is a collection of five lovely and sexy short stories. All of the stories depict romantic and physical relationships with nothing held back. The title story is about a relationship between Mika Tsukahara, a young high school teacher and Naokazu Kuga, an 18-year-old student at her school. Some say forbidden fruit is the sweetest! They are neighbors too, and can't stop their attraction to each other… Love thy neighbor! All of the other stories are full of the voices of love, too.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

VOICES OF LOVE, a manga anthology of five stories written and drawn by Kanae Hazuki, was originally published in Japan, recently translated into English. The first thing you should know is that these are stories about adults, for adults, not meant for children (in Japan, there are different types of manga, ranging from those for children to those for adult women and for adult men).

First up is a story about forbidden love, a surprising attraction and startling realization on recognizing who your neighbor is—and where you know him from, in the title piece, Voices of love. In One summer's day, whom you love may not have anything to do with the circumstances (as in, he may be a screwup, but you'll take him anyway). In a change of pace, the next story, Rainbow smile, tells a story about a young woman who stays with her boyfriend even though he's an abusive jerk, until she has her eyes opened by a guy who appreciates her. Pictures of us is about a shy 36-year-old man who meets a vivacious young woman who isn't at all what he was looking for, but may be just what he needed. And in the final story, Teach me love," a young woman has to learn the hard way that having a friend isn't what she thought it was supposed to be—and that it has nothing to do with being whored out.

VOICES OF LOVE is well worth the effort navigating through the terrain of the unfamiliar format, since this English version is formatted in the original Japanese way, reading from right to left and starting at what we're used to considering the end. These stories are hot, sexy, and thoughtful, and well worth your time.

Eliz MS Flynn