Iason looks better as well, and there are just a lot more emotion in their facial features and postures. In the last 2 the style changes drastically – and I loved it! Riki looks like his description – handsome and manly (and not 12). The last 2 volumes have really good art, and the first volume is similar to volume 2-6 in style, but Riki looks older and truer to his description. In volume 1, 7 and 8 the art is much better. Iason and most of the other characters are drawn pretty accurately to their description though, which is good. Riki is described as muscular with a manly physique, but he’s drawn as a scrawny little boy. In most illustrations he looks more like a boy than a man, and he’s supposed to be in his late teens, so this was very off-putting to me. The art is well drawn, but the character design of Riki wasn’t my cup of tea. The ending (even though I personally wished for a different one) was a fitting conclusion to the story. Even though most things were thoroughly explored, I would have liked to hear more about the Guardian and the Underworld for example. The story could have benefitted from being longer and more in-depth. I didn’t find any plot holes, but there were a few things that could have been explained or explored in greater detail. The story is very compelling and well thought-out, and the characters are great (more about that below). The novel does a great job at explaining all of the social and political rules that apply, and it also makes you question the morality of those rules. The world they live in is strong enough to stand on its own, and I loved to experience all the new things and rules of their society. What makes this story so interesting is the fact that it would work even without the yaoi parts. Throw in the mix the more sincere and love-based relationship of Riki and his ex-boyfriend Guy, and you got yourself a very compelling story. I think that’s one of the reasons their relationship is so interesting. Even if they both start to question their feelings for each other, it never turns into a lovey-dovey romance. Deep down Ai no Kusabi is a tragic story about loss of self and the dark side of human nature. Some might be put off by this fact, but I liked it that way. It became clear to me early on that their relationship is based on sex rather than love – which isn’t that strange considering Iason has never had any reason to try and understand other people or sacrifice anything of his own because of someone else. Some of the things Iason does to Riki are horrible and emotionally traumatising. Riki and Iason’s relationship is not what you would call a healthy one. But the choice that would have been so simple before is suddenly not as easy when the only human part on Iason – his brain – starts experiencing emotions he never knew he had. Riki’s unwavering pride and slum background sends Tanagura into chaos – and Iason has to make a choice about what to do with his pet. By using both pleasure and pain he does everything he can to tame Riki into obedience, but this turns out to be a lot harder than he first thought. Due to this, Iason decides to go against the norms of Amoi and make Riki his captive. He’s never had anyone talk back to him before, and this peaks an interest. After a chance encounter the two of them meet and Iason becomes fascinated by Riki’s pride and slum lifestyle. He’s one of 12 “Blondies”, the elites feared and admired by everyone (but in a completely different way than Riki), and his status gives him immense power and riches. Iason is an artificial human who lives in the elite city of Tanagura. He’s had to fight for his survival his whole life and takes no shit from anyone. He’s the ex-leader of a gang called Bison and is feared and admired by everyone else in the slums. Riki lives in the slums (poor parts where there are no laws and no rights – the people from the slums are looked down on by everyone else). The story mostly centers on the political and social issues on the planet, as well as the two main characters Riki and Iason’s relationship. In short, Ai no Kusabi is a yaoi light novel that takes place on the planet Amoi which has a different political and social system than Earth.
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