Lenni Reviews: "In These Words" Vol 1
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In These Words by TogaQ and Kichiku Neko
**This title contains graphic
adult content.**
I’ll be honest with you, my
friends, I bought this manga for two reasons: The cover art and the yaoi. I
love me some yaoi. And it’s one of the few genres of manga too explicit for
libraries to keep (at least it’s why I don’t buy them where I work). I’ve been
duped by fancy cover art and a smartly worded book jacket before but this time,
I was pleasantly surprised! What I found was fantastic art throughout and a
psychological thriller that’s hooked me for the next installment.
As the description says, Asano Katsuya
is a psychiatrist recruited by the police to pull a confession out of a serial
killer, Shinohara Keiji. The very moment Katsuya gets the case, he begins to
have vivid and disturbing nightmares about being held prisoner by a man who
abuses him for every filthy, twisted whim; all the while confessing his love.
The connection between these dreams and the very real crimes Keiji gleefully
describes is not told to us in this volume. Are they memories? Are they fantasies? Unfortunately we have to wait to find out.
Content note: When I say “vivid
and disturbing nightmares” I am not freaking kidding here. This book is rated
18+ for a damn good reason. A man is held prisoner, sliced up, and taken with
dubious consent or a flagrant lack of it. There is wang in this book. You are
warned so don’t come crying “Omg, Lenni! I saw a naked man!” I’m telling you
now, you will see wang and you will see butt sex. Don’t like? Don’t read.
That said, “In These Words” is
not a fluffy story of two men who meet, fall in love, are hesitant to tell one
another, but get together in a burst of song, sakura petals, and sweet
man-love. It’s Law and Order with really hot men. You are treated to Keiji’s
demented mind games and Katsuya’s conflict between wanting this confession and
trying not to fall into Keiji’s mental trap. There’s the same feeling of
wondering if the dreams are memories and if what we are reading is a flashback
or happening right then I experienced when watching Perfect Blue. Reality
starts to warp, words are bent and twisted, and you fear for Katsuya; who is
way too drawn to Keiji right from the beginning.
My only disappointment is I got
into this series right when the volume came out and I have to wait for the
second one. The art is beautiful. I am a complete sucker for the sketchy
quality, where you can see every pen and brush stroke as it forms the image. If
you like a lot of story with your yaoi, you could do a lot worse than In These
Words. All I can really say is hurry with volume 2!
