With beautiful and impressive visuals, the original Boy Love manga turned into an anime is sure to win the hearts of some.
Kodoani.com – Kaze to Ki no Uta (roughly translated as Poem of Wind and Trees) is poetic and beautiful as its name suggests. Set in the late 19th century, Kaze draws inspiration from Victorian art, such as the use of angelic motifs and attention to detail. Even the bright and cheerful colors are commonplace of that period despite its concern with death, and Kaze tries to bring light into its dark story.
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Mangaka Keiko Takemiya helped make the Shojo genre the success it is today. Kaze was originally released in January 1976 by Shojo Comic. It is widely recognized as the first published Boy’s Love manga, paving the way for the genre to flourish. BL, known as Shonen Ai, depicts romantic relationships between boys x boys. Kaze is also said to have inspired the current yaoi dōjinshi culture, depicting more mature and explicit relationships.
BL and Yaoi focus on same-sex male relationships, however, it is primarily written by women for a female audience. This has led to criticism that it fetishizes gay relationships. While that’s not to say this didn’t happen, the origins paint a different picture. In the 70s, Japanese women did not have the freedom to express themselves openly. The traditional depiction of a woman in a male or female role has been controversial. One simple solution is for women to express themselves through male characters. BL and yaoi also create a safe space for women to explore sex topics without objection.
Set in Victorian-era France, the story revolves around roommates Serge and Gilbert as they attend boarding school. The boys’ appearance couldn’t be more different: Serge was a responsible student while Gilbert was always naughty. However, time shows that they have many similarities, and their relationship grows because of this. Serge was the orphaned child of a French nobleman and a Roma woman, whom everyone called a prostitute. Despite his good nature, he faces discrimination because of his Romanian characteristics and illegal status. Likewise, Gilbert was also an orphan raised by his uncle Auguste, a prominent man in French society. Gilbert was abused by authority figures, and he conducted prostitution at the school.
This coming-of-age drama explores the emotional struggles of young men. It covers a wide range of topics such as drug addiction, racism, homophobia, abuse and sexual assault. Kaze manages to offset these heavy themes with an angelic art style and ornate atmosphere. And that’s not to say the entire series is in a dark place. There are light and sweet moments that sparkle throughout the series.
Manga Kaze is available in Japanese and Spanish on Amazon or eBay. The manga was never officially released in English, so readers will have to rely on fan translations online. Anime from 1987, with English subtitles.
Via: Kodoani.com
