A teaser is a theatrical term used for those short bits of film you see either at the theater, or on your television, containing snippets of film from an upcoming release, intended to pique your curiousity in the hope that you will be intrigued and interested enough in said upcoming film to pay to see it when it is actually released. The teaser hints at what is coming, whetting your appetite for it with glimpses of the characters, the settings, and even the plot – just enough to gain your attention and entice you into forking out the bucks for the real thing. Although, practically speaking, they do serve a useful purpose, for in the same way that you find yourself interested in a given film, you might also decide that it isn't for you. And those who can't make up their minds one way or the other either have to take a chance on an unknown quantity, or wait until they can read a movie review to decide if they really want to see it. In a manner of speaking, that is what has been done in the yaoi anthology Reversible, a June manga collection of short stories by various yaoi authors. Little glimpses of works by upcoming mangaka who are being introduced to U.S. audiences in this volume, hoping that you will like what you see.
Highlights
Reversible consists of twelve unrelated tales by twelve authors, all falling within the yaoi/boys love genre. In Tell Me You Like Me, Nakahara has never liked a man before – until Chouno, a higher-up in the company that he works for. Although it was not exactly liking at first sight, until he realized that Chouno's strict policies were improving the quality of their work, and even then he liked Chouno just as his boss – until they begin dating. But something has happened between them, and now Chounou does not wish Nakahara to touch him! Can he understand the cause of this reluctance for intimacy, and can they salvage their relationship? Atsumu dreams, in Perfect Age, of loving Chitose, and telling the other boy of his love. But in real life, he doesn't know how to do it. While Chitose has something he wants to say to Atsumu, but he is afraid of his reaction, afraid of losing him. Will they ever be able to admit the truth to one another, and will it be the same truth? Masanori is the leader of the Sakuragawa University Cheer Squad, and he is something of a partier as well, and not above blackmailing his own older brother, who needs him to watch his son for him, into paying him for his time as well as buying him dinner. Masanori drops his nephew off at his school, on his way to his own classes, and meets Hisanori's cute teacher, Shiina. When Masanori goes to his nighttime job in a host club, he is shocked to see another side of Shiina! The Cheer Squad has been hired to perform in the Shopping District, near where Shiina's family owns a liquor store. Will these two meet again, and what will the outcome be? In Catch, Tsuruta and Mochizuki both happen to be going to practice at the same time, when they inadvertently catch sight of a pair of lovers and, in order not to appear to have been spying on them, Mochizuki pulls Tsuruta into his arms! Not that he objects, feeling secure in Mochizuki's warmth. But what will happen when they end up locked in the equipment room together by accident? These are just a few of the stories to be found in this anthology…
Overall
In a way, I found the brevity of some of the stories to be offputting, as there wasn't always resolution. And there is no guarantee that these stories will be continued in a larger volume. But one can hope. It Falls At Night is a slightly different yaoi tale. Okuno and Miku are a couple, but their time during the summer has been severely limited by club activities and studying. On the last day of summer break, Okuno takes a dare which finds them at their school in the middle of the night, their purpose being to discover one of the seven mysteries of the school! One of these mysteries involves a so-called "memory mirror" – the story goes that a student threw himself out of a third story window, and that if you close your eyes at 9 pm, count to nine, then look into the mirror, you will see him walking up the stairs! Which is stronger – romance or fright? In Dear Boys, Kaoru finds himself being practically forced to join the student council by its handsome president, Kuuya, as well as Kuuya's twin brother and vice-president Kaiya, and Seika Dormitory Manager Hinata. Kaoru resists their importuning, but how long can he hold out against such persuasion? And what part will the faculty advisor play – who just happens to be related to the twins? In Office Mermaid, office manager Tachibana becomes obsessed with employee Izumi, who reminds him of his beloved fish. But how can a man who doesn't like to be touched learn to love? In Happiness, Fun, Kindness, a man meets an angel who accidentally falls into his life on a snowy day, and nothing will ever be the same again!
These are twelve short tales that are designed to serve as a siren call for larger works – alone, they do not satisfy the appetite, merely whet it, and leave you longing for more. Some of these stories I am especially anxious to follow through to some sort of romantic conclusion, others I can't be sure will work out in a happy ending way. But the volume does serve its purpose, as an introduction for new mangaka to US audiences, which isn't a bad thing. I can only hope I will find these other volumes when they come out here. I liked some of the stories better than others, including the artwork, but as an introductory anthology, I think it works. One pet peeve I have about this book, and most other yaoi volumes, is the censorship imposed upon them – I assume by the US, I don't believe the Japanese are so ridiculous. Namely the brushing out of the penis in the artwork. Be serious, if someone is reading a story about two men making love, isn't it reasonable to assume they each have one? By their nature, most yaoi is graphic, and it's not like you can't tell what has been left out. I see no reason for the subterfuge, it's not fooling anyone, and only serves to disrupt the continuity of the art. That being said, I liked Reversible, and hope that the authors find audiences here in the US.
Comicsonline gives Reversible 4 out of 5 confused semes.
