Shards of Affection (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)
I love Duo Brand. The art is gorgeous and the stories, while not always being graphic, are always full of great emotions and interesting plot twists. It may be a generic love story that she's telling, but she always makes it seem fresh and interesting. This is something that I greatly appreciate because after reviewing manga for this long, the banal stories just seem to blend together and make me cranky. It's so nice to have something that sparkles and makes me excited about writing reviews.This release opens up with the story of a priest and his assistant charged with exorcising demons. The priest has a sword that helps him in his exorcisms, but they still leave him feeling weak and drained. His assistant, and his lover, wants him to take more care and to make sure he protects himself.Don't worry too much about the priest; see, there's something that they don't know yet and this is the thread that ties all of the stories together. Inside the sword is a spirit that isn't going to let any harm come to the priest. In fact, there's a whole brotherhood of spirits, living in swords, fighting and loving amongst themselves in the downtime they have between doing the jobs that they were forged to do.The rest of the stories follow in the same vein, showcasing Duo Brand's stoic semes and gorgeously vulnerable ukes. While I'm not always fond of the stereotypes being so well defined, there's something about her characters that makes me accept it even look forward to it.Now, I vaguely remember reading scanlations of this a long time ago and thinking what a cute idea it was. June has kept the sweetness that I remember from the scanlations and has improved upon it. It's actually pretty amazing how far June has come from their first releases with their fairly painful translations. While I still think they release too many school-boy romance titles, I'm pretty pleased with them as a publisher. I'm hoping that we get more Duo Brand stuff released here and soon. We need more quality stuff like this! --Boys Next DoorFor anyone who loves urban fantasy, handsome men, and captivating stories of love and danger, Shards of Affection is a must-have. A combination of connected stories creates a supernatural setting in modern day that sees extraordinary people deal with evil sprits, seductive demons, and the trials of their own hearts.To say I was impressed with this shonen-ai is an understatement. The stories are above and beyond what is normally expected in a BL tale and the artwork is exemplary. Shards begins with the plight of a young chief priest trying to prove himself to his warrior lover. The problem is that he has a unique sensing ability, a sixth sense that allows him to see what goes unseen to the human eye. He fears the creatures that he sees yet refuses to back down. His lover worries and finally makes a simple request to take the chief priest's place at the front line of battle. Refusal, confessions and shared understandings converge for a tender conclusion to the story. But the true intrigue of Shards of Affection has only just begun.The stories are nothing short of fantastic. The intrigue, the supernatural mysteries and action are incredible. They draw you in immediately. The romances are made that much richer by the interesting plots. The art style is just as amazing. Just as rich. It's easy to picture this manga as an anime. The clothing details, the sword details, the facial expressions are varied and impressive. Duo Brand is a new name to me but it is one I hope to see much, much more work from as Shards of Affection has proven to be a captivating reading experience. --Active Anime