i actually liked this one ever so much better than body language. ok, so maybe that's not saying much. i appreciated the setting because it was reasonably well-researched, something which most BL authors/mangaka couldn't care less about doing, which is a pet peeve of mine. i also thought the writing was above average, with more complex vocabulary than the usual, and a natural flow in english -- kudos to the translator, kelly quine.

that said, the character development was lacking. despite getting an infodump about biwa's childhood and education at the very start, we actually didn't learn a whole lot about biwa, and we learned even less about yamato -- except that they both love american dramas and sitcoms. biwa has a rotten temper, and i didn't care for him much, because he always seemed to go a step too far when trading barbs with yamato. yamato starts out as a total twit, though he redeems himself fairly quickly. but biwa gets worse; he adds "emotional coward" to his traits. after most of the novel consists of them bantering, the ending is all milk and honey -- and frankly, not believable at all.

oh, and while i don't generally weigh the illustrations in BL novels in my final rating, they're pretty bad here; i didn't find either character's representation attractive.

that said, i read it through in one quick sitting, so it held my interest sufficiently, and i wasn't ever tempted to throw it against a wall, so it actually comes up slightly positive when compared with BL novels in general.

... Last updated on April 7th, 2011, 6:40am

This was one sad train wreck of a story. Prepare for character development, or, hell, even character screen time, so to say, to be eaten up by a detailed explanation of the behind the scenes workings of American television. The ending seems rushed, like the author just remembered that, oh! this was supposed to be a love story, not a documentary. The characters emotions seem to sprout from no where after very little interaction, and even their motivations when dealing with each other seem completely forced. I can save you the trouble of reading this with this easy, easy outline.
-Actor is a dick
-Main character tells him 'Hey, you're being a dick'
-Actor stops being a dick
-They are now in love
-Buy a book on American television production