I stumbled on this mangaka’s art and is immediately in love. She draws really sexy, melancholic, beautiful men, be it young or middle-aged.
Volume 1 captivated me and I was thrilled to see there’s volume 2 and 3 but what a pity, I was quite disappointed with the plot and characters development. I actually liked them all less, and as many said, the ending was super anti-climatic. It would have been a much better story if it all just ended after 1 volume.

Miyamoto Kano's stories always leave me with sort of a wistful feeling. Even her more cheerful ones. This hasn't been any different in that respect. I do agree with others that it felt as though there was a lot of build-up, but the finale itself felt sort of lacking somehow. As for complaints about Shiki's behavior, I don't really share the same feelings. Humans are wonderfully diverse and so are their feelings. Even if he had no real motivation(outside of his pants), he would still be human and I would have been fine with it. That said, I felt it was pretty obvious that his character was terribly lonely and in need of comfort. Even if you love someone, they can't always give you what you need. Sometimes being with someone who doesn't really understand you can be even lonelier than being alone.

The anti-terrorist theme was disappointing. Too much talk, not much of action, and anti-climatic ending. Even those they're trainee, Shiki and Shino was doing stuff that they must not do (come on, dead drunk in a stranger house while carry a gun, hiding the fact that ur targeted, etc.). As unbelievable as it is, most the plot is so not thrilling, like everything is taken out of a textbook. And I agree with what CuthienSilmeriel said below. It puzzled me as well.

Shiki always complains about stress and pressure at work that he has no time for Keigo but we dont see the work that tires him out at all. And he seems to be free all the time to talk about love and fool with other guys, instead of use that precious time to be with his bf.

I finished the book bc I like Shino x TJ couple but the other couple was so bad. Idk if there werent enough room for them but their relationship like eh? I dont like Shiki at all, or I dont understand him and I rather not to. And their love is very superficial as well.



... Last updated on July 8th, 2013, 12:46am

After years of following this one, the ending seemed very anti-climatic, which seems strange given what happened, but it just didn't seem like it was worth the build-up. Miyamoto-sensei isn't really know for her "and everything finishes in a neat little box with a ribbon on top" style of writing, which I love usually, but this is not one of her best works.

There are also some problems I have with the plot in general. Overall, for an anti-terror unit, they aren't shown to be much use. We never see what Shiki does which makes him so tired and stressed all the time. I mean he was such a happy-go-lucky guy at the start, and he morphed into someone more serious and uptight, but we never find out why. We never find out exactly why there are so many terrorist groups in Japan, or what Habu's motivation is beyond wanting to blow stuff up. I mean, he's got to have a reason right?



... Last updated on July 6th, 2013, 7:40am

It seem the people who is commenting this manga only read the first volume. Because, the first volume is the story from Keigo side who doesn't know what's going on. But the other volumes, it's from Shiki and Shino (zero unit) side and this is where the series get really interesting. I only give it a 8.5 because sometimes I would like to have more information, what's Habu reason and more about what Shiki is doing? We only see office work and Shino always beaten up.

So I only read the first part, Calling. I cried, honest to god. I'm not sure what got to me, maybe living in the US makes you really sensitive to all of this, particularly recently. But I cried, I'm a pansy, what can I say. Honestly though, this story is way too good to pass up. So at least read calling. (seeing as it's ongoing, I like to wait till stories are completed).

Because I am enjoying the calling Series very much I want to appreciate Miyatomo Kano as an artist in a league of her own!! Those of us who read yaoi would definately agree with me when I say Miyamoto Kano rates as one of the best mangakas out there, of this genre.
I love her work because it's enjoyable and genuine yet realistic and relatable. Even when there is a supernatural element to it, it is still believable and the flow is smooth, which is a consistent characteristic of her work. The plot is usually kept simple, and the message is conveyed comfortably! Nothing too dramatic. A distinct artist who tells us real life stories. So when you are reading this mangaka's work, forget idealism or the perfect ending. I think Miyamoto focuses on how things can be rather than how they should be or are supposed to be. That also keeps you geared into it right till the very end (and reading carefully in order to pick up hints) because you really don't know what to expect in the end.
I do feel, however, that this mangaka can be repetitive. And I am not talking about the same faces being drawn over and over again. I lover the way the art style and find her men really charming (quite important. It adds to the appeal of the characters and aids in visual fantasy as well!). So I don't mind the fact that you see the same faces in every story, or even in the same story with different hairstyles. But I do sense that the mangaka focuses on themes about Yakuza (which I love, damn sexy!), casual sex, discovering sexual orientation and experimenting,prostituion and first gay experiences or stories discussing hetro/bi-sexuals turning homosexual. These topics are very real and relevant topics, no doubt. Each story she tells is told in a genuine manner and therefore I believe earns it's distinct place.

I want to say that this new character, TJ, that Miyatomo has created is just so dreamy. I think he's hot, sexy, mature, cool, and mysterious. Perfect!!! Love it. Want more of it. I hope she makes this calling series longer(much longer!!!) and focuses on TJ & Shino as the main couple.

The plot is about the lives of a group of people working in an anti-terrorism government group. They recruit people off the streets. Because this plot undertakes a subject that is seriously discussed and debated worldwide, one might find certain loopholes in the plot. Or one could be inclined towards some bias because of their own standing on the subject. That aside, there is a certain element of mystery, danger and excitement added to this story because the mangaka dared to venture in this territory.

Again we can expect a slow paced narration of the sexual lives and problems the few main characters go through. I am looking forward to the continuation of this series and the development of the relationships between the characters, especially TJ & Shino

... Last updated on March 18th, 2010, 11:40pm

i felt kinda jipped. i mean it was good till you got to the end, but it was so anti-climactic it ruined the whole thing. i was just expecting much more. not this mangaka's best.

I'd expected better, seriously. The terrorist slant and the other angles sounded really contrived and I think a few more chapters would've fleshed out the plot more competently. As it was, those angles fell flat and served as nothing more than "plot points" designed to push the 2 together.

... Last updated on January 17th, 2009, 5:25am

I wouldn't say this story is one of Miyamoto Kano's best. To be sure, even at her worst, Miyamoto Kano is still better than the vast majority of yaoi mangakas out there. And it's also to be expected from oneshots and extremely short series that things won't be as fleshed out as a reader might like, but even with all that in mind, there's still something lacking in this one.

The unspecified future world (which looks exactly like our contemporary world) that the story was set in was difficult to get a handle on: How far into the future is it? What exactly is going on in the world that shadowy counter-terrorist agencies need to be established? But aside from practical considerations of world-building is the more important question of how interesting is the plot? Unfortunately, this is where I had the most trouble with this story. I felt that the whole terrorism plot sorely lacked the emotional punch it should've had. Poorly fleshed out, it was mainly used, I'm sorry to say, as an excuse for the two men to engage in comfort sex. But even with that, as a reader, I still didn't get much sense of the extreme tension and emotional strain that Shiki undoubtedly must've been under. Rather, he came off more like an over-worked cop, which in the grand scheme of things, is not all that different from the usual tired salaryman-type that frequents yaoi. So why didn't the mangaka just go with it and make him a salaryman/run-of-the-mill cop/etc. instead of shoe-horning in a hot button topic like terrorism? Particularly since given the nature of a short series, there's simply not enough time to give difficult topics the emotional development they need (and deserve).

Setting that aside, I didn't especially care for the characters either. Keigo kept talking about how much he loved Shiki, but his feelings never seemed much more substantial than a crush. (Was he actually lonely when Shiki wasn't around as he claims? Did he really make an effort to get information on Shiki after the attack? Actually seeing some of this stuff would've given his feelings some credibility.) And Shiki himself ended up being just as much a cypher to the reader as he was to Keigo. For the life of me, I couldn't tell what on earth he could possibly see in a guy like Keigo who comes off as a loser at best, and a stalker at worst. (Was it just Keigo's constant [and annoying] declarations of love that kept him coming back?) As hot as Shiki is, he surely must've had other options for comfort sex than Keigo.

Probably this is a story that would've been better if it had been a more chaste BL rather than a full-blown yaoi, since instead of wasting pages on sex, we could've gotten more of that needed world-buliding and character development. Ah well. With this particular mangaka, it's safe to assume that whatever series she comes out with next will probably be better than this one.

... Last updated on September 4th, 2008, 1:18am