i'm positive the mangaka is trying to kill me. to tell the truth, mission is almot accomplished!
it breaks my heart over and over again... to the point that i cant breath properly. it hurts, it really is painful to read this.
everything goes wrong in this manga. at the moment you think everything is fine and everyone is happy you should expect something horrible to happen, and its worse than what you could ever think of.
this mangaka is an evil genius, she does those things- one after another, but its still devastating every time, you cant get used to it, you cant expect it even when you are, it will shock you and hurt you every time. you'll think of a way everything can be better again to comfort yourself, but it wont happen. its bad, and it will be bad to the end.

i think those are the things so special about this manga. when a manga can take you to places where you hurt so badly and feel the pain the characters go through- thats a real masterpiece. this mangaka holds my heart in her palm and squeeze as she likes, she controls my feelings and mood completely. but maybe i let myself get into it too much... i like to get myself ingulfed like this.

you cant stay indifferent when reading this manga, i'm possitive its like that for everyone. sure, its depressing like hell, but there's this bitter-sweet feeling that sucks you in and never let go once it got a hold on you.

this story is about great love, and its been said several times that its not about gay love, but sheer love. its obsessive and possessive, brutal, miserable, painful.... its suicide love. i dont remember the last time i read a manga about love as big and absolute as this...

i read here and on other forums that people dont tend to like the artstyle. i beg the differ. the art is amazing, its unique. however you look at it- it is not plain, not normal. its one of the things that caught my eye, and i think its stunning and refreshing. for my oppinion the art is terrific.

this manga is depressing to the point of beauty. even though Koji keeps saying he's a dirty man, i think his love is as pure as Izumi's wings, there's a certain innocence to it...

if i had to pick a color for this manga it would be pink. white for pure love, red for blood
if i had to pick a number, it would be 10 ouf of 10.

totally worth it.

another thing... give the songs a try. the singer... his voice matches perfectly with Koji, the style of his singing is exactly the way they describe Koji's in the manga. cold and sad, almost desperate.
i recommed "Kizuna" especailly. you can feel the love in his voice, its amazing.

If Zetsuai was tragic, Bronze is just plain depressing. Depressing times ten I would say. It's a story about love and obsession, and jealousy, and death. Bronze is considerably more developed (it's 14 volumes while Zetsuai stopped at 5), and continues right off the end from Zetsuai. Koji and Izumi are struggling through various tragic difficulties of their relationship...

This series scares me. It scares me a LOT. Because everytime we see some peace and happiness between the couple, we just KNOW that a new tragic event will come and hit back at them tenfold. It makes you nervous, anxious to see what will happen next.

I really hope that GooC won't disband, and if they really do, someone will pick up this excellent project. For chapter 40 leaves you at the height of a hanging end; a time of peace is over, and more tragedy is to come...

Despite all these depressing events, I really really hope with all my heart that this story might, just might, come to a peaceful, happy end...

... Last updated on June 2nd, 2009, 12:46pm

Kouji Nanjou, from birth, was brought into a family where all of the men seem to suffer infidelity & mental problems. Even as a child he was a shell of a human being with no ambitions or desires, but was a prodigy who excelled at everything. He hit puberty very early & never felt anything for any of the women he bedded. One day he saw child only a little older than himself playing soccer & felt desire for the first time in his life. He obsessed over the memory of the child who's eyes were so full of the life & passion he lacked, & so he became a singer in hopes his words would reach that person's ears.

Once Kouji found the person he longed for, he discovered that it was a boy. He had never been attracted to other men before, nor had he ever felt emotions towards a woman. To this man, he felt everything & learned that a person's sex was not what determined love & desire. He clung obstinately to this man like a barnacle, unintentionally bringing humiliation & suffering to him & in a chain reaction, to those around him, just as he unintentionally had to his own brothers.

Izumi became Kouji's only goal in life, his wish, the only thing he wanted or cared about, the reason he grew his hair, the reason he sang, the reason he would physically harm himself, his own family, & others. Unfortunately for him, Izumi had a traumatic childhood & felt deep betrayal from his parents, & would become the sort of person who feared that if he had love in his life, that it would be taken away from him again, so when success was in his grasp, he would step back & run away. As a result, he neither dated nor pushed his ambitions to play professional soccer.

The two would come to live together as roommates, & Izumi would very slowly come to reciprocate Kouji's feelings, even though both his fear of obtaining & losing love & sabotage from both friends & enemies would continuously push the reset button on Izumi's acceptance of Kouji every time their relationship was starting to come together.

As things continue to progress, Izumi acknowledges that Kouji is the reason he could finally realize his own love & ambition for soccer & would become as famous as the man who chased him. There is a power shift in their relationship where Kouji only desires to please & not piss off Izumi, & Izumi uses a balance of promises & threats to emotionally manipulate Kouji.

But like all the men in his family, especially Akihito, Kouji has a mental sickness that worsens over time & he struggles & argues with himself, he sabotages himself, sets himself up for failure. When things are going good, he will do something stupid to set it all back.

In violeume 15, Koiji & Takuto have a happy ending (at least I think they do...Takuto said he loved Kouji, but will he ever play soccer again?).The first chapter of volume 15 is literally a remake of the "Ai ni Obore, Ai ni Shisu Hentai" ending with more story elements added & pretty much all of the sex cut out (I guess Margaret wasn't the best choice of publisher for a yaoi series).The 2ed chapter seems like it was going to continue the main story but was aborted afterwards, so a translator could easily skip this chapter because it doesn't contribute to a decent ending, since a character who should be dead & is not seen is claiming to have done things offscreen that are not shown. (like how the Under the Dome TV series has a decent ending if you skip the last season). & the other 75% of the manga is kinda like a continuation of Kaen Enjou/Danshou where it focuses on the past of the Nanjou father & uncle in their youths.

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Art: Despite very slight & gradual art evolution over time, it's managed to maintain a late 80s/early 90s style with some strong Bauhaus layouts (& potentially Patrick Nagel inspired aesthetics) in the frames & background. Her unique style has been a favorite of mine for over 15 years. It wasn't until I discovered Old Xian tha tI realized tha tno other manga artist has truly clicked with me quite the way Minami Ozaki has. Even when the art looks like an unfinished rough sketch, it's still amazing. My only complaint is how poor the grayscale is on the chapter art, which were converted from full-color images.

Influence: This is an old classic. People could say it was cliche without realizing it was a trendsetter. When I read psychological BL mangas, manhuas, & manhwas like Warehouse, Hago Ha Gyeong-Su, You're My Love Prize in Viewfinder, Koisuru Boukun, & Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru, I have to wonder if their creators didn't grow up on Zetsuai & Kaze to Ki no Uta.

Nostalgia: One of, if not THE first BL series I ever watched (the OVA), one of my first Japanese music albums, one of my first scanlation readings (indeed, one of the oldest scanlated series on the net).

Story & characters: Unlike the vast majority of BL comics, this has a serious story, deep character development, & bothers giving background characters their own story arcs. These characters also occur multiple permanent bodily injuries; something I would expect from Seinen manga.

Criticisms: The art is very stylized; the massive oversized hands & shoulders won;t be everyone's cup of tea. She never did get any good at drawing feet. In volume 15, Takuto's tan is gone...I guess it's reasonable since he hasn't played soccer in some time, but Koujis muscles have completely wasted away somehow & he actually looks his age & is not all that much larger than Takuto. Chapter 2's ending of volume 5, while I cannot read it, seems to be a point of contention for Japanese readers who called it a "non-ending" in their reviews.

... Last updated on August 23rd, 2017, 2:01pm

I'v pretty much poured my heart out in the review I gave for Bronze's prequel, ZETSUAI. Bronze is more dramatic and engaging. The antagonist in this manga is love itself and the way the two leads see it. It's drama at it's best. The great thing about Bronze is that Izumi responds to Kouji's feelings!! The way things were going in Zetsuai, I thought their relationship was doomed. Kouji was forgiven by Izumi and yet the latter had nightmares of what Kouji did to him. Kouji is being killed by the guilt but is not ready to let go of Izumi. This causes even more turmoil in their relationship. At times you just feel like packing them off in a spaceship and sending them to a distant planet where they can live their life only for each other. For Kouji, Izumi is like oxygen,air...sort of like he imprinted on Izumi. The plot, intense characters and complex play of emotions are what makes this manga SUPER EPIC. RECOMMENDED.

one of the more tragic shounen- ai's. Bronze is about love, madness and obssession. whats not to love about it?

I thought Zetsuai was sad, but Bronze seems to be ten times more tragic. It makes you wonder about the fine line between obsession and love. The two main characters Koji and Izumi, are extremely twisted in their own way. Koji's obssession and love for Izumi is borderline on madness, and as the story goes on you can see it deepen, to the point where he does extremely twisted things. Izumi, on the other hand, is reluctant to accept such a love because of his tragic past, but sometimes even uses Koji's obssession with him to his advantage. Still, I can't help but love them both! It's rare to find characters in manga this deep and complex, and while the art is very old, the story does more than enough to make up for it. I REALLY wan't to see the ending.

So, all in all, read it! it's well worth the time...

... Last updated on January 26th, 2008, 11:54pm

Bronze is sooo cool! >< I love it! In this series,Izumi finally accepted Kouji's love.

This has got to be one of the best manga I have ever read. I swear without exaggeration I was crying buckets. The whole story was absolutely amazing. The bitter-sweet feeling while reading, and the hatred felt towards the antagonist is quite remarkable. I must say this is the best example of Heart-Throbbing Love, which I love.

Well.. this is one of THE MOST DEPRESSING MANGA. everytime you find a happiness, be careful, because the angst moment will come to you, worst than before! Koji is veery very insane! he's too obsessive over Izumi. but that's the point that appeal to me. he could kill others, even his own brothers if they are hurt Izumi, or intended to take Izumi away from him. not only that, he could hurt himself if it could protect Izumi!!

It said it's tragedy. well.. yep for the angst, but not for the character death. they are both alive..my assumption I mean. I read the last volume, the one that released on 2011. I asked my friend to translate it to me. a lil bit confusing, yet twisting, yet...weird and makes me scream "what the hell!!!"

WARNING!! THIS IS A LIL BIT OF THE SUMMARY FOR THE LAST VOLUME THAT RELEASED ON 2011

See?? Sensei lOVES TO TEASED US!! I believe they are safe.... because Izumi will not give up to soccer and Koji, and Koji will do anything to make it happen. then.. let it be a cliffhanger :/

but..since the story is AMAZING and there're no boring parts on each volume, I'll give 10. to anyone who bored with lovey dovey story and wanna read angst, I recommend you to read it. warning! angst in EVERY CHAPTER. but believe it or not, there're some humors too

The same as with Zetsuai, I give it 8 only because of stunning art and strange intense relationship between 2 main characters. Though I really do think... it would be better if it was shorter. I was truly hooked only by volumes 8 and 9.

the 1st yaoi series i found where it was not focusing on sex between two guys. it was well written. we can see the development of the story and the characters. sad and tragic that it will make you depressed every time i read it but somewhat it make me addicted to it. all of my friends including me of course predicted that it will end in a very tragic way but there is a little hope in my heart where i want it to end with the both of them(koji and izumi) find their happiness. somehow i can understand what izumi feels but at the same time i pity koji so much. and yeah, i did cried when i read this manga while eating my choc(just imagine how depressing this manga is)