I'm going to be upfront about it, I'm a big Kuroneko fangirl. Perhaps my favoritism colors my perspective, but I just want to defend Kuroneko against some of it's biggest criticisms; mainly that it's purely smut or porn without plot. What people are overlooking - and something this installment illustrates plainly - is that their relationship plays out in the sheets. The problems they have, the insecurities that plague them both is told through their physical intimacies. While I loved this installment for it's drama, it also marks a low point for the normally adoring Kagami. I loved how sweet and vulnerable Shingo is in this volume, but Kagami's prince-like cruelty is brought to the forefront when he doesn't know how to handle Shingo's insecurities. There's a sex scene in the middle chapter, I believe, that continues to illustrate their fracturing attitudes towards their relationship. It's a sensual scene fraught with humiliation, hurt, and anger.

Instead of dueling it out in arguments and dialogue, their narrative is told through sex. And erotic sex it is. I know people tend to think sex is just sex, porn is just porn, but there's an art to it as well (at least in yaoi there is, IMO). Aya Sakyou knows how to create highly erotic and sensual sex scenes. She's creative and she knows how to draw out a sex scene instead of making it your standard thrust and cum. She's as much a queen in this setting as is Ayano Yamane.

I don't think anyone needs my recommendation to read her work. If you've come this far, you're likely to proceed. Five volumes later and I'm still an avid reader as I was in the beginning. Even if the sex can be something of an overload sometimes, the heart of this manga is still a simple story about a prince-like actor who loves his precious black cat.

I'm reading this purely as a smutty yaoi, therefore the story really isn't something I care too much about. If I were to focus on story though, it's mediocre at best. This is pretty much porn with decent plot. I like the art style of this mangaka and it makes me squeal a bit every time I see them transform into animals because of how cute they look. The characters have little to no development...Even the main characters. The "love" is generic and rather nonsensical. As a casual read, it does well. If you're looking for anything deeper than an erotica, then look elsewhere.

... Last updated on June 30th, 2014, 11:50pm

Hmm, what can I say about this one.. It's obviously very graphic and full of smut for the enjoyment of fangirls just like its prequel all right, and for the most part I'm quite okay with what's presented. Though I'd be lying if I said this manga is either the best smut I've come across or is loaded with the kind of drama I had hoped for. I'm not sure why, but the whole thing just doesn't feel completely right for me, almost like there's a little bit of something lacking in both departments, or maybe that's only because I'm too skeptical and demanding..? Either way this is still quite a tolerable series and I could see its popularity soaring even more in the future (with all that smut that is provided), I guess I've just outgrown the usual hype and standard, is all.

This was pretty seductive in my opinion. I even had to go ahead and quickly search for the prequel, which I went ahead and bought (even though I'm still in the learning process of the Japanese language).