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[Read all▲▼] Kizuna - Bonds of Love (manga) [Rating▲▼] Excellent [Comment▲▼] 
I'm not very well read in yaoi manga. My initial impressions (before actually reading any of it hehe) of the genre were not so good; I mostly thought that it was shallow gay romance. Kizuna is pretty good though. Combining one part yakuza story, one part sports manga, and two parts romance, Kizuna manages to rise above my low expectations of the genre to tell a good story. The characters were interesting and nuanced, and I actually cared what happened to them. Unfortunately, this manga was never finished in the US. I've only read up to volume 5, and volumes 6 and 7 are astronomically priced on the used market. It's not likely that I'll ever get to read the rest of the story and that's a shame, as this is one title that deserved to be rereleased. It's been several years since I first picked up Kizuna and wrote the above. After all this time, the characters and story have remained with me. The cast is memorable and they and their relationships are well developed. Instead of following a formula with generic characters who fall in love, then bed, the end, all in a single book, Kazuma Kodaka has created an actual story about these people that feels real and genuine. If I have to criticize, I'd say the series biggest issue is the choppy narrative, especially in the beginning volumes. The timeline jumps all over the place from chapter to chapter before finally settling in. The series has other flaws as well, like using a couple of hoary old romance cliches here and there, and perhaps the dated art style (which I love). Despite not being perfect, I feel lucky in having picked this series as my introduction to BL, because it's one of the best.
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