Manga Review: Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love, Volume 4, by Yaya Sakuragi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2013

Volumes: 4

Spoilers?: Vague for the ending.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

High school student Ao has been dreaming about his longtime neighbor Ryomei, a priest at the local Shinto shrine. A little freaked out--and a lot excited--at the prospect of having a relationship with Ryomei, Ao gathers up his courage, confesses his feelings...and gets turned down flat. Luckily, Ao's not the kind to give up easily. Thanks to some creative persistence (and Ryomei's weakening resolve), he finally gets a kiss. But one single kiss won't satisfy him for long! Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for mature audiences.

What Did I Love?:

• Surprisingly, my favorite characters were Shuji and Chii. I just found their interactions and relationship kind of adorable, and wanted more of them.
• I enjoyed the surprisingly openness of Ao, how unashamed he was of himself. There isn't enough of that, in books or in life.
• I did enjoy Ao and Ryo's relationship, as well.

Review:

This was a really sweet, nice ending to the series. I’m satisfied, and really glad that I picked it up.

Ao got his happy ending, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Him and Ryo are really cute, and had some really cute, sweet times together in this volume. Ao and his family’s situation settled nicely, as well. His Grandma frustrated me a little, with how she wouldn’t be honest with or really talk to Ao, but oh well. I rather like his brother, Aka, and find his crush on Hako really cute. I wouldn’t have minded seeing them interact, actually.

I’m still a little unsure of and confused about Shunpei, but apparently he’s from another series of Sakuragi’s, so I guess that explains it? I would have liked to see Shuji and Chii again, but that’s alright. I liked what I got to see of them.

I think I might have liked to get to know the other characters and their relationships better, but the focus in the series was Ao and Ryo, and I’m happy with how that turned out. This was a very cute, sweet story, with a few sad, heartbreaking moments. I’m glad I picked it up.

I’m looking forward to reading Sakuragi’s other title, Hide and Seek, and will be keeping my eye out for any other SuBLime/any other yaoi publisher’s titles.