Volume 1 had a lot of potential, both with a more realistic set-up, and more mature characters. So, I expected volume 2 to keep the freshness going. However, I was a bit disappointed.

The story takes the cliche path of a rival trying to break up the couple. Kitihara's old school mate wants him, but Kuze will protect his "sensei." That right there was my first problem. Kuze continues to call Kitahara "sensei" (which means "master," if I am not mistaken) and Kitahara refers to him as Kuze-kun (a formal address for younger characters). These two are lovers yet they remain so formal, even in the midst of making out? And Kuze is 29 with a career, surely he would have earned the "san" by now? Also, the angst from the rivalry seemed forced. The school chum's advances were obviously unwelcome to both Kitahara and Kuze, so the drama seemed misplaced. Kuze came across as a whining uke, instead of a determined lover. I would have preferred a story where their jobs caused the conflict rather than this same old tale. The side story of that same school mate and his besotted nephew (who also a "call boy") actually creeped me out a little - incest is just not erotic to me despite the age of the characters.

That said, this does have some very good points. The artwork was as high quality as volume 1. The characters are beautifully rendered, and the panels and dialog clear. The sex, though not as steamy as in volume 1, helped keep the story interesting. Overall, this is definitely better than other yaoi, but as a sequel it fell short. ( )