Hinako Takanaga

Probably one of my favourite slice of life yaoi manga, and the mangaka is incredible when she steps into this kind of shortform writing (one of her other works, The Tyrant Falls in Love dragged a bit towards the end for me). I will say there is dubcon (or noncon depending on your definition) in this, but I've always dug that depending on how it's presented, and I feel that Hinako doesn't sacrifice the chemistry between the characters in the process (not to mention that it's much stronger on show more the story than it is in its focus on sex scenes overall). The attention to detail re: archery and the costumes was really something, and I found this one of her more visually beautiful manga. show less

The full-body, tremendously expressive drawings from volume 2 continue, and carry on the adult scene into volume 3 to great effect. Note that this is the only book of the Mori no Naka series that is actually rated age 18 , and as Takanaga writes in the afterword you can actually skip it in the continuity of the story if you aren't comfortable with the content. Some may not be, given that this is actually noncon...

However, if you do skip it, you'll miss a rare and interesting treatment of show more noncon which is rather unique for BL: Wolf clearly doesn't like it, and he protests Bear's declaration of love as a justification. That doesn't happen often in this genre (which is VERY fictional in that respect), and I personally applaud Takanaga for taking the route she did instead of having the uke merely submit to treatment which, in reality, nobody would take as a gesture of affection. In any case, like it or hate it the darker side of the story is clearly revealed in this book, and only gets on the way to being resolved in volume 4... show less

The art is lovely as always, and body language does an excellent job conveying the tension that ignites between the two main characters in this volume.

As Takanaga herself notes in the foreword and afterword here, from volume 2 onward this story takes a dramatic turn away from the warm and fuzzy vibe of the first book. A conversation between Bear and Wolf sets the stage for a rather spectacular misunderstanding, and most notably, we get the first half of a very adult scene which ends on a show more cliffhanger (fortunately resolved in volume 3.) The change of pace can be a little jarring for readers who aren't familiar with Takanaga's other work and/or didn't see it coming - though for anybody who was hoping things would get a little darker, this installment doesn't disappoint. show less

This book of the series is a bit more obviously drawn in pencil, and Takanaga mentions she did only the most basic amount of coloring for the sake of both style and time constraints. In my opinion it actually looks the best of the five Mori no Naka volumes I currently own, though; the pencil lines, while "soft," are nonetheless very clear and solid. It's a really nice look.

The storyline bends back in the direction of heartwarming for this volume (which was originally intended to be the final show more one, though two small "extra" books have since come out.) The rift between the two characters is, mostly, healed when Bear falls afoul of some human hunters and Wolf must come to his rescue; one gets the sense that the pair are on the road to recovery after this slightly-longer-than-normal doujinshi finishes up. It's a decently realistic and sweetly satisfying end for this little Tyrant side story. show less