YAOI REVIEW: OROCHI NO KISHI BY ITOSHI/LEHANAN AIDA/ALDARIA

Orochi no Kishi
Author/Artist: Itoshi/Lehanan/Aldaria
Publisher: Yaoi Revolution
Pages: 323
Reviewed by: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:
Set in the American West in 2071, intolerable heat and violent weather trends have driven the population from the Southwestern states, leaving the people who cling to a fringe existence in this wilderness prey to gamblers and thieves. Chief among the lawless are roving clans of racers who travel as outlaws in this new Wild West. Funded by wealthy stakeholders, the racing clans set new rules of justice within the circle of the banners they fly. Mouse, a talented small town motorcycle mechanic, finds himself kidnapped by a gang of Japanese bikers led by a formidable clan boss, Sadao Koga. The two form an uneasy alliance in a country without borders under the shadow of the Orochi banner.

Review: 
The Hourglass is a manga that acted as a substantial teaser for yaoi fans who like the thought of being introduced to something more than just a yaoi manga. This is the first in a trilogy and Orochi no Kishi (The Serpent's banner) starts out with Mouse, a mechanic who is busy working on a car at his garage when his co-worker, Fred tells him he has customers. Mouse seems to have not lost his penchant for working half-naked (as he is in The Hourglass most of the time).

Mouse has a simple life working on cars, makes sure Fred is looked after as he's getting old and constantly refuses the advances of the local bar's barmaid for one reason only - he's interested in men. He's known Fred a long time and sees him as a father figure after his own father had died of illness. Fred had helped him look after his father and feels he owes him. Mouse's loyalty is put to the test, however when a biker gang turn up in search of him and his unique skills. Their leader, Sadao offers to pay him a lot more for his work than if he stayed at the garage, but he refuses and Sadao wonders what it is that is holding him back! When Mouse refuses his offer, Sadao has him kidnapped so he can see he's made a huge mistake.

Sadao sees Mouse's potential as their new mechanic. He could tell in an instant that someone was tampering with their bikes and as he worked at the garage, it is obvious he is talented, but getting his men to see could take time. Sadao runs the place and keeps the men in order, while he has his own boss, General Shiratori.Sadao's boss isn't around most of the time, but when he is he is ten times worse than Sadao is with his men. Lupe the Mexican tells Mouse all he needs to know how to deal with the men who work for him. As some are Japanese, he knows he will annoy them as he can't speak their language. If Mouse had any reservations about working for Sadao, he thinks he might end up like all the other mechanics before him - fired and sent away.

Itoshi provides readers with some excellent Japanese words intermingled with the English that will have readers rushing onto a search engine to translate them. Mouse is definitely the sort of character who has the potential to rub off on Sadao,even if his underlings respect him so much and would never call him by his first name - Mouse would, and get away with it! Mouse has been through a lot during his kidnap and fast induction into Sadao's world of racing and the intense competition that comes with it. Winning is everything - losing means your clan is next to nothing and this is where Sadao falls short and knows he needs someone like Mouse to make sure he can't lose. Mouse tries not to act weak in front of the others, but can't deny that he's scared around them as they could do anything to him. What he doesn't know is that they can't as long as Sadao's around. There are many clues about the story and how a stranger could have got into their tools and sabotaged their rides when Lupe assures Mouse the place is securely locked up from prying eyes - even his until they get to know him more.

Lehanan Aida's black and white drawings add a sense of time to the novel and as some are very erotic images of Mouse and Sadao in very sensual embraces, some look like finishes pieces, while others are detailed sketches that show the characters in the sort of settings that are believable. Rather than the Hourglass's wraparound cover, this one has a front and back cover with Sadao with his back to us, showing his serpent tattoo, his emblem while the back has Sadao and Mouse hugging and a description of the first novel, plus a list of the other two novels in the Orochi series. What is so surprising about this yaoi text novel is the quality of the book itself as it is a heavy edition that many fans of yaoi don't expect. It comes as a 15 X 21 cm format with 336 pages, a gloss color cover and 25+ black and white illustrations and 12 pages of a bonus comic preview. 

Verdict: Orochi no Kishi is the first in a series of three novels that concerns Mouse and Sadao's love for each other amidst almost impossible odds, and shines as one of the best yaoi around for its strong characters and even stronger story.