Manga Hands Off [by Kasane Katsumoto]

[Dagger]

I recently picked up the first volume of this rather low-profile Tokyopop title, which was apparently released on October 1. As I bought it on a whim, I was startled to discover that Hands Off is easily among the best shounen-ai titles currently on the market. It plays out like a cross between Eerie Queerie and CLAMP's Legal Drug; in fact, two of the main characters look and act very much like the main characters of Legal Drug.

Kotarou, the protagonist, has the ability to amplify other people's psychic powers simply by touching them. He is completely unaware of this, which leads to some priceless comedic moments with the other male leads, both of whom are supernaturally gifted. His best friend Yuuto, a shameless womanizer who can read auras, uses his talent to win over even the most cold-hearted girls. His standoffish cousin Tatsuki has (frequently horrifying) visions of the past. For those of you who are familiar with Legal Drug, Tatsuki is analogous to Rikuou, and Kotarou is like a younger, less delicate Kudo.

However, Hands Off is also pretty original. Although its humor and premise are both vaguely reminiscient of Eerie Queerie (Tatsuki and Yuuto are just as protective of Kotarou as Hasunuma and Ichi are of Mitsuo), it's a lot darker, more serious and more subtle. Until I carefully read through the entire volume, I wasn't sure whether or not Hands Off could really be categorized as shounen-ai; it does a great job of portraying extremely complicated quasi-romantic relationships without offering anything in the way of gratuitous s-ai fanservice.

The artwork is clean, attractive and very consistent, without any of the impossibly feminine bishounen one often finds in shounen-ai manga. Kotarou looks cute and a bit girly, but that's more due to his age than anything else. Most of the character designs (as well as Kotarou's pose on the cover) reminded me of something one might see in a shounen action anime.

I'll definitely be sticking with Hands Off. It's much, much better than Eerie Queerie and provides everything from action to well-done (read: not annoying) angst. Has anyone else heard of or read it?

~Dagger~