Title: 恋風 (Koi Kaze) Vol. 1"
Artist/Author: 吉田基己 (Motoi Yoshida)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 224pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly Evening KC 9/01-3/02
Rating: 4/4

Sometimes, even I need a break from all those boy/guy comics and get something with a real story rather than situational comedy. Koi Kaze fits that gap very well. Koi Kaze is going to be animated and is schedule to air next month, so I thought I'd get ahead and see if it's worth it or not. I've actually been interested in reading this book a few months ago when I saw it at Kinokuniya. There's no blurb on back, so I didn't know what it was. Plus, I had a backlog, so I couldn't really start a new manga unless there was some type of urgency (like having the anime show premiering).

I like the artwork in here, but what gets me is the story. It's actually written for a more mature audience despite the pretty pictures. It takes a hard look at how love is supposed to be between a brother (late 20s) and a sister (teen), even though they've never really seen each other before. While the girl treats him as a brother, he has conflicting views of her, especially since he's been sexually deprived from having been dumped a few months ago.

There are no bonuses in the comic.

1. 春、ふる (Spring, Wavering): 七夏 (Nanoka) has come to her dad's house waiting for her brother 耕四郎 (Koshiro). However, he doesn't come so Nanoka heads back to her mom's house. Meanwhile, Koshiro still can't get over being dumped. He sees Nanoka drop something and returns it to her. They have a freeze frame moment. The next day, he sees her again and invites her to the amusement park. Atop the ferris wheel, he breaks down in front of her from all the emotions he's been keeping. After they leave, their dad seems them and formally introduces them as brother and sister.

2. 目覚めの悪い朝 (The Terrible Morning When I Open My Eyes): Having made an ass of himself in front of his little sister, he runs away to his mom's house. He has a dinner and talks with his mom about why they've been separated and now suddenly reunited. It's because she's now in high school and the dad's house is closer. He comes home, finally, but still feels like an ass.

3. お兄ちゃん禁止 (Brother, Stop): Koshiro is still quite annoyed, so he doesn't treat Nanoka with much respect. After tolerating with it for a bit, she gives up and decides not to be so nice. Afterschool, she stays late out with her friends rather than coming home. However, it's dark and even though she's reluctant to call home for an escort, she does and Koshiro comes with his bike.

4. 「毎晩一緒に寝ようね」 ("Let's Sleep Together Every Night, Okay?"): Koshiro is still very disturbed by the fact that he had lusted over his little sister. He apparently has a black teddy bear that he has treasured since childhood. He washes it and hangs it up to dry, and Nanoka sees it hanging. He gives it to her, and in return, she returns to her mom's house and gets her white teddy and they do a bear exchange. Koshiro doesn't really like to play along, but Nanoka treasures the gift and sleeps with it.

5. 月が満ちるまで (Until It's a Full Moon): At school, Nanoka is exposed to romance and sees a couple kissing for the first time. That night, she takes a walk with Koshiro and explains her desire to see what kissing is like. The next morning, she leaves a note for Koshiro to do some shopping. He postpones it until late and when he heads out, he sees it's raining. He brings some umbrellas and meets up with Nanoka and they both walk home. Nanoka tells him that she's in no hurry for love (meaning, she's already got a nice brother).

6. 思春期 (Puberty): After work, he meets his ex, who spots him with his little sister. Nanoka goes home first and Koshiro and the ex go out for a drink where they talk about his new little sister and their relationship. He comes home, more frustrated than ever. He finds one of Nanoka's bras and uses that as sensual stimulation as he masturbates. Afterwards, he is terribly ashamed that he ever did such a thing.

7. 夏の午後はうたたね (The Summer Afternoons are for Naps): He explodes the next day after Nanoka emptied out the trash in his room. The bra was in there and he could have been caught red-handed. But later, he tries making it up to her, even though she doesn't know what's going on.

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