Meguru is a gorgeous androgynous Instagram model who loves looking cute for his girlfriend. Wako is his girlfriend and generally doesn't care about her own looks much. What she enjoys is looking at cute things. She works as an editor and used her photo editing skills to help launch Meguru's modeling career.

In this volume, Meguru wrestles with his desire to be open and honest about his girlfriend and how much he loves her, even though people in his industry are supposed to be single so that fans can imagine being with them.

How is this not a one-shot? I mean, Meguru and Wako are cute couple who clearly love and support each other, and it's all very nice but...I don't see how there's enough here for more than this one volume? And even this one volume barely had any substance to it.

I bought this because the cover art was pretty (I want whatever Meguru is drinking), and because the idea of a romantic manga starring an ordinary-looking girl and her gender nonconforming boyfriend appealed to me. It's made clear from the beginning that Meguru isn't gay or trans or into cross-dressing. He just likes looking nice for his girlfriend. It causes some awkward moments because people sometimes assume he's female when he's out with Wako, or, if they know he's a guy, they assume he's into other guys. His biggest worry is that it might bother Wako, but luckily for him Wako doesn't mind.

Readers get to meet Kira, Meguru's friend and another model, who's probably the most entertaining character in the whole volume. He's completely self-absorbed and doesn't even notice people unless they're beautiful or important to him in some way.

And that's pretty much it. There really wasn't much to this volume, and although I know that volume 2 will be coming out in September, I have no clue how the author is going to manage to expand upon this. The only question I had, throughout the volume, was how Meguru and Wako met and started dating, and that was answered near the end.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Kira, a model, proudly saying to an interviewer who initially mistook his friendship with Meguru for a romantic relationship:

"I have never dated anyone. My body and soul are pure."

Okay, so Kira is horrible and doesn't even bother to notice people who aren't beautiful or important to him in some way, but his self-absorption makes him the most amusing character in the volume.

Meh. This isn't bad, but it isn't good enough to justify buying the next volume. I might eventually try to get volume 2 via interlibrary loan, maybe.

I got this a while back because the cover was pretty and the premise sounded interesting. It's about an androgynous Instagram idol and his ordinary-looking editor girlfriend. So far, I'm not really sure this has much more going for it than its premise. I do think it's interesting that the author introduced the potential for jealousy but then deliberately opted not to follow through with it. Wako, the editor, made a big deal about needing to go to work ASAP for a meeting and then stopped to apply her makeup, something she normally wouldn't do. When Meguru asked her about it, she said wanted to make a good impression on the artist she's meeting, a guy who creates sexually explicit manga for women. Instead of fretting over this, Meguru's first reaction was to ask to do Wako's makeup, because he could do it faster and better.

Hoshi no Yakata by Maia Tori
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 STARS and more for the Orgasmic Awesomeness

This is one of those unforgettable ones for me. Imho, it's the best BDSM manga so far. The images are nosebleed inducive. Sexy like hell. Highly kinky too.

Though be warned that this is HARDCORE and might scare those who are faint-of-heart.

What we get to drool about in this manga:
★ ～ Sexy half clothed men in various leather get-ups. Imagine leather bar, body harnesses, whips, cat-O
★ ～ Chastity belt/implements
★ ～ Whipping/Flogging/Canning
★ ～ Candle wax torture
★ ～ Piercing (on page)- every sensitive spot imaginable or unimaginable.... OUCH
★ ～ Sex Slave Training
★ ～ Various Form of Restraints/Bondage (it was so imaginative - I love it!)
★ ～ Various Gags (not the funny kind)
★ ～ BDSM Dungeons
★ ～ Cages for humans
★ ～ Body Branding
★ ～ Shibari/Japanese Rope Bondage
★ ～ Coffin/Boxed-up/Confined in box/Storage
★ ～ Water Torture
★ ～ Sensory Deprivation
★ ～ Breath-play
★ ～ Various Sex Toys - Anal plugs, didoes etc

OH NOES! WHAT ELSE HAVE I FORGOTTEN??? The list is too long already. I could only say that it's all the above and many more that got my adrenaline pumping hard due to its intensity. Pervy me has read and reread it countless times already and planing for more sweet time with it still.



Here's a tamer-safe-enough-to-post-here picture on one of the Sensory Deprivation used on the slaves:

[Poor thing was left hanging in a room like tat for quite some time. They use a catheter on him too]
*Just in case the picture wouldn't show or you would love to see a bigger version of it, click here.

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Hoshi No Yakata
Alternate Title: 囚われ人の行き先 / Palace of Stars
Related Series: Hoshi no Yoru ni Furete (Prequel)
Author: TORI Maia
Artist/Illustrator: TORI Maia
Year: 1999
Type: Manga
Volume: 5 Volumes (Complete)
Genre: Adult, Drama, Psychological, Smut, Yaoi, BDSM
Categories: Androgynous Male Lead / Androgynous Protagonist / BDSM / Bondage / Brothel / Dark Ambience / Domination/Subordination / Male / Prostitute / Possessive Lover / Sadomasochism

Blurb:
Hoshi no Yakata centers around the employees of a suburban S&M club. The characters are beautiful, the storylines are charged with angst, and the artwork is very explicit.

The stories takes place at Hoshi no Yakata, a humongous Euro-style mansion, and Airenrou, another club located a few hours' drive from Hoshi no Yakata.

Name of the 5 volumes in the series:
1) Hizamazuite Kutsu ni Kiss wo (Kneel Down and Kiss my Boots)
2) Kedamono wa Ori no Naka (A Beast in the Cage)
3) Yokubou no Mitsuryousha (The Poacher of Desire)
4) Toraware Hito no Ikisaki (The Prisoner's Destination)
5) Doreitachi no Jouken (A Slave's Condition)

[*Note: The above info on the manga was sourced from Mangaupdates.com]



P/S: Please excuse this poor excuse of a review cos I have read it ages ago. No fear tho, I plan to reread it once again soonish.

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