Review: Ai No Kusabi (Anime)
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Synopsis:
Ai No Kusabi is a science fiction story that takes place on the planet of Amoi which contains about 95% males; females are considered a rare commodity. The planet is ruled by a being of artificial intelligence known as Jupiter, and there is also an unique caste system in place in which the "Blondies" blond haired, emotionless, beings are the rulers. On the bottom of the caste system is the "Mongrels," dark haired and usually poor and resort to criminal activity to survive. There is of course another layer to this cultural dynamic the presence of "pets" and "furniture." Pets are people kept by the Blondies to indulge in their voyeurism but Blondies are forbidden to engage in sexual intercourse, so they are usually kept only for a short period of time and then discarded and many begin working in whore houses to survive. Those designated as "Furniture" are castrated and work for the Blondies usually dealing with their pets or anything else they wish. This story tells of a mongrel named Riki who becomes the pet of Iason, a Blondie, after Iason saves his life and he has no other way to repay him. Mongrels are not usually made pets because they are looked down on so much but Iason keeps Riki as his pet for three years before letting him have one year of freedom. After the year is up, Riki is forced to return to Iason. Guy, a former pairing partner of Riki's hatches a plan to rescue him. During this time, Riki has noticed that Iason engages in sexual intercourse with him even though Blondies are forbidden to do so, He is given special privileges and allowed to work for Katze while being Iason's pet, He has also been kept for far longer than any other pet has ever been kept by a Blondie. He has begun to fall in love with Iason, as Iason has fallen in love with him. When Riki is kidnapped there is a final confrontation between Iason and Guy. Guy has setup a trap and in the end Riki, Iason, and Guy are all left trying to escape. Iason risks his life to allow Riki and Guy to escape, but is forced to remain due to his injuries. Riki gets Guy to safety and then returns to Iason and they each smoke a Black Moon ciggarette (Poisoned) and die there together. |
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Review:
The story of Ai No Kusabi is a strange one because it combines so many different genres in a unique way. It is a yaoi story simply because it deals with a sexual and romantic relationship between two male characters, but because it takes place on a planet in which very few females exist it almost seems less shocking since it is simply how their society has developed. It is science fiction because it takes place on a far different planet that is ruled over by a highly developed computer, known as Jupiter. And, last but bot least, it is a love story. Scoff if you will but there can be no more romantic gesture and staple of drama than two lovers who cannot bear to be apart to the point at which they would die together (See: Romeo & Juliet) and this story is a prime example. The Blondie Iason is emotionless and almost android-like until he is confronted with Riki's passion and spirit. Suddenly he catches himself doing things for Riki that he knows he is not supposed to do and feeling things for him that he knows he is not supposed to feel and he cannot stop himself. He grants Riki his year of freedom and masterminds a way to gaurantee that Riki returns to him because he cannot be parted from him. Okay, so maybe that behavior is obsessive but we are talking about Romantic Drama here and not Realist Fiction. Overall, the main complaint of the anime OVA is that is does not go into the back story of the planet's customs and also does not reveal in detail what happens during Riki's three years as a pet. However, the novels that are now being released in the US cover all of this information. The story is one that is interesting and throughout the story you are not sure if you really want Riki to fall in love with Iason or not but as events progress it impresses on the audience the struggle of lovers trying to be together when it seems everyone in the world is against it, and surprisingly not for the simple reason that you are of the same sex but simply because you have different color hair. Ai No Kusabi is an anime that will appeal to sci-fi and yaoi and want to see those two genres combined. Also for fans of over the top Romantic Drama (Such As: Romeo & Juliet) |