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Samurai Champloo Doujinshi: image reviews and recommendations

(For those as ignorant of Japanese as I am; the story as told by the pictures)
===(Now featuring translations of several titles from my invaluable friends in the
champloo-doujin LJ group; credit given where due.)==

===23 titles reviewed as of July 2008.==




"Saimin presents 'enjoy the moon' "

24 pages, black and white with full color cover.
X-rated, full-frontal, explicit yaoi sex.


...ohh, man...apologies to those who prefer Saimin's all-ages material, but this is definitely the one some of us have been waiting for: an erotic fantasy adventure starring Mugen and the kitsune version of Jin who's already familiar to fans of Saimin's website. Mugen walks along the road one moonlit night munching from a box of dumplings, and the smell of food (and the occasional dropped dango) attracts a hungry fox, which follows him. Mugen apprehends the furry bandit, but it surprises him by turning into a handsome, fox-tailed young man in indigo blue...and, yes, with glasses. Kitsune-Jin's primary interest is still in the food, but that changes.. kitsune are notorious seducers, they tell me, with a vampiric streak to boot. I can't exactly follow the dynamics of the changing moods here, as Mugen and fox-Jin seem to trade the roles of aggressor and object several times, though some of the visual details make things clearer (Mugen shoves kitsune-Jin away when first embraced, looking appalled, then gradually fascinated--this is very much the classic reaction to a kitsune's advances; kitsune-Jin tries to keep his tail clamped down to protect himself from insistent Mugen, who finally pulls the tail aside and kneels on it). --Pages of gorgeously drawn and very explicit sex conclude with kitsune-Jin resuming his fox form and vanishing into the moonlit darkness, leaving a decidedly peeved and jilted-looking Mugen.

This won't be for everyone, but...as I said above...those inclined toward this sort of thing will love it to death. It is outrageously beautiful in classic Saimin style, the visual narrative style is dramatic and intense, and, oh, man, kitsune-Jin is simply to die for. *swoon*
--Three stars, but definitely not for all ages.

I got my copy on YahooJapan Auctions, but it might turn up elsewhere, or you could just enjoy her website: Saimin
(absolutely the most beautiful fan art of Jin you will see anywhere)



"Saimin presents 'AKA' "

15 pages, black and white with B/W cover.
R-rated, one panel of explicit detail (yaoi sex, bondage)



Yet another different theme from the versatile and imaginative Saimin: a formal bondage vignette with dominatrix-geisha-seme Jin and uke Mugen. In chains, yet. =) An anticipatory-looking Mugen arrives at a door; he's not pleased to find that what's waiting for him inside is Jin, in formal kimono and drop-dead-sexy high-heeled sandals. The room also contains a decorative round bed and wrist shackles attached to the wall with long chains. They sit on the bed, Jin smokes his long kiseru pipe, they apparently discuss what's about to happen. Then we see naked (right down to the hipbones, so presumably totally) Mugen in the shackles, looking not too displeased; Jin licks him, straddles him, produces a jar of lubricant, and apparently-- the detail is extremely delicate and sparse, but that one panel is pretty plain--rides him to satisfaction. Then kisses him with a hand across his throat, and sits back looking strange and severe. Did they do this to pay some sort of debt? Is Jin a prisoner, or indentured to a brothel? I can't say. Hot, but very odd and subtle stuff, with Saimin's trademark gorgeous art.

Same website info as above.






"Saimin presents 'UNTITLE' "

12 pages, black and white with B/W cover.
PG-rated.



The second-shortest of the Saimins is a strange, moody little thing, part flashback, part sex scene, with a thoughtful, troubled vibe. Jin contemplates the lack of peace in his life--"I want to kill. I want to be killed. That's why I said this to him..." --while Mugen chides him for being so distracted during sex. What he actually said to Mugen (we see in flashback) was “Yaritai”, roughly 'let's do it', which in different characters can either be read as a challenge to fight or an invitation to sex; Mugen chose the latter, and Jin goes with it while abstractedly wondering just what they're doing and why. "Anything that was left behind as I set out on this journey had never been my concern to begin with. I only have my swords, after all. And yet, why am I this anxious? It is as if. . . this weight (of Mugen, I believe) is the only thing that prevents me from flying apart.--That's it." Mugen coaxes him to relax, but Jin is still wondering "How did we get here? Why. . .?" in the fade-to-black. ---No explicit detail, but Saimin never tires of drawing Jin with his knees folded over Mugen's shoulders, which is why I put it here and not in All Ages...

[A thousand blessings on ryu_kk009 for the translation.]---Same website info as above.




"Saimin presents 'feat. Arles' "

8 pages, black and white in plain grey folded cover, issued in printed brown envelope.
X-rated.



This is now the shortest of the Saimins, at a mere eight intense and enigmatic pages. We're in somewhere hot and dusty-looking, Spain or Mexico; Mugen is a bullfighter (wearing tank top, jeans and boots but his sword still on his back), Fuu a local girl he quarrels with (in long dress and parasol) and Jin is a farmer-ranchworker type (long-sleeved white shirt, hat) who seemingly falls for him on sight. There's some kissing and quick, dramatic sex. Mugen can't forget about him, and eventually leaves the bed he's sharing with an anonymous girl to find him, only to walk in on him being taken from behind by another man. While Mugen stands there stunned, Jin suddenly reaches for his katana and runs the man through. Mugen, staring wildly, draws his sword...all we see at the ending is Fuu standing in a field of sunflowers....

(It's apparently set after the Spanish Civil War: Mugen is narrating the story of how he retired to a small house outside of the city, owned by Miss Arles (Fuu) who became his employer. He's confused and conflicted about his affair with Jin (he's good in bed =) which affected him more deeply than he wants to admit; he's gone for five days; when he returns and finds Jin with the other man "something was hit inside me" and he's about to slice up the interloper when Jin takes care of that detail. They bury the corpse, and a tree/flower grows out from it, and to this day (??) he sees Miss Arles gazing at it from time to time ==many thanks to bigbigtruck for that.)==
===Typical Saimin-style weirdness, bloody and erotic but still haunting and dreamlike. Reprinted in her 2006 volume "Kaleidoscope/Syndrome".



"Canary"

40 pages, black and white with full color cover.
R- to X-rated. Boysex; explicit detail in 1 of 2 stories



I really like this one =). The art team of Akatsuki and Cathexis has a delicate, emotionally sensitive style that makes for very expressive faces and eyes, and allows fine, subtle storytelling even with quite explicit storylines. In the first story, Jin pretends to be asleep while Mugen jacks off, but gives himself away by dropping one of his swords; there's an argument presumably about eavesdropping and the degree of Jin's interest, in which Jin defends himself but remains quietly curious. Jin recalls a brief encounter with an anonymous blond samurai; he's wistful and dissatisfied; alone afterward, clearly thinking about the earlier incident with Mugen, he takes matters into his own hands and is found by Mugen, who gets what's going on, and joins him for a happy resolution and the sweetest J/M kiss yet seen in doujinshi.

The whole tone of this one is admirable: totally without the elements of rape and violence seen in so much yaoi, it's gentle and affectionate, there's much smiling and an overall tenderness that's just charming and endearing. (There: I can't put my heart on my sleeve any more plainly than that. =)

The second story is a little odder and more intense; it's one long J/M sex scene, triggered when Mugen licks blood from Jin's cut finger. Looks like the same artist but a different inker, so the very light line is a little roughened (there are also several very explicit panels, which doesn't occur in the first story), but it's still way above the tone of much yaoi.

--As I said, I'm very fond of this one, and hope the creative team will do more Champloo stories.

Info:
Website: Cathexis.
Website: Akatsuki/Akatoki.



"Gonegejoudo" (or "Gongojoudo") (Seeking Rebirth in the Pure Land)
16 pages, black and white with elegant, textured, gold-and-violet covers.
X-rated.


OK, this has full-frontal explicit sex, but don't let that deter you; it's one of the strangest and sweetest things on the page. Yukimaru's ghost is following Jin, appearing first in the steam of a hot spring. Mugen is half-sure he sees it, and watches narrowly and suspiciously. The guys sit down to some sake, of which one cup as usual sends Jin to sleep. When Mugen tries to wake him, Ghost-Yuki apparently causes him (or maybe it's just the sake...) to see Mugen as Shino. He embraces and kisses the startled-but-pleased Mugen, who presses his advantage and is soon inside Jin (so much for Shino). Ghost-Yuki is momentarily taken aback, then sees his chance: he dematerializes into vapor near Mugen and Mugen inhales him (I'm 99% sure I have that right), allowing him to take possession of Mugen's body and make love to Jin himself. Jin is understandably stunned when Mugen actually takes on the appearance of his dead beloved, but this reaction soon turns into a simply priceless moment of tearful, joyful and erotic reunion (this one panel of them kissing in tears is almost more than I can type about). The moment over, the smiling ghost gives Jin a hug, draped around his neck as he probably did so many times; we see them as they looked when they were together--and then Jin is asleep alone. And we see Mugen lying outside, staring into the sky, seemingly pondering the strangeness of it all...

...this is something very special, and I am so glad it exists.

By NUMBERS (creators of the non-yaoi "Honno", see review on All Ages Doujinshi page), 2005-05-29. A must-have.



"Bojou Romantica"

12 pages, black and white with extra-cool gloss full-color covers.
X-rated (oral sex, noncon)


Moving this listing here from the "All Ages" section as it's been made clear to me that my review there is based on a severely edited advance copy. The version I have is only 12 pages long and is "all ages" safe, but the complete version contains explicit material (nudity, oral sex, use of force).

My honest apologies to anyone who was as misled by my ignorance as I was.

Web site: Jet Monster.





"When the night ends, a parting"

22 pages, black and white with B/W cardstock cover.
PG-13 to R-rated, I'd say: yaoi sex but no explicit details.



It's very interesting to me that (as expected) many fan artists/writers want to see Jin and Mugen together, but no one thinks they'd have an easy time getting there; there's definite recognition that their past lives are full of secrets and unknowns. This little A5 size zine shows a too-much-to-drink Mugen coming on a bit roughly to Jin, reminding him uneasily of an ugly-looking incident in his past. (Shown in a few quick panels: an apprehensive, younger-looking Jin, half-stripped and doubled over; a streak of blood on the wall; Jin standing with bloodied sword.) Pages of anguished expressions, bare skin (mostly Jin's) and sweat follow while they work through Jin's trauma to the expected conclusion. It's tense without being overtly violent-- the most threatening thing Mugen does is kick Jin's swords out of reach when he starts to panic. Jin seems both attracted and conflicted, and apparently wants to deny the whole thing on the last page, to Mugen's offense and Fuu's horror.

The art is simple, angular linework that gets the job done without fuss. It's sometimes working so hard to be discreet that it's not quite clear whose hands are where (and some poses are drawn a bit awkwardly) but one can get the idea. There's lots of kissing too, if that's something you like to look at. =)

An interesting little doujin for those who like some psychodrama with their yaoi. Two stars.

I got my copy on YahooJapan auctions (a great place for these). Contact info: AQUARIUM



"Sono me wo mite ikena"

20 pages, black and white with B/W cardstock cover.
PG-13 to R-rated, I'd say: yaoi sex but no explicit details.


More emotionally-conflicted, sexual rough-and-tumble from Aquarium. They've had a battle with some rough-looking guys, and now Mugen can't sleep, and goes to sit outside; Jin follows him; there's some conversation, a kiss, a scuffle, quick sex, confused feelings all around, and some concerned gentleness in the ending that finishes it off on a quiet note.

Not as tense as their first one above, artwork just as fine-line and spare, overall effective.

Contact info: AQUARIUM





"AWARE KAGOI--Tragische Ouverture" (Tragic Love of a Moth)

20 pages, black and white art with b/w cover.
X-rated (explicit yaoi sex, bondage)



Strange, haunting, compelling little doujin that's like nothing else on this page. Jin, tied up and blindfolded, battered black and blue, hair soaked and ragged, is being roughly used by Mugen--forced oral sex and other abuses. Yet there are negative (white-on-black, I mean) flashbacks to a gang assault on a heavily-bound Mugen, Mugen looks feverish and haunted, and Jin--though he appears to be the victim here--at a peak moment lays his hand on Mugen's and looks up at him with a smile that makes Mugen stare at him stunned. Though this looks far from consensual, it actually is. Mugen is dealing with bad memories and dreams of the gang rape that appears in his flashbacks; Jin, apologizing for being unable to pay off a cash debt to Mugen [maybe the gold ryu he used to visit Shino?], offers the use of himself in trade. But it's clear that the debt is only a pretext, and that Jin is more than willing to give himself, in a gesture combining submissive pleasure with true desire to help and heal Mugen. (When he smiles, he's telling Mugen that it'll be all right to tie the knots tighter next time, even if it leaves scars.) Mugen understands this--in his internal monologue he admits it doesn't make any real sense to take his anger out on Jin, yet he also sees Jin's real motives and is both baffled and moved by them. Kitamura-san's trademark deep and intense emotional writing, the dark, moody, excellent art and a suspenseful narrative style add up to make this a true doujin noir. Remarkable; takes the bondage adventure to a new level entirely. [A thousand blessings on ryu_kk009 for the translation.]

Credited to "[Tsubaci-Sou] Koume Kitamura (2005)".




"HAKUCHU DOUDOU--Just Between You and Me"

32 pages, black and white art with gloss color covers.
R- to X-rated, manual rape, rough yaoi sex.


Tsubaci-Sou returns with more excellent art and a darker look at J&M's relationship. Jin makes the not-very-wise decision to go to a bathhouse with Mugen; they're pretty much alone there, since it's midday; Mugen (thinking that he's been starved long enough) immediately sets about pursuing him, starting with pretended-innocent interest in an old scar. Jin tries to leave; Mugen grabs him, pins him to the wall and proceeds from forced kissing to against-the-wall manual sex. Jin resists and protests (even saying how rude of them it would be to "pollute" the bathwater) but Mugen just stays in demand mode until he gets what he wants. The art is simply gorgeous, intense and expressive with especially fine faces and eyes, especially in conveying Jin's progression from cool dismissal to shocked surprise to trapped and cornered panic. Credit to Kitamura-san for at least allowing Jin the dignity of staying in character. He doesn't put up a token resistance before swooning into Mugen's arms, as the fangirl temptation might be; he tries passive resistance--refusal, withdrawal, just leaving the room--and then simply bears the rest of Mugen's assault in anguished silence, without ever actually putting up a fight. Exactly in character for this often-strangely-submissive creature. And note the scarf he's wearing afterward to hide the bite marks. [Thanks again to ryu_kk009 for the translation.]



Credited to "[Tsubaci-Sou] Koume Kitamura (2005)".



"Hakka"

16 pages, black and white with plain paper covers.
PG to R-rated.



Two stories, of which one far outshines the other. The second story, "I'm your fire at your desire" by S [es]--Yenki Biral--is a simple J/M vignette in which they go to a festival, talk, kiss, have (very subtle) sex, and watch the fireworks together. It's not well drawn but it's quiet and sweet.

The first one, though, is WAY something else. "Chirinoruwo (I'll remember you)", by Tsubaci-sou: eight pages of J&M making intense, passionate love. I use "making love" and not "having sex" here intentionally, because this is the most emotionally affecting Tsubaci piece I've seen yet, suffused with an air of desperate love and need that is just breathtaking. The dialogue and Jin's inner monologue convey both the possessive and intimate intensity of their relationship and Jin's sense of its evanescence, how brief it must be, yet with an effect on him that will last always("These all make me think that even after our relationship disintegrates/ the colors may never fade within me.").-- The art is wonderful and the story is a stunner. No J/M fangirl or -boy should miss it. ==One million thanks to Ryu-kk009 for the translation.==

By Tsubaci-sou (see reviews of other Tsubaci work on this page) and S [es]. (--much fine Champloo fan art at both these links.)



"Velu re"
53 pages, black and white with gloss full-color covers.
PG to R-rated.


This sequel to "Hakka" (review above) is quite a package, containing not only connected work by both the featured artists but guest artists Akira Terashima and Saimin. (The Terashima piece is a two-page portrait of Jin and Mugen as tattooed and collared punks which is quite witty, and she may also be the artist--I can't tell, sorry--on a striking two-page spread of them in modern dress, embracing outside a rock club.)
The Biral story, "The Silent Escape", opens with a long shot of an elegant brothel; Mugen arrives, pays the fee, and is shown to a room in which Jin is kneeling on a futon, dressed in a gorgeous maple-leaf kimono with his kiseru pipe. Mugen goes to him; Jin looks emotionless and distant; there's low-key, non-explicit sex (only one detail panel) and a mysterious flashback showing the two of them in their more familiar clothing and Mugen holding a sword, bloodied up to his elbows. (So, is this happening in the future, or in an alternate reality, or--? Maybe we can get a translation...). It's tender and quiet, like much of Biral-san's work. [--though the characters she uses actually say "Biraru", I've used her own romaji spelling here.]

But the real gem of this collection is the utterly gorgeous Tsubaci-sou story, "Higan-sugimade (I'll remember too)", the sequel to "I'll remember you" in Hakka. Higan-sugimade means "Beyond the other shore", and ryu_kk009 explains that "We celebrate o-higan to commemorate the loved ones that passed away. In that sense, Higan refers to a certain period of the year saved for the dead. In a broader sense, Higan refers to the 'other shore' where we join the ancestors once we leave this world." ===In a parallel to the earlier story, Mugen's inner monologue runs behind and during the plot. It's a hot and humid night soon after their escape from Mukuro's pirates; the puff of Jin's pipe is keeping injured Mugen awake (isn't it remarkable how that has gotten attached to Jin's character in fan art, when he never used or even carried it in the series?)--he muses that living as they do, either one could die without ever having a chance to bid the other farewell. Mugen teases (flirting) that if it's too hot for Jin to sleep he could cool off by undressing; Jin chides him that he should take his injuries more seriously--"not that you'd ever listen to me--"--adding with a haunted gaze that Mugen did nearly die. Mugen puts an arm around him ("aw--don't look like that!"), they kiss, and progress into lovemaking with all the tenderness-plus-burning intensity we've come to expect from Tsubaci. In the background, Mugen recalls a legend Kohza told him, of a flower whose fragrance carried as far as ten li, and how on hot humid nights the fragrance of such a flower can be absorbed into the skin to stay forever. He sympathizes with her; he knows this fantasy of the flower was a wish she clung to in the hell of her real life; and he knows he has a wish as well, that the intangible and precious thing that exists between him and Jin could last like that fragrance, absorbed into their skin, and could carry even beyond the "other shore" of death.

--No one else in Champloo doujinshi is doing writing anywhere near this subtle and beautiful, and Kitamura-san is a treasure beyond price.
By
Tsubaci-sou (Koume Kitamura--see reviews of other work on this page) and S [es]. (--much fine Champloo fan art at both these links.)






"Tsukimachigumo"

28 pages, black and white with full-color cover.
R to X rated.



At last, this most elusive of the Tsubacis joins the collection. Two stories: the first, intense J&M sex with strange flashbacks; the second: Mugen gives Jin a sponge bath. Honestly. There's some quarrelling, but fundamentally, it's just five pages of Mugen thoughtfully washing Jin's back, simple and lovely as that. (Guess: Jin seems to be ill-tempered and miserable in the heat, and Mugen says here, let's do this. And Jin resists but gives in. ) And the art as always is whisper-fine, emotive and utterly beautiful.

By, as noted, the peerless "[Tsubaci-Sou] Koume Kitamura" Not dated.



"Sono Hosoude"

46 pages, black and white with gloss full-color cover.
R to X rated.



This is the kind of thing that makes me question the wisdom of reading doujinshi for the pictures, because I'm sure the story here is entirely eluding me, and I regret it. Begins with Mugen recollecting his past--the island, Kohza, his meeting with Fuu and Jin; then the trio are walking, there's a quarrel, Fuu breaks the two up as usual; and then there's an extended sequence of Jin/Mugen sex, in which Mugen is plainly unwilling, but never tries to leave (though it seems to take place over several days) and Jin is just as plainly in control but seems restrained and thoughtful, or is he? It's outside my understanding, but I really like it. Excellent art.

By Marita Yuzo/AM7:30 (Jet Jesso), who also did the non-yaoi "Beyond My Grasp"; see review on All Ages Doujinshi page.
--There is beautiful Champloo fan art at that link, don't miss it.



"Ankyo" (The Scarborough Fair)

56 pages, black and white with gloss full-color cover.
R to X rated.



Continuation of [S]es' previous SC work. I can't say much for the art, but there's something about it that'll stay with you--it has some very tender moments, and a haunting quality of stillness and silence. As the trio travels, Jin suddenly collapses; Mugen produces some hidden cash, they get an inn room, and it's discovered that a recent wound has become infected, leaving Jin feverish and ill. Mugen, saying it's his fault (he gave Jin the wound, perhaps?) takes it on himself to perform the most primal kind of medicine, sucking old blood and pus from the wound and cleaning it with sake. Mugen confesses his longing to heal Jin and even his love for him in a remarkable inner monologue, and there's an extended J/M sex vignette, with simple, stylized art and an odd, quiet intensity.
Dated 2005-08-12.

Website: [S]es [Yenki Biral/Enki Bilal/Biraru]




"mugen champloo"

16 pages, black and white with two-color cardstock cover.
XX-rated hardcore: not for anyone under 18 or anyone at all who's disturbed by sexual violence.



This one deeply troubles me, and if I'd known more about it I might not have bought it. An object lesson in the very wide range covered by the word "yaoi".

The plot is straightforward. Jin and Fuu are eating in a restaurant; through the door they see Mugen race by, without his sword, gripping something in his teeth, and pursued by a gang of yelling, armed men. Jin is understandably concerned and sets out in search. We see Mugen captured, surrounded, sitting on the floor with tied hands. One of the thugs draws a knife and cuts open Mugen's shirt, and for the next four pages he's subjected to the most horrifyingly detailed and graphic gang rape/sexual assault I've ever seen in fan art. (I don't shock all that easily, but this did it.) -- Jin arrives, piles up thug corpses in two fast bloody panels, gives stunned and battered Mugen back his jacket, kisses him, and carries him back to the restaurant--where Fuu and Momo have passed the time eating and both are comically bloated to Marshmallow Man size.

To be fair, I must say the art is very handsome, good character renderings (even Momo-san!), finely shaded, detailed and expressive. (There's more very fine art on the website, though no more SC stuff that I could find.)
I would love to see this artist draw something I could bear to look at.

One star, for the high-quality artwork.

Again, I got this one on YahooJapan auctions: contact info: Omega 2-D



"Sokotsumono Ten Matsuki: Mugen to Jin no Buraritabi"
(A Detailed Record of a Careless Person: Mugen and Jin's Casual Time)

36 pages, black and white with full-color cardstock cover.
Hard R to X rated, some explicit detail; several flavors of yaoi sex.



More J&M lemon & lime here. (--for those of you new to the fan terminology, "lemon" is explicit sex with all the details shown, and "lime" is sex strongly implied but no details.) I'm very fond of this one, even though the art is a little overly stylized: heads and hands are often in odd proportions to the rest of the figures, and the guys both look too old and too sophisticated and jaded--this is Jin & Mugen if they'd gone off and lived together in Ura-Edo for five years. But it's top-notch lemon all the same, a full-length sexual adventure with a playful vibe even as it's a stubborn contest between them. Nonviolent, overall mischievous and positive in tone, which is way too rare in these things. ==(Comment: The more doujinshi I see, the sadder I find it that doujin-ka hardly ever have Mugen and Jin sleep together out of love, or even honest and mutual desire. Sokotsumono, along with Canary and Gongojoudo, is a lovely rarity in this world of force and trauma, and I appreciate it more all the time.)== --Note for those who are interested: this is one of the few in which Mugen gets to play uke to Jin's seme. Yeah...there's a reason why just about every auction listing for this one features that panel of Mugen's tattooed ankles locked around Jin's back...so if you like that image, well, you know what to look for. =)

By Duo Brand (Akatsuki Haruka + Watanabe Nobuyoshi) & Senkentoshi, who I believe have more Champloo doujinshi available as well.

There's some nice Champloo art at their web page.


"Stand Break"

24 pages, black and white with full-color cover.
PG-13 to R-rated; yaoi sex but much more implied than shown (like, 2 panels of sexual detail).


Another M&J yaoi, but this one has an odd subtle vibe which is hard to share in words. A moonlit night; Mugen enters the barn where Jin is sleeping; makes a suggestion which he refuses at sword-edge. They talk, come to some sort of conclusion, and proceed, but there's something distant and sad in Jin's manner...

The art is extremely fine-line and delicate, and the overall effect is oddly haunting. Worth finding.

Credited to Dennounitronix and Ayaco Imai.
Web site: http://www.tiara.cc/dnnx/d





"Utsuro"
28 pages, black and white with gloss full-color covers.
X-rated.


More from the prolific Akatsuki and Akiba circle. I like this one in spite of myself; there's a brooding, longing quality to it that offsets the rather abrupt and sudden sex. (and I do realize it might not be so abrupt and sudden if I could read it...) Jin and Mugen meet in the woods; Jin's hand is bleeding; Mugen seems accusatory; when they meet again Jin's arm is bandaged and he's clearly in pain, but seems to be evading something Mugen has guessed about the injury. When Mugen finds him sitting slumped under a tree there's what looks like a quarrel, followed by the aforementioned sudden sex (standing, against a tree, explicit detail). The art is handsome, a little angular and stylized, very clean, and I love the way the characters' eyes are drawn, especially Jin's--crystal clear and with a wary, hunted quality that's hard to forget.


Website: Akiba "Akatsuki".





"Koushaku"

28 pages, black and white with full-color covers.
PG to R-rated, I guess; only one explicit panel.


More Akiba circle; more strange, tense cat-and-mouse between Jin and Mugen that ends with Mugen between Jin's knees. (...even though Jin is a year older and an inch taller than Mugen, so far it seems no one will let him be the seme except Saimin and Duo Brand. One wonders...)





"Yumeutsutsu"

28 pages, black and white with textured full-color covers.
PG-rated, actually.


More Akiba circle; and, yes, more still, stark, tense sex and silence between Jin and Mugen. Something went on between them that Jin won't talk about, but he's thinking about it.. Summary by : "One morning, when Mugen woke up, he was holding Jin in his arms. They were so drunk the night before and Mugen dimly remembers they did IT, but Jin says Mugen was just dreaming...."
...I'm not sure why I keep buying these. Must be the covers.







"Nishimuku Samurai"/"Easy Come Easy Go"

44 pages, black and white with gloss full-color covers.
PG to R-rated lime.


More from our friend Anoyoroshi (Rei Itidou), who also brought us the charming Jyuu. This one is a little heavier and darker, but still has Mugen in hot pursuit of Jin. There's some oral sex, some kissing, and a subtly hot sequence brought on by Jin and Mugen eating dumplings off the same skewer (little does Jin realize Mugen has poisoned three of them...). (Also a Jin/Yuki vignette; I'm glad to see this pairing starting to catch on with doujinshi artists.)
I'm always entertained by Anoyoroshi's big-eyed manga-art style and very glamorous version of Jin. =)





"(Samurai Champuloo)"

24 pages, black and white with textured B/W cover.
PG to R-rated lime.


OK, there's no explicit visual detail in this one, but the main story contains some of the hottest moments on this page. Goes to show you what an artist can do with subtlety, good direction, and high-quality storytelling skills. Potch does more with Mugen just untying Jin's hair than most of the others I've reviewed can accomplish with full-frontal exposure. Rough, passionate, high-intensity J&M lemon that you will keep going back to. Also in this one: a funny, short tale in which Fuu and Mugen realize they've both been daydreaming about Jin, and argue about it; a one-page "pin-up" of Jin, Mugen, and Mugen's sumo beetle =), and a sweet one-page vignette of Mugen dozing off against Jin's back while Jin is polishing his sword, and Jin not minding very much. A wide range of material in this one simple-looking little doujin. Well worth looking for.

(Wish I knew what its real title is; its credits are "presented by Potch at Show Saikawa, 2004.9". and inside "2004.9.26".)



"dogbite desire"

12 pages, black and white with B/W on buff cover.
PG-rated.



[title approximate via BabelFish]

Odd, funny little number with two stories: one a J/M sexual vignette with Jin playing seme to Mugen's uke (hooray! another one!), and using the hilt of Mugen's sword in, um, ahem, the manner for which its shape would suggest it's best suited (and that sounds a lot nastier and cruder than it is; it's very funny). In the other, J&M are both kitsune who find something unusual in the woods... There's also a one-page Mugen vignette which marks the only appearance, as far as I know, of the cast & crew of One Piece-- Sanji, Zoro and Luffy-- in any Champloo doujinshi; but relax, they aren't doing anything smutty (I suspect it's a pirate joke =).

By Toughgrip.



"Pushiganga"

24 pages, black and white with one-color cover.
PG-rated.



Quiet, dark little vignette. Jin has been roughly used by a cluster of faceless samurai (literally drawn with only shadows for faces, though their hairstyles show a wide age range), he's seen on the floor with a gag in his mouth, being handled by a number at once, and taken from behind. Now he seems quiet and withdrawn; Mugen approaches him familiarly, kisses him, looks surprised by his distance, then is openly startled at the sight of his bruises. Jin has an "it's nothing" look; Mugen grabs him, apparently demanding an answer; Jin brushes off his hand, seems to be in none-of-your-business mode. But Mugen takes his shoulders and leans his head on Jin's chest, seeming more distressed and baffled than anything else.--what makes this one different is Jin's icy self-possession and dismissal of Mugen's rather touching concern, a departure from so many of these in which Jin is an anguished but passive object of abuse; his attitude here unnervingly suggests intentional masochism instead.
Clean, simple art underlines the starkness of the storyline; an interesting piece.

By Murakumo; see also "B*Blue" below.



"Ameyoru no Tsuki (Rainy Night of Moon)"

78 pages, black and white with gloss full-color covers.
hard R to X-rated (several very explicit panels)



The longest Anoyoroshi production to date; explicit J/M sex but with a still, dreamlike vibe. One full moon night Jin and Mugen are together, and though the mood seems affectionate (hugging, holding hands, etc.) something's wrong; Jin needs to leave, Mugen objects, there's a rough moment and Jin departs. Fuu and Mugen discuss, clouds blow in and it starts to rain, and Mugen finally goes to look for him. Jin has come upon an abandoned dojo--I'm not sure it's actually intended to be the Mujuu, but it gives him a dark, bloody flashback, and we see a younger Jin, without his glasses, face calm and empty, holding a dripping sword. Present-day Jin wanders around the place, lies on the floor, gazes into nothing. When Mugen finds him he's standing in the pouring rain, heedless of it, possibly in tears or possibly just drenched; for a moment doesn't seem to recognize Mugen, who charges right in yelling at him, probably about the trouble he's caused and the rotten weather. Jin explains, his distress plain in his face; Mugen is taken aback, then steps close and embraces him, and they stand close, talking quietly for a few pages, finally getting Jin to smile. Several pages of limber and athletic J/M sex follow, during which one page is swiped exactly from Saimin's "enjoy the moon" and great visual attention is paid to Jin's nipples (though Mugen doesn't even seem to have any..) Finally morning comes, the rain ends and the guys return to Fuu, Mugen apparently cheerfully explaining all, to no one's distress. --Lots of sex here, but with such genuine affection that it never seems raunchy, despite Jin's pained expressions (maybe it's just supposed to indicate intensity..). And after Mugen has pursued Jin through so many of Rei-san's works it's kinda sweet to see his wish finally come true. =)--

By Anoyoroshi (Rei Itidou), 2005-03-21.



"B*Blue"
16 pages, black and white with gloss full-color covers.
X-rated, with several explicit panels.


This one's unusual for being set in the present and in modern dress. J&M are apparently roommates but not lovers, and Mugen would like to change that, despite getting a very solid rebuff (a hardcover book to the head!). Mugen lets Jin catch him jacking off, Jin tries to leave, Mugen grabs his arm, and things go as they usually go in these things. Nothing exceptional here, but the art is quite nice, and the modern setting gets it points for originality.

Done by Murakumo for Super Comic City 14, 2005-05-03.




"Sakuragicho Blues"
96 pages! --black and white with gloss two-color covers.
X-rated, with several explicit panels.


This huge doujin (it even beats Saimin's anthology "S-Log/Remix" for size) is the work of a collective dubbed "Team Sakuragicho Blues" for the occasion, including Marimari, Murakumo, Garasuya Honpo and "Shibayama Champloos"; we already have a good deal of their individual work on these two pages. . There are (I think) nine stories and a number of very nice one-page pinups, including Yatsuha (yum!) and one of M&J dressed up in full Lolita regalia that you just have to see to believe (no points for guessing which of them carries that look off best!). The stories range from completely innocent (Jin carries Fuu across a river on his back while she quietly blisses out =) to low-key hurt-comfort, to a wide range of intimate combinations, including Mugen and Shouryuu (who forces Mugen to kiss him at knifepoint) and Moronobu paying Mugen and Jin to pose for some hot ukiyo-e smut (Mugen delightedly shows Fuu the handful of gold ryu they were paid afterward, while Jin looks as if he'd like to hide under a rock for the next week).

The wildest thing here, though, has Jin back working at the kabayaki (eel) stand, with Mugen as his only customer. The carving knife is missing, so he does what Shino told him not to do, and slices an eel with his sword. Mugen points out, as Shino did, that that's bad luck; a vindictive eel (with an annoyed cartoon face) spits water at Jin, and suddenly we're in a totally bizarre erotic nightmare involving Jin, a writhing nest of eels ripping off his clothes, and not only the weirdest sexual assault but the first example of tentacle-rape porn in Champloo doujinshi to my knowledge (not counting Tsukiru's website). It really is a nightmare, in fact, from which he wakes in an aghast (well, mostly...) sweat, and you can't blame him.--Hands down, the damnedest thing in the stack to date.

Team Sakuragicho Blues.


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