Black Knight 1 by Kai Tsurugi

[April-san]

I'm very smitten with this book. I wasn't expecting it to be so good.

The artwork is sort-of in the You Higuri art style. However, with such a large cast, it is difficult to tell the background people apart without reading it over and over. Yet, the costumes are beautiful and the backgrounds are elegant.

"Zeke O'Brien may have his eyes on the title of Black Knight - the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a knight in the kingdom of Aran - but he's also after another prize: the young prince, Chris!"

Christopher, the youngest prince in the kingdom, is sent for millitary training and "Chris" is paired with the experienced Zeke. After two months of training side by side, the two become even closer after an assisination attempt on Chris. Soon after, Prince Christopher is called home after his father, the king, is poisioned. Zeke gladly agrees to accompany his Prince. The plot becomes complex when not one but two assisination attempts are made by two different groups.

The book is rated M and there are some very nice scenes. I love the character uncertainty, first of Chris in the unfamilar training grounds, then of Zeke, trying to adjust to the castle. The plot has already captured me and I can not wait for volume 2. Hurry BLU!

Any other thoughts?

[Venus]

I also wasn't expected the book to be that good. It certainly did exceed my expectations. I found both of the lead characters to be likeable and the plot to be well done. I know that I can't wait for the next volume.

[Manafairy]

I finally got to read this the other day and found it surprising in a lot of ways. First and foremost, the action scenes were strangely very well done and actually came off as exciting and intense- something some of the shounen I've read can't even do, so for a yaoi series that's especially amazing. The prince actually didn't come off as being girly or overly naive, and Zeke wasn't nearly as calm, cool, and collected as has come to be expected from seme characters. He's like all emotional and needy and afraid of losing Chris, which was kinda cool (Not to mention he had one of the greatest professing of love moments I've ever read in a romance story XD). The art's great, between it's bishounen that are still easily distinguishable as men and it's dynamic paneling and posing during battles, and I just really am looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

This is a great example of a story with generic and simple concept, yet great execution ^_^