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The kid obviously is in need of some kind of help, getting himself hurt like that and saying such things. The kid who introduces himself as Riya Narukawa and claims to be homeless certainly seems a right piece work. Mangaka Tooko Miyagi brings us this unconventional love story, and with all the drama going on, it could have so easily been a farce. With his absent parents refusing to accept that he is anything but the prodigy they trained him to be, and the school pressuring him towards the music regardless, it is obvious the boy needs a person he can rely on and a place he can feel safe, regardless of which Riya he is at that moment. Then there is his attitude; far from being meekly grateful for the assistance and providing an explanation, his is more than a little arrogant. At 183 pages, one should not expect such a complex storyline to come to any satisfying conclusion, and this doesn't.
Denial, anger, well meaning interference, and lack of empathy are all common reactions people experience when others are confronted with mental illness, and they are excellently nuanced here. It becomes blindingly obvious that Riya is indeed in need of help, his personality having fractured into two distinct personalities: one arrogant and dismissive of music, the other meek, polite, and a musical prodigy. I don't know her educational background, but having studied psychology at university and knowing several persons with mental illnesses, I can tell she really did her homework on this. The weirdness definitely ratchets up a notch when the kid claims his dead twin has entered his body and is the one playing the violin, giving Atsushi pause. Firstly, the wound to the hand looks bad, so he cleans and bandages it. This is just as well; a plot this complex needs time to be developed and the characters fully explored, and we certainly get to do that. There he witnesses an altercation between Riya and a teacher at the school. Not only is the ill Riya sensitively portrayed, but the reactions of others to his his situation ring quite true.
Il Gatto Sul (The Cat in G) is a dark tale of mental and physical abuse, love, hate, and fear, all rolled into one. Atsushi has had a habit of picking up stray cats and taking them home ever since he was a small boy. Firstly, he says the violin belongs to his dead twin brother. The one Atsushi calls Light Riya however is fully aware of the other Riya, but not of the events that occur during them except as random bits of dreamlike images.
But walk down that road Atsushi will, if only the two Riyas will let him. When the boy finally leaves, leaving the violin behind, Atsushi is at a bit of a loss at what to do. His arrogant defiance reminding Atsushi more and more of a stray cat spitting in fear, Atsushi decides he can't leave the matter alone. And speaking of the prose, I am going to hand kudos over to the translator here.
Discovering that Riya is indeed a violin prodigy and always has been an only child, Atsushi is further astounded by the boy suddenly turning about face, with a complete change of personality and not knowing where he is. But when the boy begins to speak to him, Atsushi realises that there is something a bit more off about him. It's not like the boy is really a cat. Atsushi has collected himself another stray, and it is to prove to be a lot more troublesome than the cats he usually picks up. With the mood swings, personality changes, self doubt, loathing, and distrust of others that Riya's personalities exhibit, it is admittedly a hard road to walk down with him, especially when the adults responsible for him refuse to acknowledge his illness and get him appropriate help. He finds that Riya is student at a nearby prestigious music academy,so he decides to go by to arrange the return of the violin and see how he is doing.
The staff member in charge of this project was definitely handed a difficult task, yet the language flows lyrically and emotively without any artificial stilting. But is it enough. The more pitiful the cat, the more he knew it needed it, so when he arrived home from university one days and found an unconscious boy with a bloodied hand and a violin case collapsed outside the door to his flat, there was nothing for it. Regardless of which part of Riya manifests, Atsushi knows they are hurting, and he wants to comfort them both. For Atsushi knows there is only ONE Riya, with two polar personalities within, and he cares deeply for both, for when Light Riya awakens, Dark Riya is caught awake within, and while dark Riya is in control, Light Riya slumbers. And why does he care so much anyway.
It makes for a far from light read, but a rewarding one. But will he be able to help Riya, and will the two Riyas accept his proffered hand. Then there is the way he eats, holding his chopsticks like a toddler learning them the first time, and flinging food everywhere. With carefully rendered drawings that capture the emotional turmoil married to well considered prose, the job of conveying the intricate interpersonal relationships and troubles of all the characters is well conveyed. Dark Riya damaged his hand to try to prevent the prodigy from being able to play, fearing that he would be snuffed out and believing the other Riya is ignorant of him. Unwittingly giving the key to his flat to the Light Riya, Atsushi sets in motion a chain of events that will forever alter the course of Riya and Atsushi's lives.
It does come to a suitable stopping place, however, with the rememainder of the tale spread out over a further two volumes. ***I would like to thank Digital Manga Publishing for providing me with a review copy****
This story is so sweet and beautiful. I loved it very much, and I can't wait to read the next volume.
This title is FANTASTIC. The plot is MUCH deeper than what fans expect from YAOI, and is both artistic and intriguing. The artwork is WAAAAAAY above what YAOI fans are used to, with not only beautiful boys, but whole frames that can truly be called art. You WILL NOT regret adding this title to your collection.
Riya will leave you wanting to adopt a teenage boy from your local pet shelter. Il Gatto Sul G is unique among yaoi titles in the fact that it demonstrates fantastic plot and artwork, as well as "lemon". The drawings are beautiful, and the characters are complex. It has a great balance of ideas, and a good emotional and intellectual depth for the genre. Darker than Same Cell Organism, but fluffier than Loveless, I think every mature reader will find a great read in Il Gatto Sul G.
Atsushi is compassionate, deeply attached to Riya and longing to be of help to him. So there you go. On the one hand, we learn the level of commitment and extreme psychological stress it takes to be a first class violinist - but we learn also that Riya's specialized education has left him unfit to support himself any other way. Considering the excellent potential of the story and the increasing seriousness of the subject matter, I rather wish this was not the case.
There was a tendency for the writing to be slightly stilted and clunky on occasion in Volume 1, but it flows much more smoothly here. And rarer to read a title in DMP's "yaoi" lineup where traditional storytelling values such as attention to plot, character, and setting aren't being sacrificed for contrivance and fan-service. In fact, it looks like we are in for a long, messy storyline. But it now becomes plain that the manga-ka is not interested in a quick fix. Well, Volume 2 is longer, better written, darker, more intense, and the art is even more ravishing.
His seemingly sympathetic cousin Saki shows up to push the plot along, drop tantalizing snippets of information, and behave enigmatically - turning this into a mystery in addition to everything else that is going on. The art is delicate and gorgeous, but deceptively so. The story also examines Riya's relationship with his family, including his mentally unstable father in America. The difficulties of Riya's position become even more apparent. But he is only a college student; flawed, fallible, and in WAY over his head.
But his self-justifications for the assault in Book One (the "you really wanted it" shtick) seem intended as a form of psychological abuse designed to undercut Riya's self-respect and ability to defend himself, rather than a position the author has any sympathy with. I assume that those reading this have read Volume 1 and want to know whether to continue. The effect is dramatic rather than "fluffy", and successfully conveys not only Riya's vulnerability, but also his rage, obstinacy, and artistic drive. Although fragile, he is no pitiable martyr, but a difficult and complex youth who "has his own pride".
It still comes across more formal than naturalistic, but that seems now more the style of the book than a problem. It is rare for me to read a manga so grounded in the real world, where real problems (such as how to earn a living) are actually important to the story. My view is that the characters have enough problems without being contrived into exploitative situations for my supposed enjoyment.
One worry I had with the first issue was that the situation was so complicated that I felt a happy-feely ending would be painfully contrived. So far, Miyagi does an impressive job of maintaining story integrity in face of genre requirements, but I fear the story may in time fail to justify its darker themes. Riya's "suitor" very much resembles what often passes for a yaoi "hero".
This volume contains some dramatic developments in Riya's relationship with Atsushi, with his creepy sempai, and with his Other Self. But it is still a "yaoi" title, and as such a certain amount of sexual content per volume seems to be considered obligatory. Still, I have tried over a dozen "DMP June" titles, "Yaoi" and otherwise, and this is EASILY the one most worth following.
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