don't be dull, be fannish

I've just finished reading the "Hands Off!" manga 1 and 2 and boy, do I love it or what? *sparkles*

First thing first though. "Hands Off!" is not a yaoi manga. It's not even shounen-ai. It depicts the story of three high school boys: the blond Kotarou with the girly face, the womanizer Yuuto and the morose Tatsuki. The manga is about their friendship and about the cases they solve thanks to their supernatural abilities. Yuuto can see people's aura, Tatsuki can see the past and Kotaru... well, his ability hasn't been revealed as of yet but it has something to do with his touch.

Thanks to the ESP aspect of this manga, a lot of people compare it to "Eerie Queerie" but it's NOT "EQ". Although this manga can be humorous too, it's not your bouncy, giggly "EQ" stuff. These boys solve real cases: murders, kidnapping etc. etc. They catch real baddies and they get hurt. A lot. Especially Tatsuki, but about that later. So, if you thought that "EQ" was a bit too fluffy but you liked the theme, then I think you will love "Hands Off!"

And now to the characters. You can say that they are rather stereotypical. Kotaru is the blond bishie boy who gets himself kidnapped and molested and goes through all the misery that befalls pretty boys in manga. But he is not your usual sweet material. No, he is as bad tempered as any other boy that has been mistaken for a girl one time too many. But his only desire is to find a girlfriend. And that's why his character always clashes with Yuuto's, who is rather laid back but considers "fidelity" a bad word. He loves to tease Kotaru and embarrass him through pretending that they are "special friends". But he likes the boy very much and is always ready to help him out, be it with thugs or girl-related problems. And then there is the third boy, the morose Tatsuki, Kotaro's cousin, who is withdrawn and mostly rude, though he risks his life to protect Kotaru. He likes Kotaro very much but it was Kotaro's touch that had awaken his special ability in him. And whenever Kotaro touches him, this ability grows more pronounced and that drives Tatsuki on the verge of madness. And that is the reason why he tries not to get close to his cousin and keeps driving a wedge between them.

Even though Kotaro is your standard uke boy, it's obvious that it's Tatsuki whom the author loves best. There isn't a story in which he wouldn't get hurt protecting Kotaro or wouldn't suffer silently. Only Yuuto knows what Tatsuki feels since he can see his aura which reflects his mood. And just as a side note - I love Tatsuki best too! XP

But it hadn't been just the characters that drew my attention to this manga. The cases they solve are mighty interesting too. The boys usually find themselves right in the middle of the whole thing without actually knowing how but they always get their man. Although for Tatsuki, it's rather complicated to explain how he knows things because he has never told anybody about his ability.

Oh, and the drawings are truly excellent too. It's not just the style of the manga, the cover looks fantastic too. When you touch it, it feels a bit like plastic and the picture is done in this glossy way, so there are two textures on the cover. Great! Yeah, details, I know XD

So, if you look for a manga with a fast plot, likable characters and you don't mind the fact that it's not yaoi, then this manga is something for you. I would give it 4,5 stars out of five and the fact that I've immediately ordered all the other available volumes should tell you something...