By Sumitomo Morozumi
Published by NETCOMICS
Rating: 18+

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Merry Family Plan and was initially put off in the first few pages by the pace and extremely loose art. That was my first and only negative impression, however, as the rest of the book featured stories of the type that make me remember why boys’ love books can be genuinely good reads. While all the stories are romantic, they distinguish themselves by dealing with other issues, and are more reflective of reality than these books usually are. It reminded me of Future Lovers, which touches on some of the same issues.

The first three chapters are about the same couple, who meet in high school and are later still together in college. The first chapter is a little underwhelming, because while it is sweet, it’s just a more subtle take on the usual “character suddenly realizes that he is gay” device that is common in these books. Later, this couple deals with insecurities about the future, particularly since one of the men can imagine the other being far happier with the family that the two of them will never have. We also see both of these boys come out to their families, and while the results are not shown, again, that’s something that these types of stories don’t often touch on. I also enjoyed this story immensely for the way the two characters play off each other: one is extremely positive while the other is the one that dwells on worries about the future.

Another story deals with a college-aged couple unsure about how to proceed in their desire to “go all the way” in their sex life. Neither is completely sure they want it, and both are also at a loss about how to broach the subject to one another. There’s also a conflict about whether one sees the other as a female substitute. Once the uncertanties are worked out, they go slowly through all the necessary steps required with anal sex. I have never seen a more unromantic sex scene with all the practicalities spelled out like that, but I enjoyed it more as a result.

Another is about a teenage couple having trouble communicating with one another, and the comparison is made between their relationship and that of a close childhood friend. I liked the way the two grow closer as a result of examining the similarities and differences.

The two weakest stories in the volume are the two sillier stories, one about a boy with a severe mask fetish (as in those surgical masks that are more common in Japan) and one about a commercial pilot who finds himself possessed by the spirit of a boy who has a uniform fetish. The pilot story was the author’s first professional work, and it shows, but it’s still not a terrible story. Neither are bad, per se, but they aren’t quite as interesting as the more serious works.

As I said, the art is extremely loose and there is some disorientation at first since there’s not a good sense of place. I also had trouble telling the boys apart in one of the stories. The sketchiness is well suited to these personal-type stories, though, and once I got used to it, I had no problems whatsoever.

I’m always thrilled when these more substantial BL books happen across my path. While I like romance just fine, I also like to see stories that take a shot at being more realistic. This delivers admirably, and I was surprised to learn that it was the artist’s first book. Only the one story showed evidence of being less than seasoned, and I’ll be excited to see how her stories grow.

Merry Family Plan is available now on NETCOMICS.com. A print edition will be available in November 2009.

Review copy provided by the publisher.