By Momoko Tenzen
DMP, 146 pgs.
Rating: M 18+

Yaoi has a particular language, and as best I can tell, Suggestive Eyes is speaking that tongue. It’s no masterpiece, and there are moments of dialogue so syrupy, I almost want to stick a finger down my esophagus, but I realize these are beats those familiar with the genre would expect.

Suggestive Eyes revolves around two homoerotic relationships taking place within the same setting: Megumu, a college teaching assistant, is involved with an undergraduate named Hisashi; meanwhile, two professors in the same department, Shibata and Kikugawa, are also a couple. Being gay doesn’t appear to be an issue; I cannot recall any scene in which the professors’ close friendship is speculated upon by their students. Actually, under normal circumstances, I would expect more hubbub over the two younger men, since Hisashi is also Megumu’s student, which might represent a conflict of interest.

However, Suggestive Eyes seems to be more concerned with exploring that mysterious thing called romance, as filtered through a pair of semes and ukes. (Due to how each couple seemingly has to contain one of either category, despite writer/artist Momoko Tenzen’s attempt to fashion four distinct protagonists, it seems like only two at times, although it doesn’t help that everyone is rendered like androgynous teenagers.) But Tenzen manages to supply real depth by juxtaposing couples of different age groups: Megumu and Hisashi represent hot-blooded young paramours who recently got together, don’t understand each other, argue and have explosive sex in inappropriate locations. On the other hand, Shibata and Kikugawa hooked up long ago, and their relationship seems more stable and nurturing.

The two couples’ differences and similarities represent an aspect of Suggestive Eyes that elevates it from pure melodrama. Otherwise, the writing is thin: each chapter could be attributed a simple plot descriptor like, “How Megumu and Hisashi met,” or “Some stray dogs are found on campus,” but would more accurately be described on an emotional level. Frequently, what’s really important tends not to be, for example, finding owners for the stray dogs, but the answers to questions like, “Is there more to our coupling than just sex?” “Why is my respective partner behaving so strangely?” and “Is this love I’m feeling, or just his brooding intensity?”

Meanwhile, according to writer/artist Momoko Tenzen, the first chapter of the book was completed four-and-a-half years ago, and one can definitely detect an evolution in art style since then. The latter pages are less cluttered and better-paced, with wordless panels capturing the furtive moments of silence that can pass between two people still trying to figure out what/how they feel about the other. And the book as a whole lives up to the title; eyes are easily the most expressive parts of Tenzen’s characters’ anatomies, and as if to take advantage, later chapters seem to feature more head-shots and close-up panels.

As previously stated, yaoi tends to play by its own rules, which usually involve men with stereotypical male or female qualities as well as lots of sex scenes. I’ll admit that when I first started reviewing yaoi, I was uncomfortable with the rough, not-necessarily-consensual sex scenes that would appear regularly; however, it was explained to me that the genre works on the same level as Harlequin romances, with the heroine (or in this case, the uke) traditionally getting ravished. There’s certainly ravishment to be had in Suggestive Eyes, and for some readers, that’s exactly what they’ll be looking for. I give Tenzen credit, however, for including one chapter that’s high on emotion, but completely devoid of sex. Way to play by your own rules.

Suggestive Eyes is available now.