Ai no Kusabi

Ai no Kusabi really astounds me in many ways. This is a yaoi anime two-part OVA with harcore BxB or boy-love-boy content and is based on its manga format with the same title. The creator is Yoshihara Rieko and has a run time of about 120 minutes for both OVAs. Drama, romance, and science fiction are the three genres combined to create the story of Ai no Kusabi, and in my opinion, are portrayed creatively and uniquely in such a way that no other anime has challenged it. For those of you yaoi fans out there who are only comfortable with mild boy love content, then this is NOT the OVA package for you.

The story is based in a galactic city named Tanagura that is ruled by a supercomputer named Jupiter and focuses on a all male society run by Marxist ideals. It is clearly divided into two very strict factions: the elites are termed as “Blondies”, who are basically men with blonde hair and in admirable outfits. The mongrels are the men with dark or black hair who wear ordinary clothes and who live in the slums of the city. Basically the elites interact with the mongrels only when they spend their credits or money on “pets” or sexual objects, which the lower class men are subjected to. Although the elites have the power to have these pets for their sick entertainment, they are not allowed to keep them for too long, yet one of the Blondies named Iason Mink defiled this rule, the society, and Jupiter all together for his love and fondness for Rikki. Rikki is a normal mongrel who is chosen by Iason as a pet and has served him longer than he is supposed to. While Iason fights and struggles to keep Rikki to himself, the latter tries to sort out his emotions for him and for his former friend and lover, Guy.

A society divided by the upper and lower class, an intense struggle for love and the frustrations of a love triangle between Iason, Rikki, and Guy is what comprises the entire OVA. I love the fact that the anime was set in a futuristic city and yet upholds the classical ideals of Karl Marx. It is what makes it stand out amongst the rest of the yaoi OVAs I’ve seen around. Viewers who are viewing this without any background may find Ai no Kusabi rather confusing, but overall it is a good yaoi to watch with only a little understanding required on the part of the viewer.

In terms of the art, animation, and cinematography, I have absolutely no complaints to it. The emotions and the sensual interactions between the two main characters are so well done and so realistic that a normal yaoi fan like me would instantly feel the passions between Iason and Rikki. The Boy Love content is very visible and hardcore, which is why I would recommend this only to those who are tolerable of hard BL.

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