Lenni Reviews: "In These Words" Vol 1


In These Words by TogaQ and Kichiku Neko
**This title contains graphic adult content.**
I’ll be honest with you, my friends, I bought this manga for two reasons: The cover art and the yaoi. I love me some yaoi. And it’s one of the few genres of manga too explicit for libraries to keep (at least it’s why I don’t buy them where I work). I’ve been duped by fancy cover art and a smartly worded book jacket before but this time, I was pleasantly surprised! What I found was fantastic art throughout and a psychological thriller that’s hooked me for the next installment.
As the description says, Asano Katsuya is a psychiatrist recruited by the police to pull a confession out of a serial killer, Shinohara Keiji. The very moment Katsuya gets the case, he begins to have vivid and disturbing nightmares about being held prisoner by a man who abuses him for every filthy, twisted whim; all the while confessing his love. The connection between these dreams and the very real crimes Keiji gleefully describes is not told to us in this volume. Are they memories? Are they fantasies? Unfortunately we have to wait to find out.
Content note: When I say “vivid and disturbing nightmares” I am not freaking kidding here. This book is rated 18+ for a damn good reason. A man is held prisoner, sliced up, and taken with dubious consent or a flagrant lack of it. There is wang in this book. You are warned so don’t come crying “Omg, Lenni! I saw a naked man!” I’m telling you now, you will see wang and you will see butt sex. Don’t like? Don’t read.
That said, “In These Words” is not a fluffy story of two men who meet, fall in love, are hesitant to tell one another, but get together in a burst of song, sakura petals, and sweet man-love. It’s Law and Order with really hot men. You are treated to Keiji’s demented mind games and Katsuya’s conflict between wanting this confession and trying not to fall into Keiji’s mental trap. There’s the same feeling of wondering if the dreams are memories and if what we are reading is a flashback or happening right then I experienced when watching Perfect Blue. Reality starts to warp, words are bent and twisted, and you fear for Katsuya; who is way too drawn to Keiji right from the beginning.
My only disappointment is I got into this series right when the volume came out and I have to wait for the second one. The art is beautiful. I am a complete sucker for the sketchy quality, where you can see every pen and brush stroke as it forms the image. If you like a lot of story with your yaoi, you could do a lot worse than In These Words. All I can really say is hurry with volume 2!