Zetsuai 1989

I will defend this yaoi till the day I die. The art style may put a lot of people off. Yes, the art is wacky with their long limbs and fingers that resemble the art of CLAMP. Nearly almost all characters in BL series from the '70s-'90s were hilariously drawn that way. There's nothing wrong with liking feminine-looking boys (if you're under the age of 18 ofc) and men. Get over yourself if you perceive all men should fit your standards of being extra masculine. Go watch some Bara or other yaoi if you see that the image cover isn't right for you. And yes, ... although I do understand pretty gay men is considered a negative stereotype; I appreciate old yaoi because I can look at modern shounen-ai and other yaoi and see how far they've improved in the animation. I can also compare and contrasts the diversity of gay men drawn in manga and comics as well which brings pure happiness to my little gay heart.

The music from this OVA is wonderful, I still listen to the extra soundtrack to this day. I guess because I am nostalgic for an era that I've never witnessed. If you like cheesy 80's music like me then I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. I was in the closet when I watched this as a teenager and this anime helped me cope with being closeted. Especially when Nanjo who was mostly a player with the ladies suddenly realizes the girl he's been searching for all along is a boy his age. The boy, however, resents Nanjo and rightfully so because he's not sure why Nanjo looks at him that way and why he won't leave his life.

It's a cliche storyline. Rocker pretty boy falls in love with an athletic pretty boy, but athletic pretty boy doesn't reciprocate those feelings back until one day their life turns around and everything changes. You know that sort of cheesy thing. As a young cold-hearted homosexual, this anime definitely pulled several heartstrings. Therefore this anime will always have a special place in my heart and was one of the reasons why I decided to come out.

Let me be the trendsetter and be the first one with mixed feelings towards this anime.

First, concerning the somewhat "off-putting" animation style, it's really not as bad as it could be--IF you're used to 80s and 90s animes. I'm not talking about well-known ones like Bepop and Lain; I'm talking about the majority of anime series that were buried amidst the 2000s wave of really influential household anime names. It definitely takes some getting used to, but not enough to be an eyesore. (And it's still not as bad as its sequel with their razor-sharp chins.)

The biggest problem for me is pacing. And I get ... it--only 45 minutes to shove in a few chapters from the manga. But it does play a part on how this anime is perceived. Takuto in particular comes off as overly cagey and defensive. Then, three-fourths in, after Kouji sacrifices yet again for Takuto, he suddenly switches to warming up to Kouji, which leads to the finale.

On the other hand, Kouji is pretty stable throughout; he's true to his desires through and through. He's obsessive and possessive, and his desperation increases as the story goes on. Although Takuto is technically the one with the sad backstory, it's easier to sympathize with Kouji.You see the sacrifices he makes to Takuto without any prompting, and you feel for him each time he gets rejected.

Their messed-up relationship is supposed to set the stage to mirror Takuto's past, allowing him to make a crucial decision in the end that...is left to our imagination. Because they cut it off right at the end. I guess it's good they decided to air the sequel so we're not constantly wondering what's going to happen next.

Overall, Zetsuai is an anime with a good premise, but doesn't leave much of a lasting impression (except for a character study). Because I was interested enough to go to the sequel, I could find some resolution with this anime and say I wouldn't mind watching it again. Rated by itself, though, this OVA's performance is average at best.

The decision to start Zetsuai was a random one for me. I am not the world’s biggest yaoi fangirl, not that I am somehow morally against or disgusted by the subject matter, but I always attempt to try new things. I really did try to go into this with an open mind but sadly this turned out to be exactly the kind of tripe I was originally expecting. As an anime in general this may be the worst drawn and most poorly designed show I have ever seen.

The story starts out with a flashback of our hunky lead reminiscing about a football ... hunk from his childhood. Excuse me will I clean my keyboard after spilling my tea laughing at that statement. I lied; there is nothing hunky about our girly man leads. Back on point, the lead Koji Nanjo is a super famous and popular musician who insists he isn’t gay, despite having these thoughts about this footballer. Coincidently the now grown footballer, Takuto Izumi picks up the passed out and drunken Koji from a rainy alley and nurses him back to health. I’m sure this kind of thing happens all the time. Straight man picks up a drunkard from an alley and takes him home then sleeps lovingly with him on the same bed. What a nice man.

Actually this illness, and let’s call it what it is; IT’S A COLD! It’s not life threatening! For the most part healthy young men do not drop dead after getting wet and developing a small fever and the sniffles. However this is a recurring theme in this anime. I would guess that at least 60% of the story takes place in a hospital or in someone’s sickbed. I know, I know, I am sure this is supposed to drive home some kind of splendid drama or titillate me with the promise of healing buttsecks.

All this being said there is some decent drama beneath all the sickness and gay-angst. Sorta. Kinda. Koji moves from a man who claims he isn’t gay to a flaming symbol of gay pride in the span of 10 minutes. Most puzzling we are supposed to believe that it was the look in Izumi's eyes that so captivated him when he was younger. Towards the end though the drama is fairly interesting as Koji tries to get his feelings across to the emotionally damaged Izumi. The story doesn’t really end satisfactorily but it isn’t horrible. It doesn't change the fact though that Koji is an obsessive psycho and there is nothing to make you think either one of them have any real feelings for each other besides what they say. Additionally the sports action and portrayal of the music industry is unrealistic to say the least. Yaoi fans looking for a lot of guy x guy action are also not likely to be satisfied either. There is very little intimacy between the "lovers" and absolutely zero chemistry and nothing that is even close to being called romance.

The cast for Zetsuai is small and pretty much keeps to its two leads. They are both underwhelming as characters. Izumi attempts to be played as this macho and manly athlete. But he comes across as a heartless brooding asshat. Yes, he’s had it rough. He is haunted by the murder of his father by his mother and her attempted murder of him. Because of the societal rejection of him as the son of a murderer he is understandably scarred emotionally and distant from people. He is moderately sympathetic as a character because most of what happens to him or has happened in his life is really through no fault of his own. I suppose the most inspirational thing about his is as a warning to people on why you shouldn't pick up strangers in the street and take them home with you.

Koji on the other hand is equally passionless. Though what exactly he is messed up about is anyone’s guess. I find it quite laughable that someone with so little interest in anything could ever become a successful musical artist. The only time he shows any real passion about anything is in playing the pining man-wife type, while he tries to force himself on Izumi. He is a complete psycho and his antics get more and more over the top the more desperate he becomes.

What can I say about the art? Well it is without a doubt one of the most horrible things I have ever subjected my eyeballs too. This kind of thing is precisely why I don’t watch this genre. If you want to see two women together why not just watch a yuri anime? It seems 99% of yaoi artwork is a rip-off of CLAMP designs. The guys are way too feminine, with long girlish nails and fingers, long silky hair, and thin faces with knife like pointed chins. Either the artist really loves Jay Leno or this is supposed to be attractive. Additionally the characters are supposed to be 16. Despite the silliness of that when it comes to the story, these guys don’t looks like they are 16. No way in hell. It’s not just the character designs that are hideous, the backgrounds and settings are just as bland and uninspired. I suppose I should give it a bit of a pass being that it is from almost 20 years ago but I can’t see this looked good ever. Even a cave artist would have thought this looked like shit.

Perhaps the only thing worse than the art is the music. Wow. I can’t believe we used to listen to this trash. If you want to reminisce to the good old days of hair bands and trite lyrics and corny keyboard sounds then maybe you will get a smidgeon of value. As hair bands go Mötley Crüe rocked, this is more like listening to Nelson. The acting performances are equally uninteresting and unmoving.

Overall Zetsuai 1989 is an anime that should be avoided by all but the most undiscriminating viewer or yaoi fangirl. I would say you could watch it for the lulz but you should love yourself more than that. The only thing it really has going for it is that it’s a million times better than its epically shitty sequel.