May 13, 2024
Macaroni is the story of an orphan on a journey, who is being hunted by persons unknown. He doesn’t know why they’re after him, and in fact at first doesn’t even seem to realize the danger he’s in. When the priest who raised him is unable to continue the journey, he hires a bounty hunter to act as main character Robin’s bodyguard. A gunslinger who happens to be around and looking for some action joins up, and the three of them travel together, dodging pursuit all the while. It’s a fun story, though the mystery has the potential to be a bit frustrating for a
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while. At first, i was dubious about the storyline – i didn’t understand why Robin was being hunted, and wasn’t sure it could be suitably resolved in a 2-volume manga. Without any spoilers, i will say that the last two chapters wrapped up the plot to my complete satisfaction. The reveal makes complete sense in the context of a western, and the pacing was perfect for the length of the series. It all ties together.
I hate to say it, but the art is not good, very early-2000s yaoi, with the blocky faces and awful lips. It gets the job done, but it’s not a selling point. The female characters are pretty, though, and the clothes are better than in some manga westerns that i’ve seen. There are plenty of female characters, unusual for both a western and a BL, and they’re all quite likeable. I was particularly fond of Ted’s sisters. As for the main characters, Robin doesn’t seem to quite fit into the world – his personality and thought processes feel very Japanese. Which is fair, the writer is Japanese after all, but the other leads Sydney and Ted, along with the supporting cast, blend much better into the world of a western, with the exception of Ted’s katana. A U.S. cavalry sword would make more sense, though still a bit unusual. The villains are believable and the cast all play off each other well.
Now let’s get to the part i’m sure y’all are looking for: the gayness. Although MAL has this series tagged as erotica, there is no sexual content and even the romance is lowkey to the point where it can almost be ignored. In fact, i would argue that this is more a case of “homoerotic fanservice” than “gay romance.” I’m not sure i’d go so far as to call it queerbaiting (i’m honestly on the fence about that), but it definitely wasn’t what i was looking for as a queer who enjoys westerns. Not everything has to be Gemma Files’ Hexslinger trilogy, but putting a little effort into developing a plausible relationship would have been nice.
Overall, this was a pretty fun read. The characters were likeable, and the story enjoyable. Its only flaws were that the art was lacking with regard to men’s faces, and the “romantic” elements left me with a bad aftertaste. I think it would have come off better if the author had written it as a basic western with no romance whatsoever, rather than trying to shoehorn in some BL. Ted had the right idea, shutting down any attempts at romo that happened on his watch. Fantastic aro representation, right there. So i guess there is something for the queer community after all. Macaroni isn’t what i wanted it to be, but it wasn’t a bad way to pass an hour or so.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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