Kimi ga Koi ni Oboreru
You Will Drown in Love

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If you're planning to read 'Kimi ga koi ni Oboreru' then you've probably also read the prequel, 'Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru'. If you haven't, it's fine, I'm just going to bring it up a few times for comparison.

'Oboreru' isn't excellent. It isn't incredibly original or revolutionary in any way. But it's entertaining and comfortable, good to read in your spare time. There's a lot worse out there.

'Oboreru' is much better than 'Ochiru' (and most yaoi mangas) because of it's effective portrayal of a developing relationship. Note the word 'developing'. Jinnai and Reiichirou actually start off as friends and get to know each ... other before they start a relationship, which I found quite refreshing. This was something sorely lacking in 'Ochiru', which is one of the reasons I never really liked it. 'Oboreru' on the other hand, is much more realistic. You can actually see the effect Jinnai and Reiichirou have on each other and how they change each other as people. Although there are only 5 chapters (and a short epilogue) Takanaga makes good use of what she has and creates an engaging relationship between two reasonably developed characters.

This leads to another strength of 'Oboreru' :Characters. Reiichirou is a much more developed character here then he was in 'Ochiru' and I liked him much more because of it. In 'Ochiru' it seemed as if Takagawa simply casted him as the 'love rival'; He was just a role-filler. In 'Oboreru' he's actually a person and you end up empathizing with him. Jinnai's slightly less developed, but you still get a good sense of his character.

The plot is rather standard, the two mains get to know each other, some jealousy, realization of their feelings, kiss scenes, disagreements, apologies, more kiss/sex scenes, and conclusion. It's not very original in that aspect. What makes it entertaining are the characters. Also, for fans of 'Ochiru', 'Oboreru' is good if you're interested in seeing 'Ochiru' happen from Reiichirou's point of view, as 'Oboreru' happens at the same time as 'Ochiru' does.

The art is normal Takagawa style: Clean lines, gorgeous guys, etc. If you like the art from her other works, you'll like the art in 'Oboreru'.

Finally, the last reason for why I liked 'Oboreru' more than 'Ochiru' is because... the guys were actually guys. In other words, the uke wasn't so feminine that I was doubting his gender. Despite the fact that Reiichirou has his feminine sides, he was still ultimately male, and I like that. This is more of a personal preference though, so if you do like girly ukes well... the sea of Yaoi is incredibly large.

Either way, if you're staying in at home and looking for a nice yaoi manga to dig into, this one's not a bad choice. It's not deep or profound, but it's pretty entertaining.