Skyscapers of Oz

by Row Takakura and Yoshino Somei

From tailing your lover to walking your dog, no job is too small Mari and his partner Yoichi are drop-dead gorgeous "Handymen." But they also have a hidden (and dangerous) other side. Their latest job... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586559990
• ISBN13: 9781586559991
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Media Blasters
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Don't waste your time and money

complete waste of time- storyline degenerated into a farce imho.

Sizzling!

This Japanese Yaoi manga is "HOT"! . The drawings are top notch and the translation solid. Since this is based on a novel, the story line is better than most other Yaoi manga. The 4 guys are drop dead gorgeous. The bond and chemistry of the lovers is explicitly potrayed and simply sizzling. Do yourself a favor and get this. Meanwhile I will continue to drool over Yoichi, Miyuki, Mari and Yu. And yes, I also recommend "Kizuna" which is just as good.

Gorgeous, Funny and Romantic

This is a gorgeous manga, with just the right amount of sap, angst and *heat* for the yaoi fan. As for the translation itself I really think it's one of the best of the yaoi mangas being translated these days. It stays close to the japanese and there's none of the stiltedness I've observed in manga from other companies. Now I just need more! ^___^ Highly recommended!

delicious...

this manga is based on the novel written by yoshino somei, and apparently is the first such project for illustrator row takakura. i'm quite familiar with some of takakura's works, and as always her illustrations are topnotch. decent background and settings, although she emphasize facial expression more than atmosphere and surroundings. her art sports soft but clear and clean lines, and the details are beautiful. i swear, her men are one of the best drawn i've seen yet. they *are* drop-dead gorgeous. even her ukes, while pretty and kinda girly have boyish bodies and that sense of realism is a nice change of pace in the world of yaoi. and yes, this manga is in YAOI territory here, with sex scenes and double entrendres peppering the work. mari and yuichi, the handymen are perfect working partners... and the relationship between yoichi and mari's younger brother miyuki is all lovey-dovey and hot, steaming sex. much to the annoyance of mari who had to put up with the sugary sweetness and accidental glimpses into their sex life on a regular basis. both miyuki and yoichi are an absolute riot, providing tongue-in-cheek humor in the work. the story began when miyuki asks the help of the handymen to help a school friend of his from gropers on the train. that is when mari is introduced to yu kaito, the exquisitely beautiful boy and said friend. yu seems to be the soft-spoken and sweet type, quite different from the cheeky miyuki. after the groper was dealt with, mari went back home, only to be notified by yoichi that they have a new job to complete. the client, the wife of a prominent CEO wants OZ to provide evidence of her husband's lover having an affair on the side. which meant that she wants them to seduce the lover. and yeah, you got it... the lover is none other than yu kaito, little groped boy. plot wise, the suspense behind it is not too complicated. although outwardly yu doesn't fit the bill as the manipulative paramour of an aging CEO, there is a definite connection between the two. readers are kept wondering about the true face of yu; is he an innocent or is he the devil wearing an angel's mask? on top of that, both mari and yu are nursing an attraction to each other... the storyline was handled deftly by the authors, the story is interesting and fast paced. although yu is quite meek at times, he's endearing and never crosses the line into the weepy uke territory, another plus point in my book. mari is perfect as the silent-and-grumpy type and absolutely macho in his manliness while yoichi is THE walking, talking sex machine. his blase and nonchalant behavior heightens his sexiness, and the fact that he's utterly devoted to miyuki makes their relationship even sweeter. this is a great 1 volume work, and it manages to capture the feeling of the story without feeling rushed. i do wish there is a continuation of skyscrapers of oz, but as it is i am satisfied with the work. a pleasurable read indeed.

Funny and Entertaining

Honestly, I have been looking for this title freaking FOREVER! I am not kidding. I was really overjoiced when I finally found it. By the time I bought it, I was expecting something amazing, and to my wonder, I was not disapointed at all. This is what I think all yaoi comics should be like. The story is fast and sweet and the relationships seem very special. The story is mainly about these two macho guys ( Mari and Yoichi) who are kind of like detectives/handymen. They do any kind of jobs people want, as long as they are paid. Yoichi, the blond guy (he looks like a more manly Watari from Yami NO Matsuei...not that Watari is not manly) is going out with MAri's little brother, Miyuki, who is this cute thing that always smiles and is go-happy constantly. Their relationship is not dominant, thou they screw whenever they get the chance. It's so hilarious whevever Mari is on an assigment or something; you know exactly where to find his partner ;) (with Miyuki, doing stuff...) ANyway, the Main relationshp is between Mari and Yu, this sexy boy that is in a lot of trouble. Mari first rescues him from being groped, but then has to sleep with him and take evidence to shame him (that is his assigment). Apparently, things don't go as planned, because MAri is developing feelings for Yu that are stronger than the begining lust. Anyway, the story is about how they deal with their attraction and the assigment. Mari is not very happy when he hears that Yu has a CEO for a lover, so he's a bit slow in confessing his feelings. Throughout all the action and the drama, you'll probably find Yoichi and Miyuki having sex everywhere and expressing their love for eachother. Honestly, they are so cute together. I wish that I had a relationship like theirs; I am very envious. My only complaint is that it was too short. I really wanted more and I hoped that it would be a series. But it's not. Can't have everything you want. *sigh*

Highly Recommended

Skyscrapers of Oz is so good! First, I must say that at the bottom of the cover, in all caps is the warning: "Absolutely not for children". They aren't kidding! :D The story and scenarios are very humorous and there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek innuendo and outright sexuality. ^_~ The main character, Mari, and his computer hacker buddy, Yoichi, run something of a detective agency calling themselves "handy men". Yoichi and Mari's little brother, Miyuki are lovers-- and wonderfully [...]! As far as the story goes, the detective sleuthing is somewhat simplistic, but believable. The relationships between characters are highly amusing. The artwork is beautiful. It is a tad disappointing there are no color pages (as there obviously were in the original Japanese version) but the story is, of course, packed with bishounen. For the yaoi fan, this book definately delivers! There are plenty of sexy scenes and fairly unobtrusive censorship in the form of conveniently placed word-bubbles and some ghostly appendages. The book is incredibly funny-- from first page to last! :D I'm hoping there's a sequel because I would love to get my hands on more of this story! --Or more stories like this, as the case may be.