At times silly, at times crazy, but romantic and sexy, too. Don’t forget to look under the cover on this one!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Tamaki Kirishima
Translation/Adaptation: Leona Wong
What They Say
Mutsuki inherited his father’s company eight years ago. He’s been doing fine as a CEO, but there’s one thing that has always been a shadow lurking over him: he’s never accomplished his father’s last wishes. Just before dying, Mutsuki’s father told him to “go and become the ultimate evil boss!” But Mutsuki is so kind that his daily attempts of training to commit evil deeds are a complete failure. Will he ever succeed, or will his father’s last wishes be forgotten? Especially now that Mutsumi has met the beautiful Torii and is falling for him…
Packaging:
801 Media has given this title a slap-up presentation. The print is clear and distinct with decent paper quality. Kirishima uses a lot of screen tone and the results on the page are distinct and clear with no moire patterns. In addition to the author afterword and DMP/801 adverts, there is a color insert of the back cover picture of Shizuka and Mochizuki. 810 Media has presented some nice surprises here – a special 4 choma featuring Torii’s brothers on the back cover flap and an entirely new cover – front and back – revealed when the sleeve is removed.
Artwork:
Kirishima has an art style characterized by linework that’s dynamic and quick but not uncontrolled. There is an energy in the work that is very suitable in an off-the-wall comedy such as this. A distinctive feature of her character design is not the long jaw of her characters, we’ve seen many of those before, but the way she depicts features on her characters. She fills in the lips with densely packed lines and retraces the noses. It looks odd at first, but it actually works. (Try to imagine the face without this lip treatment. It just looks wrong.) It gives additional liveliness to the face, and perks up and balances the narrowed, expressive eyes that Kirishima gives her characters. Bodies and their environments are primarily defined by screen tone, Kirishima doesn’t leave much-undefined space. This gives off a visual energy that enhances the quirkiness and occasional frenzy of the goings-on.
There are lots of chibis here and Kirishima does these very well. They’re cute and expressive; they maintain the particular personality traits that she has given the characters in full figure. Her chibis successfully allow her characters to take on a silliness that might not work if she extended the behavior to their full-size selves. This feature has rarely been done better.
SFX/Text:
For the most part, the text reads well. There are some grammatical errors, notably a subject-verb disagreement. There are a few instances of stilted speech, but this is Mutsuki talking and he has some unusual thought patterns, so this could have been a deliberate decision on the translator/adaptor to highlight this particular character feature. Whatever the reason, the story accommodates it. Not a lot of SFX here and they are translated and inserted near the original or substituted outright.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Mutsuki Narasawa must become an evil boss to fulfill his father’s dying wish. However, Mutsuki is so sweet, timid and honest that he can’t think of an evil deed, much less perform one. He diligently and unsuccessfully pursues evil and his struggles earn the support and admiration of his subordinates at Biei cosmetics and in the Narasawa home.
One night, when attempting to do a doorbell dash, Mutsuki becomes lost and faints from the stress. This is observed by a young salaryman who, not knowing anything about Mutsuki, takes him to his home. Upon awakening in this strange place, Mutsuki, ever mindful of the need to do evil, thinks of his brother’s advice to “just do someone”, that’s evil enough. Mutsuki jumps the semi-clothed man. But evil never stays in Mutaki’s mind very long and what begins as an assault ends up with Mutuki castigating the young man for having no self-respect in his habit of excessive casual sex. The young man, Makoto Torii, in turn, is fascinated by the innocent and obviously sheltered Mutsuki, who shows awe when presented with a container of CupNoodles and ineptitude when pulling apart cheap hashi. Makoto finds Mutsuki cute and just when the two are settling in for friendly conversation, Mutsuki’s driver and secretary barge into Makoto’s apartment and carry Mutsuki away.
Mutsuki again goes out in the night at attempt to deface a poster. (His recent success at crossing against the light was met with cheers and celebration at the Narasawa mansion.) As luck would have it and helped along with the map he carries, he meets Makoto and tells him that he would really like to see him again. Makoto agrees but says that he’s been working so much at his new job that he may not be home that often, and gives Mutsuki his business card in order that Mutsuki may phone him. Yes, it does say Biei industries. Mutsuki, worrying about how his new friend might react to the fact that he is president of Biei, never lets Makoto know what he is a president of, just that he is. As they part, Makoto gives Mutsuki a meat bun, pats him on the head, and tells him to take care of himself. Mutsuki just knows that he has to see Makoto again.
Things now heat up for the charmed Makoto and the smitten Mutsuki. Thanks to the machinations of Mutsuki’s brother, the polymorphous-perverse Shizuka, impediments are thrown in the lovers’ way, mostly for his amusement. A kidnapping and a sentai-styled rescue do a lot to resolve misunderstandings, and Makoto and Mutsuki settle in for some hot-and-heavy loving, punctuated by visits from Makoto’s younger twin brothers, who take brotherly love way too literally. In the meantime, Shizuka, angry at losing his Mutsuki to Makoto, consoles himself with Mutsuki’s driver, Mochizuki, who although he insists that he has never felt “that” way about Mutsuki, is despondent over recent events with Makoto.
Makoto and Mutsuki are so involved with each other that the date by which Mutsuki must demonstrate his evil ways is temporarily forgotten, and Mutsuki must act quickly to save the company for his family and his employees. A rash act by a distant relative, who has the most to gain should Mutsuki fail, forces Mutsuki’s hand and, along with Makoto’s brothers and the staff of the Narasawa mansion, he saves the day by bringing out the heavy artillery – literally.
In Summary
It’s difficult to put into words what a joy this title is. It’s smart, sexy and funny with the energy of the outrageous to propel it. The President’s Time has so much going on that once the story begins, it doesn’t let up.
Kirishima sets up a zany world to which the reader submits completely and populates it with distinctive and memorable characters, all of whom add to the good-natured chaos and the sexy fun.
There are lots of laughs here, but Kirishima doesn’t forget the sex. It’s playful and tender and always in service to the story. It’s also graphic. Those BL readers who shy away from more graphic sexuality might want to make an exception for this title. It’s so good, you really wouldn’t want to miss it. Recommended.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: Digital Manga Publishing
Release Date: April 30th, 2008
MSRP: $15.95
