GERARD AND JACQUES, Volume One

By: Nadia Oxford
Review Date: Thursday, September 07, 2006

Romance manga isn't for everyone, and the yaoi genre of romance manga certainly isn't for everyone. "Yaoi" usually refers to an anime or manga (Japanese comics/graphic novels) that has a focus around a romantic relationship between two male characters. Again, the kind of content that doesn't warm everyone's comfort zone.

Regardless, there's no denying yaoi is ambitious. Being so popular, its traveled all over time and space, and there are few settings that haven't been penned by authors. Fans won't be surprised to learn that Gerard and Jacques by Fumi Yoshinaga and published in America by Blu is set in pre-Revolutionary France, but they'll likely be intrigued.

When Jacques, a sixteen-year-old aristocrat is sold into male prostitution after his father's death, he quickly meets Gerard Anglade, his first client. Gerard also becomes his last client; the wealthy commoner buys the ornery boy's freedom as an ironic punishment for his defiance, and a challenge to earn a real living. "As a first-rate prostitute, you're blessed with feather pillows and three meals a day," Gerard tells Jacques, and doubts he could survive long outside the brothel.

Smoldering with hatred over the humiliating interlude, Jacques shows up on Gerard's doorstep the next day, applying as a servant so that he might show his liberator he's not useless. Over the next month, Jacques works endlessly to prove his worth, and if there's any wonder about whether the boy starts to feel something more for his master, the answer should be obvious.

Gerard and Jacques still offers some intrigue and surprise. Gerard in particular is a fairly complex character who has his reasons for his lighthearted torments towards Jacques, and they reach beyond the easy answer of abrasiveness merely being in his character. In fact, the last quarter of Volume One covers Gerard's life as an erotica novelist and explores his open-ended marriage to the aristocrat Nathalie and the unforgivable sin she commits. As the volume ends, Jacques still exhibits bouts of defiance towards Gerard, but his defences are visibly cracking and a grudging sort of affection becomes apparent.

Yoshinaga's artwork is best described as pretty. Flowing ink and pencil compose the characters and their surroundings, though the background art is sparse. The cast is well-dressed in their historical garb; neckerchiefs, ribbons and frilled cuffs abound. Even the supposedly hideous scar Gerard's wife branded on him goes nicely with his silver hair and mauve overcoat.


The dialogue is probably a little more modern than what would be typical for French aristocrats, but it's entertaining and localized well, barring one or two typos (Gerard's body is once referred to being "plant, like a young tree").

If yaoi is at all your scene, volume one of Gerard and Jacques is well written, pleasant to look at and generally worth your time. The content, needless to say, is meant for a mature audience.