The Space Between
Do you know what 'ai no kusabi' means? It means 'the space between'. It means the bond between two people.
I have finally finished all 8 volumes of Ai no Kusabi the novel. The anime is famous to all anime lovers, especially to shounen-ai enthusiasts, but a lot of people know about the anime. And it brings quite an emotion in them as well. Before I proceed, this will be my view of the anime and novel and there may be spoilers in this entry, so please deal with caution.
Watching the anime wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know more, because it seemed that there was more than what it shows on the surface in the anime. Yes, the anime did a wonderful job a telling the story, and it displayed the contents of the novel marvellously. I guess that's one of the reason why I wanted to read the novel myself. Let me tell you, Yoshihara Reiko did a brilliant job on the novel. There are some parts confusing, some parts clear, and some parts would leave you speechless. I truly admire for her work on this novel, her choice of words, the plot, the characters, even the settings were described and put into such minute detail, she certainly left nothing in the dark. All was explained to give us the full immersion of the world in the novel and of the story.
I believe it revolved around the relationship between Iason and Riki. What it really was, what it meant, and why things would happen at such lengths. All this to reach the true meaning of the bond that existed between the two of them. The title explained this perfectly.
Both the anime and novel brought me to tears. The story itself is a very complicated one. It is not some homoerotic story that some might come to perceive. It is a whole legitimate story. Very detailed and very heavy to digest. The conflicts arise in this novel ever so frequently. But it not a story of endless conflicts and action, it's really something different, something that one needs to experience to understand.
Love was not so easily acquired to them. Above all, their ego and pride became such a block to their true feelings. I can understand and relate to this. I mean, when you have such ego and pride within you, love was not something so simple to acknowledged and expressed, especially between these two individuals of such different social rank and class. Each had their own pride, even as a slum mongrel.
After all that has happened, it came to the conclusion at last. Riki did not want to acknowledge it at first. For the most part of the novel, he didn't even realized it, he gave reasons to why he did why he did. Every reason he came up with was logical, he was forced to do it for the safety of his friends, because he feared the actions that Iason would take just to get what he wanted. He kept questioning why Iason would keep a slum mongrel as a pet, and why he kept him even when he already passed his so called 'expiry date'. Although he never asked this of Iason, he played along with it. But really, it was all because he had feelings for Iason. Admit it, Riki,
We already knew the reason behind all of Iason's rebellious actions, keeping a mongrel as a pet, keeping him past his twenties, placing him in Apatia, it was done all for love. As much as he wanted to possess Riki and keep him as his pet, he really did not want to suffocate Riki, and tried to give him leisure when possible, such as giving him a dataslate and letting him run in the underworld. Seriously, I personally cannot believe the extent of risks that Iason cared to take just so that Riki could live a more interesting life rather than eating, sleeping and having sex in Eos. However, when it came to matters beneath the sheets, it was always described by Riki as painful. I can imagine -actually I can't imagine- how an android would be on the bed. Iason was described as the incarnate of perfection, and the most skilled in sex as anything could be in the world of Tanagura. Iason could never feel what Riki felt as he tortured him in bed, but it was ensured to the readers that Iason was the only one who would explore the dominnance of pleasure with his own body. Most Blondies would just watch it for entertainment, but not for Iason. He actually lusts for Riki, something that nobody can understand as possible for Blondie, but Iason knows it was because of love.
Riki, on the other hand, didn't even realized Iason's feelings. I guess, when you are tortured and forced, love would seem like a very unlikely answer to their actions. But in Ai no Kusabi, it explored the meaning of love in a more senseless way, like how love can exist between two people who hurt, and one feared the other. Conflicts and problems kept rising between them, and yet love kept thiving between them. Guy and Riki both thought the pet ring was the bond between Iason and Riki, and I think even Iason believed it was so. I think he thought by making Riki his pet and securing the pet ring would make Riki his.Actually, there was a deeper bond than that. None of them were aware of this, except only at the end, then everything was solved. The questions were all answered and the truth manifested itself for all of them to see.
This novel, apart from making me finish a whole box of tissue, made me think about relationships more, and about this space between people. It made me think about love and how distorted love can be. You can be happy and peaceful and their is compromise and understanding in a relationship, and there is love in it. However, you can have torture and hurt and so much conflicts in a relationship between two people, and there is still love.
This novel is no walk in the park. It is no superficial storyline, there is so much meaning and love in this story and I believe it will shake your emotions as much as it shook mine. The pain that I felt during my course of reading this novel was truly something that gave this story something significant.
Thanks to everyone who made the novel and the anime possible. The new version of the anime is out and I am looking forward to it. Cheers.
I have finally finished all 8 volumes of Ai no Kusabi the novel. The anime is famous to all anime lovers, especially to shounen-ai enthusiasts, but a lot of people know about the anime. And it brings quite an emotion in them as well. Before I proceed, this will be my view of the anime and novel and there may be spoilers in this entry, so please deal with caution.
Watching the anime wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know more, because it seemed that there was more than what it shows on the surface in the anime. Yes, the anime did a wonderful job a telling the story, and it displayed the contents of the novel marvellously. I guess that's one of the reason why I wanted to read the novel myself. Let me tell you, Yoshihara Reiko did a brilliant job on the novel. There are some parts confusing, some parts clear, and some parts would leave you speechless. I truly admire for her work on this novel, her choice of words, the plot, the characters, even the settings were described and put into such minute detail, she certainly left nothing in the dark. All was explained to give us the full immersion of the world in the novel and of the story.
I believe it revolved around the relationship between Iason and Riki. What it really was, what it meant, and why things would happen at such lengths. All this to reach the true meaning of the bond that existed between the two of them. The title explained this perfectly.
Both the anime and novel brought me to tears. The story itself is a very complicated one. It is not some homoerotic story that some might come to perceive. It is a whole legitimate story. Very detailed and very heavy to digest. The conflicts arise in this novel ever so frequently. But it not a story of endless conflicts and action, it's really something different, something that one needs to experience to understand.
Love was not so easily acquired to them. Above all, their ego and pride became such a block to their true feelings. I can understand and relate to this. I mean, when you have such ego and pride within you, love was not something so simple to acknowledged and expressed, especially between these two individuals of such different social rank and class. Each had their own pride, even as a slum mongrel.
After all that has happened, it came to the conclusion at last. Riki did not want to acknowledge it at first. For the most part of the novel, he didn't even realized it, he gave reasons to why he did why he did. Every reason he came up with was logical, he was forced to do it for the safety of his friends, because he feared the actions that Iason would take just to get what he wanted. He kept questioning why Iason would keep a slum mongrel as a pet, and why he kept him even when he already passed his so called 'expiry date'. Although he never asked this of Iason, he played along with it. But really, it was all because he had feelings for Iason. Admit it, Riki,
We already knew the reason behind all of Iason's rebellious actions, keeping a mongrel as a pet, keeping him past his twenties, placing him in Apatia, it was done all for love. As much as he wanted to possess Riki and keep him as his pet, he really did not want to suffocate Riki, and tried to give him leisure when possible, such as giving him a dataslate and letting him run in the underworld. Seriously, I personally cannot believe the extent of risks that Iason cared to take just so that Riki could live a more interesting life rather than eating, sleeping and having sex in Eos. However, when it came to matters beneath the sheets, it was always described by Riki as painful. I can imagine -actually I can't imagine- how an android would be on the bed. Iason was described as the incarnate of perfection, and the most skilled in sex as anything could be in the world of Tanagura. Iason could never feel what Riki felt as he tortured him in bed, but it was ensured to the readers that Iason was the only one who would explore the dominnance of pleasure with his own body. Most Blondies would just watch it for entertainment, but not for Iason. He actually lusts for Riki, something that nobody can understand as possible for Blondie, but Iason knows it was because of love.
Riki, on the other hand, didn't even realized Iason's feelings. I guess, when you are tortured and forced, love would seem like a very unlikely answer to their actions. But in Ai no Kusabi, it explored the meaning of love in a more senseless way, like how love can exist between two people who hurt, and one feared the other. Conflicts and problems kept rising between them, and yet love kept thiving between them. Guy and Riki both thought the pet ring was the bond between Iason and Riki, and I think even Iason believed it was so. I think he thought by making Riki his pet and securing the pet ring would make Riki his.Actually, there was a deeper bond than that. None of them were aware of this, except only at the end, then everything was solved. The questions were all answered and the truth manifested itself for all of them to see.
This novel, apart from making me finish a whole box of tissue, made me think about relationships more, and about this space between people. It made me think about love and how distorted love can be. You can be happy and peaceful and their is compromise and understanding in a relationship, and there is love in it. However, you can have torture and hurt and so much conflicts in a relationship between two people, and there is still love.
This novel is no walk in the park. It is no superficial storyline, there is so much meaning and love in this story and I believe it will shake your emotions as much as it shook mine. The pain that I felt during my course of reading this novel was truly something that gave this story something significant.
Thanks to everyone who made the novel and the anime possible. The new version of the anime is out and I am looking forward to it. Cheers.
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