By: Youka Nitta Publisher: Be Beautiful Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Be Beautiful Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 216 Publication Date: May 01, 2007
"Youka Nitta is one of the most acclaimed yaoi manga artists of our time."-ActiveAnime.com
Magira Yuri is a gambler with an international reputation for success. His frosty blonde hair and piercing amber eyes have earned him the nickname "Casino Lily" by his legion of fans. The world is his oyster until he travels to a famous Las Vegas casino, where he meets the handsome owner, Anthony Monte Carlo. Now Magira must master a new game, one of cat and mouse, where the winner takes all: including the body and heart of his opponent!
If you read it, the story is there It's tempting to rush through a volume like this. Most of the book is about one character's story, and the mangaka is well known for her beautiful style and detailed adult action. However, there is an interesting story here, with a twist, that is enjoyable, if you take the time to riddle it out. The themes are quite Japanese, which are not easily understood by the average English-speaker, and on top of it, the concepts are filtered through the translation from Japanese to English. While the story is easily readable, the transitions from one idea to another are not always smooth.
Rushing through the narrative is an easy way to miss some parts of the story that end up paying off at the end. You do NOT have to be some sort of scholar to read this book, but you do have to exercise patience and slow down. Nitta's art makes that hard - the urge to see what's on the next page is high, her sense of style and movement a feast for the eyes. But there's a story here, too, that's well worth reading.
Now, I can't recommend the short filler story at the end, but, thankfully, it IS short, and the Casino Lily's story is what takes up 90% of the pages. I liked the main story so much, I am still giving this book 5 stars, when normally I would have dinged it one star for the unsatisfying second story.
no character development. NONE. this book was highly disappointing.
you get no sense of the characters really at all - so it is hard to care what happens to them... :(
Casino Lily by Youka Nitta Magira is a professional gambler but he has a problem: he can't win using his own money, he has to bet with the money of someone else and so he put on stake both his lucky hand and his beautiful body. He enthrall men, get their money and leaves them without regret.
But last time he has left a good man, Carlo, a casino owner and a gentleman. Magira, also known as Casino Lily for his fair looks, has some open business back in Japan and doesn't think to really love Carlo: he plays with love like he does with his life, always flying here and there, never stop.
Maybe with his first love he can finally find the peace he craves... but a youthful dream could be the answer to all his restlessness? or maybe what he has left behind is the key to his future?
Magira's characters his beautiful, only him is worthing all the story. I don't like vey much Carlo, he would deserve a better look, cause he has a very charming behaviour, like an old english gentleman (even if I suppose he has italian heritage instead...). Carlo likes beautiful things and who he is more beautiful than Casino Lily?
A very little surprise is the bonus story, Not Guilty: it is like a treasure, few pages with a plot compelling and clever. Don't miss it!
Somewhat boring.... I'm a huge fan of Youka Nitta, but this book was somewhat boring. Although she is known for really developing the emotions of her characters, Youka Nitta spend little time expressing how the relationships evolved. The main character more or less, jumped between 3 different guys, before settling for the one that had no real need for his gambling luck. All that aside, her art is still beautiful. And if you'd like to support her, get it. But keep in mind that if you're looking for a strong plot like that of "Embracing Love" or "When a Man, loves a Man" you'll be disappointed.
Hot Yaoi Youka Nitta is known for her explicit renderings and hot action, and this one shot does not disappoint. There is hot graphic sex here, but also an interesting storyline. Casino Lily's luck is cursed. He's on a mission to break the curse, and if he finds true love so much the better! Carlo is a sexy hotel/casino owner who initially wants to have Lily for his casino as a tourist draw, but soon falls for him instead.
This book was well done. All the panels are clear, and the language smooth without the awkward phrasing that can occur with translation. Highly recommended for hard yaoi fans.
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