A new yaoi manga merges war with fantasy in A Howl of the Heart. Uru and Tenyo are two elite soldiers with a bond that runs deeper than blood. Living together and fighting side by side has only heightened their affection for one another… but in a world ravaged by war, connections can be severed in an instant. When Uru loses his life, he leaves Tenyo behind with nothing but a final kiss goodbye. After two years of mourning, Tenyo sneaks into the enemy general Kakezuki’s territory with the intent of finishing him off, as promised to Uru. But when he gets there, he finds that the enemy looks exactly like his dearly departed brother-in-arms! There’s no way Uru is still among the living… or is there?
There has been a general rise in Chinese inspired period pieces across manga and light novels. You just have to look at the success of series like The Apothecary Diaries to see this. Likewise, danmei (Chinese’s equivalent of BL) has been riding a recent wave of popularity, with several manga creator bringing this Chinese style into their work. A Howl of the Heart makes full use of these genres with an epic romance fantasy set in a Chinese inspired medieval fantasy world.
Ayato Miyoshi is very well versed in yaoi manga with several series to their name going back to 2009. As a result, they have a very polished approach to both their storytelling and art. The bond forged in war between Uru and Tenyo is established very early on and Miyoshi is careful not to approach it in a throwaway fashion, especially given how integral it is to the story. There is an element of mystery that runs through the first few chapters focusing on Uru’s reappearance and his loss of all memories concerning Tenyo which leads into battles to the death, reanimated corpses and more heartbreak and confusion than Tenyo can handle. It would be easy to lean into the more stylish and romantic elements, but there is a good balance that will keep readers hooked.
The artwork is very sleek in multiple ways. Miyoshi is obviously adept at depicting handsome men and goes all in when depicting the more ruggedly handsome Uru against the sleek feminine looks of Tenyo. There is a great deal of artistic range on display in this opening volume from tender moments of love whilst at death’s door to full blown gladiator style executions involving battles with tigers. Miyoshi doesn’t slouch in any department and proves to be one of the best artists in the genre.
A Howl of The Heart proves to be a multilayered romance that has plenty of assets to keep readers intrigued. BL fans definitely should give this new series a shot.
A Howl of the Heart 01 is out now from Square Enix Manga (9781646094745, p/b, £13.99)
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